Annalee Skarin
Encyclopedia
Annalee Skarin the granddaughter of "Wild Bill" Hickman, was a popular New Age
/Metaphysical
author, originally raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). She gained fame by claiming to believe in the possibility of attaining immortality
through the ardent pursuit of Christian
principles, which she summarized as gratitude, praise and love.
In Mormonism
, it is believed that some people such as Enoch
underwent what Mormon
s call translation
(and which is called in other religions ascension), i.e., they were taken up directly into Heaven
without having to "taste of death". Mormons believe that during the Millennium
, everyone will translate rather than having to die
physically. Annalee Skarin claimed to have invented a meditation
technique by which anyone could translate themselves directly into Heaven.
is inevitable. While she accepts the Christian doctrine that virtuous people can die and be later admitted to Heaven
, she regards this path as "the dreary backdoor entrance", and asserts that the path to true glory involves Ascending to Heaven with one's physical body alive and intact, via a process she called (using the term commonly used by Mormons) "translation" (overcoming of bodily death). She also claimed to be able to visit the spirit world at will and spoke in her books about looking down and observing Earth
from the spirit world.
by going to southern Oregon
and later living in the far north of California
. It was later proven that she physically died of natural causes (disease). It is today possible to go and visit her grave, which is located in Sunset Hill Cemetery in Corning, California
.
It is also widely believed that the book:
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
/Metaphysical
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
author, originally raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). She gained fame by claiming to believe in the possibility of attaining immortality
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
through the ardent pursuit of Christian
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
principles, which she summarized as gratitude, praise and love.
In Mormonism
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...
, it is believed that some people such as Enoch
Enoch (ancestor of Noah)
Enoch is a figure in the Generations of Adam. Enoch is described as Adam's greatx4 grandson , the son of Jared, the father of Methuselah, and the great-grandfather of Noah...
underwent what Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
s call translation
Translation (LDS Church)
In the theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , translation refers to being physically changed by God from a mortal human being to an immortal human being. A person that has been translated is referred to as a translated being...
(and which is called in other religions ascension), i.e., they were taken up directly into Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
without having to "taste of death". Mormons believe that during the Millennium
Millennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
, everyone will translate rather than having to die
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
physically. Annalee Skarin claimed to have invented a meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
technique by which anyone could translate themselves directly into Heaven.
Writings
In her writings she rejects the regular Christian doctrine that physical deathDeath
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
is inevitable. While she accepts the Christian doctrine that virtuous people can die and be later admitted to Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
, she regards this path as "the dreary backdoor entrance", and asserts that the path to true glory involves Ascending to Heaven with one's physical body alive and intact, via a process she called (using the term commonly used by Mormons) "translation" (overcoming of bodily death). She also claimed to be able to visit the spirit world at will and spoke in her books about looking down and observing Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
from the spirit world.
Problems with the LDS church
Originally a devout Mormon, she was excommunicated from the LDS Church shortly after publication of her first book, Ye Are Gods, because it was perceived by high-ranking members of the church that the book's contents seriously blasphemed against Mormon belief.New Age believers in Annalee Skarin
Many proponents of New Age thought believed that Annalee Skarin, along with her husband Reason Skarin, that he and she indeed achieved physical immortality (been translated) after her clothes were found in her room in 1952 and she totally disappeared, and her husband soon after disappeared. Afterward, word-of-mouth stories abounded within the New Age community about Annalee and/or Reason Skarin materializing to people, sharing words of wisdom, then dematerializing.Emergence of proof that she did actually die of natural causes
However, it was later shown that she had faked her "translation" and gone into hiding in order to increase sales of her books. She hid out, living away from the Mormon CorridorMormon Corridor
The Mormon Corridor is a term for the areas of Western North America that were settled between 1850 and approximately 1890 by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , who are commonly known as Mormons....
by going to southern Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and later living in the far north of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It was later proven that she physically died of natural causes (disease). It is today possible to go and visit her grave, which is located in Sunset Hill Cemetery in Corning, California
Corning, California
Corning is a city in Tehama County, California, two hours north of Sacramento and one half hour northwest of Chico California United States. The population was 7,663 at the 2010 census, up from 6,741 at the 2000 census....
.
Books by Annalee Skarin
- Ye Are Gods (ISBN 978-0-87516-718-3, published by De Vorss and Co, 1952)
- To God The Glory (ISBN 1-891265-02-4, published by De Vorss and Co, 1956)
- Temple Of God (ISBN 1-891265-04-0, published by De Vorss and Co, 1958)
- Secrets Of Eternity (ISBN 1-891265-05-9, published by De Vorss and Co, 1960)
- Celestial Song Of Creation (ISBN 1-891265-06-7, published by De Vorss and Co, 1962)
- Man Triumphant (ISBN 1-891265-03-2, published by De Vorss and Co, 1966)
- Beyond Mortal Boundaries (ISBN 1-891265-07-5, published by De Vorss and Co, 1969)
- The Book Of Books (ISBN 1-891265-08-3, published by De Vorss and Co, 1972)
It is also widely believed that the book:
- Sons Of God, by Christine Mercie (ISBN 978-0-87516-059-7, published by De Vorss and Co, 1954) which Skarin references in her other works, was in fact written by Annalee Skarin herself.
External links
- Samuel W. TaylorSamuel W. TaylorSamuel Woolley Taylor was an American novelist, scriptwriter and historian.- Biography :Taylor was born in Provo, Utah to Janet "Nettie" Maria Woolley and John W. Taylor, the son of John Taylor, the late president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
"The Puzzle of Annalee Skarin: Was She Translated Correctly?" SunstoneSunstone MagazineSunstone is a magazine published by the Sunstone Education Foundation, Inc., a 501 nonprofit corporation, that discusses Mormonism through scholarship, art, short fiction, and poetry. The foundation began the publication in 1974 and considers it a vehicle for free and frank exchange in The Church...
, Volume 15:1 (April 1991): 41–46. - Annalee Skarin – An American Mystic – devotee website, retrieved February 1, 2008
- Annalee Skarin – a short biography by noted New Age teacher Robert Coon
- Annalee Skarin – a 20th Century Enigma, retrieved February 1, 2008
- Phoenix of Immortality – various links relating to Physical Immortality, retrieved February 1, 2008
- Annalee Skarin - clean the inside of the pot - true message of Christ, retrieved December 27, 2010