New Names- New Paths

Morning came early and we awakened to the same chanting voices and ringing bells we had heard the night before. We rushed to the windows to see our new home (Margaret got dressed first but the rest of us already had our coats on ..BOL)
 
WOW!

 This place was even more awesome in the daylight than it was at night. The same jewel fruits were now sparkling in the sunlight just as they did in the moonlight....diamond pears and emerald leaves, ruby cherries and topaz lemons, other fruits gems I had never seen before of blue and purple and orange. And the palace still shining on the top of the mountain.

When we had our fill of gazing out of the window we started to think about getting our fill of food again. Gon-ba-ma turned up as if by magic and told us to follow her to breakfast. We did. The monks were assembled as they had been the night before...and again we were given what we wanted to eat. This really must be Shambala.

The head monk asked our names and as we each spoke our name he shook his head. He told us we must have Tibetan names for our adventure in Shambala. Margaret's must be named Jestsunma which means Reverend Lady;.Blue, Jamyang...gentle voice; Tansy, Norbu...jewel; Bond, Namba...a gift; Lucy, Sengemo...lioness; Inka, Mampa..fabulous. And Me/Robbie, Tenzin,...holder of the teachings. We liked our names and practiced saying them. Tansy wanted to know exactly which jewel she was named for, she thought Diamonds were a dog's best friend! Lucy growled like a lioness with a Mexican accent...Blue said he was happy in his gentle, kind voice. Margaret, said she hoped it meant she was to be accepted as a Monkess? (is that a word) and be part of ceremonies in the Monastery? Inka said she had always known she was fabulous and was happy it was finally recognized. Bond just raced around and said he didn't care what he was called. And I didn't feel like I was the holder of any teachings ...I could barely remember what we were doing here.

After breakfast we wanted to go out sight-seeing and check out this wonderful place we were in.  Gon-ba-ma said she would show us around ..but first...we had to decide WHY we had tried to find Shambala. Were our hearts pure enough to look beyond the earthly treasures? Was what we were seeking  in the shining palace? Why had we started on this adventure? Were we to be side tracked as were most of the pilgrims who had stumbled on Shambala?

I checked back over my blogs and found this entry, this is what we contemplated many weeks ago, 'Bond says his great great great grandmother told him of a place that is soooo high that you can see the rainbow bridge and climb up it to meet with friends on the other side. He said it is a place where people and dogs become young again! And it is a place where ghost snow-dogs roam the mountains howling like the wind'. Gang this is what we came for...not jewels and food and comfort. We came to find the Rainbow Bridge and to find how to turn back time!!

Gon-ba-ma laughed and said 'then I will give you a very different tour of Shambala'. 'Jestsunma, Jamyang, Norbu ,Namba,Sengemo, Mampa, and Tenzin follow me, we have much to do to get ready for the journey to the Rainbow Bridge'. 'Many try to find it my friends but most can only reach the gate and then they turn back'.

I have to admit that sounded a little scary and I thought it was time for a paw circle. So we sat down and held paws and hands. Margaret led us in a prayer and then we sang our favourite hymn 'All Things Bright and Beautiful'. Dear Margaret is so aptly named as Jetsunma, she has been our Reverend Lady through all of our adventures. We felt strong and courageous after our circle and we yelped, barked, howled and Yippeed that we were ready for the next step in our adventure!

Are we? 

Shambhala!

Time seemed to fly into the thin mountain air when we lined up behind Gon-ba-mo and before you could say Shambala we were in the village of the singing voices and ringing bells.

Wow! How can I describe to you how different this village felt and looked. Shining in the mountain peaks was a magnificent palace which shone brighter than all the stars in the sky. The path to the palace was lined with trees whose branches were hanging with fruit made of precious stones. Colourful monasteries and mansions were dotted in the peaks and valleys all lit up with a strange Tiffany sort of lamplight shining from their windows. The snow fell around dancing and changing colour to match each building. We were speechless and barkless.

We asked Gon-ba-ma who lived in the palace and she told us that the mightiest King in all the world lived in the palace; the King who knew all the secrets of this world and all the others. I know it sounds a bit crass but all we wanted to know at the time was the secret of  how to get some food and a place to sleep!

Gon-ba-ma laughed at us and told us to follow her. We did. She took us down a narrow path to a monastery where the monks dressed in their saffron robes were sitting down to eat their evening meal. They welcomed us and asked us to sit with them. We did. Oh how good the food was. As if by magic we all had the food we wanted the most. Of course it was vegetarian but everything was delicious and just perfect. Margaret had a fantastic Toad in the Hole (I didn't dare look at the toad) and Tansy, Mock Duck. Inka chose a plate of stew with a fluffy dumpling and Blue a cutlet with a side of kibble, Bond had a strange Tibetan dish, Lucy five tacos and a burrito and I/Me had my favourite burger with Caesar salad.

