The Cherry Tree (book 2 chapter 6)

This chapter, in the second Anastasia book "The Ringing Cedars of Russia", is perhaps my favorite chapter in the whole book. Using Vladimir's cherry tree as an example, Anastasia deepens our understanding of the trees and plants in our garden, thereby enhancing the benefits from the practices given in the first book "Anastasia". This is a long excerpt to give the full effect of the story being told.

"Remember, Vladimir, everything within you associated with this little tree. Remember, starting right from the moment you first made contact with it."

"I shall try to remember, if you think it's important."

"Yes, it is important."

"I was riding in my car, I don't remember where I was going. We stopped near the Central Market. I asked my driver to get out and buy some fruit. I stayed in the car and watched people leaving the market carrying all sorts of saplings."

"You watched them and were surprised. Why?"

"You see, their faces were happy and contented. Even though it was cold and rainy out, here they were hauling away some kind of saplings with their roots all bound in cloth. These saplings were heavy to carry, but the people's faces were content, and here I was sitting in my warm car and I was sad.

"When the driver returned, I got out and went over to the market myself. I kept walking up and down past the merchants' stalls and bought three cherry saplings. As I was tossing them into the baggage compartment, the driver said that one of the saplings wouldn't survive, since its roots had been cut too short, and I'd better throw it out right off, but I decided to keep it. It was the most graceful of the three. Then I went and planted the saplings in the garden of my country home.

"I threw in extra topsoil around the tree with the short roots, and a sprinkling of peat moss, along with a bit of fertiliser."

"In trying to help it, you burnt two more little roots of the sapling with the fertiliser," Anastasia added.

"But it survived! In the spring, when the buds started coming out on the trees, its branches came to life, too. Little leaves began to appear. Then I set out on my commercial expedition."

"But before that," Anastasia observed, "every day for a period of more than two months you would drive out to your country house and the first thing you did was go and see how the little tree was getting on. Sometimes you stroked its branches. You were so happy to see the leaves, and kept watering the tree. You drove a stake into the ground and fastened the trunk to it with twine all around so the wind wouldn't break it.

"Tell me, Vladimir, do you think that plants react to people's attitude toward them? Do you think they feel good and bad thoughts?"

"I've heard, or read, somewhere that house-plants and flowers do react that way. They can even become all withered when their care-giver goes away. I've heard about scientific experiments where they attached sensors to various plants, and needles jumped one way when the plants were approached aggressively, and the other way when someone approached them with thoughts of gentleness and kindness."

"So, Vladimir, you know about plants reacting to the expression of human feelings. And, according to the Grand Creator's design, they strive to do all within their power, all that they can, to meet Man's needs - they bring forth fruit, and try to arouse positive emotions in Man with their flowers beautiful and fair - indeed, they put oxygen into the air so that we can breathe.

"But plants have been granted yet another function which is no less important. Plants which come into direct contact with an individual Man create for him a Space of true Love. The kind of Love without which life for the human race would be impossible.

"Many dachniks are in a hurry to get out to their plots because it is there that such a Space has been created for them. And this little Siberian cherry tree you thought to plant, the one you cared for yourself, it tried to do the same as all other plants and perform its assigned function.

"If there are a lot of them, plants can create for Man a significant Space of Love - if they are of different varieties and Man communicates with them, and approaches them with Love. All together plants can create for Man a significant Space of Love which enhances the soul and makes the body whole.

"You see, Vladimir - all together, when there are a lot of them. But you looked after just one sapling. And so this one little Siberian cherry tree began aspiring to do what only a number of plants acting together can do.

"Its aspiration was aroused by your special relation to it. It was something you yourself realised only intuitively - in all your surroundings only this one little tree was not asking anything of you, it was not being hypocritical, it only aspired to give of itself - and then you came along. You were tired after a busy day. You went over to the tree, stood and pondered. You looked at it, and it responded.

"Before the first ray of dawn appeared in its perfection, the leaves of the tree tried to catch that ray's reflection in the brightening sky. And when the Sun went down afar, it tried using the light of a bright star. And as it persisted, something transpired by and by, just a wee bit of something transpired.

