HALLOWEEN
In a few days, Halloween will be celebrated in many places. It is a secularized version of the Christian feast of All Saints’ Day (and All Souls’ Day). “Halloween” is derived from “All Hallows,” which in Old English simply means “All Saints.” We celebrate that we all—people of good will—belong together: those who are alive today and those who have gone before us—one large, deeply connected community.
As an aside: the special attention given to our deceased on All Souls’ Day—which is linked to All Saints’ Day—has, through centuries of superstition—and now further fueled by commercialism—evolved into a festival of masks, costumes, scare tactics, darkness, mystery, and so on. This is sometimes associated with Halloween, which is a shame. But anyway, that’s not what I want to talk about here.
HALLOWEEN, All Saints’ Day, about all God's beloved people, all women and men of good will, all interconnected in one living community. Such a celebration actually fits quite well with the season of mushrooms—October and November—allowing us to become aware once again of that incredible underground connection of which those mushrooms are a temporary manifestation.
A FOREST WALK
If you walk through a forest in the fall and look closely, listen, and smell, pausing now and then, following all sorts of little creatures, marveling at the multitude of different plants, mosses, colorful leaves, herbal scents, multicolored fruits, distinctive bird calls, and all those MUSHROOMS, there’s already an endless amount to experience.
All of that is still above ground. But then, beneath the ground…
UNDER YOUR FEET
Of course, as we all know, there are the roots of all those plants, which spread widely through the soil and absorb water and nutrients. But much more is happening.
These literal “soil materials” are necessary for the color and flavor of the fruits, the scent of the flowers—which attracts pollinators—, for structural support, and so much more. In the soil, bacteria and fungi break down dead plant matter and animal remains, thereby increasing the soil’s organic richness.
Meanwhile, oxygen and water flow through the soil’s pores. You could call it a massive transport system. But no matter how large and impressive it may be, the most important transport takes place within the mycelium.
THE MYCELIUM
The mycelium is a highly complex network of fungal threads. It is vast and serves as the underground network that exchanges both nutrients and information between plants.
VULNERABLE
Mycelium is strong, often very long, and at the same time also vulnerable. It is sensitive to light, to temperature (fluctuations), to the texture of the soil through which it creeps, to moisture (too wet or too dry), and also to pressure (e.g., from above). Despite all this fragility, it is highly flexible and agile, finding its way around all kinds of obstacles. It spreads rapidly through the fast growing tips of its hyphae, which often number in the millions. These sensitive tips ingeniously relay their findings to the entire network.
COEXISTENCE
When these fungal threads and the plant’s roots come together, they form a close symbiotic (coexisting) relationship called mycorrhiza. The word mycorrhiza is a combination of the Greek words for fungus and root. The nature of this relationship varies depending on how the hyphae connect with the roots. Some penetrate the root tips; others form networks around them. The hyphae are even thinner than the finest root hairs, and because there are so many of them, their combined surface area is much larger than that of the roots alone, allowing them to transport far more minerals and water.
SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS
The mycelium has two very special characteristics and abilities.
* First, its unique method of reproduction.
To reproduce, hyphae fold together into bundles and then emerge in the form of mushrooms. These “bundles,” which originate from a central point, then emerge radially from the ground at a distance from one another and form more or less a circle—commonly known as a “witch’s circle.” There, in the open air, the tips continue to mature and then release their minuscule spores (a type of seed) into the moving air through the slits on the underside of the “cap,” thereby spreading the fungus. Afterward, the mushroom dies off fairly quickly, and the hyphae retreat.
* Second, their communication. This is truly astonishing.
True nature lovers have long suspected that the mycelium functions not only to break down mineral and organic material to feed the plant, but also to perform another task: communication.
Incidentally, this doesn’t happen only between parent and offspring, as in the case of the seedling; siblings also share both materials and information with one another as needed. And although family members network with one another the most, tree partners of different species also share nutrients when one of them is lacking.
And there’s an extra measure of care: when a plant dies, it doesn’t simply “decay,” but bestows all its wealth upon the living plants around it. A bond of life that transcends death.
And there is even more:
When a plant is under attack—for example, by insects—it sends out a warning, often in the form of a scent. Nearby plants then increase their production of effective defenses at an astonishing rate.
Another “clever” aspect of the mycelium is that, while it transports all kinds of organic and mineral substances from the surrounding soil to the roots which than take matters further “upward,” it simultaneously knows and determines exactly how much of each is needed by the plant. There is an incredible and continuous communication—“feedback” in modern terms—whose mechanism we are still far from understanding. It involves more than mere physical and chemical reactions. This is biological life at work. Much more happens within a plant as a whole than can be explained by physics or chemistry. The vibrant health, the dynamism, the beauty, the flexibility, and so much more of a living organism—whether plant or animal—are sustained by the mystery of life, by qualities and capabilities that, despite all our in-depth research, we can only begin to surmise.
BACK IN THE FOREST
Because of its ubiquity, wherever we go, we walk on an intelligent surface: Beings that can communicate, provide transportation, and find their way from one destination to another via the most efficient route.
They can overcome problems, negotiate with other beings, and make sound decisions. They know what is happening in the farthest corners of their vast network. How they manage to do all this remains a mystery for now, just like so much other non-human wisdom.
For many people, mushrooms in particular serve as a special reminder during these months that all sorts of things are happening underground as well. In fact, a great deal happens there—even things of vital importance. It’s much like our human society, where what happens in great silence—naturally, faithfully, and creatively—is of essential importance for the proper functioning and flourishing of our shared lives, whether in a family, a business, an organization, or anywhere else where people share their lives and work together.
What a wonderful example and what an encouragement these mushrooms can be to us—especially during this time of Halloween, All Saints’ Day - to commit ourselves to “everyone belongs and is needed” in order to get peace, fruitfulness and flourishing!
Johan Muijtjens
late October 2026
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