Anastasia by Vladimir Megre was first published in Russia in 1996 where it became a best-seller over the next few years with over 10 million reportedly sold in Russia alone. In 2005 Anastasia was masterfully translated into English by John Woodsworth and edited by Leonid Sharashkin. It is now available in 20 different languages. While this important book is not sold in mainstream bookstores, it has traveled the English-speaking world by word of mouth, creating astounding spiritual transformations and revelations in its wake.

The book is based on the true story of the author, Vladimir Megre, who chartered three river boats in 1994 to travel up the Ob River on a three-month expedition from the larger city of Novosibirsk in the south to Salekhard in the north and back. His mission as an entrepreneur was to establish economic ties with the Russians in the villages along the way. On the way back down the Ob River he meets two elderly men who beg him to take 50 men from his crew into the taiga (the Siberian boreal forest) about 25 kilometers to cut down a "ringing cedar" tree that measured about 40 meters in height. The younger of the two did most of the talking, telling Vladimir that the cedar tree was to be chopped into manageable pieces to be carried back to the river boats. These pieces were to be cut into even smaller pieces, made into pendants and the rest given away as gifts to humanity. He claimed that the wearer of such a pendant after three months would feel significant improvement in his health and sense of well-being, while also being cured from all manner of maladies. Vladamir thought the entire encounter rather odd and was further astounded when the younger of the two men revealed his age, being 119. Both men were in remarkable health with the younger of the two only looking around 75. Vladimir could not rationalize such a deviation from their planned stops so he bid the men farewell and continued on. That winter Vladimir became very ill and was required to spend several weeks in the hospital. The encounter with these two men haunted him so he began to research cedar trees, accessing all the information he was able to find about them. He was surprised to find out that cedar trees did indeed have healing properties which were known in ancient times, mentioned in the Bible and also well known by present day herbalists. He decided to go back to the same village the following spring, separate from his crew for a few days, and try to seek out the two men and their "ringing cedar" tree.

What he found instead was a young woman, Anastasia, who addressed him by name and claimed to be the granddaughter of the 119 year old man. What follows is his experience of spending three days with Anastasia at her "home" deep in the Siberian taiga. Her amazing communion with nature, all of God’s creatures and her intuition and knowledge that she claimed she accessed through her "ray" was indeed a life changing experience for Vladimir. Anastasia’s vision for Russia and our world reflects her deep love for humanity and all life, while showing us that Man is truly created in God’s image. The key to accessing our own "ray’ and connection to our Creator is purity of thought and intent. An incredible amount of valuable information is revealed from Vladimir’s recounting of all that happens to him as well as their conversations in which Anastasia shares with him her profound insights of the nature of Man, bonding to the earth and the cosmos, gardening, bee keeping, religion, child rearing, healing and more.

For most readers this book has a surreal quality, reading more like fiction while taunting the reader with the author’s humility and candor in telling details most of us in his position would be embarrassed to share, lending credibility to the authenticity of his entire experience. The effect is a deep awakening for the reader in discovering their true purpose as a divine being on this beautiful, magical planet.

This first book, and indeed the rest of the Ringing Cedars series (eight books so far), has made such an impact among Russians in terms of people leaving the city and spending time at their dachas (homes in the country with fruit trees and gardens), that 35 million people (70% of the population) now own dachas providing the bulk of the food produced in that country.

This book is incredibly inspiring, encouraging all of us to reconnect to the earth and abandon the technocratic world disrupting the natural rhythms of our planet while threatening all life as we know it. God may have given us dominion over the earth, but with God’s blessing we are to exercise our dominion over His creation responsibly; he did not give us the authority to destroy it. This is probably the main reason Duncan Roads, publisher/editor of Nexus magazine, stated, "If you read one book in your life, read Anastasia."

Anastasia is a 240-page, quality soft cover. $18 includes shipping and handling.