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The Ringing Cedars of Russia #1
Anastasia
A New Updated author's Edition!
"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-rearing, healing, Nature, sexuality, religion and more. This wilderness experience transformed Vladimir so deeply that he abandoned his commercial plans and, penniless, went to Moscow to fulfill Anastasia's request and write a book about the spiritual insights she so generously shared with him. True to her promise this life-changing book, once written, has become an international best-seller and has touched hearts of millions of people world-wide.
ASIN: B00CP6AWY6
"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-rearing, healing, Nature, sexuality, religion and more. This wilderness experience transformed Vladimir so deeply that he abandoned his commercial plans and, penniless, went to Moscow to fulfill Anastasia's request and write a book about the spiritual insights she so generously shared with him. True to her promise this life-changing book, once written, has become an international best-seller and has touched hearts of millions of people world-wide.
ASIN: B00CP6AWY6
198 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1996
About the author
Vladimir Megré
96 books131 followersVladimir Nikolaevich Megre (born 23 July, 1950 in Kuznichi village, Gorodnyansky District, Chernigov Region in Ukraine), the author of The Ringing Cedars of Russia book series, was a well-known entrepreneur. He spent most of his childhood with his grandmother Efrosinia Verkhusha, a village healer.
As a teenager Vladimir occasionally visited Father Feodorit, a priest of the Trinity-Sergiyev Monastery. Later he was shown there the picture «The One and Only» which he described in his second book before the picture was revealed to the world.
Vladimir started an independent life early and left the parents' house at the age of 16. Since 1974 he lived in Novosibirsk and worked as a photographer with Novosibirskoblfoto, a service company.
At the beginning of Perestroika (reforms of the late 1980s) he was the president of the Inter-Regional Association of Siberian Entrepreneurs. In 1994-5 he organized two large-scale trade expeditions with a fleet of river steamers along the River Ob along the route Novosibirsk -- Salekhard -- Novosibirsk at his own expense. On this trip, an encounter with Anastasia in the Siberian taiga changed his entire life.
It had been a secret for a long time for relatives and friends what made him, an entrepreneur with ten years experience, to pledge his property and spend his savings on unprofitable trading trips. The mystery was revealed in his books with Anastasia as the main character. Vladimir Megre brought something really invaluable from the trips.
Throughout 1996-2006 nine books were written by Vladimir Megre (The Ringing Cedars of Russia Series: Anastasia, The Ringing Cedars of Russia, The Space of Love, Co-Creation, Who Are We?, Book of Kin, The Energy of Life, The New Civilization, Rites of Love).
In 2011 the author became Laureate of Gusi Peace Prize.
By now 11 millions copies of the books translated into 20 languages have been sold. In 1999 Megre established the Anastasia Foundation for Culture and Creative Support in the city of Vladimir and launched the site www.anastasia.ru. Readers' and press conferences take place in Russia and abroad.
The author holds readers' and press conferences in Russia and other countries.
The most active readers of Ringing Cedars of Russia book series unite into public organizations, one of the aims of which is the creation of Kin's domains. In 2010 another book "Anasta" was issued. The author plans to write a scenario on the basis of his books.
The author comments about himself and his books:
Good shall prevail on the earth!
- The parade of worldly rulers, no matter what grand temples they might have built, will be remembered only by the filth they have bequeathed to their descendants. Water will prove to be the criterion; the measure of all things. With each day that passes, the water seethes with more and more contamination.
The above words were pronounced by a character from my books: a recluse from the Siberian taiga, Anastasia.
My name is Vladimir Megre. I was born on the twenty-third of July, 1950, in a Ukrainian village. Then I studied, got married and worked in Siberia, but that isn't the main thing. The most important aspect of my life emerged after my meeting with Anastasia.
It was the beginning of perestroika in Russia, and I had just gone into business. I was a leader of the Entrepreneurs of Siberia Association. I used to sail with goods on a motor ship over the Siberian river Ob up toward the Arctic circle. I enjoyed wandering around the taiga by myself, while the ship was moored.
It was on an isolated bank of a taiga river that I one day met a recluse from the Siberian taiga. Her name was Anastasia, and she would soon transform my outlook on life.
As a teenager Vladimir occasionally visited Father Feodorit, a priest of the Trinity-Sergiyev Monastery. Later he was shown there the picture «The One and Only» which he described in his second book before the picture was revealed to the world.
Vladimir started an independent life early and left the parents' house at the age of 16. Since 1974 he lived in Novosibirsk and worked as a photographer with Novosibirskoblfoto, a service company.
At the beginning of Perestroika (reforms of the late 1980s) he was the president of the Inter-Regional Association of Siberian Entrepreneurs. In 1994-5 he organized two large-scale trade expeditions with a fleet of river steamers along the River Ob along the route Novosibirsk -- Salekhard -- Novosibirsk at his own expense. On this trip, an encounter with Anastasia in the Siberian taiga changed his entire life.
It had been a secret for a long time for relatives and friends what made him, an entrepreneur with ten years experience, to pledge his property and spend his savings on unprofitable trading trips. The mystery was revealed in his books with Anastasia as the main character. Vladimir Megre brought something really invaluable from the trips.
Throughout 1996-2006 nine books were written by Vladimir Megre (The Ringing Cedars of Russia Series: Anastasia, The Ringing Cedars of Russia, The Space of Love, Co-Creation, Who Are We?, Book of Kin, The Energy of Life, The New Civilization, Rites of Love).
In 2011 the author became Laureate of Gusi Peace Prize.
By now 11 millions copies of the books translated into 20 languages have been sold. In 1999 Megre established the Anastasia Foundation for Culture and Creative Support in the city of Vladimir and launched the site www.anastasia.ru. Readers' and press conferences take place in Russia and abroad.
The author holds readers' and press conferences in Russia and other countries.
The most active readers of Ringing Cedars of Russia book series unite into public organizations, one of the aims of which is the creation of Kin's domains. In 2010 another book "Anasta" was issued. The author plans to write a scenario on the basis of his books.
The author comments about himself and his books:
Good shall prevail on the earth!
- The parade of worldly rulers, no matter what grand temples they might have built, will be remembered only by the filth they have bequeathed to their descendants. Water will prove to be the criterion; the measure of all things. With each day that passes, the water seethes with more and more contamination.
The above words were pronounced by a character from my books: a recluse from the Siberian taiga, Anastasia.
My name is Vladimir Megre. I was born on the twenty-third of July, 1950, in a Ukrainian village. Then I studied, got married and worked in Siberia, but that isn't the main thing. The most important aspect of my life emerged after my meeting with Anastasia.
It was the beginning of perestroika in Russia, and I had just gone into business. I was a leader of the Entrepreneurs of Siberia Association. I used to sail with goods on a motor ship over the Siberian river Ob up toward the Arctic circle. I enjoyed wandering around the taiga by myself, while the ship was moored.
It was on an isolated bank of a taiga river that I one day met a recluse from the Siberian taiga. Her name was Anastasia, and she would soon transform my outlook on life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 258 reviews
September 15, 2011
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 it really happened! While this would have been okay for a juvenile fantasy book (minus the incessant references to nudity and sex) it was too unbelievable to be real. A male centered romance novel with a new age twist.
The third and biggest problem that I had with the books was when I started researching some of the statements made in the book. The bit about the horse that was bred to the zebra turned out to be telegony, which was debunked with the discovery of dominant and recessive alleles.
The explanation for Anastasia's blue cosmic ray was said to be a torsion field, discovered by two Russian scientists. What Megre never mentions was that the scientists were investigated by the Russian Academy of Sciences, roundly condemned and also investigated for embezzlement of funds from the Soviet government. A torsion field has never been produced or found naturally occurring. They don't exist and the only thing they're good for is to swindle money from foreign investors.
Spring water is probably better for a drink than tap water, but it does not have any magic abilities to restructure DNA, as claimed by Anastasia.
There is no such thing as a microcell in the human brain. The feces of cockroaches is highly dangerous and can make a human being very sick. Anastasia allegedly gave Megre the secret of what's inside those little boxes that are supposed to be put on the front bumper of everyone's car prior to 1994 and gave him a business plan too. Why have 10 books been written, but not a single magic box on anyone's bumper?
