The Free Radical

It very much seems that the mycelial network just beneath the forest floor really is the Earth’s cerebral cortex. And as such, it has much to say in regards to consciousness itself. The fruiting bodies of its mentation– the mushrooms– are like so many thoughts popping up… rather varied and persistent.

And some of them are really big… requiring a meditative poise and a zest for contemplation.

“It’s just your imagination” is a criticism I’m used to, regarding the Daily Forest Reports. “You’re just making it all up!” Why yes, yes I am. I make up the words that best seem to capture the impressions I receive. (I don’t actually hear voices in my head.) I use my imaginative faculties a lot… and that’s nothing to apologize for! The Master of Earth Consciousness readily concurred.

“Imagination is a sacred space. It connects head and heart. Those who overvalue intellect tend to lack imagination. Those who wallow in emotional turmoil… likewise. Imagination is the fulcrum, offering balance.

“The sacred space of imagination allows simulated reality to play out. It has been said that ‘war is a failure of imagination.’ Very true… but perhaps not in the way you’d expect. War is horrific; everyone ‘knows’ it; but those who have never experienced it cannot understand it. The failure of your culture in understanding war has placed society in opposition to war. Opposing something which continues to be misunderstood perpetuates it. ‘We don’t know what this thing is… but we know we don’t like it, so we’ll push it away.’

“The energy spent pushing away ignorance demands a deeper inquiry. Fortunately, your youngest generation have finally delved into the subject at length. The graphic violence on TV, in movies and depicted in video games has saturated a generation with the knowledge of war. You have worried that this generation has been desensitized… and in a way, they have. They now understand war; they know of its futility, its rampant destructiveness. A new generation is bored with war scenarios. They’ve played them all already. They have no need to enact the same in the ‘real world.’ They are ready to try something new.”

Aren’t we all?