Reishi is popular these days for its ability to support our immune system, help us manage stress, fight diseases and many other amazing health benefits. But one thing you don’t hear a lot about when it comes to reishi is the special effects it has on dreaming.   

There’s a saying about reishi that goes, you don’t find reishi; reishi finds you.  No doubt about it: it’s a special thing to come across one in the wild. The first time I ever encountered reishi in the forest was as a result of a vivid dream that showed me the exactly where to find it.

In the dream….

I am walking on a trail near my home. I know this trail, but I haven’t been here in a long time. Maybe a whole year? As I walk, I am aware of how alive everything is, so colorful, vibrant, glowing with life, almost as if I am dreaming. I make my way up the rocky trail, remarking on the beauty of this place, and it seems as if I am guided. I come across a big boulder, with a lifelike face. It is the face of an elder, a wise crone. Growing out of the rock is a HUGE elderberry tree. It also has a face, or three faces? I hear a disembodied voice speak in a kind and strong tone. It tells me to look behind the rock. I trust the spirit voice and make my way around the big rock and there was a beautifully large ball that was bright orange-brown. It glowed with a kind of light that can only be described as spiritually luminous. This ball shifted and morphed in shape as I watched it and it seemed to emanate power. I reached out to touch it and…

I awoke suddenly, with a smile on my face, and my heart full of magical energy of the dream. My first thought was that I needed to clear my schedule and make time to hike that trail on this day.

As I made my way up the trail, this time in waking reality, I started to doubt the decision to follow some wild dream. I felt guilty for calling out of work. The mosquitoes were relentless, and the trail was very muddy - two realities that made the hike much less pleasant than in the dream. And I had taken my four year old son with me, and he was complaining, a LOT. I nearly gave up and turned around to head back to the car but something in me said, keep going. I didn’t even really know what I was doing there. What was I looking for, anyway?

We scrambled through the muddy stones a little higher up the slope, and I began to get that surreal feeling, like things had suddenly taken on a magical quality, like I had slipped into a dream state. The rocks looked lifelike, just like they did in the dream. And there! In front of me was the big boulder, all covered in moss, green and glowing. My jaw just about dropped when I saw a big elder shrub, seemingly growing right out of a boulder. Knowing now that I needed to follow the dream message, I climbed around behind the boulder and sure enough, there growing out of some decaying logs were several vibrant orange-brown balls. Except they weren’t balls. They were mushrooms! Perfectly ripe, HUGE shelf fungi that seemed to sing PICK ME!

My heart raced as I pulled the mushrooms off the log ( I now know the proper way to harvest reishi is with a sharp knife so as not to destroy the mycelia). If felt like a magical treasure hunt and I had just discovered treasure! 

That experience not only convinced me of the spiritual power of this mushroom, it also literally changed my life. 

Since then, Reishi has been a strong ally for me, both physically and psychically. I made my first tincture using Guido Mase’s double extraction recipe in his book The Wild Medicine Solution, and noticed profound effects on my overall sense of energy and immune function - medicinal benefits I knew to expect from reading all the herbal reference books. But what I didn’t expect was the effect it had on my dreams. I have noticed if I take reishi tincture before bed my dreams take on a numinous quality, often providing me insights and teachings that seem to go far beyond the knowledge of my conscious mind. In these reishi dreams, I often hear a wise and guiding voice that narrates the dream for me, providing answers and profound words that help me integrate the dream wisdom. I think of this voice as the Reishi Angel, and I always wake from these dreams with a heart full of wonder, wisdom and clarity.

Here’s herbalist Asia Suler sharing her insights on the consciousness-expanding effects of reishi mushrooms:

An alchemical tonic of whole health, at its heart (its own shen), Reishi is a deep psychedelic. By definition a psychedelic is any substance that expands our consciousness, and part of Reishi’s Dao is to help us connect into a wider, mythic state of being. Reishi is a shen expander in ever sense of the world. Though much subtler than a medicine like Psilocybin, Reishi has the ability to shift our perception of reality.

Reishi is a high vibrational being, and partnering with it will expand your state of consciousness in subtle but wonderful ways. Inviting yourself to dream with the fugus will enhance the spiritual effects of this partnership and multiply the spiritual benefits of your dreaming many times over.