The last thing that got to me was the chauvanistic, yet hippocritical tone of the books. Anastasia chides women for having sex inside loving relationships, but goes to bed with a married man the same day she meets him? She calls women fornicators, for having sex for pleasure, yet she's an adulteress and seems to have no problem with this? Megre is also a serious jerk. He verbally abuses her, physically abuses her, tries to rape her and she feels that he's a wise choice? Is she really advocating that enlightened women sshould chose domestic batterers to father their children?
Anastasia herself has all the depth of a Disney character, leaping, bounding, singing and cavorting with animals. Why am I going to take advice from a person who reminds me more of Snow White than anything else?
I was expecting something useful. Something tangible that I could put into practice to live a better, more productive life. All I got was Megre's sexual fantasy about boning a hot Siberian chick and a bunch of pseudoscience that was disproven long before these books were written. Total rip off!
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 it really happened! While this would have been okay for a juvenile fantasy book (minus the incessant references to nudity and sex) it was too unbelievable to be real. A male centered romance novel with a new age twist.
The third and biggest problem that I had with the books was when I started researching some of the statements made in the book. The bit about the horse that was bred to the zebra turned out to be telegony, which was debunked with the discovery of dominant and recessive alleles.
The explanation for Anastasia's blue cosmic ray was said to be a torsion field, discovered by two Russian scientists. What Megre never mentions was that the scientists were investigated by the Russian Academy of Sciences, roundly condemned and also investigated for embezzlement of funds from the Soviet government. A torsion field has never been produced or found naturally occurring. They don't exist and the only thing they're good for is to swindle money from foreign investors.
Spring water is probably better for a drink than tap water, but it does not have any magic abilities to restructure DNA, as claimed by Anastasia.
There is no such thing as a microcell in the human brain. The feces of cockroaches is highly dangerous and can make a human being very sick. Anastasia allegedly gave Megre the secret of what's inside those little boxes that are supposed to be put on the front bumper of everyone's car prior to 1994 and gave him a business plan too. Why have 10 books been written, but not a single magic box on anyone's bumper?
The last thing that got to me was the chauvanistic, yet hippocritical tone of the books. Anastasia chides women for having sex inside loving relationships, but goes to bed with a married man the same day she meets him? She calls women fornicators, for having sex for pleasure, yet she's an adulteress and seems to have no problem with this? Megre is also a serious jerk. He verbally abuses her, physically abuses her, tries to rape her and she feels that he's a wise choice? Is she really advocating that enlightened women sshould chose domestic batterers to father their children?
Anastasia herself has all the depth of a Disney character, leaping, bounding, singing and cavorting with animals. Why am I going to take advice from a person who reminds me more of Snow White than anything else?
I was expecting something useful. Something tangible that I could put into practice to live a better, more productive life. All I got was Megre's sexual fantasy about boning a hot Siberian chick and a bunch of pseudoscience that was disproven long before these books were written. Total rip off!
July 1, 2019
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 word "technocracy" was used.
April 18, 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 going to starve themselves to keep their mind pure for God.) Reading it was almost violence to my sensibilities. I saw regressive and sexist stuff, a definite Christian (Russian Orthodox, apparently) bent, internal contradictions, external contradictions, ego, and manipulation and just wow. Not at all what I was expecting. Like for a book. That anyone would actually publish.
It might be progressive(ish) for an egotistical, bible-believing, condescending and somewhat off-his-rocker capitalist in Russia, but it's light-years behind what we know and are learning in science and spirituality and mysticism and the human condition and its relationship to the rest of nature. Except perhaps for the beehive thing. Letting nature do its thing is sound advice. But nature is our kin, not put here to serve "Man" because we are the epitome and purpose of all existence. *gag*
(Yeah, I take exception to the translator's preface, too. He is also dualistically religious, and thought "humans" wasn't a worthy word because it shares a root with "humble and humus" and that it speaks of the "material/earthly rather than the divine" as if there is a separation there.)
So many of my red flags were raised. This is very comparable, in origin and type of content, to texts written by ego-maniacal cult leaders.
Please tell me people don't really buy into a book where extraterrestrials (that are less intelligent than Man, of course) visit in flying saucers made of kombucha.
I recommend, instead, "A Reenchanted World: The Quest For A New Kinship With Nature" by James William Gibson, and "Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn. If you're interested in plant allies for health, see "Plant Spirit Medicine" by Eliot Cowan.
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 going to starve themselves to keep their mind pure for God.) Reading it was almost violence to my sensibilities. I saw regressive and sexist stuff, a definite Christian (Russian Orthodox, apparently) bent, internal contradictions, external contradictions, ego, and manipulation and just wow. Not at all what I was expecting. Like for a book. That anyone would actually publish.
It might be progressive(ish) for an egotistical, bible-believing, condescending and somewhat off-his-rocker capitalist in Russia, but it's light-years behind what we know and are learning in science and spirituality and mysticism and the human condition and its relationship to the rest of nature. Except perhaps for the beehive thing. Letting nature do its thing is sound advice. But nature is our kin, not put here to serve "Man" because we are the epitome and purpose of all existence. *gag*
(Yeah, I take exception to the translator's preface, too. He is also dualistically religious, and thought "humans" wasn't a worthy word because it shares a root with "humble and humus" and that it speaks of the "material/earthly rather than the divine" as if there is a separation there.)
So many of my red flags were raised. This is very comparable, in origin and type of content, to texts written by ego-maniacal cult leaders.
Please tell me people don't really buy into a book where extraterrestrials (that are less intelligent than Man, of course) visit in flying saucers made of kombucha.
I recommend, instead, "A Reenchanted World: The Quest For A New Kinship With Nature" by James William Gibson, and "Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn. If you're interested in plant allies for health, see "Plant Spirit Medicine" by Eliot Cowan.
April 4, 2012
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 some part of me was coming home to what I already instinctively knew but had forgotten.
From the time she was an infant and her parents were killed in the forest while trying to direct the healing power of the ringing cedar tree, Anastasia was alone in her Motherland. Her grandfather and great-grandfather live nearby but they allowed her to be raised by wild animals and the nature spirits of the Taiga in Russia. Thus, she remained pure in thought and possessed the ability to tap into Universal Intelligence. She sees with her “ray” and knows everything that is going on in the world without being contaminated by the greed, materialism, and competition of “civilized” society.
Vladimir Megré visited her because her grandfather and great-grandfather told him about the ringing cedar that can heal any disease. Anastasia was able to verbally communicate with him (actually she can speak any language) and urged him to write about his three-day experience with her. There he received enough unconventional wisdom (including how a UFO works) to fill more than eight books. I’m a gardener and I love the outdoors in warm weather. Now that I’ve read the first book I plan to purchase my own copy due to the valuable recommendations about gardening in such a manner that your own DNA is encoded into the seed or plant. Having this personal information, the seed then produces the exact components needed to nourish your body. I am going to try this as soon as the growing season returns.
I honestly believe that Anastasia imbued these books with an “energy” encoded in the pattern and rhythm of the words. I can feel her presence around me, guiding me toward being more loving and in tune with nature. These books can change the world—they are already doing so and I invite you to join the movement back to nature and purity of thought, word, and deed. My mind is ringing with the energy of higher consciousness and I'm more aware of every thought; that can be aggravating but at least I have the opportunity to modify what I'm thinking about and make it more positive and uplifting.
I highly recommend this entire series to anyone looking for a deeper meaning than just living day to day trying to survive.
From the time she was an infant and her parents were killed in the forest while trying to direct the healing power of the ringing cedar tree, Anastasia was alone in her Motherland. Her grandfather and great-grandfather live nearby but they allowed her to be raised by wild animals and the nature spirits of the Taiga in Russia. Thus, she remained pure in thought and possessed the ability to tap into Universal Intelligence. She sees with her “ray” and knows everything that is going on in the world without being contaminated by the greed, materialism, and competition of “civilized” society.