"Its roots, twisting themselves around the burning fertiliser, were able to take in what they required from the Earth. And the Earth's juices began turning and running through the veins of the tree a little more quickly than usual. And then one day, in an early morning hour, you came and saw the little flowers to which the tree's delicate branches had given birth. The other saplings were devoid of flowers, but this one, thanks to your gift of caring, had already blossomed. You were overjoyed. Your spirits were uplifted and then...do you remember what you did, Vladimir, after seeing the flowers?"

"I really was overjoyed. For some reason my mood was on a high, I felt a lightness in my head. I went and stroked its branches with my hands."

"You gently stroked its branches. And you said, 'Well now, my beauty, you've blossomed!'

"You see the trees, Vladimir, and you see the leaves, and the fruit borne thereof. But more than that, the trees create a Space of Love. The little cherry tree very much wanted you to have this Space. But where was the place for the tree to find the strength to give back to Man what it had received from him? It had tried and tried and had already given everything that was in its power, but it had received something extraordinary besides - a showing of tenderness toward itself and the flowers it bore. And then it had the desire to do more! All by itself!

"You went off on your very long expedition. And then, completing your journey and returning, the first thing you did was go to the garden plot to see your little cherry tree. But along the way you were eating cherries you had bought at the market. As you approached it, you noticed that there were three red cherries growing on your tree. You stood there beside it, all tired out, eating the bought cherries and spitting out the stones. Then you tore one of the cherries off your tree and tried it. Indeed, it was just a little bit more sour, a little less sweet than the market cherries you had decided to eat, and you did not touch the other two."

"I had had my fill of the other cherries. And this one was indeed more sour."

"Oh, if only you had known, Vladimir, how much power those little cherries contained on their own that was so beneficial to you! How much energy and Love! From the depths of the Earth and the expanses of the Universe and more, the tree had gathered everything helpful for you and poured it into these three cherries. It had even let one of its branches wither in order to make these three cherries ripen. One of them you tried, but you left the other two on the tree to die."

"I had no idea. But still, I was happy that it was capable of bearing fruit."

"Yes, you were happy. And then... do you remember what you did this time?"

"Me? Well, I stroked the tree's branches some more."

"And you not only stroked them. You even bent over and kissed the leaves on the branch which was resting on the palm of your hand."

"Yes, I did. Because I was in such a good mood."

"And something incredible happened with the tree. What more could it do for you, since you had not taken the fruit thereof that had been grown with so much Love? What could it do?

"It trembled from the kiss of Man, and the thought and feelings inherent only in Man but produced by this little Siberian cherry tree took flight into the Universe's space of light - to give back to Man what it had received from him. To give back to Man its kiss of Love, to warm him with this - the bright feelings, the Space of Love. And against all laws that thought swept across the Universe but could not find a resting-place, a means of manifesting the breath - the life - of itself.

"Knowing that one cannot find a resting-place means death.

"Then the forces of light returned to the cherry tree the bright thought it had produced, so that it might destroy the thought within itself and not perish. But the tree did not pick it up!

"The little Siberian cherry tree's burning desire endured unchanged, extraordinarily pure and trembling.

"The forces of light did not know what to do. The Grand Creator was not about to change the established laws of harmony for you. But the cherry tree did not perish. It managed to endure because the thought, aspiration and feelings thereof were extraordinarily pure, and by the laws that constitute creation as a whole nothing can destroy pure Love. And it circled over your soul and dreamt of finding a resting-place, a place to thrive. Alone in the Universe, it was striving, aspiring to create for you a Space of Love.

"I came to your ship to at least try to be of some help and fulfil the cherry tree's desire to find this resting-place, to manifest its love. Even though I did not know to whom it was addressed."

Anastasia paused.

"You mean to say," I queried, "that your relationship to me arose out of your desire to help the tree?"

"My relationship to you, Vladimir, is simply that: my relationship. It is difficult to say who was helping whom here - the cherry tree me or I the tree. Everything in the Universe is interrelated. To perceive what is really going on in the Universe one need only look into one's self."

Maha Mudra (kriya 6)

This is the sixth of the twenty Kundalini Kriyas of Kriya Yoga. If you have not completed my free online course, please download and complete that first.

