Anastasia (The Ringing Cedars, #1)

Anastasia (The Ringing Cedars #1)

3.81 of 5 stars 3.81  ·  rating details  ·  444 ratings  ·  100 reviews
"Anastasia", the first book of the Ringing Cedars Series, tells the story of entrepreneur Vladimir Megre's trade trip to the Siberian taiga in 1995, where he witnessed incredible spiritual phenomena connected with sacred 'ringing cedar' trees. He spent three days with a woman named Anastasia who shared with him her unique outlook on subjects as diverse as gardening, child-...more
Paperback, 210 pages
Published February 28th 2005 by Ringing Cedars Press LLC
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Yvonne
A friend of mine, whose opinion I trust, recommended this series of books to me. I didn’t think much about it the first time she mentioned them. One day I was at her house and she was again raving about these books and offered to loan the first two of the series to me. I took them home and immediately started reading. After less than a third of the way through the first book, I was hooked and knew I would have to read the entire series. The words were resonating deep within my being. It’s like s...more
Tya
This book is just awful. The first issue that I had was the sales pitch to buy Megre's overpriced cedar based products. Didn't Anastasia say that these things should be given away? Apparently, this does not apply to Megre, who's making money hand over fist selling cedar chips, talismans, bottles of oil and other props for this delusional fantasy.

The second problem that I had was that this is an obviously fictional story and it's so over the top that I was surprised that the author insists that i...more
Juliana
Jun 13, 2012 Juliana rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone
this is a book about a very enlightened person, written by someone about as enlightened as a sack of potatoes.


(full disclosure: i did not finish this book. it became glaringly obvious that a lot is lost in translation, probably mostly in the first exchange, between anastasia and vladimir...and they are speaking the same language)
Velvetink
*Translated from the Russian by John Woodsworth; edited by Leonid Sharashkin. 2nd ed., rev.
1. Spirituality
2. Nature - Religious Aspects
3. Human ecology.

There's a bit of everything in this book. Interesting to read about the wave of eco awareness in Russia. Not so sure about the Magical properties of the girl Anastasia. I checked out The Ringing Cedars, and Cedar pine nuts on google. Seems there's a mountain of marketing of products and books for sale in relation to this book - whether the health...more
Bruce
This is the hot new thing in the alternative spirituality community around these parts, and also apparently in Oregon, according to our current houseguests.
==

OK, just finished reading it. On the plus side, it's written from the point of view of an entrepreneur in contemporary russia. I found the background details interesting.

Some of the out there proscriptions for living strike quite close to home for me as I get back to nature on our 10 acre farmlet in new zealand. In particular the advice to...more
Iona Tamsin Stewart
I've previously read the final volume in this series without being greatly impressed by it, and perhaps would not have read any more of these books, had "Anastasia" not finally arrived for me from the library after I had ordered it about 6 months before.

I can say that "Anastasia" is somewhat better than the previous volume I have read. At last, as far as I was concerned, we were introduced to Anastasia in person, and that made a big difference.

First a couple of negative remarks (I am not one of...more
Peri
I am disappointed in this book. So many people I know have recommended it to me. I did not find it earth-shattering or life-changing. Maybe something is lost in the obviously poor translation . . . I don't think so. . . .

Having said that, I think this would be a great book club book in the sense that there are many possible points for intense and potentially enlightening discussion. I would find it particularly interesting to discuss it with a friend who has deep knowledge and understanding of t...more
Meredith
The green covers are the first edition translated into English. The second edition (black covers) are the books where the message has been altered and edited a bit. get yourself a green cover version. About the series, The Ringing Cedars of Russia, no words! you'll have to feel and experience the vision of Anastasia yourself. You may be inspired to activate more of your potential, it definitely has that kind of effect. If you feel you are on the planet to implement a change, a return to the Old...more
Emmy
i'm increasingly convinced, especially after 2 or 3, that this really happened to vladimir megre!! Based on my own experiences of the supernatural i'd say, sure, anything is possible, but i didnt think so literally and manifest!! coooool.

