LIFE UPDATE POST:
A compilation of my favorite videos showing my mushroom foraging from 2021, 2022 & 2023. Ahhh I could cry watching this and reliving my journey thus far! I literally had a vision of me mushroom foraging in a cape with a basket in the greenest of forests and I heard the word Seattle. 25 days later I moved from Brooklyn to Seattle. I flow like that!
When I find a mushroom I am hunting for I study all the look alikes (so I don’t die or get sick from eating a poisonous species), the soil temperature each species grows in, the season, the elevation, I study the rain forecast for an entire week, the trees and plants they are associated with and grow under and so much more. Do they have gills? Are they adnexed, adnate or decurrent? Or are they shelf mushrooms, do they have teeth, ridges, pores/do they have tubes and what width? Are they cup fungus, jelly or coral species? Is the cap wavy, stridate, or appendiculate? What about the stipe? Do they bruise when you touch them? Do I need to do a spore print and wait 12 hours to review the color of their spores to identify when the lookalikes are too similar and I need another way to ID them. And the list goes on! Mushroom foraging is a puzzle and my brain loves the complexity. Even if you successfully ID – the hardest part is finding them. Mushroom foragers do not share their spots. We keep them hidden. We gps them in our google maps by placing pins so we can return next season. Each species lives in a particular environment and is dependent upon atmospheric conditions so each season is different! I can walk into a forest, look at the types of trees, types of shrubbery or plant life, touch the soil for moisture content and determine if I think it’s a good spot to hunt for the specific mushrooms in question or if I need to move along and look for a more favorable spot.
When I finally find a mushroom I am searching for and I see it there popping out of the moss in the forest I feel the most joy I’ve ever felt when out in nature. The sight of the mushroom in the lush forest is so breathtaking and beautiful. I’m remote. It’s completely quiet and it’s just me and the mushroom. I’m completely captivated and I call them by their scientific name and I scream with joy or I cry a tear because I love them! This has been my favorite hobby of alllllll time. They are gifts from nature and my favorite treasure hunt.
Up next, herbalism! I had a 1:1 apprenticeship last summer, but I’ll be going to a school now! My 5 month apprenticeship with Cedar Mountain Herbs starts in March. I’m also currently in a 1 year Advanced Energy & Intuition Program at Northwest Healing Studio under world-renowned healer Daisy Thompson. I’m Reiki 1 certified (by 3 different teachers) and Reiki 2 certified and will complete my Reiki Master training this year as well. I’m also currently studying the moon in astrology, her phases and her cycle. I conduct this research to facilitate monthly workshops for intentional living and to connect people to the rhythms of nature. I also try to read 20-30 books per year about self actualization and self development. I love my hobbies and I’m a committed learner. I am thankful for being a business owner and for my employees and the time it affords me to follow my passions. I left corporate 2 years ago. Everyday I wake up when I decide to, with ease and gratitude and I am always in awe.✨🌿
Embracing the bustling energy of 2024, eager to delve deeper into the study of my true essence – me!
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