* Book Review: Anastasia and The Ringing Cedars Series

* BEST BOOKS OF ALL TIME.
Pronounced Ana-sta-SI-ya, author Vladimir Megre and Anastasia take their readers on a life-changing, personal journey into truths of Nature, sexuality, spirituality, child-rearing, education, planting a personal healing garden, the power of each human being, and more. *

THE HOT POTATO
Serving Up a Weekly Helping of
Sustainable & Organic Gardening, Food, Health, and Community

by Adam Brockman & Aireen Joven, February 2007, #5

THIS WEEK’S DISH:

Book Review: Anastasia and The Ringing Cedars Series

“The meaning of life – that is to be found in truth, joy, and love.”
- Anastasia

THE FIRST TIME we encountered a copy of Anastasia (pronounced Ana-sta-SI-ya), we were riding in a car with our friend on the way back to the organic farm from a Native American healing ceremony and conference in Wausau, Wisconsin. Lori had a stack of books in her back seat, and Anastasia happened to be one of them. As we rolled down Route 45 toward Milwaukee, she began to relate to us some of the impact that this book was having on her own life, including her intentions to follow Anastasia’s instructions on how to plant a personal healing garden. I turned it over in my hands and looked at the front cover.

At first, the detailed, beautiful drawing evoked something of a biased response in me (that’s Adam, not Aireen): it looked like the cover of a fantasy novel. But as I continued looking at it, bias was soon replaced with intrigue. There was an attractiveness and power within that drawing that seemed to capture something beyond fantasy, something much more tangible. I read the description on the back of the book and, listening to Lori talk about it more, decided that I had to obtain a copy and read it myself. A few weeks later, we ordered online the first four books, the only ones translated from Russian to English at the time, sensing that we were about to engage in an important journey but not fully realizing the impact that these incredible books would have on our lives and our way of looking at both ourselves and the world.

AN AMAZING TRUE STORY ADVENTURE

Anastasia, Book 1 in The Ringing Cedars Series, tells the story of Vladimir Megre, the author and Russian entrepreneur who first learns about the healing power of the sacred ringing cedar trees while on a trade trip in the Siberian taiga (deep forest). After reading up on scientific research confirming the medicinal properties of cedar nut oil and the references to cedar wood in the Bible, Megre returns to the village where he first learned of the ringing cedars to retrieve some of the wood (to make cedar pendants) and learn the details of how to extract cedar nut oil. Instead, he meets Anastasia, an unusual and beautiful young woman whose family has lived in the taiga for thousands of years.

He follows Anastasia deep into the forest, to the glade that she calls home, expecting to find a house with the expected creature comforts of consumerist cultures (or as Anastasia would say, of the technocratic society), but soon realizes that Anastasia has no house, owns no possessions except for her few articles of clothing, and finds nourishment almost solely on the wild berries, nuts, mushrooms, and edible plants of the forest for her food. Vladimir, unable to fathom this way of life, immediately asks her, “Anastasia, are you some kind of beast?” She replies, “Why a beast? Because my bed is not like yours? There are no cars? No appliances?”

What Vladimir and the reader soon come to realize is that not only is Anastasia perfectly happy and healthy living what many would consider a “primitive” and even “backwards” lifestyle, her physical, mental and spiritual abilities are far more advanced than even the most “learned” and “educated” of our modern world. She is able to communicate with plants and animals just as easily as human beings, and she demonstrates this to Vladimir throughout the book. She can observe situations and people at a great distance and even help them heal or influence their moods and destinies using the power of what she calls her “Ray”, a power which she also demonstrates to Vladimir in detail throughout the book. Yet she asserts and demonstrates that her way of life is in harmony with the natural order of her surroundings, and that all human beings inherently possess these seemingly miraculous capabilities. Most of us have just not learned how to develop them. Even science, Vladimir points out, has discovered the existence of this Ray, and numerous books and articles have come out with evidence demonstrating that plants, animals, and Nature’s elements readily respond to, and communicate with, human beings – most recently documented in Dr. Masaru Emoto’s stunning picture book The Hidden Messages in Water. The Ringing Cedars editor and English translator also do an impressive job of including informative footnotes and citations throughout all the books.

THE WISEST CREATURE IN THE UNIVERSE

Over the course of three days, Anastasia shares with Vladimir her outlook on a wide variety of subjects. Much of what she says challenges Vladimir’s assumptions and beliefs in the superiority of traditional education and technology, the role of women in society, sexuality, child-rearing, religion, and Nature. She demonstrates that children are not empty vessels needing to be filled with the values and so-called knowledge of parents, teachers, and authority figures, but that all true knowledge and wisdom are inherent in every child from birth; a child’s natural abilities should be allowed to flourish by bringing them up in natural surroundings.

