There’s an intrinsic part of death work that I really appreciate as a Necromancer. Recoiling in disgust there’s a lot of people that step their toes into Death Work without much regard for how expansive it is. Sometimes they stumble on parts that make them a little uncomfortable. We’re going to talk more about what I call “Living Necromancy''.
Living Necromancy is this cyclical idea that live, death, and undeath are really all part of the same harmonious symphony. Everything is in the process of balancing both dead and alive. There’s this intimate dance that’s happening where, within our own Schrödiner’s Cat way, leaves us in this liminal space of being. We are subject to the whims of death, dying and decay at the same time as life and rebirth. They’re not mutually exclusive from one another and this really brings us full circle.
Where there is death there is life. And where there is life there’s a sense of undeath which is its own beautiful form of life. My most beloved teachers in this principle? Fungi. Mushrooms and adjacent organisms are our most brilliant examples of this principle. Their enigmatic way of living and dying is a narrative of the utter mysticism and ethereal nature of their philosophy. Necromancy refers to the communication and connection to the dead or working side by side with such forces. This may often seem worlds apart from the world of the humble fungus. However, if we take a little bit of a closer look we can find so many intricacies and intrinsic connections between the dead and forces of the dead and these incredible organisms. Folkloric history is rich and ripe with symbolism and beliefs that surround fungi and their associations with both the dead and death itself as well as the cyclical nature of fungi. I would like to delve a little more into this subject through this piece in hopes of inspiring some who wish to really get their hands dirty with the beauty that comes with Necromancy.
Supporting structures from a variety of other cultures, mushrooms have been intertwined with the occult and other mysticism. Most famously we see the Amanita Muscaria (Fly Agaric) displayed with its crimson cap and stardust white freckles. Infamously used for its hallucinogenic properties it has been linked to the realm of the spirits, the dead, and the “other worlds”. It is believed to facilitate communications and a link to the spirits and realms beyond, most commonly used by shamans or spiritual leaders to seek guidance. Traditionally these rituals were performed at places of burial or utter pitch, demonstrating a rather intimate link between the mushroom itself and necromantic practises.
While this is just one of the most common examples, historically the symbolism developed from the mushroom holds a heavy weight on transformation as well as decay. Rebirth and transitions erupt rapidly as the mushroom itself seems to. Incredibly, most fungi sprout within mere nights, growing and shifting over the course of mere days and sometimes just mere hours. Where there is decay and death you are sure to find fungus. Their fruiting bodies and potent connection to rot and decay make them an incredibly symbol of transformation and rebirth. This symbolism sings harmoniously with the principles of Necromancy as a practise of manipulating and understanding life as well as death and the connective tissues between.
The emergence of mushrooms from decaying matter holds an uncanny representation of raising the deceased itself. The dead takes on a new form of life as the material body is consumed through a critical and crucial part of the death processes: decay. This symbolism is heavily reinforced by the imperative role that fungi play. Breaking down organic matter contributes immensely to the cycle of life and death and rebirth - an aspect that resonates with the Necromancer and their aspirations to navigate the boundaries between life and death.
There is an incredibly intimate connection between the humble fungi and the host of the body that they grow upon. The intricacies of fungi themselves do not just stop at their fruiting bodies. Networks of impressive tissues delve deep and weave through the decaying matter that they consume creating a beautiful and symbiotic connection between the decaying organic matter and the fungus itself. There is a harmonious symphony that plays an incredible role in communication between the life that thrives off of the decaying. Fungi fulfill the niche needs of the ecosystem through the incredible role of recycling organic matter so it may become something new. Not only are they incredibly complex beyond our wildest imaginations but their unabashed and shameless existence connects imperative forces and energy to the cycles of life and death creating a living example of the cycles of life and death that can be both awe inspiring and quite delicious. Fungi have an incredible relationship to the energy that they feast upon providing a wisdom and philosophy between a Necromancer and the Dead.
It doesn’t quite end there. There are a lot of alchemical and herbal practises that grow close bonds between fungi and necromancy. Alchemy, ever evolving and seeking to uncover the secrets of transformation and transmutation, begin with base materials that are evolved into more precious substances. Similarly, Necromancers aim to transcend the boundaries of mortality through the ancient cyclical energies. These two disciplines have incredibly history with one another, truly kindred spirits in the lens of transformation. Potentials to induce altered states of mind, body and spirit combined with the growth from decay or base materials aligns a lot of Alchemical and Necromantic principles and quests for both the secrets of transcendence as well as hidden truths.
Immediately we may not regard mushrooms or fungi as a whole as intimately connected to necromancy. With a little more scrutiny we can find a deeper connection between these two principles than what may initially meet the eye. Necromancers aim to transcend the boundaries between mortality and immortality through the brilliant cycles of life and death; in whatever forms that those cycles take place, Necromancers and similar Death Workers can find incredible inspiration and support through fungi and the principles they represent. Through the historical ties and inspirations from a variety of folkloric systems we can explore a wide range of connections between mushrooms and the dead. It doesn’t end there. Far more intimate scientific research provides a far more vast array of knowledge on the way these uncanny fellows truly support these principles in both practical application and poetic inspiration. In whatever way it shows its decayed face, the inspiration that Fungi has on Necromancy stands as a testament to humanity’s fascination with life, death, and all the forces beyond and in between.