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Good Life Project

The Life-changing Magic of Fungi | Merlin Sheldrake

Good Life Project

Jonathan Fields / Acast

Education, Wellness, Self-improvement, Midlife, Health & Fitness, Intentional Living, Personal Growth, Living Well, How To

4.53.4K Ratings

🗓️ 17 December 2023

⏱️ 59 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Have you ever wondered about the secret fungal networks operating unseen beneath your feet? My guest Merlin Sheldrake, author of the New York Times bestseller Entangled Life, reveals a surreal subterranean cosmos of mycelium underlying life as we know it.


In this mind-expanding conversation, Sheldrake illuminates the alien intelligence of fungi and their profound interconnectedness with human existence. Discover how these overlooked organisms communicate, adapt, and even exhibit consciousness despite their radically decentralized biology.


Delving into fungal behaviors and the latest scientific research, Sheldrake fundamentally alters our perception of the natural world. His new book Entangled Life: The Illustrated Edition: How Fungi Make Our Worlds brings the magic of fungi to life through stunning visuals. After listening, you may never look at mold quite the same way again.


You can find Merlin at: Website | Instagram | Episode Transcript


If you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Adam Gazzaley about psilocybin and those things we know as magic mushrooms or psychedelics.


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Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:14.0

I know it seems inconsequential, but this simple action is actually so important to us.

0:20.0

It helps the show be more easily discovered and listen to and ensures you never miss an episode.

0:25.3

So my simple ask, take two seconds now and follow Good Life Project on your listening app.

0:31.0

So grateful for your kind support. Okay, now on to kind support.

0:33.0

Okay, now on to the show.

0:35.0

Thinking about fungi makes the world look different and different in quite an exciting way.

0:41.0

Funky had been busily evolving for over a billion years. So much of recognizable life on Earth

0:47.6

has evolved together with Fungi in ecosystems where Fungi are playing vital roles, potentially in very close symbiosis

0:56.3

with fungi and certainly in an atmosphere maintained and conditioned by fungal activity.

1:03.4

So I think a world without fungi is really inconceivable.

1:08.1

The world we live in is so inextricably bound up with fungal life and

1:12.1

the evolution of fungal possibility that I can't really conceive of a world without them.

1:17.0

So a question for you, what do mushrooms, not the magic kind, have to do with a life well lived?

1:27.0

What about the bigger category of those things called fungi?

1:31.0

Have you ever noticed the fuzzy white mold on an old piece of bread or the colorful

1:35.6

mushrooms popping up after a rainstorm? These seemingly mundane organisms are more astonishing

1:41.7

than you might imagine.

1:43.0

Lirking below the surface of our manicured lawns, wooded parks,

1:46.5

and even our own bodies is an alien kingdom that shapes our lives in profound ways.

1:53.8

My guest today, biologist and author Merlin Sheldrake,

1:56.7

gives us an unprecedented glimpse

...

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