Vladimir Megré visited her because her grandfather and great-grandfather told him about the ringing cedar that can heal any disease. Anastasia was able to verbally communicate with him (actually she can speak any language) and urged him to write about his three-day experience with her. There he received enough unconventional wisdom (including how a UFO works) to fill more than eight books. I’m a gardener and I love the outdoors in warm weather. Now that I’ve read the first book I plan to purchase my own copy due to the valuable recommendations about gardening in such a manner that your own DNA is encoded into the seed or plant. Having this personal information, the seed then produces the exact components needed to nourish your body. I am going to try this as soon as the growing season returns.
I honestly believe that Anastasia imbued these books with an “energy” encoded in the pattern and rhythm of the words. I can feel her presence around me, guiding me toward being more loving and in tune with nature. These books can change the world—they are already doing so and I invite you to join the movement back to nature and purity of thought, word, and deed. My mind is ringing with the energy of higher consciousness and I'm more aware of every thought; that can be aggravating but at least I have the opportunity to modify what I'm thinking about and make it more positive and uplifting.
I highly recommend this entire series to anyone looking for a deeper meaning than just living day to day trying to survive.
March 19, 2017
Um. No.
I understand the importance of connecting with nature, loving yourself and others, taking comfort in mysteries, etc., but I will not take advice from a sociopathic masochist (to a jaw-dropping degree) who sexually assaults the very woman this book is named after. Only made it 27 pages in and the answer is No.
I understand the importance of connecting with nature, loving yourself and others, taking comfort in mysteries, etc., but I will not take advice from a sociopathic masochist (to a jaw-dropping degree) who sexually assaults the very woman this book is named after. Only made it 27 pages in and the answer is No.
April 28, 2012
Accckkgghhhh! Blearghhh! Splattth! Enough of this book. If you like it/love it/have had your life forever changed by it, more power to you, but I'm bailing out.
May 27, 2018
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 those millions of readers thrilled to bits and over the moon at this encounter with Anastasia.)
Firstly, I am not particularly enamoured of the translator. Now, I have a slight knowledge of Russian and the translation of one particular word in the book, a word used constantly, has bothered and irritated me throughout the reading of the book. This is the word "chelovek", which would normally be translated, for instance, by the phrase "human being". In the book the translator, John Woodsworth, has chosen after much deliberation to translate it throughout as "Man", and explained his reasons over several pages.
In several contexts this translation "Man" works okay and sounds natural, but in most contexts the translation sounds ridiculous and artificial. As, and this is just one example, when Anastasia stands in the middle of the taiga with arms outstretched (as I imagine her doing) and declaims "I am Man".
Secondly, I object to the liberal use of absolutely detailed footnotes at the bottom of most pages: These footnotes are filled with superfluous information not necessary to the understanding of the text, and could extremely advantageously have been if not omitted at least delegated to the back of the book, where zealous readers could have consulted them if and when they so desired. As I myself am an obsessive reader, and can't refrain from reading whatever lies in front of my gaze, I felt obliged to devour the totality of these boring footnotes, but could easily have ignored them otherwise. (I realize of course that it is I myself that have a problem.)
Okay, as regards the story-line.
Firstly, Anastasia leads Vladimir into the forest where she has her home. To his dismay he finds that she has no place of abode, not even a little hut, shack or tent, no running water except perhaps from a nearby stream, no bathroom or toilet, no kitchen where she could cook or store her food, nothing, I thought Siberia was supposed to be a cold area of the world. How does Anastasia survive the winters with no warm place of abode? Okay, don't tell me, I suppose she creeps into a hole (the one she had Vladimir sleep in) together with her pet bear for warmth, as it warmed Vladimir.
Secondly, A's parents both died when she was a baby, and she was supposedly nurtured by her animal friends, But how did they change her nappies (diapers) or otherwise take care of her needs in that direction? As regards nourishment, I suppose she suckled some female animal or other. And why was all this necessary, seeing as she had both a healthy and vigorous grandfather and great-grandfather? Why is there is no mention of any grandmother (and she should have had two of them) or great-grandmother?
Perhaps all this is explained in a later book, who knows, but I feel this information should have been provided in the present book.
Vladimir is en entrepreneur who transports and sells goods to those living in the north of Russia. We are introduced to the concept of "ringing cedars". These trees store energy emanating from "Man". After 500 years of their life they start to ring and this signals people to cut them down in order to avail themselves of this stored-up energy. These cedars are cut up into small pieces and used as miraculous healing objects to heal all diseases.
A main theme of the book is A's invisible ray, which she uses to tune into situations, people, whatever. She can see what is happening to any particular person or persons throughout the world.
My comment on this ability of A's is that we all have this ability, it is a matter of finding out how to use it. This is also what she informs V. It is just that A has practised using her ability to perfection and has never doubted that she had it, Perhaps her brilliant abilities in this regard have to do with learning how to use this "ray" from the very first from her grandfather and great-grandfather. She can create whatever she likes, as we others can, potentially, too. She is a sort of Silva Mind Master or Mistress.
A remembers everything, can imitate other people perfectly, etc etc. In fact she has unlimited powers.
Now, I don't know if A really exists, perhaps she does. It would be hard to invent somebody like her. But I am in no doubt of the fact that it is possible to possess such powers as she does.
A and V have sexual relations, which is a wonderful experience for V, and presumably also for A, who announces that she will have a son as the fruit of this union.
A believes that everyone should move to the country, or at least become a "dachnik", some-one who spends his or her days off tending a garden at their dacha (country cottage). This is apparently one of her main hobby-horses or fixations. And it all makes sense when A explains how by carrying out a simple ceremony involving the seeds you wish to sow in your garden you will be able to give the seed information about yourself, and later it "will pick up from the Universe and the Earth the maximum amount of energy needed for a given individual". The fruit cultivated from such seeds is capable of curing him/her of "all diseases of the flesh whatsoever"" and moreover of retarding the ageing process. It is necessary to treat only a few seeds in the manner indicated.
All this sounds wonderful, idyllic, a panacea for all our personal physical and mental ailments. I had never heard of this seed-programming process before, but have no reason to doubt it.
A informs V that if he writes a book about her, she will see to it that all the words are imbued with special powers that will make millions of people buy the book and all its readers will adore her, feel her love and wish to adopt her way of life. Apparently, she has been able to apply this process to all the various books of his in translation also, since her predictions have come true and people throughout the world have bought the books and begun to worship her.
I myself who do not have strong emotions, even I admit I actually felt a slight, pleasant feeling around the heart chakra, So she got to me too, albeit slightly!
Space does not permit me to mention far less expatiate on the many other significant features of the book.
So I would just conclude, read the book, if you feel called to it, it may or may not change your life. I may or may not be reading subsequent books in the series.
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 those millions of readers thrilled to bits and over the moon at this encounter with Anastasia.)
Firstly, I am not particularly enamoured of the translator. Now, I have a slight knowledge of Russian and the translation of one particular word in the book, a word used constantly, has bothered and irritated me throughout the reading of the book. This is the word "chelovek", which would normally be translated, for instance, by the phrase "human being". In the book the translator, John Woodsworth, has chosen after much deliberation to translate it throughout as "Man", and explained his reasons over several pages.
In several contexts this translation "Man" works okay and sounds natural, but in most contexts the translation sounds ridiculous and artificial. As, and this is just one example, when Anastasia stands in the middle of the taiga with arms outstretched (as I imagine her doing) and declaims "I am Man".
Secondly, I object to the liberal use of absolutely detailed footnotes at the bottom of most pages: These footnotes are filled with superfluous information not necessary to the understanding of the text, and could extremely advantageously have been if not omitted at least delegated to the back of the book, where zealous readers could have consulted them if and when they so desired. As I myself am an obsessive reader, and can't refrain from reading whatever lies in front of my gaze, I felt obliged to devour the totality of these boring footnotes, but could easily have ignored them otherwise. (I realize of course that it is I myself that have a problem.)
Okay, as regards the story-line.
Firstly, Anastasia leads Vladimir into the forest where she has her home. To his dismay he finds that she has no place of abode, not even a little hut, shack or tent, no running water except perhaps from a nearby stream, no bathroom or toilet, no kitchen where she could cook or store her food, nothing, I thought Siberia was supposed to be a cold area of the world. How does Anastasia survive the winters with no warm place of abode? Okay, don't tell me, I suppose she creeps into a hole (the one she had Vladimir sleep in) together with her pet bear for warmth, as it warmed Vladimir.
