The ginkgo saga, part one
Posted on August 4, 2006 - Filed Under Uncategorized
Sometime ago, probably in birthing class, someone told us about the various and sometimes
strange things done with a baby’s placenta, a.k.a. afterbirth. Cultures all over the world
use the organ in many different ritual types ceremonies. Some even eat the material. This
got Erin and I to thinking. Especially if one is not a particularily religious person, there
really isn’t very much ritualistic behavior in our culture these days. It seems to boil down
to two distinct reasons: 1. We refuse to make the time for such things and 2. They are not
gratifying because they do not produce some kind of immediate, tangible reward. We are a
very product-driven society; the more an action is associated with some kind of gain, the
better. If there is no perceived payoff, why do it? Well, it seemed to us worth our time to
take some time and slow down, ritualistically observing the birth of our daughter and using
her placenta, the item which sustained her for the first nine months of her life, as the
vehicle.
Among all of the different things we heard about, we were told that some people plant a tree
over the placenta. Given how much Western North Carolina has inspired in us a growing
appreciation of nature, we absorbed this as a wonderful idea and decided that we would do
it. So, after Maggie was born, we asked the fine nursing staff at Mission (along with our most awesome
midwife) to save the placenta for us and put it in a container so that we could take it home.
We placed it in our freezer, where it has been ever since. Looking back, we should have
planted the tree then. It was spring time (a great time for planting trees) and we could
have cared for it. We didn’t know then what we know now; unfortunetaley, we now find
ourselves in a little bit of a time crunch to do this before we leave.
My first vision of how to do this was to plant the tree on some public land in Maggie Valley,
NC; Maggie’s name is at least partly inspired by the town’s name. I wanted it to be in the
woods, to take a GPS reading of the exact spot, and come back 20 years from now with Maggie and see how how it had grown. Erin, however, was understandably relunctant to do it this way. She very much preferred to see the tree planted in an area where it was likely to be
cared for; she suggested a local park. I finally agreed and secured permission from the
parks and recreation department. At the same time, I went to Jesse Isreal and Sons Nursery
and started asking about the right kind of tree. The gentleman who helped me suggested a
ginkgo tree, telling me that it is thought by many to be the oldest tree species alive and
that it is sometimes called the tree of life. Erin and I decided this was the way to go and
bought one. There’s a very amusing story to go along with the actual purchase, which I won’t
recount here…if you’re interested, give her a call and I’m sure she’d be more than happy
to tell you about it.
Anyway, the tree is sitting on our back patio, waiting to be planted. We will post some
pictures soon.
Comments
4 Responses to “The ginkgo saga, part one”
Leave a Reply
I agree that the purchase certainly was a fun experience/ of course Maggie`s granddad was in seventh heaven(olden day phrase).
Erin has promised to write about the actual tree-buying experience because it is certainly worth recounting. I’ll be sure to keep on her about that.
That’s pretty cool how you guys are doing that. I like your idea about planting it out in the woods and coming back 20 years or so to see how things went. I’m glad you didn’t decide to cook it up or use it as a face cream like the French. Thanks for the wine by the way. It was a pleasant surprise when I got into work today. I hope you’re enjoying your PA visit.
[…] A week ago today, August 20th, we finally planted Maggie’s placenta and her ginkgo tree. In case you missed the previous post about this, the short version of the background is this: In our Bradley’s birthing class we learned that many cultures around the world believe the placenta is more than just bio-waste and therefore, perform various kinds of ritual to recognize its importance. When you think about it, there can be a great deal made over the symbolism of the organ. It was the mechanism by which our wonderful daughter was sustained while in her Mama. It was the vehicle by which she became a member of our family and eventually, the recepient of our love. Her membership in the wider human family does have its drawbacks, though. She is, and will continue to be, a consumer of the Earth’s resources, a burden to her first Mother, if you will. As a first step in what we hope to be a lifelong attempt to balance the relationship between Earth and earthling, we planted her placenta and thus returned its rich source of nutrients to the ground. We hope to teach her the importance of revering the planet which gives her shelter, respect its majesty and take from it only what she is prepared to repay. Her tree will breath some small amount of the carbon dioxide she produces and replace it with life-sustaining oxygen. Finally, it will provide much needed beauty to the area where it stands, shade to the weary, and a place for birds, squirrels and insects to call home. […]