The contemplation of a historical Paradise of any variety is academically unpopular, to say the least. It may be uncomfortable, as well. Many people find it depressing to think that our modern mode of being may be deficient compared to that of ancient peoples. As we shall see, however, this acknowledgment may provide the key that opens a door to a beatific state of awareness—a state that, according to the civilized, “rational” worldview, does not even exist.
Richard Heinberg, Memories & Visions of Paradise
Metasequoia glyptostroiboides (or ‘dawn redwood’) is a deciduous tree that has, we see by referencing the fossil record, remained unchanged for 65 million years. It was believed extinct until the connection between the fossils and a single grove in China was made in 1948. I have been fascinated with this story, and the wood of the tree, ever since learning about it.
Fast-growing and attractive, it has become popular in some areas for landscaping, and there is even a park in North Carolina dedicated to it. I managed to get my hands on a slab over a year ago, and intended to grow the trees and sell bonsai tables made of the wood. For one table in particular, I acquired some fossils to embed.
From the Garden of Eden to tales around the world, the story of a lost paradise has been told perhaps everywhere as far back as we know. If it occurred once, can it again? Richard Heinberg’s Memories & Visions of Paradise details these stories and ponders the future, while I wonder what the Metasequoia might think about the subject, since it must have been around to see it.
Ultimately, I decided to present this as a gift to a former coworker. Of course, there is plenty of wood left if you’re interested in something similar. Watch the video to see the process and some grappling with the book (briefly) and the wood (more extensively), neither of which are exactly easy to deal with.
Latin translation was done by Signa Translations, to which I give an unsponsored and appreciative plug.