Mushroom Maestro makes magic
Mushroom Maestro makes magic
Exploring South Africa’s underground mushroom culture
Reading time: 15 mins (grab a cuppa)
I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Maestro1, a grower of quality psilocyb!n mushrooms for the spiritual community of South Africa. This is the raw transcript of our chat: discussing the life and intentions of a grower, nuances in local mushroom culture and how to work with mycelium to enter into this magical field. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did 🍄❤️
Manicuring the psilo-flower
JESS: Let’s start with an intro... who is Maestro?
MAESTRO: I’m a grower. That’s my passion and my primary activity. I dedicate myself completely and wholeheartedly to growing the best possible sacrament. I personally manicure every single flower that comes out of the farm. The end result is not only aesthetically pleasing, but it’s also very efficient.
J: Does referring to the mushroom fruit as a ‘flower’ relate to how you feel about mushrooms?
M: Yeah, when I harvest, which is quite often, it’s like picking flowers! I really enjoy it. That flower is the culmination of my labour, which normally starts 6, 7, 8 weeks before the harvest.
Growing to benefit humanity
J: Growing isn’t what you’ve always done – how did you get into this?
M: I terminated all my previous business enterprises. After my divorce about 12 years ago, I was a single parent to my kids. When they left home I thought I could start looking at earning an income again, and I didn’t want to get back into business, so I looked at putting together my talents, my blessings, to see what I could come up with. I jotted down that I love growing plants that are difficult to grow—you know, in a lab under a controlled environment. I wanted to grow a plant or an organism that is beneficial to humanity, that has some kind of medicinal benefits, or that could be used with altruistic intentions. And lastly, I wanted to work by myself and not have the headaches of working with other people. Growing ticked all the boxes.
M: I did a lot of research online. I set up a little mini-grow-lab, and my research paid fruits almost instantly. I got the bug and loved it and I progressed from there.
I suspect the mycelium found me... they knew what my talents were and said, ‘You know, you could be good at this and help people out’
-Maestro
The mycelium found me
M: By nature, I’m a thorough person and quite precise, so the scientific aspect of this endeavour appealed to me, where I can control the environment and you have to be pretty accurate.
M: I believe now that the mycelium finds people for different reasons, and I didn’t know at the time, but I suspect the mycelium found me... they knew what my talents were and said, ‘You know, you could be good at this and help people out’.
J: Do you think mycelium is magical?
M: I think mycelium has a way of finding or filling the holes that people have... whether you’re looking to grow or whether you’re looking for a space that needs to be filled, mycelium will fill it if you have the right intentions, and you’re working with it. It definitely comes to you. I’ve seen it happen time and time again.
J: Could you share an example of this?
M: I supply the spiritual community—they do journeys and microdosing. In the beginning, they would order whatever strains I had available and they’d want to see it in fruit form. As they got to know me and trusted me, I advised that it would be easier to powder it for transportation and legality. They trusted me to powder it for them, and that it would be the right strains. There have been times since when clients have given me full creative liberty! They say, “Can you give me X amount?” and they let me decide. I know that the mycelium works towards that: to give them the best possible product for whatever application they need. The mycelium finds what it needs to.
Community of trust and respect
J: You mentioned the spiritual retreats and healing community. Could you tell me a little bit more about how you fit in?
M: 95% of my product goes to the spiritual community in a couple of cities around South Africa. I dedicate myself exclusively to feeding the spiritual community. At this stage, the recreational aspect is not something that I am attracted to. The spiritual community are my small family. It’s not a big client base, but I have a personal rapport with each one of them. There’s a lot of trust involved. I respect what they do, and they respect me for what I do.
M: I needed that trust because I grow exclusively; I do nothing else, so I supply this family of clients and it safeguards me. I don’t retail on the streets and hawk or whatever. I just grow and it gets to the right hands somehow, with the mycelium at work.
Yes, I believe that it has properties that are ‘magical’, but I don’t have these colourful notions of ‘magic’. I’m a realist. I know what my sacrament does to and for people.
-Maestro
Are we mushrooms having a human experience?
