Recycling Wisdom

[entwife]

Neither animal nor plant,
My true self oft unnoticed
lives just beneath the crust.
Building myself from the ground up,
miraculous primoridium,
I ripen and pierce the universal veil
with a final upward thrust.

Shaman's sacred tool,
I will alter your perceptions.
Yet remember
that I may be deadly in deception!
At times
I shade the brow of Death,
or appear
as an angel of destruction.
Complex in my simplicity,
the closer you look
the more you find.
All of science
still marvels at my construction,
studying my effects
on body, soul and mind.

I mark the door
to the Faerie realm,
and give shape
to their dancing floor.
Throne of salientian wisdom,
my favored treasures might be
uprooted by any passing boar.

Be the change you want to see!
Remember, inversion of efforts
sometimes yields the best effects.
From elder to child,
All Our Relations are a
community to be treasured,
worthy of respect.
I will teach you how
to journey within,
and recycle your decay.
There are no short cuts
to staying grounded,
and if you would quest for Visions,
first you must prepare the way.

Pharaoh's food, strength of legions,
My forms and functions are numerous.
I teach you how to emerge
from the dark nights of the soul
enlightened and luminous.
 

 

 

For those new to the game, each of these singing pieces is inspired by a Teacher found in Nature; a star, stone, plant, animal, etc. Each of our Relations holds lessons of Wisdom for us if we take the time to listen. Can you guess who is singing today?

[Nyktipolos]

Neither animal nor plant,
My true self oft unnoticed
lives just beneath the crust.
Building myself from the ground up,
miraculous primoridium,
I ripen and pierce the universal veil
with a final upward thrust.

 
I'm going to guess mushroom. Unless it's a specific type of mushroom? Hmm.

[entwife]

I'm going to guess mushroom. Unless it's a specific type of mushroom? Hmm.

 
Nope, Mushroom it is, well done! I thought about picking out a specific species, but decided to tackle the whole group instead. I did mention two of the most deadly kinda by name though "I shade Death's brow" = Death Cap and "an Angel of Destruction"= Destroying Angel Thanks for playing!

[Nyktipolos]

Nope, Mushroom it is, well done! I thought about picking out a specific species, but decided to tackle the whole group instead. I did mention two of the most deadly kinda by name though "I shade Death's brow" = Death Cap and "an Angel of Destruction"= Destroying Angel Thanks for playing!

 
I actually had no idea those were mushroom nicknames. :whis: I got it off of "Shaman's sacred tool" and "I mark the door to the Faerie realm". Hehe.

It was really a love poem though. Thank you for sharing it with us!

[entwife]

Neither animal nor plant,
My true self oft unnoticed
lives just beneath the crust.
Building myself from the ground up,
miraculous primoridium,
I ripen and pierce the universal veil
with a final upward thrust.

Shaman's sacred tool,
I will alter your perceptions.
Yet remember
that I may be deadly in deception!
At times
I shade the brow of Death,
or appear
as an angel of destruction.
Complex in my simplicity,
the closer you look
the more you find.
All of science
still marvels at my construction,
studying my effects
on body, soul and mind.

I mark the door
to the Faerie realm,
and give shape
to their dancing floor.
Throne of salientian wisdom,
my favored treasures might be
uprooted by any passing boar.

Be the change you want to see!
Remember, inversion of efforts
sometimes yields the best effects.
From elder to child,
All Our Relations are a
community to be treasured,
worthy of respect.
I will teach you how
to journey within,
and recycle your decay.
There are no short cuts
to staying grounded,
and if you would quest for Visions,
first you must prepare the way.

Pharaoh's food, strength of legions,
My forms and functions are numerous.
I teach you how to emerge
from the dark nights of the soul
enlightened and luminous.
 

 

 

 

“Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.” Helen Keller

“For me, the essence of a medicine man’s life is to be humble, to have great patience, to be close to the Earth, to live as simply as possible, and to never stop learning.” Archie Fire Lame Deer

Mushrooms are interesting Teachers. Ripe with the duality of Life and Death, they are capable of Healing and Nurturing, as well as inducing Madness, Illness or Death. Some are so toxic that we have no antidote for them! Death's Cap and Destroying Angel are two of the most deadly. Death's Cap alone is responsible for the majority of mushroom poisonings around the world. Benign or deadly, Mushrooms are unique, and have recently been given their own category separate from the Animal or Plant Kingdoms. What we tend to think of as the mushroom is also really the visible fruit (or fruitbody) of the real mushroom which grows primarily unseen just below the surface of the ground, rotting log or other material they have sprung from. "Primordium" (wonderful word!) is defined as "An organ, structure, or tissue in the earliest recognizable stage of development." and the "Universal veil" in reference to mushrooms is defined as "membrane initially completely investing the young sporophore of various mushrooms that is ruptured by growth."... but I like the play on words there that is so applicable to the lessons of this Teacher too... the Universal Veil being the illusory curtain between what we see and what we sense.