The monks were curious about us but very gentle with their questions and although we were getting very drowsy we answered as best we could. And then we asked them where we were. They told us:

Dear travelers and seekers you are in Shambhala. When souls are not happy in their earthly home and they yearn for a better world then the soul is pushed to find Shambhala or Shangri La. Shambhala is a paradise where dreams can come true but you must believe it can exist to find it. This magical kingdom can only be found by believers who are pure in heart. In your world you have been conditioned to see first and then believe but to find Shambhala you must believe first. You have believed my friends and you have found.

Wow! It was all too much for us to take in.

Tansy had nodded off and the rest of us were not far behind. Gon-ba-ma understood and in a twinkle of a star we were in our own beds, soft and clean and warm. Oh Bliss.

I think we are going to like Shambhala when we see it in the morning.
 
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Meeting Gon-ba-mo

Isn't it wonderful how stories, songs, prayers and Dear Friends keep dogs and humans free from fear and anxiety? We forgot our cold feet and empty tummies as we listened to our friends tell their stories. Now many of you have asked me for MY story but I am not being modest when I tell you I really don't have one compared to my Gang friends.

I was born in Duncan on Vancouver Island and Mom and DOD came and got me when I was a puppy. They took me to Saturna Island where I have lived ever since (when I am not in Arizona or out on an adventure) Of course I have traveled to many countries by magic and made many friends, dogs, humans, ghosts, witches, elves, dragons and faeries from every walk of life and every world. I have been blessed.

Anyway, here we are on a mountain ledge somewhere in the high Himalayas inching our way toward what we hope is a village. Bells are ringing and voices are chanting....

And then, we heard barking! We looked at each other....no it was not one of us.... I was worried for a moment that one of us had gone barking mad...it can happen to dogs and humans. We strained our eyes and peered into the fading light ...a little snow-covered dog came into view. He/She/it shook itself and it looked just like Bond. 'Hawwoooo', it called and again 'Hawwooo'. Margaret said 'it is trying to say Hello but it has an accent, lets all say Hello right back'. And so we did, in unison and loudly. HELLO! The little black and white dog laughed and ran toward us.

My name is Gon-ba-mo she said (she spoke a language we could all understand albeit with a strange accent) I am a girl dog and I am magical....that's what my name means. Who are you she asked? So we introduced ourselves one by one calling out our names over the sound of the howling wind.  She was very surprised at how we were all so different in size and colour (or at least the colour she could see as we were now mostly white) and she said she had never seen Margaret's Breed before. Bond was the only dog she recognized and she gave him a big smile and a wink. She wanted to know how we had got to the mountain pass as she told us no dog nor human had come from the outside for centuries. We told her we would tell all later but at this time we were too tired and cold to have a conversation and we would all fall off the mountain and die if she couldn't help us.

Follow me, she said and Bond took her curly tail in his mouth and we followed her.

Gon-ba-mo

Lucy's Story

Even though we were hurrying as fast as we could the distance to the village didn't seem to get any shorter, the bells and voices any closer. We struggled on.

Then because we had enjoyed Blue's story so much I sent a text to Lucy's humans, Frances and Cathy, and asked them to send me Lucy's story. They did, and this is it:

 "Walking back from dinner in Nogales, Sonora several years ago, we stumbled upon a small dog covered with motor oil and living in a parking space on a side street near the border. We reached down to pull her out of the street and to our surprise, she rolled over for a belly rub.  Clearly, she had been through hell in her short life, yet she trusted us. As the little dog furiously licked my hand, lapping up the rare affection and craving more, we noticed that the little dog could not put any pressure on her right hind leg. 

Since she had no way to hunt for food on her own, she must be completely dependent upon the kindness of strangers for survival. We convinced ourselves that the pail of water we saw near the little dog’s parking space was put there by a kind soul.  We concluded that it was more likely air conditioning runoff. We had to find a way to help this little dog, so the next day, we crossed the border in our car.  We made a couple of passes down the street but did not see her.  Where was she? On our third trip, there she was sitting in her parking space!  We had a plan but we were worried that someone might claim her as we kidnapped her from the street.  Of course, no one objected when we scooped her up in a blanket and put her in the back seat of our Subaru.  We headed for the border where a casual border agent waved us through after concluding “Lucy” as dubbed her was not “livestock”.

We were thrilled on the ride home. Our spirits were soaring.  We thought of the starfish fable….maybe you can’t save them all but you can make a real difference in the life of one little dog.  In our home, she welcomed our loving attention and care.  She slept like a baby, maybe the first full night of sleep she has had in her life. 

