Magic mushrooms have the ability to blast our minds in to outer space, showing us the inner workings of the universe, and allowing us to understand life far past the boundaries of the basic conceptions we have here on earth. It turns out, that some theorists, philosophers and scientists think this could go beyond their psychedelic abilities, as mushroom spores could theoretically travel through space!

It is a crazy thought! To think that mushrooms could be alien life. But before you dismiss the idea, take a look at some of principles of the theory. Even if it does happen to be incorrect, it’s a beautiful and fascinating notion, which can be used to stimulate debate and exploration next time you are high! The main concept was formulated by the ingenious psychonaut philosopher Terrence McKenna, and goes along following lines.

Like no other form of life on our planet, the spores of mushrooms are almost perfectly suited to space travel. They can survive high vacuum and insanely low temperatures; the casing of a spore is one of the most electron dense materials in nature, to the point where McKenna says it is almost akin to a metal; global currents are even able to form on the quasi-metallic surface of an airborne spore, which then acts as a repellent to the extreme radiation of space. It is a mind boggling thought that something could evolve to be so perfectly suited to explore the universe.

BUT WHY?

So maybe mushrooms do come from another part of the galaxy. If moving through the galaxy at a typical rate of stellar material, spores could move from one side of the galaxy in under 400,000 years – which isn’t that much in the grand scheme of things. But why? If this theory is true, is it just coincidence that they happen to travel through space? What is the purpose, and why have they evolved to do so? Is it simple proliferation, or is it more? The theory raises many questions.

To go some length to explain it, McKenna takes the theory further. He uses the possibility of a highly advanced civilisation as his example. If a civilisation is advanced enough, then chances are their concepts and understanding of reality would far outweigh ours. If they were advanced enough to be able to change their very genetic structure, then there would be a lot of merit in changing/evolving into a mushroom. Mushrooms are highly resilient, non-invasive, practically immortal, full of neurotransmitters, and able to weather space. It would be the perfect way to explore and colonise the galaxy. Plus once mushrooms establish themselves, they create an underground neural network of mycelium that highly resembles the neural networks of the human brain. Whilst the idea of being a mushroom may not sound appealing, it could be a state of being that goes beyond our principles of understanding. Then you have to take into consideration that mushrooms contain the only 4-phospholated chemical that appears in nature (psilocybin, 4-po-dmt). McKenna says if there was ever a fingerprint of an alien lifeform, this is it. And that is without taking into account that such chemicals impart a feeling on oneness and understanding of the universe felt nowhere else when consumed.

Accepting the theory that mushrooms come from outer space is a large intellectual jump to make, but the theory does have merit. We personally like it, and feel it adds a little extra something to the whole magic mushroom experience. If anything, it stimulates healthy philosophical debate – and that is never a bad thing for a society that is trying to take intellectual understanding forward.