I recently watched the documentary film, Fantastic Fungi, streaming on Netflix. The film aims to change our consciousness about the mycelium network and “takes us on an immersive journey through time and scale into the magical earth beneath our feet, an underground network that can heal and save our planet.”
The renowned scientists and mycologists featured in the film have identified 7 significant pillars where mycelium greatly benefit our lives. Their mission is “to connect, unify and support each other, following the mycelial network’s guide to a better earth for all.”
The following are excerpts from each of the 7 pillars presented on the Fantastic Fungi website:
Consciousness / Spirituality
Throughout the ages of time, religions, as a form of spirituality, have worshiped entities including mushrooms and have used mind altering sacraments, including psychoactive mushrooms, as a form of divination.
Mental Health / Therapeutic
There are currently no medications that have proven effective in dealing with the massive amounts of addictions, depression and suicidal ideation. Psychedelics are showing extraordinary results in clinical trials, and are on the fast track to becoming one of the most powerful transformative tools of our time.
Foraging / Food / Culinary
When we realize that mycelium is critical to life on earth, this intersection between the animal and plant kingdoms that gives us food, shelter and the medicine we need, what will we do to form a stronger and interconnected relationship with it?
Innovation / Solutions
We have only begun to explore the use and intelligence of the mycelium world and our current challenge requires us to break from old paradigms and innovate!
Environmental / Biodiversity
We have a partner that has traveled in time with us through our evolutionary process here on earth and they are perhaps more intelligent than we are in solving the very issues that mankind has created and is now facing.
Culture / History / Arts
The indigenous were, and many still are very connected with the fungi world. They know how to use them in ways that only those who are connected with nature can truly appreciate. It is a skill that many of us have lost.
Health / Wellness / Medical
[I]t is challenging if not impossible to realize the potential of the fungi kingdom. However, because of the emerging issues around the loss of effectiveness of penicillin and treatment resistant diseases, there is work being done to study the promising gifts that mushrooms hold for us.
The more I learn about the fungi kingdom, the more I’ve come to appreciate their critical role in our planet’s Web of Life and our own evolution as a species. Their mycelium network is far superior in reach and intelligence than our electronic networks. What’s more, they nurture and care for those in their network and keep on giving. For the fungi, death is not the end; it is the regeneration of life.
Click here to find other streaming platforms for watching the documentary film.
drgeraldstein said:
My first awareness of underground networks involved the word of Suzanne Simard: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/02/magazine/tree-communication-mycorrhiza.html
Thanks for further informing my education, Rosaliene.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Dr. Stein, thanks for sharing the link. Unfortunately, I no longer have a NY Times subscription so could not access the article.
LikeLiked by 2 people
salsaworldtraveler said:
Fascinating! This is a world I knew little about.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Same here.
LikeLike
Yeah, Another Blogger said:
I hadn’t heard about this film. I’m going to watch it. Another good doc on Netflix is My Octopus Teacher.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Neil, thanks for the recommendation. I’ll check it out.
LikeLiked by 1 person
winteroseca said:
Thanks for the recommendation! Mushrooms really are fascinating things! My mother has a sign that says “I must be a mushroom. Everyone keeps me in the dark and feeds me BS”. It’s a permanent feature in our house!
LikeLiked by 5 people
Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Sounds like your mother got the message about being a mushroom. But, as I’ve learned from the film, the mushroom may yet have the last laugh 🙂
LikeLike
winteroseca said:
How very true!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Evelyn C Krieger said:
Reading this and eating mushroom pizza! I wouldn’t have thought to watch this documentary if I hadn’t read your delicious review.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Rosaliene Bacchus said:
So glad you dropped by, Evelyn 🙂 I’ve only recently started eating mushrooms here in the USA, after my sons added it to their low-carb diet. Mushrooms were not part of our Guyanese and Northeastern Brazil cuisines.
LikeLike
stuartbramhall said:
I loved this film. It finally converted me to no-till gardening. When I plant seedling now I simply insert them between clover, alfalfa and other cover crops so as not to disturb the mycelial network that connects them.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Thanks for dropping by and sharing your insights, Dr. Bramhall 🙂 I have to pay more attention to this when gardening.