We took her to the vet the next day and Lucy had a complete work-up.  Amazingly, she was in fairly good shape. She had a skin condition that produced painful sores throughout her coat.  At some point, Lucy’s hind leg had been broken and had healed badly.  More than likely a car had hit her. Despite two vets saying she wasn’t pregnant, she was, as unfortunately so many strays are. Lucy delivered four healthy puppies one month after her arrival. Because we already had four other animal rescues in our home, we made the difficult decision to find a home for her once her puppies were old enough to be adopted out.

However, as she cared for her puppies and began to heal, we fell in love with Lucy as her true personality came out. We quickly learned why she survived on the streets of Nogales, Mexico.  She demanded love from us as she had that night in Nogales. When provided with nutritious food, fresh water, treats and love, Lucy thrived, even craved love. Though she had a few “accidents” and chewed a few pairs of shoes, we knew this was all to be expected due to the inevitable anxiety of such new surroundings. Lucy’s four puppies all went to good homes, one male pup, Dudley, lives just across the street from us.

It was plain to us that Lucy was becoming a member of the family. We could never give her up and we never did. Now, she is the ranking Alpha dog in our pack. Lucy continues to give so much more to us than we ever gave to her. We are the lucky ones. She is a funny, grateful dog who loves to roll in the green grass in our park nearby. Lucy’s day is not complete without three walks along the De Anza trail behind our house. Lucy is home and we all are enriched for it".

I just love these 'reality stories' don't you???  they make the journey so much more interesting. 

Now we can see the lights of the village...we are almost there. 

Who will tell their story next???

Blue's Story

I bet you have been wondering where we have been? Well, I had to go to Arizona with Bond, Mom and DOD. You see, with magic anything is possible, and I can flip in and out of our adventure...so now I am ready to go back to the cold, snowy, high country and the dangerous mountain ledge where we are inching our way forward toward chanting voices.


I hate heights and to tell the truth I was afraid. This ledge is only a couple of feet wide and I didn't dare look down.  I could hear Lucy talking in Spanish, whether she was swearing or praying I couldn't tell. Bond was up front and he looked fearless padding on his snowshoe feet. Dear old Blue talked to him to keep him focused and thought it a good time to tell his story to Bond. Of course we all wanted to hear so we bunched up even closer together and Blue began:

   'This is my story young fella....I was put in a shelter in Cranbrook as a pup, a lot of people came by but no-one wanted me and every so often there was talk of the 'big sleep'....this had me worried, but at last a lovely lady named Ruth and her husband took me to what what was to be my furever home! So I spent my youth hiking in the Rocky Mountains, often in the snow. Then sadly Ruth's husband died and we moved in with her daughter in Calgary--wild weather there--in fact it may be snowing right now! Then we all moved to Vancouver, and I hated it. It rained all the time and I barked all the time, and that meant the  landlord was going to kick us all out----An appointment was made again for the 'Big Sleep'. 
I was apparently too old by this time for another furever home. My family was so sad and I was very anxious. But THEN...the RestQ people on Galiano heard of my plight and I ended up at Bonnie's OK Dog Corral for a week, where I met my now Sister, Inka. She said it was okay for me to come and live with her and Lynne, so here I am. and how I am hoping we find the place where time goes backwards, where I can show you what I was like as a young fellow. In the meantime, if I can help with trekking in the snow just let me know'


We all liked hearing Blue's story and wondered how humans could give up their fur baby's, but we didn't say anything because our Dear Margaret is not that kind of human and we didn't want to make her feel bad about the other kind. We held on even tighter to each other ...feeling those ties of friendship and family ...and crept forward inch by inch over the crunchy, slippery snow and ice.....Bond in the lead, then Blue, then Tansy, Margaret, Inka, Lucy and Me/Robbie bringing up the rear and enjoying even in our hour of peril, looking at Lucy's bum!

Margaret, Tansy, Inka and Lucy were real good sports and never once complained....and I know I promised not to mention Tansy's short legs ever again....but her poor little belly was in the snow most of the time and she was darned near frozen to death. Margaret offered to carry her but it was far too dangerous and I just couldn't allow it. Blue was stoic but I could tell he was tiring....I was feeling desperate.... we were all weak, hungry and cold.

Bond barked like mad, he often does for no reason so we didn't pay much attention ...but LOOK! LOOK GANG!
We looked into the dawn light. A Village? People? Shangri-La?
OH MY..we were still far away but we we knew we could make it...we listened to the bells and the chanting voices...WOW !!!
We picked up our feet and hurried as fast as we dared.....

