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

By: Madison Murphy Barney

Published by Red Wheel/Weiser, 2026

An enchanting guide to living more in tune with ourselves, our community, and our planet by embodying the innate qualities of the wondrous mycelial world.

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 isn't a foraging guide, a scientific examination of fungi, or a glimpse into the powers of psilocybin. Rather, it weaves the guiding attributes of mushrooms and ancestral wisdom into an inspiring metaphor that calls us back into 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:

• Humility
• Beauty and delight
• Creativity and unique gifts
• Living in cycles and decomposition
• Protection
• Healing and nourishment
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Mystery and room for magic

Written with warmth, spirit, and whimsy, Our Ancestors Want Us to Be Mushrooms enchants readers into a more engaged life with the world and themselves.