This kriya continues directly from the last kriya. Eyes are open, breath is fully exhaled, tongue is in Kechari Mudra, head is drooped forward, and your focus is on Mooladhara. Mentally repeat "Mooladhara" three times then begin Ujjayi inhalation while moving your concentration along the Arohan passage up the front of the body through the Kshetrams. It is now optional to mentally repeat the name of each Kshetram as you pass by it: Swadhisthana, Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddhi. At Vishuddhi, move your head up and droop it back as your concentration reaches Bindu. Hold your breath and mentally repeat "Bindu" three times.

Practice Moola Bandha and Shambhavi Mudra while holding your breath. Mentally repeat, "Shambhavi - Khechari - Mool", while at the same time shifting your awareness to the center of these practices. When you say "Shambhavi", your awareness should be fixed at the eyebrow center. When you say "Khechari", your awareness should be fixed where the tongue presses the roof of the mouth (hard or soft palate). When you say "Mool", your awareness should be fixed at the perineum (male) or cervix (female). Repeat this shifting of awareness 3 times, then first release Shambhavi Mudra followed by Moola Bandha.

Bring your awareness back to Bindu and begin Ujjayi exhalation. Move your head to a forward facing position and close your eyes in Unmani Mudra while moving your concentration along the Awarohan passage down the back of the body through the Chakras. Optionally, repeat the name of each Chakra as you pass by it: Ajna, Vishuddhi, Anahata, Manipura, Swadhisthana, Mooladhara. At Mooladhara, open your eyes and droop your head forward to begin the next round. Complete six rounds, then go to the next kriya.

A video describing and demonstrating this kriya is presented below.

A Helper and Mentor for your Child (book 1 chapter 13)

In this excerpt Anastasia explains that everything she has taught so far (see all previous posts on book 1), should also be taught to your children.

"So, these parents arrive with this three-year-old child at their dacha plot and bring along his favorite toys. Artificial toys which displace the true priorities of the Universe. Oh, if only they had not done that! Just think, the child could have been occupied and entertained with something far more interesting than senseless and even harmful interaction with manufactured objects.

"First of all, you should ask him to help you, only ask him in all seriousness, without any pandering, especially since he will actually be able to offer you assistance. If you do any planting, for example, ask him to hold the seeds in preparation for sowing, or rake out the seedbeds, or have him put a seed into the hole you have prepared. And in the process talk to him about what you are doing, something like this:

"'We will be putting the little seed into the ground and covering it with earth. When the sun in the sky shines and warms the earth, the little seed will get warm and start to grow. It will want to see the sun, and a little shoot will poke its head out of the earth, just like this one.' At this point you can show him some little blade of grass. 'If the seed likes the sunshine, it will grow bigger and bigger and maybe turn into a tree, or something smaller, like a flower. And I want it to bring you tasty fruit, and you will eat it if you like it. The little shoot will prepare its fruit for you.'

"Whenever you arrive with your child at the dacha plot, or when he awakes first thing in the morning, have him look and see whether any new shoots have come up. If you should notice one, show your delight. Even when you are putting young plants rather than seeds into the ground, it is important to explain to your child what you are doing. If you are planting tomato seedlings, for example, let him hand you the stalks one by one. If a stalk should inadvertently break, take the broken stalk into your hands and say: 'I do not think this one will live or bear fruit, since it is broken, but let us try planting it anyway.' And plant at least one of the broken ones right along with the others.

"A few days later, when you visit the seedbed again with your child and the stalks have firmed up, point out the broken, withering stalk to your little one and remind him that it was broken during the planting, but do not use any preaching tone of voice in doing so. You need to talk with him as an equal. You should bear in mind the thought that he is superior to you in some respects - in the purity of his thought, for example. He is an angel! If you succeed in understanding that, you can then proceed intuitively, and your child will indeed become a person who will happify your days.

"Whenever you sleep under the stars, take your child with you, lay him down beside you, let him look at the stars, but under no circumstances tell him the names of the planets or how you perceive their origin and function, since this is something you do not really know yourself, and the theories stored in your brain will only lead the child astray from the truth. His sub-conscious knows the truth, and it will penetrate his consciousness all by itself. All you need to do is to tell him that you like looking at the shining stars, and ask your child which star he likes best of all.