How to Prepare Reishi

There are many mushrooms in the Ganoderma family that we refer to as reishi. The one that often grows in the northeast where I live is Ganoderma tsugae, which likes to grow on dead hemlock trees. It is said to be medicinally very similar to its relative Ganoderma lucidum, the popular species native to China and Europe. The traditional way to take reishi is as a decoction, or a strong tea, and it’s still lovely to enjoy reishi this way, or in a blend with other flavorful herbs, or my favorite - in oat milk with ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, star anise and vanilla for a delicious reishi chai. Much of the anti-inflammatory and immune enhancing benefits are attributed to the polysaccharides known as beta-glucans that are easily extracted in water. However, there are some compounded that need a stronger menstruum for extraction, known as triterpenes. In order to get the most medicinal benefit, a double extraction is needed. Mountain Rose Herbs has a thorough instructions here

Whatever preparation you choose to make or purchase, it’s important to be aware that you are not just extracting the chemical compounds of a fungus, you are working with a conscious intelligence, and as such, it’s important to be respectful and clear with your intention as you prepare to ingest the mushroom, especially if you intend to use it for dreamwork, spiritual expansion or consciousnesses raising purposes. On an energetic level, intention is everything!

Reishi Nighttime Dream Incubation - For Guidance of the Master Reishi Spirit 

Without a doubt, Reishi consciousness is high frequency, high vibrational consciousness, and the best way to access it is through your dreams.

• Think of a problem that you have in your life. Formulate a question, such as, How do I solve this problem or What do I need to do to break through this situation? 

• Practice good sleep hygiene that evening, eating clean foods, turning off the electronics at least an hour before bed, dimming the lights, meditating to clear the mind.

• Before bed**, meditate on your question and the situation, ask to connect with the fungal spirit of Reishi, the master spirit guide. 

• Take between 1-3 grams of reishi in capsule or tincture form.*

• Put a dream journal right by your pillow.

• Fall asleep with your dream question in mind.

• As soon as you wake up, don’t move. Lie still and ask yourself, “What was I just dreaming?”

• Let the dream come back to you slowly. With your eyes closed, go through the dream. It sometimes takes as long as 10 minutes for me to recapture the dream.

• Immediately write it down.

• Whatever you remember is your answer. If the dream’s message doesn’t come clear with some reflection or journaling, try using Tarot cards or consult with a dream therapist.

Reishi Meditation for Expanded State of Consciousness

Dreams are not the only way to experience the magic of reishi mushrooms. If you are someone who struggles to recall your dreams, or struggles to sleep at night, you can incorporate reishi into a meditation practice and observe the subtle, but powerful shifts in your state of consciousness in the waking state.

To make a strong decoction of reishi, put about 2 TBS of powdered or dried reishi in a pot, simmer with 16 ounces of water until reduced to about a cup of liquid, about 30 min on medium heat.

• Create a ritual space. Consider making an altar, or simply clear a surface of distractions and light a candle to focus your mind and state out loud or write down your intent to connect with and recieve guidance (or wisdom? Or answers? Solutions to your problems? Or whatever intention you have) from the spirit of Reishi.

• When you’re ready to begin, drink the cup of reishi decoction, being mindful and present.

• Take a few deep cleansing breaths, relax your body, and then practice threefold breathing: breathing in for the count of 3, hold for the count of 12, and breathe out for the count of 9. Do this for 5 minutes and you will notice your state of mind shifting into trance.

• Now, with your eyelids closed, let your eyes roll up as high as they can go, as if you could look up through the top of your head. Focus on your third eye area. Keep breathing with your eyes raised for another 6 rounds of threefold breathing.

• Now, watch the back of your eyelids. You will notice shapes, textures, patterns of color or light. Some people see sparks or dots of light. Whatever you notice, keep observing from a neutral mind. The longer you observe and relax the more the hypnagogic forms will morph and transform and grow or expand into images like dreams.

• You will feel quite altered from this practice. As you notice the feeling of trance, invite it to expand and relax deeper into it.

• You might consider asking a question in this state and observe or listen inwardly for the answers. Reishi can open the doors to your inner wisdom and inform your intuition in incredible ways.

• Take some time to journal after, writing down any impressions, insights, or experiences you noticed.

• Close your meditation with an offering of gratitude to the spirit of Reishi,

* The suggested dose for lucid dream purposes is higher than medicinal dosing. Suggested to start with 1 gram and increase as needed to more enhanced and lucid dream effects. In tincture, 3 gram dose is about 1 teaspoon, so starting with 1/4 teaspoon and working up to 1 teaspoon or 1.5 teaspoons is a good way to try it.

**Nap time is also a great, if not preferrable way to incubate a dream. I’ve never been a good napper, so I use nighttime for my dreamwork, but statistically people recall their dreams more often from naps than nighttime dreams.