The Anastasia Folks

So this story popped up this morning via Focus, and I spent probably an hour reading it......researching the topic, and pondering upon things.  

The topic?  A cult....referring to the 'Anastasia' folks.

So to tell this story, I need to introduce you to the 'Constitutional Protection' agency of Germany.  This works like the American FBI or the ASIO of Australia.  

Their job is to monitor people and organizations deemed a threat.  In Germany, this can be a very varied crowd (tax evaders, terrorists, right-wing radicals, left-wing radicals, anti-capitalists, Nazis, anti-capitalists, religious cults, etc).  

Back around 1996, this Russian guy (Vladimir Megre) wrote this book.....'The Ringing Ciders of Russia: Volume One: Anastasia'.  

It's an odd piece of fiction....made into an advice-book.  Megre is writing the book and having this conversation with this imaginary character (Anastasia), who is into telepathy, the spirit world, and things that you'd typically regard just a tad-bit as cultish. 

The character Anastasia is giving you advice....child upbringing, positive energy, natural food, farm living, etc.  More or less, if you follow the advice here, you live in a very positive world and nothing negative happens. 

It wasn't exactly a book that sold well (at least in the beginning), and folks admit that the writer took to selling the book at subway stations in Moscow.  By word of mouth, the book took off.

Megre writes nine additional books. The series kinda ended in 2010 with the last book. 

So here's the thing....a lot of people have read the book beyond Russia.  A fair number of Germans have also read the book.

The reaction?  Some worries have started up that the book is advocating right-wing type expectations in life.  A German guy (Frank Willy Ludwig) has picked up the emphasis in Germany, and hyped it up to the next level.

Esotericism in the mix?  Well....yeah.  Yoga, mysticism and mediation do mix within this theme.

So these German folks in the Constitutional Protection business view the Anastasia folks as a potential threat.  How many of them?  Unknown....virtually a topic that you can't be sure about.  It might be just a thousand across Germany who've read the book and gotten hyped-up.  It might be ten-thousand.  

The key element here....they are classified as right-wing folks...not occult or religious threats.

You can imagine Germans viewing society today....regarding half the teenagers in Germany as 'losers' or unfocused.  So you read some of these ten books, and start to think....if you'd just focus the kids correctly, society would improve.  

Politically charged-up?  I don't think you can say that yet....but if you had half-a-million Germans hyped-up on the book series....enthusiastic about clean-living, eating home-grown garden items, thrilled about mediation, and pushing for certain political candidates to 'fix' problems....well, that might turn into a mess that you can't control or resolve.  

Note: If you wanted to read all ten books....it's around 2,500-pages.  

Note: The Russian writer (Megre) is looking for a video-production deal (DVD the story and sell on a mass market).