There is a sense of comfort in having faith in the interconnectedness that orchestrates the seen and unseen—“As above, so below” (Emerald Tablet). But is that faith strong enough to withstand the debris crashing all around us as empires crumble? I urge you not only to look around but to look below.

Buried deep in the soil lies a network: mycelium. An underground web of fungal threads that connects and supports plants and ecosystems by sharing resources and information across vast distances. It communicates through chemical signals, detects imbalances, and coordinates resource distribution where needed.

Above ground, when we are consumed by burnout, fear, and loneliness, below, they persist. Even when the soil hardens, their work continues: feeding, connecting, and sustaining life. This network has survived and adapted for millennia because of its interconnectedness.

You, reader, are part of a network—even if you aren’t aware of it.

When greedy hands see beauty in nature, their urge is to possess it, even if it means killing it. They rip plants out gleefully, forgetting the roots. Forgetting how many stand shoulder to shoulder, intertwined, creating their own conditions to rise again—even when it seems “impossible.” They forget that roots don’t need permission.

Did you forget, too?