Secondly, A's parents both died when she was a baby, and she was supposedly nurtured by her animal friends, But how did they change her nappies (diapers) or otherwise take care of her needs in that direction? As regards nourishment, I suppose she suckled some female animal or other. And why was all this necessary, seeing as she had both a healthy and vigorous grandfather and great-grandfather? Why is there is no mention of any grandmother (and she should have had two of them) or great-grandmother?
Perhaps all this is explained in a later book, who knows, but I feel this information should have been provided in the present book.
Vladimir is en entrepreneur who transports and sells goods to those living in the north of Russia. We are introduced to the concept of "ringing cedars". These trees store energy emanating from "Man". After 500 years of their life they start to ring and this signals people to cut them down in order to avail themselves of this stored-up energy. These cedars are cut up into small pieces and used as miraculous healing objects to heal all diseases.
A main theme of the book is A's invisible ray, which she uses to tune into situations, people, whatever. She can see what is happening to any particular person or persons throughout the world.
My comment on this ability of A's is that we all have this ability, it is a matter of finding out how to use it. This is also what she informs V. It is just that A has practised using her ability to perfection and has never doubted that she had it, Perhaps her brilliant abilities in this regard have to do with learning how to use this "ray" from the very first from her grandfather and great-grandfather. She can create whatever she likes, as we others can, potentially, too. She is a sort of Silva Mind Master or Mistress.
A remembers everything, can imitate other people perfectly, etc etc. In fact she has unlimited powers.
Now, I don't know if A really exists, perhaps she does. It would be hard to invent somebody like her. But I am in no doubt of the fact that it is possible to possess such powers as she does.
A and V have sexual relations, which is a wonderful experience for V, and presumably also for A, who announces that she will have a son as the fruit of this union.
A believes that everyone should move to the country, or at least become a "dachnik", some-one who spends his or her days off tending a garden at their dacha (country cottage). This is apparently one of her main hobby-horses or fixations. And it all makes sense when A explains how by carrying out a simple ceremony involving the seeds you wish to sow in your garden you will be able to give the seed information about yourself, and later it "will pick up from the Universe and the Earth the maximum amount of energy needed for a given individual". The fruit cultivated from such seeds is capable of curing him/her of "all diseases of the flesh whatsoever"" and moreover of retarding the ageing process. It is necessary to treat only a few seeds in the manner indicated.
All this sounds wonderful, idyllic, a panacea for all our personal physical and mental ailments. I had never heard of this seed-programming process before, but have no reason to doubt it.
A informs V that if he writes a book about her, she will see to it that all the words are imbued with special powers that will make millions of people buy the book and all its readers will adore her, feel her love and wish to adopt her way of life. Apparently, she has been able to apply this process to all the various books of his in translation also, since her predictions have come true and people throughout the world have bought the books and begun to worship her.
I myself who do not have strong emotions, even I admit I actually felt a slight, pleasant feeling around the heart chakra, So she got to me too, albeit slightly!
Space does not permit me to mention far less expatiate on the many other significant features of the book.
So I would just conclude, read the book, if you feel called to it, it may or may not change your life. I may or may not be reading subsequent books in the series.
August 25, 2014
Astoundingly informative. Spiritually revitalizing. Must read for anyone who wants to "tune in" and attain an interactive symbiosis with the natural world in which humanity lives.
November 25, 2012
I wanted to like this book since I was reading it for my book club, but I couldn't stand the author's woman-hating attitude & behavior.
March 11, 2008
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 has not already been created by and/or already exists in nature." One must read this book with an open mind; even i at some moments found myself to be skeptical, but this is only natural having been brought up under the technocracy that is the perceived ruling class of today's world.
While at first, this book made me want to drop everything i was doing and go start a plot of vegetables and live on my own... i realized that this was not my dream in entirety. I feel Anastasia provides us with the knowledge that one can indeed change the world through intuition and dreaming. I see Anastasia as shaman of the world. Shamans can be bound to/ come out of a single tribe, but it appears that Anastasia is working to pull all the world together in peace and harmony. It is in this that i see her as a shaman of the entire world and not just one tribe. The story of her abilities has inspired me to have confidence in my ability to change the world by following my dreams. I foresee a world where all technology, society, nature, life, and non-life coexist in harmony; this is not a utopia, just a possibility that i see as feasible with enough dreaming and effort.
I recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
I can't wait to read the rest of the 7 books in the ever-growing series!
djd
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 has not already been created by and/or already exists in nature." One must read this book with an open mind; even i at some moments found myself to be skeptical, but this is only natural having been brought up under the technocracy that is the perceived ruling class of today's world.
While at first, this book made me want to drop everything i was doing and go start a plot of vegetables and live on my own... i realized that this was not my dream in entirety. I feel Anastasia provides us with the knowledge that one can indeed change the world through intuition and dreaming. I see Anastasia as shaman of the world. Shamans can be bound to/ come out of a single tribe, but it appears that Anastasia is working to pull all the world together in peace and harmony. It is in this that i see her as a shaman of the entire world and not just one tribe. The story of her abilities has inspired me to have confidence in my ability to change the world by following my dreams. I foresee a world where all technology, society, nature, life, and non-life coexist in harmony; this is not a utopia, just a possibility that i see as feasible with enough dreaming and effort.
I recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
I can't wait to read the rest of the 7 books in the ever-growing series!
djd
September 18, 2013
I recomend you not to read these books.
In short, for those who are wondering what this is about, the books are a mixture of 'go back to nature', really horid sci-fi, a jumble of religion (mostly Abrahamic) and some hard core political paranoia.
I read the series for a debate club and it was a drag; hence my raiting. I found the book entierly unbelievable, unfounded in facts, badly written, repetitive and boring. I was glad to have been able to point out all of it's failings to the people at the debate and get a positive feedback from the audience. At the end no one was impressed with the author's ideas of religion, science, lifestyle and least of all by his conspiracy theories.
In short, for those who are wondering what this is about, the books are a mixture of 'go back to nature', really horid sci-fi, a jumble of religion (mostly Abrahamic) and some hard core political paranoia.
I read the series for a debate club and it was a drag; hence my raiting. I found the book entierly unbelievable, unfounded in facts, badly written, repetitive and boring. I was glad to have been able to point out all of it's failings to the people at the debate and get a positive feedback from the audience. At the end no one was impressed with the author's ideas of religion, science, lifestyle and least of all by his conspiracy theories.
July 11, 2017
The author tried to write a dirty romance novel and accidentally started a cult. "I exist for those for whom I exist" Anastasia's motto is the perfect description for reactions to this book. Those who want to believe in a bear-loving, grass-eating, telepathic goddess will love it, and believe in her. Those who have no use for internally inconsistent new age psychobabble will hate this book. '50 Shades of Gray' is better written and more philosophically enlightening. My struggle is to decide which is the most comical absurdity.
1. The "life-giving" cedar that murders Anastasia's parents while they are trying to help it.
2. Anastasia's profession of love for family values while she spreads her legs for a married, abusive guy she just met whom she labels unfit to raise their child.
3. The fungus-powered flying saucer that can't possibly work.
1. The "life-giving" cedar that murders Anastasia's parents while they are trying to help it.
2. Anastasia's profession of love for family values while she spreads her legs for a married, abusive guy she just met whom she labels unfit to raise their child.
3. The fungus-powered flying saucer that can't possibly work.
June 7, 2012
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 the banks of the Ob river, deep in the Taiga. She invites him to her home --- actually the small glade where she lives. She walks barefoot, feeds on dried mushrooms and nuts brought to her by squirrels, owns nothing, lights no fires and displays astonishing insight and wisdom even though she owns no books. Still reading this review?
