Memories And Visions Of Paradise

By Richard Heinberg.

308 Pages | Originally published in 1989, First Quest Edition 1995 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 083560716X.

'Exploring the Universal Myth of a Lost Golden Age'.

Nearly every culture has been nourished by tales of a lost Golden Age, in which people lived in a peaceful harmony with nature and cosmos. Is the persistent image of an earthly Paradise merely the product of a perennial nostalgia for 'good old days' that never really existed? Or could it be a memory of a simpler time, before organized agriculture and industry enticed us away from the Garden?

In this revised and updated edition of his classic cross-cultural study of mythology, psychology and history, Richard Heinberg traces the roots and branches of human longing for Paradise lost, and with candor and hope, points the way toward its possible return.

From Chapter 3 - 'In Search of Eden':

" The first Age was Golden. In it faith and righteousness were cherished by men of their own free will without judges or laws. Penalties and fears there were non, nor were threatening words inscribed on unchanging bronze; nor did the suppliant crowd fear the words of its judge, but they were safe without protectors. Not yet did the pine cut from its mountain tops descend into the flowing waters to visit foreign lands, nor did deep trenches gird the town, nor were there straight trumpets, nor horns of twisted brass, nor helmets, nor swords. Without the use of soldiers the peoples in safety enjoyed  their sweet repose. Earth herself, unburdened and untouched by the hoe and unwounded by the ploughshare, gave all things freely . . . Spring was eternal . . . untilled the earth bore its fruits and the unploughed field grew hoary with heavy ears of wheat. "