J: In 2022 I attended a workshop with a guy in the UK called Darren Le Baron, who does a lot of educational courses and workshops. He’s quite a memorable character, and believes that we are all “mushrooms having a human experience”. I’d love to get the t-shirt. What are your thoughts on that, considering all the talk of mycelium ‘making decisions’?
M: Look, I’m a realist. I’m in my early 60s; I’ve got a lot of experience in business. I’ve travelled the world for many years; I’ve lived in three different countries. I know what I’m doing is beneficial but I also have a realistic take on it. I don’t want to insult anybody but there are people out there who, in my opinion, have this evolved, intellectual notion of mycelium and mushrooms, etc. Yes, I believe that it has properties that are ‘magical’, but I don’t have these colourful notions of ‘magic’. I’m a realist. I know what my sacrament does to and for people.
M: I have a very broad client base of surgeons, doctors, psychologists, plumbers, teachers, old folks 80 years plus... It’s so broad! Especially because of the renaissance we are going through, and the increasing awareness of our field. So to answer your question, I’m not airy-fairy about it, but I do believe it has certain powers that are difficult to put in black and white.
Mushrooms dictate the workday
J: You’ve told me about how you started, but how about where you’re going? Where would you like to see yourself and your business in the future?
M: In South Africa, I’ve had a lot of demand that I haven’t been able to or wanted to cater to. It’s my primary activity and I enjoy it thoroughly—it’s my passion, it’s not work for me—so the moment it gets too demanding, I taper it off. I would not take any further orders or requests, because it’s part of the design of my life. I live very peacefully, I don’t work for anybody and I’m very blessed that I work when I want to and how I want to work.
M: Mostly, I work when the mushrooms want me—basically when they want to be harvested. I’m there at three o’clock in the morning or whatever time they need me.
M: My future is to go to the EU and set up a growing space there, where I can look at tapping into the European spiritual market. Once it’s legitimised, I have plans to have a property where I can build a growing space, and maybe get into microdosing and edibles. I may consider setting up a retreat space for people who want to do journeys in a safe environment. I’m quite fortunate that my kids have shown a propensity to do something with the sacrament, which enables me to potentially leave a legacy.
M: I just want to keep on doing good through my passion for growing.
The opportunities in this field are immense. It’s nascent, it’s being born as we speak— the renaissance is like a giant wave of interest and awareness worldwide.
-Maestro
M: The opportunities in this field are immense. It’s nascent, it’s being born as we speak—the renaissance is like a giant wave of interest and awareness worldwide. I mean, three or four states in America have been legalised; others are coming on stream. I read this morning that the UK government are having a debate about re-structuring psilocyb!n2. There’s a lot of interesting goings-on in this industry. The lay of the land is changing literally every day. For me, it is very exciting because I’m in the middle of it.
J: Are there any principles, values or philosophies that you embrace when it comes to working with mushrooms, or want to promote through your work?
M: I think the nature of my attitude towards my passion creates a very high-quality product. I get feedback from the field and recurring orders that through my application, and my complete devotion, I pretty much get what I need from it. The one thing that sets me apart from most growers, is that I have the blessing that it’s my passion. I dedicate myself completely to it. I listen to what the mushroom wants, not the other way around. It’s more a case of listening to its needs and not dictating. And I think that makes a big difference.
I dedicate myself completely to it. I listen to what the mushroom wants, not the other way around. It’s more a case of listening to its needs and not dictating. And I think that makes a big difference.
-Maestro
Good morning, boys and girls!
J: How do you feel about mushrooms? Do any emotions pop up when you think about them?
M: They’re my friends, and I have lots of them! They really are my friends! We get along very well. Sometimes I play classical music to them [laughs]. Every morning when I wake up and go to the lab, I open the door and say, “Good morning, boys and girls!”
J: During my many conversations with mushroom folk, at some point sadly there is a switch from positive advocacy to riffing off the challenges, problems and tensions in the mushroom world. In your opinion, what are some of the challenges facing the industry today?