and really helpful, later on in the series, when vladimir takes questions from readers to anastasia, such as 'Should we all move into the wilderness?" and anastasia says "move? Why?" and proceeds to say to clean up the mess of the place you live. And i think, W...more
Ruby Koa
I loved this book!! Of course the author comes off quite rough as he is actually one of the characters in the book-the woman he's mainly talking about, Anastasia is full of inspiration in nearly unbelievable proportions. The reason that lead me to this book is wanting to learn tips for raising children as I'm close to wanting to go down that path myself. Though the first book doesn't go too deeply into that subject matter, I'm about to read the 3rd book that does. Even if you read this book as a...more
Lia
Apr 17, 2011 Lia rated it 1 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: No one
Recommended to Lia by: Hype on the Internet
Shelves: library, read-in-2011
This was not truly an environmentalist book. It was a face-palming waste of time. I hope anyone joining study groups for this series will sift through the B.S. to find any actual useful bits within. There have to be some, right? Or just avoid it altogether. Where there's merchandising (the back insert), there's profit-motive.

It has some gentle ideas (the gardening stuff and valuing children's minds), but also some insane ones that could do violence (giving any thought to food is a sin? Someone's...more
Pedro
O livro fala de Anastasia, uma mulher que que vive nas estepes siberianas. Encontrada por Vladimir, ela revela-lhe segredos há muito esquecidos pela humanidade.

Apesar de algumas mensagens fortes que inspiraram muitas pessoas pelo mundo fora, na minha opinião, o livro está cheio de disparates. Há um forte decalque da bíblia e certas situações não são credíveis. O facto de Vladimir se esforçar para que história pareça real só prejudica o resultado final. A nota deve-se à capacidade de motivar as p...more
Aynsley Anderson
Worst book I've ever read in my life. Misogynistic, ignorant, banal, middle-aged newage (like "sewage.") Written by an entrepreneur who tried a number of scam businesses before striking gold by duping his wide-eyed-fruitcake readers. It's flaky enough to be thrown out with the trash even if it were just billed as ridiculous fantasy pap, but to insist that it's a true story is completely insulting to the average person's intelligence. The best part about the book was counting how many times the w...more
Paul Kieniewicz
On the face of it, this is a preposterous book, badly written, ostensibly non-fiction but perhaps science fiction. However even having read the cautionary reviews on Goodreads I decided to check it out. In Russia, Anastasia is a phenomenon of no small influence, a patroness of a new back-to-the land movement. Since the publications of this book and its sequels at least a hundred eco-villages have appeared. The author, a Russian businessman, describes how he came upon a twenty something girl on t...more
François Lamontagne
Ok, first of all I must say that The Ringing Cedars books are the most life changing books I ever read. They really helped me rediscover my true identity and they gave me hope for the future. I will never forget the impact these books had (and still have) on me!

That being said, the opener in the serie is not the best one. Vladimir, who meets Anastasia for the first time, is so amazed by this woman that he fires tons of questions at her and it goes in all directions. Sometimes, the questions he...more
Lindu Pindu
I guess the euphonic qualities that are supposed to give us readers happiness while reading the book have been lost in translation.
I've always felt like I wanted to live in the forest somewhere. Although I love cities as well, I feel myself more of a human being, if that makes sense, in places with less people and more trees.

This is the least New Agey contemporary book that I could find, and while I can't say it has changed my life, it has given me perspective, and the determination not to let...more
Booker
Truth is stranger than fiction; Yet never has a book so transformed my perspective of life. To truly receive the wisdom within this writing, one must come to it with an open mind and be prepared to read between the lines. The language speaks in musical tomes, which bring the experience of reading to a visceral level. We feel it in our bones. There are over eight books now in the series translated from the Russian author Vladimir Megre, who has become himself transformed, and a tenth not yet tran...more
David
How do i even begin to describe this book?

This book, along with a class i am currently in, has inspired me to grown my own herb garden. Strangely enough, after i had read the chapter on how one should plant an outdoor garden, several friends of mine had bought a small plot of land not far from our neighborhood.