LikeLike
Pallavi said:
Wow! I was so unaware of this. Thanks for such an insightful post.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Rosaliene Bacchus said:
My pleasure, Pallavi 🙂 Hope you have the opportunity to watch the film. The NYT article, link shared by Gerald Stein, is also very informative.
LikeLike
JoAnna said:
I’ve read some about this in relation trees and to how fungi networks connect and support forests. Your mention of art, history, and culture reminds me that in the CBS/Paramount series Star Trek Discovery, they engage with a mycelium network to jump vast distances across space. It took a while for the crew to figure this out, but the main characters were appropriately awed by the implications of broader possiblities. I’m glad some appreciation of the fungi kingdom made its way into popular culture.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Rosaliene Bacchus said:
JoAnna, I’m not familiar with the Star Trek episode that uses the mycelium network to jump vast distances across space. Yesterday, I smiled on seeing the emergence of a mushroom in one of my plant pots. My plant is in good hands 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
jkaybay said:
The Star Trek character who connects with the mycelial network is called Paul Stamets – a little inside joke 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
JoAnna said:
I enjoy seeing mushrooms pop up, too. Maybe, on some level, we’ve always known they are special.
LikeLiked by 2 people
cigarman501 said:
Fungi have begun to make an appearance in my part of the world. “Toad Stools” not mushrooms.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Yes, I’ve also heard them called by that name. When I was a kid growing up in Guyana, they were called “jumbie umbrellas.” Considering that a “jumbie” is an evil spirit, it’s no wonder that we never considered mushrooms safe to eat.
LikeLiked by 1 person
cigarman501 said:
Don’t trust myself to determine which are poisonous and which are not. “Jumbie umbrellas”. I like the term.
LikeLiked by 1 person
da-AL said:
interesting! thanks for letting us know 🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
BookWorm said:
I have h re ad about his documentary, ought to be really interesting. Fungi are such mystery, full of nutrients, yet obscure. Awesome blog loved it_
LikeLiked by 2 people
Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts 🙂
LikeLike
BroadBlogs said:
I’ve been learning more about the consciousness of mother Earth, like trees communicating with each other. And now mushrooms! Wow! So interesting.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Rosaliene Bacchus said:
It’s amazing, isn’t it! And it’s all happening out-of-sight, beneath our feet.
LikeLike
Crystal Byers said:
I’m particularly interested in the mental health aspect. Thanks for the recommendation.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Crystal, the section in the film about the mental health benefits is pretty impressive. If you go to the website, you can click on the related links for more information.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Carol A. Hand said:
I loved this film, too, Rosaliene. I just recommended the film to a the colleague who co-teaches community practice with me. Honoring the centrality of connections and communication for all life and the earth is such a crucial foundation for working with individuals, groups, and communities. Sending hugs and love to you, dear friend. 💜
LikeLiked by 2 people
Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Appreciate the hugs, Carol ❤ The fungi have so much to teach us which it comes to meaningful connections.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Carol A. Hand said:
They do, don’t they? Nature has so much to teach us if we take the time to be still – to watch, listen, and learn. 💜
LikeLiked by 1 person
DutchIl said:
Thank you for sharing!!… Mother Earth is a interesting place if one takes the time to browse and enjoy… most people are too busy to do so or don’t wish to.. I usually buy dehydrated mushrooms (can even get powdered mushrooms) and don’t have to worry about storage and can use what I need…
Until we meet again..
May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life’s passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!
(Irish Saying)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Dutch, I’ve tried the dehydrated mushrooms but found them too rubbery. They do have a longer shelf-life, that’s for sure.
LikeLike
Belladonna said:
Thank you for sharing this! I love being out in nature and finding all the living things. I’ve learned so much about gardening from documentaries.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Rosaliene Bacchus said:
My pleasure, Belladonna 🙂 There’s so much to learn about our natural world.
LikeLiked by 1 person