Chapterhouse: Dune

“‘Trees and other plants for all of our symbiotic relationships,’ she said.

‘Symbiotic?’ It was a new word.

She explained with something she knew he already had encountered—going out with others to harvest mushrooms.

‘Fungi won’t grow except in the company of friendly roots. Each has a symbiotic relationship with a special plant. Each growing thing takes something it needs from the other.’”

The Bene Gesserit are demonstrated as having a close connection with nature; they take care not to take more than they can return, thus ensuring their resources aren’t depleted. This is in direct contrast to the Honored Matres, who destroy planets using The Weapon and take life on a whim. The two groups represent The Connection Between Domination and Cultivation, as both factions’ actions contribute to their prolonged survival and thus the cultivation of their culture; however, the Matres’s wanton violence doesn’t allow for balance, unlike the Sisterhood’s thoughtful approach to symbiotic relationships, which spells their doom. This passage uses an extended metaphor of symbiosis to represent the Bene Gesserit’s political philosophy. Their connection to nature is not only literal but symbolic of their approach to power—they cultivate relationships as carefully as they cultivate resources. The organic imagery of “friendly roots” and “growing thing” positions the Sisterhood as stewards of balance, contrasting with the Honored Matres’s extractive and violent tactics.