Goodbye....Hello ཕེབས་པར་དགའ་བསུ་ཞུ། ( tashi deleg)

To cut a long story short and not to bore you with the details, Lucy made it to Canada.... okay there was a bit of a problem when she snapped at the border guard who got a little too personal with her but Margaret was able to sort that out by telling the guard of Lucy's past and her fear of authority, men in general and uniforms in particular. They let her in with a warning.

Everyone came to my house. We loaded up food, meds, clothes, guide books and my Blackberry. Blue confided he was a little worried about the arduous journey but I assured him that with magic anything is possible and he shouldn't worry. Inka wore her flashing collar...we may need it to serve as a beacon and a guide to us in the snow and wind. Margaret and Tansy muffled up to their eyeballs in Inuit clothes, parkas and mukluks were anxious to get going as they were way too warm. Bond raced around biting his tail and trying to remember if he can understand Tibetan....he barely understands English...and I/Me, I was a bit apprehensive...this well may prove to be the most difficult adventure we have ever been on.

So up, up and away we go.

Wow!

We tumble head over heels in deep powdery snow. There are no trees, no houses, no cars, no people. We are surrounded by huge mountain peaks so high they are lost in the clouds. 

We don't know where we are. My GPS is not working. We can see and feel we are high, high up in a snowy cold land...but which land? I say we should sit down and try to breathe normally and get our bearings and be calm. We sat in a little circle and held paws and hands and then we lay down and made snow Angels because we like Angels. We are each afraid to say that we are afraid, but we all are. As usual we found comfort and strength in our circle and we managed to  squeak out a little prayer. We know there are no accidents in the Universe, that we have been guided here and that we must have confidence in our inner guide and in each other. We took a deep breath.... that usually worked but in the thin air it made us cough!

Margaret, Inka, Tansy and Lucy had to go and do whatever girls do when they have to go. They came racing back and yelped ( well Margaret didn't yelp...she spoke) that they could see a mountain pass higher up and that it went round and around the bend. . 

Night was falling quickly and the wind was picking up. Oh help!!!

And then we pricked up our ears ....Margaret is getting good at pricking hers....In the distance we heard the sound of a prayer bell and heard low melodious chanting. We looked at each other and quickly agreed that our best bet was to try to follow the path toward the sound of human (we hoped) voices.

We tied ourselves together with Margaret's personals and then we inched slowly single file on the narrow dangerous path. Bond was in front ..now we know what his snowshoe feet are made for!  The silvery moon lit our way and the Man-in-the-Moon smiled at us. We didn't dare look down.

This is going to be a long night.

To be continued.......

Corrections

First, I made a mistake on the Yak and Yeti food...it is Spazyakandzyeti...Tibetan pasta with meat sauce.  I think it best that we don't ask what kind of meat is in it.

 Bond was offended that I referred to his Clan as Holy Terrors and he set me straight on his heritage, so here it is:
Bond is a Tibetan Terrier and this is what I have found out about his Clan. The breed is a very old one and has an interesting past. The little dogs were originally kept as companions to the monks in isolated monasteries in the Lost Valley of Tibet. The dogs are intelligent (I am not sure about Bond) and they have big flat snowshoe feet for walking in the snowy mountains. They also have a great sense of direction and are said to bring good luck. They know of secret ways in and out of  high and dangerous mountain passes.

Tibetan Terrier

I think we need these attributes on our journey and even though Bond is a puppy he should have all of these good things in his genes! He certainly has the feet!

Tansy was also offended that I said she only needed two inch boots. So I apologize and retract my statement. I will not mention her short legs again.

Margaret informed me that her wardrobe is not made up of frilly dance-hall costumes and that she has lots of winter clothes which she will share with us if necessary.

Mom is still mulling over whether or not Bond can come with us and she says I am getting too uppity making plans without her permission.

Lucy my girlfriend from Tubac reminded me that I had promised her she could be in our Gang. I had forgotten. You know how easy it is to promise things when you are romancing a good looking gal. Anyway, here is what she sent me:  My name is,  Lucy Guadalupe Maria Elena Catalina Jolanda Marrero de Mexico I am originally from Nogales, Sonora, Mexico but I took my citizens test and I am now a citizen of the United States of America. You can call me Lucy for short. 

She speaks Spanish and it may not be the same as Tibetan but she is a sharp cookie and street-smart in every sense of the word.
I think she can join us....don't you??

I think Lynne and Blue and Inka are happy.


There! I have set the record straight.....

I need photographs of the Gang to post before we leave, we may need them for 'Missing' or 'Wanted' posters. BOL.... Just a little humour here! Send them to me saturnarobbie@gmail.com