Marcus Aurelius said in his Meditations,
Constantly regard the universe as one living being, having one substance and one soul; and observe how all things have reference to one perception, the perception of this one living being; and how all things act with one movement; and how all things are the cooperating causes of all things that exist; observe too, the continuous spinning of the thread and the contexture of the web.
I’m reminded of this passage after diving into the choice for our upcoming book club meeting. We’ve chosen “Entangled Life” by Merlin Sheldrake to discuss, and I just got my copy. I quickly read the Introduction and Sheldrake has eagerly embraced the theme of the late emperor. He sets the stage to pose fungi as the threads that join all life on Earth together, and gives a number of fascinating examples of cooperating causes with fungi at center stage. I’m looking forward to seeing where Sheldrake goes from here, and wonder if he can detect that one movement.
There’s still time to pick up your copy of Merlin Sheldrake’s “Entangled Life”! Join us on December 12th as we discuss the book and consider how fungi interact with us and the world, how they can help shape our sustainable future, and anything else that piques your interest as you read through the book.