I can understand why some people might have trouble grasping Anastasia's ideas and methodologies as fact. She makes a good point: to paraphrase, "science has yet to invent anything that ha...more
Dana
A guest at the hotel where I am working recommended this book to me because I am a gardener and there are some interesting ideas about how to start seeds and how to interact with Nature.
The writing seems really hokey to me and the story a bit hard to believe BUT there is something in this book that rings very true for me and I have been happier since reading it. I find myself in the garden with a clearer intention and I made a garden for myself per her instructions. The first shoots are just pee...more
Sofia
I'm not sure how to feel about this book. I forced myself to get through it. At some points, I wanted to toss it out a window, at others, I was happy to have it. I'm glad it has helped and inspired so many people; I'm most impressed with all the eco-villages cropping up in my home country. But as a Russian, I know the kind of BS that Russians can either spew or accept and I am hard pressed to accept this book into the non-fiction section of the library.
Gabriel
This book was very inspiring, but the writing was not great. I would like to believe that Anastasia really exists, but certain aspects of the story seemed exaggerated. If you find yourself utterly annoyed by the writing, skip to the end and read the "Authors note". I thought it made the whole story more believable and justified the writing. The potential existence of this remarkable woman living in the taiga is uplifting and has given me a stronger sense of hope.
Sonia
Basically what everyone else has said: there is a lot of pretty unbelievable stuff in this book that you can choose to believe or not to believe, but no matter which direction you go with that, the book still leaves you with a lot to think about. Loses a star for all the self-advertisement- lost count how many times something was going to be expounded upon "in the next book". Better to let the reader decide if they want to read more without being so pushy...
Olivia
I bought this because it was recommended by some raw foodist authors that I respect. It is super inspirational, but an extremely poor translation from Russian to English in my opinion. I am not sure if I am going to read book two. I wish that the author would let Anastasia's words of wisdom inspire the reader, rather than endlessly promoting how magnificent her advice is throughout the book. I found it annoying. Perhaps I would have enjoyed this book more hadn't I read Lama Yeshe's absolutely ey...more
Chanel11
I'm intrigued by the ideas but I cannot stand the author and the writing his horrible, will read the next one as I want to hear more about the gardening and nature aspect, I am hoping Vladimir isn't as vulgar and Anastasia not as airheaded this time around - for someone so enlightened she chose a horrible mating partner (who is also married to someone else...)
Liz Neves
I really wanted to like these books. I only got through book 1 and part of book 2. I don't know if it's the translation or the story, but it just seemed so forced & juvenile. I'm a big fan of permaculture & the natural world. Maybe my expectations were too high, but this book just didn't do it for me. I give it 3 stars for the positive message & ideas.
Mindy
I am perplexed. This book was recommended to me by a dear old friend with whom I have much in common, and from whom I have learned a lot. I've read that the newer edition of this book, which I read, has lost some of the meaning. I am slightly tempted to track down an older edition, but not now. If there are lessons here, as my friend suggested, to me they are lost in the clunky writing (translation problem?), poor organization, and in the author's whining and complaining.
Will Slade
I'd hoped for more. It's sparked a revolution in Russia and is an international bestseller, but I found it lacking in structure.

Megre meets a forest woman who tells him that the universe is connected by energy and rays that we cannot understand. It's sciency, but I was really hoping for a cold climate permaculture.
ryan
by far the most heart opening book and mind calming book i have ever read. i felt so much resonance with the truths in this book. I would recommend it to anyone who has a feeling that there is a grand vision for this world that we can create through positive feelings in our hearts and holding visions with our mind.
Bill Blocksom
Interesting blend of nature, spirituality, and a beguiling story. Some of the elements are way out there. It has the feel of a New Age spiritual tale, mixed with some very traditional religious values and new twists on the possibilities of our relationship to nature. Definitely food for thought.
Anastasia
A MUST READ for all nature lovers, and visionaries of heaven on Earth, where humans, animals, plants and all living creatures live in loving harmony. This is already a reality in a small community in Russia that is literally in a different dimension like Shamnballa.
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Who or what is Anastasia? 1 3 22 apr. 00:54  
An ancient way to live... Remembered 1 22 12 feb. 15:31  
Anastasia (The Ringing Cedars, #1)
The Ringing Cedars #1 Anastasia (Paperback)
The Ringing Cedars of Russia (The Ringing Cedars, #2) The Space of Love (The Ringing Cedars, #3) Co-creation (The Ringing Cedars, #4) Who are We? (The Ringing Cedars, #5) The Book of Kin (The Ringing Cedars, #6)

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