Tangled, trusting networks

May 8, 2023 | Jennifer Newman, BHFH Executive Director

*Photo: (Left) Mycelium! (Right) Jen Newman in front of “Mama Beech” the 300-year-old beech tree on Pendle Hill Quaker Retreat Center’s campus.*

Recently, one of our residents planted mushrooms in the courtyard beds. He layered mycelium, wood, straw and topped it off with leaves, creating a hospitable home that is also a bit hidden. The area also has worms and composted dirt as part of its little ecosystem.

I know very, very little about gardening. And that’s okay, because that resident has gifts, and so do a handful of other housies who are a part of our Plants Committee.

But I love mushrooms. And mushrooms also remind me of the book Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown. In the book, brown lifts up mushroom mycelium as excellent teachers of trust and interconnection. It’s the part of the fungus that grows underground, connecting the roots to one another and breaking things down to build a healthier ecosystem. In a 2018 article for YES! Magazine, brown quotes Adaku Utah about this concept of trust:

“The word mycelium means ‘more than one.’ The mycelium organism is a dynamic root system of mushrooms that utilizes trust as a mechanism to build and sustain a vast, reciprocal, underground network that connects the roots of trees and plants and skillfully shares nutrients and resources to support the health of the entire ecosystem with which it moves.”
adrienne maree brown, “How the Wonder of Nature Can Inspire Social Justice Activism,” Yes! Magazine, February 1, 2018

I love this metaphor of the necessity of “more than one” and how it is so true for our lives as well as for ecosystems. We need each other.

Today marks week four of me stepping into the role as Executive Director of BHFH. Over the last few weeks, I have frequently been asked: “What new initiatives are you going to implement for BHFH? What is your vision?”

You will continue to see the answers to those questions unfolding in the coming weeks, months, and years. However, one important part of my vision is that we should have a collective vision, and work together to be the rooted system to bring that about.

BHFH is a community organization. Part of my vision for BHFH is that everyone feels connected to the vision and sees their part in it. They see what role they are playing in the system, and understand that the future of BHFH requires so much more than one — it requires a dynamic network co-creating the future, and it requires deep trust.

You are all a part of that network. Whether you are a current or former house resident, board member, program attender or facilitator, or a guest room guest. And I deeply want to hear from you, learn with you, and grow this BHFH network together.

Just like I can’t plant mushrooms in the courtyard (even though I benefit from them), I cannot lead this organization without all of you. I look forward to serving you, working with you and learning from your gifts, and being in community with you.