In ways, the book reminds me of some of the wilder stories of Gurdjieff, whom Megre admits to have read; stories from Meetings with Remarkable Men. Each chapter is more unbelievable than the previous one. Flying saucers? Nothing odd about them. They're partly organic with mushroom-like bodies and piloted by not very bright people. Then there’s advice on how to clean up Moscow’s pollution by placing a box on the hood of each car, to suck pollutants out of the air. A catalytic converter in reverse? The unabashed statement that the sun doesn't emit its own energy; only reflects energy from the Earth, is an old canard that always raises my hackles.
While ploughing through those absurdities, I had the impression that the author is playing with the reader, manipulating him/her after the fashion of Castaneda’s Don Juan. Or Gurdjieff. Why is Megre engaged in this game? I also wondered why Anastasia, a person of considerable wisdom and insight chose an unenlightened entrepeneur for the father of her child and transmitter of her ideas. It's mysterious until you realize how effective Megre has turned out as a communicator. Within only a few years there's a mass movement afoot that advocates clean living, contact with the Earth, sexual abstinence, the worship of God in nature. Whatever Megre is, he's not the buffoon he sometimes presents himself as.
Despite the book’s banalities, I have to admit that it gets under your skin. I’m very supportive of the “dacha” model, vegetable production on a small scale, one that Anastasia champions. As the Earth grows warmer, I believe that this model for food production will prove correct. When she speaks about the need to restore our relationship with the Earth, if Man is to survive, she’s hard to resist. She does offer words of hope that the good in us is stronger than our darkness, and will ultimately prevail. It's a message that, in these troubled times, many people need to hear. Doom-and-gloom visions tend to be self-fulfilling prophecies, which is why Anastasia denounces Nostradamus as a liar.
The next time I plant cucumbers I’ll try her method --- soak the seeds in your mouth for ten minutes, then hold them between your palms. There’s a ritual there that in this scientific era has been forgotten. Perhaps it will produce more vital vegetables. You'll also find detailed instructions on her preferred method of bee keeping, and what crops to grow on your homestead.
Many people have asked whether Anastasia is real, or whether she's a cunning invention of Megre. This may be the wrong question. More pertinent (assuming that the story is not wholly a work of fiction) is what is she? She certainly doesn't behave like, or appear to be a physical person. She acts more like a woodland spirit or nymph. I suspect that the author entered the forest and encountered there a spiritual power that challenged him. Transformed him. A mystical experience of that order cannot be easily described to the outer world; at least in rational terms. Philip K Dick relates a similar encounter with an otherworldly presence in his novel Valis. He described "the other" as a space station that fired information into his brain. For Megre, Anastasia became the perfect container for his experiences. In my opinion, that doesn't make Anastasia any less real or fictional. She's real, but may not be a physical person. Don't go wandering about the Taiga and expect to find her.
The "Ringing Cedars" series has sent many people off to work the land and develop a sustainable, saner life. Sadly many have also fallen to hucksters out to there exploit the rush to the country. Despite the book's many shortcomings the overarching message comes through powerfully. Technology will not solve our environmental problems. If as a race we are to survive the present crisis we'll have to restore our relationship with the Earth.
In ways, the book reminds me of some of the wilder stories of Gurdjieff, whom Megre admits to have read; stories from Meetings with Remarkable Men. Each chapter is more unbelievable than the previous one. Flying saucers? Nothing odd about them. They're partly organic with mushroom-like bodies and piloted by not very bright people. Then there’s advice on how to clean up Moscow’s pollution by placing a box on the hood of each car, to suck pollutants out of the air. A catalytic converter in reverse? The unabashed statement that the sun doesn't emit its own energy; only reflects energy from the Earth, is an old canard that always raises my hackles.
While ploughing through those absurdities, I had the impression that the author is playing with the reader, manipulating him/her after the fashion of Castaneda’s Don Juan. Or Gurdjieff. Why is Megre engaged in this game? I also wondered why Anastasia, a person of considerable wisdom and insight chose an unenlightened entrepeneur for the father of her child and transmitter of her ideas. It's mysterious until you realize how effective Megre has turned out as a communicator. Within only a few years there's a mass movement afoot that advocates clean living, contact with the Earth, sexual abstinence, the worship of God in nature. Whatever Megre is, he's not the buffoon he sometimes presents himself as.
Despite the book’s banalities, I have to admit that it gets under your skin. I’m very supportive of the “dacha” model, vegetable production on a small scale, one that Anastasia champions. As the Earth grows warmer, I believe that this model for food production will prove correct. When she speaks about the need to restore our relationship with the Earth, if Man is to survive, she’s hard to resist. She does offer words of hope that the good in us is stronger than our darkness, and will ultimately prevail. It's a message that, in these troubled times, many people need to hear. Doom-and-gloom visions tend to be self-fulfilling prophecies, which is why Anastasia denounces Nostradamus as a liar.
The next time I plant cucumbers I’ll try her method --- soak the seeds in your mouth for ten minutes, then hold them between your palms. There’s a ritual there that in this scientific era has been forgotten. Perhaps it will produce more vital vegetables. You'll also find detailed instructions on her preferred method of bee keeping, and what crops to grow on your homestead.
Many people have asked whether Anastasia is real, or whether she's a cunning invention of Megre. This may be the wrong question. More pertinent (assuming that the story is not wholly a work of fiction) is what is she? She certainly doesn't behave like, or appear to be a physical person. She acts more like a woodland spirit or nymph. I suspect that the author entered the forest and encountered there a spiritual power that challenged him. Transformed him. A mystical experience of that order cannot be easily described to the outer world; at least in rational terms. Philip K Dick relates a similar encounter with an otherworldly presence in his novel Valis. He described "the other" as a space station that fired information into his brain. For Megre, Anastasia became the perfect container for his experiences. In my opinion, that doesn't make Anastasia any less real or fictional. She's real, but may not be a physical person. Don't go wandering about the Taiga and expect to find her.
The "Ringing Cedars" series has sent many people off to work the land and develop a sustainable, saner life. Sadly many have also fallen to hucksters out to there exploit the rush to the country. Despite the book's many shortcomings the overarching message comes through powerfully. Technology will not solve our environmental problems. If as a race we are to survive the present crisis we'll have to restore our relationship with the Earth.
February 24, 2011
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 translated. However, John Woodworth has captured the spirit of a very esoteric writing for modern times. Remember Carlos Castaneda Tales of Don Juan or the Celestine Prophecy? These books are similarly surprising! Yet so much more, they point to Zechariah Sichin's earth chronicles of the Sumerians, or Vedic wisdom of a time we cannot recollect, yet have inherited by spirit. These are healing words for truly trying times.
The part that really hits home for me and fires up whole life anxiety in my chest is the idea of sustainable living and our family plot, that defines who we are in relationship one another and to Nature, truly a Space for Love.
In addition to all that, you can subscribe to a magazine that has developed from the Anastasia movement for a new way of life. Space of Love is where you can find out more about it:
Anastasia: New Heroine of the Russias by Kostya Kovalenko
http://www.akinli.org/~maat/archive/j...
The Other Vladimir (not the Putin)
http://www.spaceoflove.com/index_en.htm
Space of Love Magazine
http://www.spaceoflovemagazine.com/ar...
I highly recommend this to anyone who is searching for meaning to their existence.
.
The part that really hits home for me and fires up whole life anxiety in my chest is the idea of sustainable living and our family plot, that defines who we are in relationship one another and to Nature, truly a Space for Love.
In addition to all that, you can subscribe to a magazine that has developed from the Anastasia movement for a new way of life. Space of Love is where you can find out more about it:
Anastasia: New Heroine of the Russias by Kostya Kovalenko
http://www.akinli.org/~maat/archive/j...
The Other Vladimir (not the Putin)
http://www.spaceoflove.com/index_en.htm
Space of Love Magazine
http://www.spaceoflovemagazine.com/ar...
I highly recommend this to anyone who is searching for meaning to their existence.
.
March 27, 2017
This might be the worst book I've ever read...
August 17, 2021
Nice to read! I read it in rather turbulent times in bits and pieces, so quite a bit of the atmosphere was lost to me (might read it again because of it).
It has many parallels with Christina's books, however without many practicalities you could bring into your daily life. It brings along a lot of food for thought. Anastasia's world view is remarkable, with love, pure intentions and staying true to yourself at it's heart. Not confirming to any expectations, something almost everyone in current society could benefit from. The book once again made me aware that I'm on my path to discover where my true destiny and fulfillment in life lies. But also strengthened my belief in manifestation: things will eventually happen if you truly believe they will.
