Blue Fox Shaman

Fox: “Too long have we tarried.” You need to take me on a vacation somewhere nice.

Bärchen: Sure, I’d love to. Where did you think you’d want to go?

Fox: Well, I made a list. [shuffles paper] What do you think of…

Agartha
Alfheim
Atlantis
Avalon

Barchen: Hon.

El Dorado
Elysium
Kunlun Mountain
Lemuria

Bärchen: Hon?

Shangri-La
Shambala
The Hesperides

Bärchen: Hon!

or Xanadu? What!?

Bärchen: But those places are mythical. How can we go someplace mythical?

Fox: [looking puzzled] Hon, sit down and let me explain this to you one more time… there! Bärchen, dear, you already are living in a mythical world. And you know what? before you freak out, so is everybody else. Okay?! I’ve explained this all before, but you’ve forgotten, haven’t you?

Bärchen: Yes. No. That’s not what I meant. I mean we can’t go there “physically”… and please don’t make me define that. We’ll just get in to one of those Epistemological arguments…

Fox: Discussions.

Bärchen: Anyway…

Fox: Look, Bärchen, I’m just saying that our audience would appreciate it and it probably wouldn’t freak them out. They’d understand.

Bärchen: Our “audience”? Do you think someone is listening in to our conversations?

Fox: Bärchen, Bärchen, Bärchen. I’m going to break the Fourth Wall for a second, so don’t be scared… Hello all you people out there. [to Bärchen] What do you see?

Bärchen: Yeah, I see a few bemused folks, or maybe they’re bored, it’s hard to tell which. They’re sitting around a small table, drinking beers and eating an absolutely disgusting-looking pizza… there’s a neon sign on the outside of the place that says “sserpdroW”, oh… “WordPress”.

Fox: Heh, heh! Those people are your audience, dear! [sotto voce] Lose the slouch, Bärchen! [closes Fourth Wall] So, it’s just like that. That was easy, wasn’t it? Can we go? Huh? Please!?

Bärchen: Okay, I guess so.

Fox: So, those are the Hotels of Hyperborea.

Bärchen: The Hotels of Hyperborea? Ah! That explains a lot.

Fox: Yeah, think of each one like the Las Vegas Mirage back in the day. Only these places got more extensive grounds than you could manage on the Strip.

Bärchen: What will we do there? I’m not the gambling type.

Fox: You’re not the gambling…[blows raspberries] I bet your whole frickin’ Life and mine on making this work, this Postmodernist Shaman thing, and you agreed to it. Not the gambling type my eye! But no worries, there’s no slots at these places. Some of them do have extensive Libraries of Esoteric Lore.

Bärchen: Libraries?!!

Fox: Down boy! Yes. I kinda had my heart set on Shangri-La.

Bärchen: Really? You know that that one was imagined in the 1930s. I didn’t think you went for modern luxuries. You’re the outdoorsy type.

Fox: A girl can make exceptions! Listen to what the travelogue had to say: The lamasery has modern conveniences, like central heating, bathtubs from Akron, Ohio, a large library, a grand piano, a harpsichord, and food from the fertile valley below. Towering above is Karakal, literally translated as “Blue Moon,” a mountain more than 28,000 feet high.

Bärchen: Whoa! now… you!

Fox: The architecture of the lamasery sounds fascinating too: the lamasery was constructed in its present form by a Catholic monk named Perrault from Luxembourg, in the early eighteenth century. I’m tryin’ to think what that fusion of Buddhist and Jesuit styles would look like. Nah! No way. Let’s assume they just went with the Buddhist style.

Bärchen: And we won’t be caught up in a drama like the book, right? I just wanna make sure this isn’t like Fantasy Island or some shit.

Fox: No, no. These places are built by the author who imagines them as a backdrop for their story. This one is a Hilton!

Bärchen: I don’t think he’s related, but whatever. It sounds nice.

Fox: Can I make a reservation?

Bärchen: Sure. Shangri-La, here we come!

[… they arrive in Shangri-La …]

Bärchen: Ah, the narrow path into Shangri-La is quite narrow.

Fox: But if I’ve timed it right, we’ll be getting a spectacular view in just a moment… Here. We’re at the top. Wait for it…

Bärchen: What are we waiting for?

Fox: The Sun. It should illuminate the surrounding peaks and throw a golden light across the valley below… There!

Bärchen: Wow! Huh! I won’t forget this soon. How did you… nah. Never mind. I don’t need to know.

Fox: Welcome to Shangri-La, Bärchen! We’ll be at the lamasery in no time. After we get settled in, let’s take a walk around the grounds.

Bärchen: I brought my japa mala with me.

Fox: Me too. That’s the perfect idea, Bärchen-a walk together, arm in arm, observing the silence of the heart.

Bärchen: It’s the perfect place for it.

[… Next day, after breakfast, Fox and Bärchen approach one of the Lamas …]

Bärchen: I just wanted to ask you, do you mind?, what is the nature of Reality?

Lama: Oh, no. That’s fine. I shouldn’t say. I wouldn’t pretend to be able to give you the Buddhist view.

Fox: We figured we’d ask you so you could settle an argument for us. Bärchen and I were up talking last night, as the Moon was stuck on the top of Mount Karakal and I said that the Jesuit and Buddhist views would necessarily splinter along Esoteric and Cultural lines, and at the lamasery they would pick the Buddhist view.

Bärchen: And I said that they would become solely Esoteric, because they could only reconcile the two by going back to First Principles.

