Plant and Fungus Totems: Connect with Spirits of Field, Forest, and Garden by Lupa

Plant and Fungus Totems: Connect with Spirits of Field, Forest, and Garden Reviews

• 
  Jeannie Wickham

  One of the reasons I love this author, is that she isn’t mimicking what others have already rehashed and recycled over and over again. Lupa’s work is both original and meaningful. This book is no exception.
  
  Her respect for the physical, as well as the spiritual aspects of our world is a refreshing and welcome change. Her knowledge and ability to help others understand is remarkable and easy to read. I would recommend this book to those who are serious about their paths and understanding the spiritual aspects of the participants of the work, whether it be edible, ritual, or the mundane.
  
  Incorporating her information into my system is seamless, because instead of teaching me a new belief system, she teaches information that is useful across spiritual paths.
  
  Thank you for another addition to my library that is a resource on an ongoing basis, as well as a well written and well researched source of powerful information.
  
• 
  Khan

  I read this book thinking it would be an interesting take on modern ecological meditation and mindfulness. What I got instead is the mad narrative of an author that is very clearly suffering from kind of hallucinatory condition, interspersed with occasional ecological wisdom.
  
  Pros:
  This book was entertaining, and had plenty of good messages regarding ecology, sustainability, and being more conscious of our environmental footprint. The writing and grammar were good.
  
  Cons:
  The author is clearly suffering from severe delusions. The good message of the book is overshadowed by her casual insistence that she regularly talks to spirits of plants and fungi as easily as you'd chat with your friend over coffee. What's worse, she seems to think that everyone else can do the same thing with ease. I urge you, if you genuinely hear voices talk to you while you're sitting alone in the woods, talk to a doctor!
• 
  Charles

  it was an interesting read, i have always knew of and dealt with plant spirits but never taught of them to be totems to now. i have read trough the meditations but haven't done them yet, but from pass experience working with totems i feel they will be worth doing
• 
  Tahni

  Review originally published at
  https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/issu...
  
  This book initially caught my attention because when we think totems, we think animals. Not plants or fungus. Lupa explores this bias in Plant and Fungus Totems, as well as the origins of this bias and how to begin facilitating a totemism practice that incorporates more of the natural world than our fellow animals.
  
  What makes this book so wonderful is that it provides a thorough explanation of three different approaches to totemism, as well discussion on how those three different styles of belief and practice can be blended. These styles include psychology-based and derived approaches, as well as approaches that center local bioregions and native species, and animistic approaches. Furthermore, there is no assumption about which style of belief or practice is “correct” — Lupa actively encourages readers to experiment, explore, and uncover what works best for them rather than preaching a one-size-fits-all set of beliefs and practices.
  
  Incorporated into Plant and Fungus Totems are a series of short stories about individuals using the approaches discussed in their daily lives. This provides readers with a solid, realistic example of how these practices can be used in their own day-to-day lives, or how to begin adapting practices to suit their belief systems.
  
  Perhaps the thing that I appreciate most about Plant and Fungus Totems is a chapter discussing the ways in which people can work both in service of the totems they work with, their local ecosystems, and broader environmentalist movements. Lupa takes a look at traditional styles of offering and gives a variety of meaningful alternatives such as donations to relevant nonprofits, volunteering, and more.
  
  This book can serve as both a wonderful introduction to totemism, and a really good resource for experienced practitioners who want to expand their practices and deepen their connections to the natural world and the spirits they work with. It’s approachable, accessible, relatable, and enlightening — and one I highly recommend to anyone who works with totems or incorporates animism into their spiritual practice.