Welcome to Virgo season.

As we journey with each mushroom, think about the qualities and healing effects they have and how can we integrate them more into our lives. Whether that be through ritual, ingestion or just learning and building more awareness about their incredible capabilities and role they play in our world.

When we time the embodiment of each mushroom with the energies of the sky, this alchemizes a deeper connection and understanding of the earth and our physical vessels.

Mushrooms are nature's alchemists and we get to dive deep into our next fungi below. Also, refer to the Astrological Planner as your navigational tool where you will find an intro to each and fungi archetype for each zodiac season.

Chaga (Inonotus Obliquus)

Chaga resembles a lump of charcoal but has a hidden golden core of ultra high antioxidants, one of the richest forms found in nature. Technically not a 'mushroom' but a giant ball of mycelium, Chaga's healing properties are of true service.

It is adaptogenic, immunomodulatory, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, anti-tumoral, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, a blood sugar modulatory, liver tonic, and treats Hepatitis C and HIV. 

High in antioxidants and gene-protecting qualities, it can prevent the creation of free radicals, and reduces oxidative stress. Specific beta glucans help the body recognize problematic cells, which is helpful for psoriasis. It can reduce inflammation and damage in the gut by inhibiting inflammatory proteins. It provides skin protection against UV, supports liver detoxification helping boost energy and balance hormones, combats autoimmune illnesses, regulates cytosine production, and inhibits the growth of melanomas.

It has been used for centuries in folk remedies to combat cancer, specifically cervical, breast, lip, stomach, gastrointestinal, skin, rectal, and lung cancers. It also treats ulcers, gastritis and lower bowel as a colonic.

Main modern use:

Supports immunity, cell protection, powerful antioxidant, stress reduction, liver detox.

PLANET:

MERCURY - Governs nervous system, respiratory system, adrenals, connections, information.

SIGN: 

VIRGO - Organizing, systemizing, coordinating, and analyzing are Virgo gifts. It rules the pancreas, liver, small intestine, ascending colon, mesentery, solar plexus, immune system, and sympathetic nervous system.

Pairing notes:

Gut, stress and immunity. Mercury governs the nervous system. Virgo as a mutable earth sign rules assimilation, gut, liver, and immunity (with Pisces). This shroom can also be paired with Taurus (longevity), Libra (rules adrenals, hormonal balancing), Sagittarius (rules liver with Jupiter), Capricorn (governs skin).

If you are interested in medicinal mushrooms to deepen your relationship with Virgo this season check out Chaga, Usnea, Lion's Mane, Oyster and Maitake from Feral Fungi. Use code MAGICOFI for 20% off at check-out!

Alchemist, Ethnobotanist, Mycologist & Spagyricist, Jason Scott, shares his wisdom of Chaga and Virgo. 

Chaga in Virgo

Wisdom In The Cold Forest

Common Name: Chaga
Latin Name: Inonotus Obliquus
Family: Hymenochaetales
Tastes: Bitter, Sweet
Affinities: Skin, Immune, Cellular
Energetics: Warm & Moist
Planetary Rulership: Mercury & Mars

Curating Boundaries

Common in the Northern Hemisphere, specifically in Siberia, the northern regions of China, and throughout the northern regions of North America, exists a traditionally revered fungus known as Chaga. This medicinal fungus begins as a white rot in birch trees, though it can be found on other species such as alder and poplar.

They are aptly referred to as the cinder conk, the mycelial mass knots into a sterile (non-reproductive) mass that looks like charcoals on the outside, known as the sclerotia. This sclerotium is highly effective at metabolizing a multitude of compounds, including some from the host tree itself, including betulin, betulinic acid, and vanillic acid.

While the outer skin of this sclerotia is dark, almost black in most cases, inside, there are deep hues of orange, brown, and red that are often revealed when removed from the tree. Chaga can live on the host tree for 10-80 years, where the conk is sterile until the tree, or some part of the tree dies, dies, and the sexual reproduction cycle begins underneath the tree's bark.

Because reproduction occurs under the tree's bark, the fruit body of Chaga is seldom witnessed. When we work with these fungi for medicine, what we are often after is the dark-colored sclerotia that live on the surface of its host.

Chaga has traditionally been collected and ground into a fine powder to be processed as tea, which creates a deep dark brew that is slightly sweet and chocolatey, with hints of vanilla and a tinge of bitterness. This tea, along with other preparations of chaga, has been used in varying capacities as medicine for millennia.

Of all of the natural organisms that act as potent anti-oxidants, Chaga is chief among them, and in my experience, Chaga and Red Belted Conk have been two of the most effective fungi for addressing oxidative stress and inflammation. It has also been used to settle digestive upset, support immune health, regulate healthy blood sugar, and much more.

Some prominent actions observed in the medicinal application of Chaga include: adaptogenic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and analgesic. Used medicinally, it has been shown to help treat cancer, cure ulcers, Chron’s, IBS, and digestive ailments, support healthy cholesterol and stomach pain, and provide energy boosting, and nervous system support, among many other things.

Energetically this fungi is warm and moist, but like with other mushrooms, the energetic qualities don’t seem to upset the client's or patient's energetic balance.

This long broad list of actions and uses likely helped Chaga earn the title of “King” of the fungi, seated next to another powerhouse, Reishi, often referred to as the Queen.

Doctrine of Signatures in Chaga

The stark color difference between that charred-looking skin and the reddish-brown inner core illuminates a juxtaposition also present in the dual-sided nature of Mercury. The reddish brown color and warm, energetic nature also indicate a strong affinity with Mars.

Like Reishi, Chaga’s list of benefits seems endless; it appears to move swiftly within the body, similar to how mercury moves swiftly around the sun. Chaga has a strong affinity for the nervous system, supporting mental clarity and swiftness, communication, and digestion which is strongly correlated to the nervous system.

Virgo rules assimilation, gut, and liver, which also land in Chaga’s wheelhouse regarding affinities and support. 

Restructuring Virgo

Virgo seeks to be refreshed, anew, symbolized as the virgin; it looks for new perspectives, for methods to improve, organize, purify, and perfect itself in its opportunities to reach those goals.

To be on top of its priorities, Virgo needs to be mentally sharp, quick, observative, and present with the information presented. Chaga can help Virgo by optimizing the nervous system and enhancing mental clarity, increasing baseline vitality.

Chaga also helps to detoxify, clear away obstructions, and to increase the capacity of the body's systems to process and pass waste and toxicity. Removing these obstacles opens the path in front of Virgo to reach the successive layers of its evolution.

In Alchemy, everything has a substantial form and an accidental form. Substantial is the archetypal imprint imparted by the seed of its being. In contrast, the accidental is accrued through experience, through formative events, whether physical, emotional, spiritual or some combination of the three.

Many alchemical works aim to strip away the impurities presented in the accidental form to reveal the substantial form. Chaga can be an ally in stripping away the impurities that build on us as we move through life. It tonifies and purifies our body, mind, and spirit.

By removing the layers, Chaga helps us tap into our true selves so that we can fully rise to our potential, and Virgo represents that pure potential.

Other Virgo-Supporting Fungi

Usnea, Lion's Mane, Oyster, Maitake. 

If you are interested in medicinal mushrooms to deepen your relationship with Virgo this season check out Chaga, Usnea, Lion's Mane, Oyster and Maitake from Feral Fungi. Use code MAGICOFI for 20% off at check-out!