This particular mushroom is a yellow form of Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria), which are infamous for their poisonous and psychoactive qualities. It’s red form is perhaps the most instantly recognizable. Different in composition and effects than the “magic” psilocybin mushrooms or the seemingly innocent seeds of the common Morning Glory, once such potent and potentially dangerous Nature Teachers were used by the spiritual leaders of early societies from around the world to assist in vision quests and shamanic journeys. Early shamans often did not consume the mushrooms themselves, rather drinking the urine of animals who have consumed them. This eliminated the largest risk of fatal poisoning, but, well, Ewwww! lol

Because of such associations as shamanic tools though, Mushrooms as Spirit Guides have great potential to help us open locked doors within us, to journey within, to connect to the natural world for guidance, to Awaken, to remove self-deception, to re-connect us to the Earth and her wisdom, to promote change and beneficial metaphorical death, to help us develop clarity and teach the self-discipline and respect necessary for vision questing.

On the flip side, they also have great potential to open the door to self-destruction, physical death, illness, madness, and generally inflate one’s Shadow Self in a variety of unpleasant ways! Like other small but potent and potentially poisonous Teachers, the simple Mushroom commands respect and is not to be taken lightly. Mushrooms of all sorts advise us to pay close attention, to make a habit of noting minute details, and to not make the mistake of allowing appearances to deceive. One of the surest ways for a mushroomer (one who gathers mushrooms for use) to identify a mushroom is by cutting off a cap and placing it on paper, preferably half white half black paper. The mushrooms spores that disperse from the underside of the cap will leave a colored ring on the paper which greatly helps to identify one mushroom from another potentially more harmful mushroom of similar appearance.

Amanitas have strong connections to Flies and get the name Fly Agaric from being used in old days as an insecticide aimed directly at the common fly. Also, Amanitas will only grow in conjunction with various species of birch, fir, pine, spruce, cedar, hemlock and other similar trees. Thus, anyone looking at this particular Teacher should also study the wisdoms of Fly and the trees with which the Amanita forms a symbiotic relationship. Truffles, one of the most prized of Mushrooms, is closely associated with both the trees they grow with, and the Boar or Pig. A great many Mushrooms live in a symbiotic relationship with Trees and other plants like Mosses. This Teacher definitely counsels living in harmony with All Our Relations, and emphasize the importance, as well as the benefits, of a healthy community.
Associated with natural Magic of all sorts, mushrooms are often depicted with Faeries and other magical creatures. Divided into 7 different phyla, there are literally thousands of mushroom species around the world, very few of which are truly understood, and the study of just this one kind of Mushroom could easily be a lifelong study.

Close to the Earth, mushrooms remind us of the importance of staying connected and grounded. Symbols of masculine fertility, they counsel the coupling of vision with action to effect change, growth, enlightenment, and healing. As guides, Mushrooms counsel humility, connection with our Ancestors and their wisdom, the importance of each individual becoming their own spiritual leader, the importance of making journeys within to discover and begin healthy work on our Shadow Selves.
They are excellent counselors when we find ourselves having difficulty with major transitions, like death, with duality, with our own bright and dark aspects or life trials, with the natural cycle of life in any of its stages, or when we need to detoxify our lives and remove decay. The mighty magical Mushroom teaches us that, light and dark, we already are the Teacher we so often desperately seek. Are we ready to learn?

“No Guru or Master can teach you anything that isn’t already inside you. They can help you in seeing what you are not seeing, in awakening to your true nature. We can bring experts into our lives, but you are the authority on your life. No-one can think your thoughts or make changes in your life but you.” David Stanley Bell

“The best teacher is the one who suggests rather than dogmatizes, and inspires his listener with the wish to teach himself.” Edward Bulwer-Lytton
“Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

[entwife]

I actually had no idea those were mushroom nicknames. :whis: I got it off of "Shaman's sacred tool" and "I mark the door to the Faerie realm". Hehe.

It was really a love poem though. Thank you for sharing it with us!

 
Thanks for the feedback, Nyktipolos, greatly appreciated:D: Those two seem to be the most telling clues for the majority of readers. I don't recall whatever lead me to first read about the Death's Cap and Destroying Angel mushrooms, but the info certainly left a lasting impression! I'll stick to my lovely Portabello mushrooms

[Morag]

Nope, Mushroom it is, well done! I thought about picking out a specific species, but decided to tackle the whole group instead. I did mention two of the most deadly kinda by name though "I shade Death's brow" = Death Cap and "an Angel of Destruction"= Destroying Angel Thanks for playing!

 
I was going to guess 'truffle' specifically because of the boar uprooting line, but now that you point them out I see the other species listed.

Great poem, as usual.