It has many parallels with Christina's books, however without many practicalities you could bring into your daily life. It brings along a lot of food for thought. Anastasia's world view is remarkable, with love, pure intentions and staying true to yourself at it's heart. Not confirming to any expectations, something almost everyone in current society could benefit from. The book once again made me aware that I'm on my path to discover where my true destiny and fulfillment in life lies. But also strengthened my belief in manifestation: things will eventually happen if you truly believe they will.
July 23, 2020
This is a strange book about a homeless naked Russian lady that talks to weeds and flowers and has magic powers. And it’s non-fiction. Say what?
But I kind of liked it.
But I kind of liked it.
January 11, 2011
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 fictional novel and don't take it as actual fact, you won't help but appreciate the positive message it presents!
February 7, 2011
I enjoyed this work but it seems more like a tale from the an Aboriginal dreamtime than anything which seriously deals with our current level of consciousness. The hints at ancient Vedic culture in Russia were intriguing, however.
July 30, 2022
"Anastasia" is a book, telling the story of a woman that has been raised by the nature in the Siberian taiga. The author Vladimir Megre claims to have visited this woman and learned a lot about everything - including enslaving squirrels to gather some cedar cones and withdrawing knowledge of times past by swimming in a lake prior to one's birthday.
This book is absolute nonsense, especially seen from the angle that the author makes great business by selling goodies that are reviewed as "good" in this book. Even more, I am annoyed how this author managed to write a whole series of books on these fictional topics and these are actually quite popular with the kind of people that are into conspiracy theories and/or believe everything that they read. This kind of folk is vulnerable, and I am disturbed by how easily this book can hook them.
I do not recommend reading, for it's not even entertaining, but delusional.
This book is absolute nonsense, especially seen from the angle that the author makes great business by selling goodies that are reviewed as "good" in this book. Even more, I am annoyed how this author managed to write a whole series of books on these fictional topics and these are actually quite popular with the kind of people that are into conspiracy theories and/or believe everything that they read. This kind of folk is vulnerable, and I am disturbed by how easily this book can hook them.
I do not recommend reading, for it's not even entertaining, but delusional.
February 26, 2021
Nope. I read this because someone I love and whose opinion I value recommended it to me, but I loathed this book. The misogyny was deeply disturbing, the physical abuse and assault was disgusting, the anthropocentrism was stale and unoriginal, and I often felt like I was reading Russian propaganda. I refuse to give this the tag of "non-fiction" because this read too much like an immature man's fantasy novel that he thought would make a good marketing booklet for his cedar oil products. Hard pass for me on the rest of the series.
January 18, 2016
Voihan psykoosi mitä paskaa.
April 1, 2017
Ohh, basically the funny beginning , reflecting (imo) traditional Russian muzhik ( a Russian man), and striving from that - his attitude towards woman. There's a Russian proverb which goes like - if you beat someone, then you love someone. So Megre show this dream about strong, ever-loving, forgiving and caring -perfect body-blond hair-sexy-younger-nice breast- ( and virgin! :D) Russian women. ANd in some ways that's sad - because the esoteric ideas in the book is quite ok.
In general, some parts , starting from the "seed-healer", and following descriptions about plant-human energetic relationship, and also parts about how to rise a child and how to teach them, was pretty cool and wise! At least it was an unexpected turn into the regular esoteric ( like - yoga, meditation, etc...). I like the idea about looking to the child as an equal to you, and also talking that way with him. Giving him his own corner into the garden, where he can do and try whatever he wants. And about touching the plants and talking to them, to know your problems and needs directly and personally.
I read the first book in about 3 hours and it was kind of ok, because it didn't took so much time from my life, but definitely got me some new ideas. And a good portion of laugh for all those parts what was just too funny and cheesy to take them seriously! :)
Now i wonder, can i also grow small UFO from my combucha?? Cause i love it so much and didn't know you can do something like that!! :D
In general, some parts , starting from the "seed-healer", and following descriptions about plant-human energetic relationship, and also parts about how to rise a child and how to teach them, was pretty cool and wise! At least it was an unexpected turn into the regular esoteric ( like - yoga, meditation, etc...). I like the idea about looking to the child as an equal to you, and also talking that way with him. Giving him his own corner into the garden, where he can do and try whatever he wants. And about touching the plants and talking to them, to know your problems and needs directly and personally.
I read the first book in about 3 hours and it was kind of ok, because it didn't took so much time from my life, but definitely got me some new ideas. And a good portion of laugh for all those parts what was just too funny and cheesy to take them seriously! :)
Now i wonder, can i also grow small UFO from my combucha?? Cause i love it so much and didn't know you can do something like that!! :D
February 24, 2016
I'm an English major. I'm used to reading a book I'm not interested in a week per class. This book took me months to get through. I kept reading something else instead. I liked Anastasia. I got extremely annoyed with Vladimir. Instead of listening to this amazing woman we have to read while he shouts at her, shakes her, gets frustrated with her, hurts her, and calls her names. That's not the way I would have spent the gift of her time. I have no interest in reading the rest of the books unless they come with Anastasia only versions that include her wisdom without the interruptions of Vladimir's whining. Perhaps I'll be lucky enough to have her ray of light shine on my life.
February 2, 2018
I've read the whole series several times. Unfortunately it took me a long time to understand it's not the holy truth - it's just a fantasy of an old man and probably a good bussiness.
I beg you, don't read it. Start to think for yourself. Embrace science and rational thinking if you don't want to spend your life believing in lies.
Don't get me wrong - I love nature, I want to protect the environment and I wanted to be self-sustainable even before I read this, but this is not the way. It will only slow you down and burry you in it's dangerous ideology.
I beg you, don't read it. Start to think for yourself. Embrace science and rational thinking if you don't want to spend your life believing in lies.
Don't get me wrong - I love nature, I want to protect the environment and I wanted to be self-sustainable even before I read this, but this is not the way. It will only slow you down and burry you in it's dangerous ideology.
May 2, 2015
I have had days where It i've been challanged by the dark forces I suppose in that they try to convince me she is not real... If they are successful they have in effect, erased the new information that Anastasia has imparted. I love the new information i've been learning since beginning reading these, i've made concrete changes in my life I also see the way ahead to make more & lasting for eternity changes... No other book can do this & all others are a distraction from the most important thing which can be taught nowhere else to date as pure as her teachings...
May 14, 2012
If I could give this 0 stars, I would. Read it for bookclub, and never would have picked it up otherwise. Very strange. And very delusional if you ask me.
Shelved as 'never-ever'
April 11, 2016My dad's friend used his copy for target practice, so I'm going to go ahead and assume it isn't worth reading.
March 26, 2023
I believe that this book, while not being as extreme as the later books in the series, is dangerous. This book is not necessarily for its content but for the door it opens and the rabbit holes that come with it.
Summary
To summarize the book shortly before I dig more into the harmful contents. Vladimir Megre (a self-insert of the author) travels with a ship in the Russian Taiga, when he meets two men, who claim to be over a hundred years old thanks to a "ringing cedar tree" amulet. They ask Megre to come and collect the trees, as they would be wasted, and they want to share them with everyone. Megre then researches the claims of these men and deems them to be scientifically proven (more on this later). He returns and meets Anastasia, a woman that lives alone out in the Taiga, and is provided for by nature (literally, as squirrels bring her nuts to eat and co). She greets Megre and decides to bring him to her abode to learn more about the cedars. During their trip, Megre tries to assault Anastasia, after she stripped herself of most of her clothes to bathe in the sun, she tells him to stop, and then he faints because of "harmonies". They then spent three days together in her abode, where they talk and discuss various topics, have sex and allegedly Anastasia gets pregnant with his son. These topics are Anastasia's opinions, and Megre usually plays the critic, but only on the weirdest parts of her telling. Her opinions form the beliefs the people in the movement around this book series follow. This starts with the dachniks, a hectare of land on which people are to live and live off from (this idea links back to a 90s Russian phenomenon of city folks having lands where they would escape the city). Continues to how women are to behave, what the best and purest sex is, beekeeping, child care, how flying saucer are grown, how environmental pollution can be solved, how Anastasia has a ray she can see through time and space with and finally people radiating light, when they are in love. There isn't much happening, and just a lot of talking, which gets even worse in the later books. The only thing Anastasia wants from Megre is that he writes this book, and well, he did. He leaves Anastasia, and that is the end of the book.
