Our Ancestors Want Us to Be Mushrooms: Wisdom for Living in Balance with the Planet and Each Other

Mushrooms have within their networks the answers to our biggest questions. The more we start to live like mushrooms, author Madison Murphy Barney argues, the more healthy, just, and abundant our lives will be. Unlike other mushroom-focused books, Our Ancestors Want Us to Be Mushrooms weaves the guiding attributes of mushrooms and ancestral wisdom into an inspiring metaphor that calls us back into the right relationship with each other and with our planet. The book is cleverly divided into eight traits of mushrooms from which humans can seek guidance:1. Humility2. Beauty and delight3. Creativity and unique gifts4. Living in cycles and decomposition5. Protection6. Healing and nourishment7. Flexibility and adaptability8. Mystery and room for magicBarney draws on her Indigenous roots and guides the reader on a journey to become more human through acting like mushrooms. Written with warmth, spirit, and whimsy, Our Ancestors Want Us to Be Mushrooms enchants the reader into a more engaged life with the world and themselves by embodying the innate qualities of the wondrous mycelial world.

• Publication date: 10 September 2026
• Page count: 160
• Dimensions: Height 152 mm; Width 204 mm; Thickness 17 mm
• Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser
• Format: Paperback
• ISBN-13: 9781578639236