Hello again my fungi friends!
I have been absent from Hive for a while (again) as per my usual lifestyle cycles me in and out of all projects and passions betwixt and between the raising of humans and juggling of chaos.
Since the fungi kingdom is one of my passions, I always look for "willing subjects" on my hikes here in the fungi paradise of the Great Smoky Mountains to inspect, photograph, and collect for use (if I am certain of my identification of course). We have a plethora of fungus year-round to admire and explore! That juggling of chaos I mentioned in the last paragraph has meant I haven't gotten much hiking in this year, but being a fully integrated part of nature, I was blessed with an extremely rare find here this summer when I had a chance to flit about in these wild mountains with a friend.
Many cultures around the world have showcased the use of psychedelic mushrooms for probably most of human history. It can be found in ancient cultures on nearly every continent, folklore, fairy tales, and more places than I could begin to list without many, many hours of research. The use of psilocybin has even been theorized to have been the catalyst that sped the evolution of early human brain development and brought us into a different sphere of consciousness than our predecessors. (called the stoned ape theory, developed by Terrence McKenna)
To learn more, check out https://fantasticfungi.com/the-mush-room/the-stoned-ape-theory/).
Over Euro-Asiatic cultures and western cultures for centuries, one particular mushroom has dominated the "classic" look of fungus ~ amanita muscaria. People who know nothing of fungi will recognize this particular beauty ~ even people who would have an adverse reaction to understanding it's properties and uses have been inundated with its existence!
(want to read more? check out
https://treesforlife.org.uk/into-the-forest/trees-plants-animals/others/fly-agaric/fly-agaric-mythology-and-folklore/
https://psychedelicspotlight.com/history-of-magic-mushrooms-across-ancient-civilizations/)
Here in the Great Smoky Mountains, amanita muscaria (also called fly agaris) is a rare find. Many people who spend countless hours, days, years, hiking in our diverse and wild landscape never glimpse this classic beauty, never realize it lives here among us as well.
But once in a while, every few years, I am blessed with a sighting of this well-known, beloved friend...
