Transforming "Spiritual Warfare": Day 32 (Louisiana)

Note: If you are unfamiliar with my "Transforming 'Spiritual Warfare'" aka. Mushroom Hatred Remediation Program, you might want to read the midpoint recap, Transforming "Spiritual Warfare": Back to Business &/or the project's inaugural post, Transforming "Spiritual Warfare": Day 1 (Hawaii), to understand what I am attempting with this post. (I know it's weird, but what magick isn't?) If you are not familiar with the theocratic prayer campaign referred to in this series, see Desultory Philippic's excellent discussion 40 Days of Light, To Bring Back the Darkness, &/or the coverage over at the Wild Hunt.

"Goddess of the Moon over Mississippi" by Wicketress @ thelensflare.com

First, I would like to say that this process is really very challenging at this time of year. Everyone is sleeping. It is difficult to make the connections, to find the spark. I wish I had completed this in the high season -- the burgeoning Autumn -- but wishing does not bring my work any closer to completion. Some of you might find this installment a bit uninspired compared to previous Spiritual Warfare posts. It is.

With Louisiana I found myself planning ahead. I thought I had a clear idea about how I would go about the project. I had it all laid out; bayou imagery, Swamp Beacon fungi. Clever, thought I. Then, I stumbled upon "Goddess of the Moon over  Mississippi" while searching all that ghastly Mississippi imagery. Instantly the bayou plan was sacked. The Moon prevails. The piece is a manipulated photograph of the Moon over Baton Rouge & the Mississippi River. The photographer is a mystery, having no bio & only one other image (that of a snake) uploaded to their photography account. I am going to pretend that it was uploaded just so that I might find it.

I still held fast to the idea of using the Swamp Beacons, but I could not find any indication that they are present anywhere in the state of Louisiana. Finally the Wiki snuffed my "clever" plan: "(Swamp Beacons) are found in swamps and bogs across North America in the cooler climates of south-eastern Canada, New England south to the Mason-Dixon Line..." Boo. However, during my ferreting about the internet, I came upon an image of a most delightful cluster of Bird's Nest fungi:

Bird's Nest fungi @ LA Plant Pathology blog.

Cuteness prevails. Their diminutive adorability makes them irresistibly odd, much like tribbles. Disconcerting, otherworldly cuteness: they walk hand-in-hand with the Fly Agarics as the Disney characters of the mycological world... Most decidedly not what I was thinking for rich, deep, abstruse Louisiana. But the image told me otherwise & apparently the plan was not how I had planned.

As I mentioned in my last cleanup campaign installment, Transforming "Spiritual Warfare": Day 31 (Mississippi), the Bird's Nest fungi are part of the Nidulariales:

"...which produce fruiting bodies that contain what can be described as "spore balls," or spore mass "eggs" (the technical term of which is peridioles). These "eggs" are housed in a cup-like or nest-like peridium. Most of the fungi in this egg-making category are the lovely little bird's nest fungi, whose peridioles are dispersed by rain water, animals & other environmental factors."

There are five genera within the Nidulariales, each of which are conveniently colour-coded, inadvertently catering to our characteristically hominid need for identification:

• Crucibulum have black "eggs" but the eggs are surrounded by a membrane called a tunica which causes them to appear white.
• Cyathus have black "eggs."
• Mycocalia have yellow to red-brown "eggs."
• Nidula have brown "eggs."
• Nidularia have brown "eggs."

Cute & colour-coded. Clever. 

I could go on & on about these clever cuties, but since I lacking the words, I will simply offer the pertinent points: they are saprobic (so they fit the plan), they are widespread & abundant nearly everywhere, including Loiusiana. Better still, I have met a few of them personally. 

I lacked the words to express the intent of this working in writing. Perhaps I have been brain-addled by cuteness. In lieu of words & because I am as weird as my beloved fungi, I drew a diagram -- a hatred remediation flowchart -- complete with super cute fungi & zombified zealots wearing those alarm watches intended to reprogram everyone & provoke them to pray:

May their clever, cleansing, colour-coded, cuteness prevail. 

In Louisiana. 

Cyathus spp.

    

 Nidularia spp.

Crucibulum spp.