Now, to problematic bits and why they are so problematic.
Fiction?
Megre claims that Anastasia is real, hence why this book is marked non-fiction. He achieves this by slowly moving away from reality from this book and reporting on his own life. The way he describes himself in the first part of the chapter can be proven, many of the people are real, and he was an entrepreneur. Following that, we slowly descend into fiction, but Megre tries to "prove" claims, and nowadays, claims Anastasia is real (despite saying the opposite in an intellectual property lawsuit in 1999). His self-insert and the truths make it harder to go against it, not being real, but I'd like to point out many things that don't make sense. Anastasia has never been photographed/seen by others, despite that being the simplest way to prove his claims. While you can find pictures of Megre's wife and daughters, there is no picture of the son he allegedly had with Anastasia. The ringing Cedars are yet to become a wider spread healing medicine. Anastasia's box, which was to stop pollution, never came to exist despite Megre being such a great entrepreneur and Anastasia's idea being genius. These are just things that you would expect after the first book, I don't know all the fantastic ideas in the others that have yet to change the world.
Even AIDS?
One of the most worrisome bits in the first book is the promise of ringing cedars being able to heal ALL illnesses, even AIDS. People can age beyond a hundred years, live off from close to nothing, and have healing beans, but the thing that invites the most vulnerable is the promise of healing. This is something I always had to remind myself of, many of the followers and avid readers probably started with problems, and Megre swooped in and promised salvation. This leads directly to the next problem, the sourcing. Megre spends multiple pages trying to support his claims. To do so, he uses a "medical study" from 18-something from a German scientist, an anecdote of a successful boxer using cedars, and a lot of bible. In general, the majority of beliefs in this book link back to the bible, which is mentioned throughout the entire book. It is used as a reliable source for medical claims, which is highly problematic and does not support Megre's claims, as it seems the tree was simply just mentioned a few times in the bible. He (and also the translator) try to convince the reader by giving names and verses, but it remains on a pseudoscientific and esoteric standard.
Men writing women
As mentioned above, Megre writes about him trying to sexually assault Anastasia. Thank god he is the male author of this book and can blame Anastasia's mere existence as the reason for it and have her agree with him. Women are to blame for the missteps of men, as we seduce them by wearing clothes and moving. This idea persists throughout the book, while the fact that Megre has a wife at home when he sleeps and impregnates Anastasia with a SON (He wanted one, which also links back to the concept of daughters/women being inferior) is ignored and not morally questioned. Men are painted as unable to control themselves, and women have to change so that men can change too (in other words, all the blame is put on women). Here also comes another contradiction, Anastasia is naked for most of the book, while in the proximity of Megre, a man, but still says advises another woman to dress like this: "Her dress should come to just below the knee. It should be green with a white collar and no cleavage. She should wear hardly any make-up and listen with interest to the person talking to her." (P.107) Further, the book focused on sex as an act of procreation that should only happen between two people in love and with the intent to have a child. This sex is allegedly the purest and can only be achieved with one (or a few) people in one's lifetime ( I don't want to know what his wife had to say about that). This links back to ideas of biblical purity culture and is very compatible with the misogyny in this book. In a later book, this will also become more drastic as Medre will talk about Telegony, a belief that also the Nazis shared, which is a disproven theory in genetics where the first sexual partner allegedly influences the female permanently and all the following pregnancies are then influenced by the first partner. It is easy to see why theories like this one were used with "race purity" and here also with Megre.
Conspiracies
The first book only makes slight remarks to a big, influential group that hinders the selling of the ringing cedars, but it remains rather vague. In later books, this whole anti-Semitic understanding becomes more extreme. Anastasia tells the story of the "Dämon Craty" (don't know the English name) who created the democracy and the technocracy which is bad and closely linked with the Jewish people who still are supposed to teach the theory and rules to children. Even if the first book isn't outwardly antisemitic the following are. But it also doesn't refrain from other crude theories that are more reminiscent of sci-fi as Megre claims that Aliens have flying saucers which are organically grown, something that modern humans can't do because we are no longer closely connected to nature. Most of the theories fall into esoteric beliefs, but more so in the “brown esoteric”, which is a part of the esoteric movement that has underlying far-beliefs and connections.
The Implementation
Now to the most problematic thing about his book. If it had remained a mediocre gardening guide with esoteric beliefs and connections to antisemitism, I wouldn’t care for it. But the ideas are brought to life. People are founding dachniks and follow quite religiously whatever this book has to say. While the first of these followers existed in Russia, they have spread, and there are also multiple these settlements in Germany. They are for the future, so they indoctrinate their kids and even go as far as founding their illegal schools, as to protect their kids from other beliefs. These books have created a cult-like following, which can also be seen in the fact that the majority of critical analysis of the moment stems from theology and religious-based institutions and extremism researchers. But due to the beliefs perpetrated in this book, closeness to other similar movements from the far-right is known, and people fall down the esoteric pipeline. They try to find healing and improvement but find themselves in a movement that claims to be apolitical while making political statements. It is no accident that many of the beliefs are similar to the German far-settler movements and the Reichsbüger movement. Another danger here is that (as you can also see in these reviews) these books are spread by word of mouth. Friends, yoga teachers, group leaders, and co recommend them, lending a credence of credibility that these books do not deserve. When everyone around them loves them and they are in a vulnerable position searching for a social group and belonging, these books become a commonality that you can hold onto. This also goes for the promise of healing all ailments, which becomes even more dangerous in a modern world with high rates of mental illness.
The Verdict
I read this book for a term paper on this movement and while I believe that this book itself is not an invitation to violent acts, it makes way and gives access to ideas and theories that lead to radicalisation. It is a door opener towards far-right beliefs and movements, which then leads to problems. These books have been incredibly popular because they don’t ring the alarm bells for a person that already leans into esoteric beliefs and doesn’t read them critically. I have read multiple comments and reviews that say they will at least try the gardening trick of putting seeds into your mouth to imprint your own “information”, which shows their openness to esoteric beliefs and non-scientific claims, something that can end not just with putting some seeds into your mouth but buying a hectare of land, going to meetings with gurus that tell antisemitic conspiracy theories, sending kids to an illegal school and finally making contact to more extreme far-right ecofascist movements, that will gladly open their arms. Some of these things have happened, and with other recent developments in similar movements, the harm these books can lead to should not be underestimated. Also, if you are in doubt, let me say it again, Anastasia doesn’t exist, and this book should be marked as fiction to prevent further harm. If you are getting into this, please reconsider. Gardening is great, but it shouldn't have to be antisemitic and misogynistic.
Summary
To summarize the book shortly before I dig more into the harmful contents. Vladimir Megre (a self-insert of the author) travels with a ship in the Russian Taiga, when he meets two men, who claim to be over a hundred years old thanks to a "ringing cedar tree" amulet. They ask Megre to come and collect the trees, as they would be wasted, and they want to share them with everyone. Megre then researches the claims of these men and deems them to be scientifically proven (more on this later). He returns and meets Anastasia, a woman that lives alone out in the Taiga, and is provided for by nature (literally, as squirrels bring her nuts to eat and co). She greets Megre and decides to bring him to her abode to learn more about the cedars. During their trip, Megre tries to assault Anastasia, after she stripped herself of most of her clothes to bathe in the sun, she tells him to stop, and then he faints because of "harmonies". They then spent three days together in her abode, where they talk and discuss various topics, have sex and allegedly Anastasia gets pregnant with his son. These topics are Anastasia's opinions, and Megre usually plays the critic, but only on the weirdest parts of her telling. Her opinions form the beliefs the people in the movement around this book series follow. This starts with the dachniks, a hectare of land on which people are to live and live off from (this idea links back to a 90s Russian phenomenon of city folks having lands where they would escape the city). Continues to how women are to behave, what the best and purest sex is, beekeeping, child care, how flying saucer are grown, how environmental pollution can be solved, how Anastasia has a ray she can see through time and space with and finally people radiating light, when they are in love. There isn't much happening, and just a lot of talking, which gets even worse in the later books. The only thing Anastasia wants from Megre is that he writes this book, and well, he did. He leaves Anastasia, and that is the end of the book.
