Twisted Life. How Mushrooms Change the World, Our Consciousness, and Our Future

By the word mushroom, we usually mean the fruiting body of the fungus, although it is essentially the same as an apple on a tree. Most fungi live a secret - underground - life, and they make up a diverse group of organisms that support almost all other living systems. This is the key to understanding the planet we live on, as well as our feelings, thoughts, and behavior. Talented young biologist Merlin Sheldrake turns the world upside down: he invites the reader to look at it from the perspective of yeast, psilocybin mushrooms, parasitic fungi, and the web of mycelium that stretches for many kilometers below the surface of the earth (making fungi the largest living organisms on the planet). The emerging fungal essence forces us to reconsider our views on individuality and intelligence, for fungi, as it turns out, are the masters of metabolism, creators of soils, and key players in many natural processes. They are capable of altering our consciousness, healing bodies, and even reversing the looming ecological disaster above us. These organisms overturn our understanding of life on Earth itself.