Anastasia says, “The abilities inherent in each newborn child are such as to allow him to become the wisest creature in the Universe, God-like.” Over the course of no more than nine years, she says, “the child becomes aware of what constitutes creation and the meaning of human existence. And everything he needs to accomplish this already exists. Only the parents should not distort the genuine, natural structure of creation by cutting the child off from the most perfect works of the Universe.” Her overall message is clear: give the child the love and respect she or he deserves, trust in their inherent abilities, and do not try to substitute the stimulating and nurturing wonders of Nature with artificial toys, surroundings, and rewards that confuse and distract the child from learning the meaning of life and one’s highest purpose.

Another major subject of interest for Anastasia is gardening. She gives very simple instructions on how to plant your own personal healing garden, imbuing the seeds and the soil with information about yourself and any diseases you may be susceptible to so the fruits of these plants “will take care of you and cure you” if you make a genuine connection with the plants. She also introduces the importance of the dachniks – gardeners growing food by hand on small plots of land throughout Russia. These dachniks, along with small farmers growing without heavy machinery, hired labor, or government subsidies, currently produce 81% of Russia’s fruits and berries, 80% of Russia’s vegetables, and 90% of Russia’s potatoes. With the help of her Ray, Anastasia spends much of her time providing assistance to the dachniks, whom she says will be the ones to spread the awareness of our technocratic destruction and present an alternative model of health and sustainability for humanity.

POETIC INSPIRATION FOR ALL WALKS OF LIFE

Although not a professional writer, Megre, in his first book ever, does an effective job conveying the poetry and power of Anastasia’s illuminating words while providing research to show the reader that her abilities have a basis in science. Adherents to all religions will find Anastasia’s outlooks clarifying to their teachings. Leaders of various religions throughout Russia have openly endorsed The Ringing Cedars Series. The books continue to improve as the series progresses, and Megre becomes not only more practiced as a writer, but more aware of the significance of Anastasia on his own life and the course of human destiny. Despite the fact that Anastasia is self-published and has relied predominantly on word-of-mouth with little advertising, it and the rest of the best-selling Ringing Cedars books have sold millions in Russia, have been translated into 20 languages thus far, and are slowly spreading across Europe and the world.

There is something for everybody in these books: adventure, romance, gardening, spirituality, health, history, philosophy, poetry, and more. Most importantly, there is truth and inspiration to be found, and it is this that stays with the reader long after the book has been put down. Anastasia’s words have inspired a wave of poetry, music, and art from people of all walks of life, and have been credited with helping Russia’s growing ecovillage movement. She is a visionary who, if we choose to take her abilities and ideas seriously, can help us all understand and reach our potential as individuals and collectively as humanity, thereby assisting in the healing of our planet. If read by enough people worldwide, Anastasia and the Ringing Cedars books have the potential to influence the start of a spiritual renaissance the likes of which the world has never seen.

One of the most unique aspects about such a life-changing and spiritually inspiring book series is not even in the heroine Anastasia, but rather in the author Vladimir, who generously and honestly takes us along on his personal journey from middle-aged, womanizing, successful businessman to an inspired writer who changes his entire life and old habits (not without drama and great challenge) for a dream he is determined to make real. His faith in the dream was not always on solid ground as outlined in the books’ adventures, but he kept on writing, questioning, and revealing to his readers the concrete proof that he needed to know for himself, sought out, and found. Until next week, The Hot Potato is in your hands. Order a copy of Anastasia and pass it on!

See Also: TIME IS ON OUR SIDE: A Holiday For Gardeners And The 13 Moon Calendar

To order Anastasia, Book 1 in The Ringing Cedars Series, as well as Books 2-8 (parts 1 & 2) translated into English, go to www.ringingcedars.com You can also order copies of the series from Bookwings, our Online Bookstore.

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THE RINGING CEDARS SERIES UPDATE May 2007

If you have not started reading these books yet, then stop what you’re doing! Order Books 1-6, currently translated into English, and prepare for your life perspective to be inspired beyond all previous books you have ever read.

No other books you have ever spent money on will be worth more than an investment in reading and sharing The Ringing Cedars books. The translator of the Ringing Cedars series describes the books as Star Trek meets The Bible.

THE BOOK OF KIN IS *THE* BOOK YOU HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR,
YOU JUST DON’T KNOW IT YET.

We just finished Book 6 in The Ringing Cedars Series: The Book of Kin.

It is the most important, moving, & amazing book we have ever read. And we expect it will continue to be so until we read Book 7 when the English translation is released. True to form, Book 6 was even better than Book 5…which was even better than Book 4…which was even better than Book 3, and so on. Please pass these books on to your loved ones and those whose path you cross that you feel are just waiting for you to tell them about The Ringing Cedars Series.

READ EXCERPTS FROM THE SERIES AT

www.ringingcedars.com/books.htm.
We especially recommend that you download & read the first chapter of
Book 6: The Book of Kin – “Who Raises Our Children?”

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