Now, to problematic bits and why they are so problematic.
Fiction?
Megre claims that Anastasia is real, hence why this book is marked non-fiction. He achieves this by slowly moving away from reality from this book and reporting on his own life. The way he describes himself in the first part of the chapter can be proven, many of the people are real, and he was an entrepreneur. Following that, we slowly descend into fiction, but Megre tries to "prove" claims, and nowadays, claims Anastasia is real (despite saying the opposite in an intellectual property lawsuit in 1999). His self-insert and the truths make it harder to go against it, not being real, but I'd like to point out many things that don't make sense. Anastasia has never been photographed/seen by others, despite that being the simplest way to prove his claims. While you can find pictures of Megre's wife and daughters, there is no picture of the son he allegedly had with Anastasia. The ringing Cedars are yet to become a wider spread healing medicine. Anastasia's box, which was to stop pollution, never came to exist despite Megre being such a great entrepreneur and Anastasia's idea being genius. These are just things that you would expect after the first book, I don't know all the fantastic ideas in the others that have yet to change the world.
Even AIDS?
One of the most worrisome bits in the first book is the promise of ringing cedars being able to heal ALL illnesses, even AIDS. People can age beyond a hundred years, live off from close to nothing, and have healing beans, but the thing that invites the most vulnerable is the promise of healing. This is something I always had to remind myself of, many of the followers and avid readers probably started with problems, and Megre swooped in and promised salvation. This leads directly to the next problem, the sourcing. Megre spends multiple pages trying to support his claims. To do so, he uses a "medical study" from 18-something from a German scientist, an anecdote of a successful boxer using cedars, and a lot of bible. In general, the majority of beliefs in this book link back to the bible, which is mentioned throughout the entire book. It is used as a reliable source for medical claims, which is highly problematic and does not support Megre's claims, as it seems the tree was simply just mentioned a few times in the bible. He (and also the translator) try to convince the reader by giving names and verses, but it remains on a pseudoscientific and esoteric standard.
Men writing women
As mentioned above, Megre writes about him trying to sexually assault Anastasia. Thank god he is the male author of this book and can blame Anastasia's mere existence as the reason for it and have her agree with him. Women are to blame for the missteps of men, as we seduce them by wearing clothes and moving. This idea persists throughout the book, while the fact that Megre has a wife at home when he sleeps and impregnates Anastasia with a SON (He wanted one, which also links back to the concept of daughters/women being inferior) is ignored and not morally questioned. Men are painted as unable to control themselves, and women have to change so that men can change too (in other words, all the blame is put on women). Here also comes another contradiction, Anastasia is naked for most of the book, while in the proximity of Megre, a man, but still says advises another woman to dress like this: "Her dress should come to just below the knee. It should be green with a white collar and no cleavage. She should wear hardly any make-up and listen with interest to the person talking to her." (P.107) Further, the book focused on sex as an act of procreation that should only happen between two people in love and with the intent to have a child. This sex is allegedly the purest and can only be achieved with one (or a few) people in one's lifetime ( I don't want to know what his wife had to say about that). This links back to ideas of biblical purity culture and is very compatible with the misogyny in this book. In a later book, this will also become more drastic as Medre will talk about Telegony, a belief that also the Nazis shared, which is a disproven theory in genetics where the first sexual partner allegedly influences the female permanently and all the following pregnancies are then influenced by the first partner. It is easy to see why theories like this one were used with "race purity" and here also with Megre.
Conspiracies
The first book only makes slight remarks to a big, influential group that hinders the selling of the ringing cedars, but it remains rather vague. In later books, this whole anti-Semitic understanding becomes more extreme. Anastasia tells the story of the "Dämon Craty" (don't know the English name) who created the democracy and the technocracy which is bad and closely linked with the Jewish people who still are supposed to teach the theory and rules to children. Even if the first book isn't outwardly antisemitic the following are. But it also doesn't refrain from other crude theories that are more reminiscent of sci-fi as Megre claims that Aliens have flying saucers which are organically grown, something that modern humans can't do because we are no longer closely connected to nature. Most of the theories fall into esoteric beliefs, but more so in the “brown esoteric”, which is a part of the esoteric movement that has underlying far-beliefs and connections.
The Implementation
Now to the most problematic thing about his book. If it had remained a mediocre gardening guide with esoteric beliefs and connections to antisemitism, I wouldn’t care for it. But the ideas are brought to life. People are founding dachniks and follow quite religiously whatever this book has to say. While the first of these followers existed in Russia, they have spread, and there are also multiple these settlements in Germany. They are for the future, so they indoctrinate their kids and even go as far as founding their illegal schools, as to protect their kids from other beliefs. These books have created a cult-like following, which can also be seen in the fact that the majority of critical analysis of the moment stems from theology and religious-based institutions and extremism researchers. But due to the beliefs perpetrated in this book, closeness to other similar movements from the far-right is known, and people fall down the esoteric pipeline. They try to find healing and improvement but find themselves in a movement that claims to be apolitical while making political statements. It is no accident that many of the beliefs are similar to the German far-settler movements and the Reichsbüger movement. Another danger here is that (as you can also see in these reviews) these books are spread by word of mouth. Friends, yoga teachers, group leaders, and co recommend them, lending a credence of credibility that these books do not deserve. When everyone around them loves them and they are in a vulnerable position searching for a social group and belonging, these books become a commonality that you can hold onto. This also goes for the promise of healing all ailments, which becomes even more dangerous in a modern world with high rates of mental illness.
The Verdict
I read this book for a term paper on this movement and while I believe that this book itself is not an invitation to violent acts, it makes way and gives access to ideas and theories that lead to radicalisation. It is a door opener towards far-right beliefs and movements, which then leads to problems. These books have been incredibly popular because they don’t ring the alarm bells for a person that already leans into esoteric beliefs and doesn’t read them critically. I have read multiple comments and reviews that say they will at least try the gardening trick of putting seeds into your mouth to imprint your own “information”, which shows their openness to esoteric beliefs and non-scientific claims, something that can end not just with putting some seeds into your mouth but buying a hectare of land, going to meetings with gurus that tell antisemitic conspiracy theories, sending kids to an illegal school and finally making contact to more extreme far-right ecofascist movements, that will gladly open their arms. Some of these things have happened, and with other recent developments in similar movements, the harm these books can lead to should not be underestimated. Also, if you are in doubt, let me say it again, Anastasia doesn’t exist, and this book should be marked as fiction to prevent further harm. If you are getting into this, please reconsider. Gardening is great, but it shouldn't have to be antisemitic and misogynistic.
February 15, 2023
This was an absolutely terrible "book" (it would serve a better purpose as a coaster, or used as kindling for a fire), full of ridiculous, harmful ideas spewed forth from an egotistical, misogynistic, ignorant scam artist who is very likely clinically insane, and most definitely some sort of ultra-religious, right wing cult leader. Oh, and don't forget that he seriously hates women and consistently treats them like shit. Do not read it. Seriously don't do it.
I'm not even going to donate this book now that I'm finished. I am going to destroy it so there is one less copy available for the potential brainwashing of a sad, directionless soul who thinks that even the tiniest bit of the garbage contained within this cesspool of a novel is the cause for some sort of idiotic "spiritual enlightening". I only wish I could get back the time that I spent dredging my way through this pile of complete and utter bs.
I'm not even going to donate this book now that I'm finished. I am going to destroy it so there is one less copy available for the potential brainwashing of a sad, directionless soul who thinks that even the tiniest bit of the garbage contained within this cesspool of a novel is the cause for some sort of idiotic "spiritual enlightening". I only wish I could get back the time that I spent dredging my way through this pile of complete and utter bs.
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