Anarchist Calisthenics
Foraging, rule-breaking, and remembering how to be wild
Sporecast is a weekly newsletter exploring what wellness could look like outside of capitalism, performance, and perfection. Rooted in the systems of nature, it draws on ecology, mysticism, and embodied experience to imagine more grounded, regenerative ways of living.
Today we’re exploring a new phrase I learned from
on TikTok: Anarchist Calisthenics. I highly recommend watching his video before giving this article a read. His work in tactical urbanism is really inspiring, and I’m a huge fan of his work.
Hi friend,
It’s officially Spring, and we’re well on our way into mushroom foraging season. I’ve been foraging since 2018, and the start of the season now marks a period of new growth and renewal for me each year.
The more I learn about mushrooms, the more I realize how radical it is to simply walk into the woods and pick one. I used to think mushroom foraging was just a cute little hobby I could enjoy with other nature lovers. Something you did on a damp Sunday morning in a fleece with a tote bag hanging off your shoulder.
But lately I’ve started seeing it differently — as an act of quiet rebellion.
James C. Scott, a political anthropologist, coined the term “Anarchist Calisthenics” in his book Two Cheers for Anarchism. He describes the small, everyday acts of disobedience that keep our moral instincts sharp. It’s not about creating chaos — it’s about staying alert to the systems we live in and remembering that we still have agency inside of them.
He argues that blindly following every rule makes us more likely to accept injustice when it really matters. But if we regularly practice doing what feels right, even when it’s “not allowed”, we stay connected to our inner compass.
Think: crossing the street before the walk sign (jaywalking has been used to racially profile people), hopping a fence to sit under your favorite tree, picking herbs growing on the side of the road, or harvesting morels popping up on a hillside in your neighborhood.
None of these actions are dangerous or immoral. But in many places, they’re technically illegal. Some rules are worth breaking — especially those that disconnect us from the Earth, each other, and ourselves.
Breaking small rules in a low-stakes way actually helps regulate your nervous system. It signals to your body that you have a choice, which can shift you out of survival mode.
Every time I crouch down to examine a mushroom, my body settles. I slow down. I notice things I would’ve rushed past. I feel like something far older and more connected than myself. The act of foraging has been such a blessing in my life. It’s taught me so much about mindfulness and presence.
We’ve been taught to separate wellness from the world. To chase it in apps, supplements, labs, and algorithms. But foraging reminds me that wellness is ecological. It’s about relationships. It’s about knowing what grows near you and when. It’s about remembering that you have a body and that body belongs to a place.
And it’s about saying no, quietly, to the system that wants us disconnected and dependent.
So no, I don’t think mushroom foraging is just a hobby anymore. I think it’s a form of resistance. And a really beautiful one.
That’s why anarchist calisthenics are important. If I hadn’t seen the benefits of foraging myself, I never would have realized it’s even being threatened. Now that foraging has gone viral on TikTok and middle-class urbanites (myself included!) are turning up in parks with knives and baskets, new bans are popping up across the country.
Some cities say it’s about conservation. Others say safety. But it’s hard to ignore the timing.
Meanwhile, foraging has always been part of life for Indigenous people and rural communities. All of the new foragers seem to forget that what we now take for granted as a wonderful way to integrate into nature and access natural resources was once prohibited as a means of control. Anti-foraging laws in America were originally put into place as a tool of control and oppression against freed slaves and Indigenous folks.
And now, once again, public access to wild food is being restricted, just as more people are rediscovering it.
I think about this when I’m out in the forest. I wonder: who is allowed to be wild? Who gets to walk in the woods and feed themselves from naturally growing sources? And who gets to decide who belongs on public lands, and who is breaking the law?
I’m not immune to propaganda. None of us are. But I can practice seeing through it. I can integrate small acts of resistance into my daily life. I can let my body remember that it belongs to something deeper than systems of control.
That’s what Anarchist Calisthenics is to me. And that’s why I’ll continue foraging.
If you’re experimenting with small acts of resistance too, I’d love to hear what’s working for you.
Until next time,
Charlotte
P.S. If you’ve ever wanted to start foraging but felt unsure how, here’s my tip: start with just noticing. Go for a slow walk in a nearby park and see what fungi presents itself to you. Download iNaturalist or Seek. Don’t worry about picking anything. Just notice. If you find yourself enjoying it, seek out your local mycology club to go on a group walk. Let it be weird and slow and full of wonder.