"In general, it is very important to know how to ask your child questions. The next year you can offer your child his own seedbed, fix it up and give him the freedom to do whatever he likes with it. Do not ever compel him by force to do anything with it, and do not correct what he has done. You can simply ask him what he likes. You can offer help, but only after asking permission to work along with him."

As expected, Vladimir doesn't understand the benefit of all this, and Anastasia tries to explain that this is the path to spiritual enlightenment for your child (i.e. all of his brain cells will awaken). This too is meaningless to Vladimir, so she continues as follows.

"The contact he has established with his planets will allow him to constantly take in - and exchange - more and more information. The incoming messages will be received by his sub-conscious and transmitted to his consciousness in the form of many new thoughts and discoveries. Outwardly he will look like everyone else, but inwardly... This is the kind of Man you call a genius."

Shabda Sanchalana (kriya 5)

This is the fifth of the twenty Kundalini Kriyas of Kriya Yoga. If you have not completed my free online course, please download and complete that first.

This kriya continues directly from the last kriya. Eyes are open, breath is fully exhaled, tongue is in Kechari Mudra, head is drooped forward, and your focus is on Mooladhara for 3 or 4 seconds. Begin Ujjayi inhalation while moving your concentration along the Arohan passage up the front of the body through the Kshetrams. As you ascend, be aware of the sound of the breath which takes the form of the mantra "SO". Do not mentally repeat the names of each Kshetram as you pass by them.

At Vishuddhi, move your head up and droop it back as your concentration reaches Bindu. Hold your breath and maintain your concentration at Bindu for 3 or 4 seconds. Begin Ujjayi exhalation and move your head to a forward facing position. Close your eyes in Unmani Mudra while moving your concentration along the Awarohan passage down the back of the body through the Chakras. As you descend, be aware of the sound of the breath which takes the form of the mantra "HAM". Do not mentally repeat the names of each Chakra as you pass by them. At Mooladhara, open your eyes and droop your head forward to begin the next round. Complete eleven rounds, then go to the next kriya.

A video describing and demonstrating this kriya is presented below.

Sleeping Under One's Star (book 1 chapter 12)

In chapter 12 Anastasia describes a nice little spiritual practice (or meditative practice) that leverages the bond you've created with the plants in your garden and their interaction with the cosmic forces of the universe.

"Once plants have received information about a specific person, they embark upon an information exchange with cosmic forces, but here they are simply intermediaries, carrying out a narrowly focused task involving one's fleshly body and certain emotional planes. They never touch the complex processes which, out of all the animal and plant world on the planet, are inherent only in the human brain and on human planes of existence. Nevertheless, this information exchange they establish allows Man to do what he alone can do - namely, interact with the Intelligence of the Universe or, more precisely, to exchange information with this Intelligence. An altogether simple procedure permits him not only to do this, but also to feel the beneficial effect of such interaction.

"Pick an evening when weather conditions are favourable and arrange to spend the night under the stars. You should situate your sleeping place close to raspberry or current bushes, or to beds where cereal seeds have been planted. You should be there alone. As you lie with your face to the stars, do not close your eyes right away. Let your gaze, physically and mentally, wander across the celestial bodies. Do not become tense while thinking about them. Your thought must be free and unencumbered.

"First, try to think about those celestial bodies which are visible to your eye; then you can dream about what you treasure in life, about the people closest to you, people for whom you wish only good. Do not attempt to even think at this point about seeking revenge or wishing evil upon anyone, for that might have a negative effect on you. This uncomplicated procedure will awaken some of the many little cells dormant in your brain, the vast majority of which never wake even once during a person's whole lifetime. The cosmic forces will be with you and help you attain the realization of your brightest and most unimaginable dreams, will help you find peace in your heart, establish positive relationships with your loved ones, and increase - or call into being - their love for you.

"It is useful to try repeating this procedure a number of times. It is effective only when carried out at the location of your constant contact with the plant world. And you will feel it yourself as early as the next morning. It is especially important to go through this procedure on the eve of your birthday. To explain how all this works would take too long right now, and is not important. Parts of the explanation you would not believe, other parts you would not understand. It can be discussed much more quickly and easily with people who are already trying it and feeling its influence on themselves, since the information, once received and verified, will facilitate the reception of any information that follows."