Today on Mushroom Hour we have the privilege of speaking with Darren Springer AKA Darren Le Barron. Darren Springer is an educator, researcher and event organizer based in the UK. Known around the world for his Shroomshop Master classes he is a keen mushroom cultivator and teacher and has been growing gourmet and medicinal mushrooms for the last ten years. By day he is an Organic Horticulturist and Food Enterprise tutor and has translated his home growing experience into a social enterprise. Darren is the mycologist in residence at Somerset House, one of the largest communities of arts and creative enterprises in the UK. He is also a qualified Permaculture teacher and facilitator and supports businesses and communities to create sustainable working systems and environments. He is a member and presenter at the London Psychedelic Society, and is a chair and Breaking Convention committee member. Collectively his work aims to inform and empower individuals from diverse backgrounds to cope with social challenges and contribute to community development as well as self-improvement in an innovative, creative and culturally-aware style.   

TOPICS COVERED:   

• The Kid Who Questioned Everything   
• Reconnecting with African Culture   
• Influence of Kilindi Iyi   
• Knowledge of Psychedelics within Traditional African Culture   
• Diaspora from the African Continent   
• Benefits of Reconnecting with Indigenous Ancestry   
• Psychedelic Plants & Fungi as Technology to Speak with the Ancestors   
• Rediscovering Who You Are, Where You’re From and Where You’re Going   
• Checking in with Indigenous Cultures Before Moving Forward   
• Creating New Systems vs. Petitioning the Old to Change   
• Growing Plants & Mushrooms is a Revolutionary Act   
• Shroomshop Classes & Mushroom Cultivation   
• Ancestor Project 3-Week Course & UK Mushroom Academy   
• Unlocking the Organic, Crystal Technology Inside the Human Body   

EPISODE RESOURCES:   

• Darren Le Baron Website: https://www.darrenlebaron.com/   
• Darren Le Baron IG: https://www.instagram.com/darren_le_baron/   
• Psychedelic Emancipation Course Collaboration with The Ancestor Project: https://www.theancestorproject.com/psychedelic-emancipation   
• Shroomshop Master Classes: https://psychedelicsociety.org.uk/mushroom-cultivation-for-beginners   
• Jamaican Mushroom Growing Retreat w/ Silo Wellness: https://www.silowellness.com/retreats-programs/19/mushroom-growers-workshop-retreat/   
• Kilindi Iyi (Inspiration): http://babakilindi.com/