M: Personally, a challenge for me is that I have to be wary of getting into trouble with the law3. I find it ironic that in some spaces on this planet, i.e. in the United States, it’s legit, yet, this is another space on the planet and it’s illegal. It doesn’t make sense to me. I know it’s just a matter of time before it’s legitimate. I don’t go out into the streets, I don’t hawk and retail; I play it fairly safe, but I still am wary that one day I might get a knock on the door.
M: The second thing is that, in South Africa, there is no dispensation to apply for a license. The government don’t know what it is that they’re busy looking into. There is no way to apply; they don’t have the paperwork ready. We’re a little bit behind.
Nature isn’t accurate enough for big pharma
M: Big pharma is also looking at this industry with a magnifying glass because they see huge profits. I get a lot of information from medical researchers worldwide, and there’s difficulty in the scientific world obtaining the product because they can’t go into the streets and buy it. Three different growers may grow the same strain but with different results. Different temperatures, different humidity, different substrates (for example some may use cow dung, for others the substrate is purely organic...), so this same strain can give you different results. Because of that, there’s no set standard. The scientific world is tearing their hair out because they are discovering the benefits but they also need to be accurate. The natural way that we do things is not accurate enough for them.
M: Unfortunately big pharma then resorts to making it synthetically to control exact dosages, consistently, so that the scientific fraternity has parameters to work with which are constant. That’s their take. I believe it’s not the only take—I believe that they see a lot of money in this. They want to find a way of making it in the lab so that they can spew it out robotically.
J: I read recently that biotech companies are developing non-hallucinogenic psychedelics4, the medicine without the trip...
M: That’s another prime example of what I’ve just mentioned about pharma: chasing the money, you know?
Sangomas, Sanparks and SA Mushroom Policy
J: As you mentioned South Africa may be a little bit behind other countries in terms of legislation. However from what I’ve seen there is a thriving myco-culture here. Where do you think this myco-culture is heading?
M: In South Africa, we have a very strong subculture around magic mushrooms, related to retreats and microdosing. Very strong. But it’s literally all underground because there is no dispensation to legitimise it at this point. I think ultimately we’re going to be pretty much at the forefront of this giant wave once we are getting recognition.
M: The Australian government have made psilocyb!n legitimate for certain scientific experiments5. Once we start to get on that wagon, the rest of the world will quickly find out that we have a very strong culture of respecting the mycelium. I’m sure once we get up there people will start coming here for retreats.
J: From a cultural and policy perspective, South Africa has made big strides with cannabis. Do you think that the cannabis industry will impact how our government might approach psilocyb!n legislation?
M: I think we’re very fortunate that people in South Africa, from the townships to the Eastern Cape, have grown up with cannabis. It’s natural for South Africans. The government legitimised sectors of the cannabis industry, and they were very liberal. They say that you’re allowed to be in possession of up to 600 grams of cannabis, and that’s a lot!6 A lot of people need it for medicinal purposes, so they must have access to it. That’s really liberal, it’s fantastic!
M: They say that you can grow up to four plants for personal use. If you’re a professional grower and you know how to spread the canopy, with four plants you could have an entire deck of marijuana! You can supply a little village! [chuckles]
I think we’re very blessed with our government because of a cultural understanding of the cannabis plant. I hope they will be just as liberal with our industry, but unfortunately, psilocyb!n mushrooms are not part of South African culture in the same way.
-Maestro
M: I think we’re very blessed with our government because of a cultural understanding of the cannabis plant. I hope they will be just as liberal with our industry, but unfortunately, psilocyb!n mushrooms are not part of South African culture in the same way. I don’t see how they’re going to make it as liberal. Unfortunately, or maybe, fortunately. They don’t understand it, they don’t know it. They are interested in power, and mushrooms are a different kind of power.
J: I was recently chatting with a Sangoma7 in Johannesburg. Originally from Kwa-Zulu Natal, she revealed that mushrooms are not used in her medicine or her practice. I found this very interesting as mushrooms grow abundantly in KZN and have incredible medicinal properties which many ancient cultures have worked with. The other thing I found interesting was chatting with SanParks (South African National Parks) rangers during an annual wild camping multi-day hike that we do in the Kruger National Park. These rangers have in-depth knowledge about flora and fauna but know very little about funga.
M: To add to that, our climates are not that conducive for wild mushrooms. Other parts of the world have better climates for organisms like mushrooms, but they do grow during the right seasons. I experiment with growing them outdoors at a specific time of the year, and they thrive to the extent that I have a local rat that likes to come here every morning. He snacks on one-quarter of two or three different types of caps!
J:...and he’s tripping out?
M: Big time! He likes variety.
Fungi is a big world; find where you fit in
J: My last question for you: as you said there is a renaissance happening; a wave. Mushrooms and mycelium are getting a lot of media attention worldwide. Many people that I’ve met who work with mushrooms are not trained mycologists but have come from all sorts of different backgrounds and have changed their careers or how they earn a living, sometimes in quite dramatic ways. Do you have any advice for people who might be interested in earning a living with mushrooms?
M: The mushroom space is so big that you can sit for a few hours and work out where you want to fit into it. That’s how easy it is. I have these discussions with my son who’s very interested and is busy looking for angles while waiting for legitimisation. It is so varied. I’ll give you a radical example: you could get into the photographic space. In the cannabis world in fancy magazines, they have what they call ‘cannabis porn’, where guys growing in their big inner spaces are showing off how beautiful the plant is.
M: There are edibles, chocolates with mushroom powder, retailing... it’s unlimited what you can do. There are people who make mushroom leather goods. That’s a difficult one to get into because you need funding, but it shows that it’s a big world out there.
The School of Experience
M: In America in the last few months, the first lot of ‘watchers’ (a.k.a. trip sitters) have been certified, so if you live in America that’s something that you could aspire to do.
M: Here in South Africa we have a very, very, very strong culture of watchers, just through experience. I think the best way to learn is how our South African folks do it: learn through experience. In America, you can go to university and do a course on how to do a journey and be a watcher. You learn a lot of technical knowledge, but you need to have experience as well. In the US you can pay quite a lot of money, around $3,500, to go to a clinic and do a journey with the supervision of a certified watcher. We do that here in South Africa all day long, naturally.
M: If you want to make mushrooms part of your own income stream here in South Africa, it’s wide open – just go and learn from somebody. There is no school here, it’s a school of experience.
The mycelium will guide you
M: If you’re really interested, spend some time thinking about it. Give it a good intention and the mycelium will guide you. It’s wide open.
J: Thank you Maestro!8
To protect the safety and anonymity of Maestro and their valuable contribution to the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy in South Africa, we’ve used a pseudonym and won’t reveal a specific geographic location.
On Thursday 18 May 2023, the UK Parliament House of Commons announced a research briefing to debate access to psilocyb!n treatments, considering a motion which calls on the Government to, among other things, “conduct an urgent review of the evidence for psilocybin’s current status as Schedule 1 under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 with a view to rescheduling, initially for research purposes only, in order to facilitate the development of new mental health treatments. You can read up about it and download the full report here. Additionally, on 31 August 2023 a group of MPs called the Home Affairs Committee published a report on the effectiveness of current laws on drugs and the impact of drug use in the UK. Read the Committee's press notice announcing this work.
As of publishing, it is illegal to acquire, use, possess, manufacture or supply psilocyb!n-containing mushrooms in South Africa.
The Australian government’s Department of Health and Aged Care reported in February 2023: “From 1 July this year, medicines containing the psychedelic substances psilocybin and MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine) can be prescribed by specifically authorised psychiatrists for the treatment of certain mental health conditions.” You can read up more about it here.
Read the full ‘Cannabis for private purposes bill’ published by South Africa’s Minister of Justice and Correctional Services in August 2020.
A sangoma is a highly respected healer among the Zulu people of South Africa who diagnoses, prescribes, and often performs rituals to heal a person physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually.
Disclaimer: This post is intended for informative and entertainment purposes only. Running with Mushrooms occasionally writes about activities or substances which may be illegal in some regions. The views expressed in this Site are solely the opinions, perspectives and beliefs of the people interviewed. Running with Mushrooms does not condone or support illegal activities.