Lama: Sure. Then our Teaching is that Reality is God’s Consciousness (or Mind) constantly infusing (maybe you would use the word “inseminating”?) the Body of the Goddess. And the God was born within the Womb of Matter, though He has become Her Lover. Some ask, “do God and Goddess have Mind?” Yes, they have the minds which have been born of their union, but separately, no. Therefore, we must conclude that Existence is born, ultimately, of the Void, which is Infinite Potential. So we guess (by a neat trick of logic) that since anything could happen, something did.

Fox: Yeah, that’s a nice statement of it. I’d go for that. And that’s one for you, Bärchen. Not even a mention of social responsibility in that one. The expectation is to work it out on your own. But you know how difficult that was for us, and we argue Epistemology on vacation.

Bärchen: You da Crazy Bitch!

Fox: [nasally] Why, thank yo!

Bärchen: Ahem! Funny, I only act this way when I’m on vacation with you. Why is that?

Fox: It’s because you need to lighten up a little, Bärchen. So, then, you get to pick where we go today, since you won the bet. [to the Lama] Thank you. That was beautifully put.

Bärchen: Well…Lo-Tsen’s Harpsichord Recital sounds awesome. She’s going to do a selection of Scarlatti’s Harpsichord Sonatas.

Fox: Wowww! In that small adjunct theater that has the glass ceiling with a view of the Mountain?

Bärchen: The very one!

Fox: Why are we standing here? Let’s go!

[… after a recital, a delicious French-Tibetan Fusion lunch, and a walk around the lake…]

Fox: It’s time for the Library!

Bärchen: Is there a particular book you’re looking for?

Fox: No. I get this sense, though, that there might be some strange object there.

Bärchen: Okay, let’s go check it out.

[… they enter the Library and approach the Librarian’s Desk …]

Fox: May we see the Observatory?

Librarian: We don’t have a telescope…

Fox: No, no. A Viewing Room maybe you call it…

Librarian: [looks to see who might be listening] How did you know about that? I’m afraid its use is reserved to the High Lama alone.

Fox: Oh really?! Look. I’ll go easy on ya’ pal. Do you think a dame like me is going to mess things up in there? Hmmmph! So, do I have to start tellin’ someone about what you were doin’ last week, or are you going to cooperate?

Librarian: [nervously clears his throat] Right through those doors over there, Madam. Take all the time you like.

[… in the Observatory …]

Fox: Cozy!

Bärchen: Dark! Where do we sit?

Fox: A few feet in front of that dais. Pull up some pillows and make yourself comfortable… Ready? [in a commanding voice] O Mirror, reveal thyself!

[… a large glowing disk rises out of the dais … it flickers for a moment then displays an image of Mount Karakal…]

Magic Mirror: I hear and I obey. What do you wish to see?

Fox: O Mirror, show us the Temple of Athena Nike, Acropolis, circa 424 BC.

Magic Mirror: Calculating…

Bärchen: [whispers to Fox] Like a bigger version of the one you got us a couple of years ago.

Fox: Uh huh. Isn’t it cool! … Oooh! Just look at the colors on that temple. I wanted to see what they looked like before they started to fade. You can’t see them at all these days after almost 2500 years. Now you take a turn; what do you want to see?

Bärchen: [thinking] Oh! I’ve got it. O Mirror, show us the secret of longevity that is at work here in Shangri-La.

Magic Mirror: Calculating…

Fox: You’re getting good at this, sweetie. You always were very teachable.

Bärchen: Thank you!

Fox: And if you let it go to your head, you know I’ll smack you good?

Bärchen: Uh, huh. [smiles]

[… back in the Library reading room …]

Fox: Look at what I found, Bärchen! Look at this plaque. It’s from the dedication of the Library. [reading…]

It is the entire meaning and purpose of Shangri-La. It came to me in a vision, long, long ago. I saw all the nations strengthening. Not in wisdom, but in the bulk of passions and the will to destroy. I saw the machine column multiplying, until a single weaponed man might match a whole army. I foresaw a time when man, exalting in the technique of murder, would rage so hotly over the world, that every book, every treasure, would be doomed to destruction. This vision was so vivid and so moving, that I determined to gather together all things of beauty and of culture that I could, and preserve them here, against the doom toward which the world is rushing. Look at the world today. Is there anything more difficult? What madness there is! What blindness! What unintelligent leadership! A scurrying mass of bewildered humanity, crashing headlong against each other, propelled by an orgy of greed and brutality. A time must come when this orgy will spend itself. When brutality and the lust for power must perish by its own sword. Against that time, is why I avoided death, and am here. For when that day comes, the world must begin to look for a new life. And it is our hope that they may find it here. For here, we shall be with their books and their music, and a way of life based on one simple rule: Be Kind! When that day comes, it is our hope that the brotherly love of Shangri-La will spread throughout the world. When the strong have devoured each other, the Christian ethic may at last be fulfilled and the meek shall inherit the earth. -High Lama

Bärchen: Wow, it hasn’t quite spent itself yet, that “orgy” I mean. But I think we’re getting very close.

Fox: Hmmm! Sad to watch anything die, especially from cancer. And, see, we were both right to some degree. About the Epistemology I mean. Culturally, they got back to the First Principles of the Jesuit viewpoint… Glad they went with the Buddhist architecture, though.

Bärchen: I know why you like it so much.

Fox: The architecture?

Bärchen: Yeah, you love their color palette, those deep reds with the blues and greens.

Fox: Yes, very similar to the Ancient Greek temples, at least in their pediment and frieze decorations. Funny you should mention it, though. This place has given me some ideas about constructing our own Imaginal Temple.

Bärchen: Tell me more!

Fox: I will, but first a question. In the original novel, “Lost Horizon”, from which this place, Shangri-La, was born, why do you think Conway decided to reject an idyllic future here and leave for a much more difficult one in the outside world?

Bärchen: He just thought it was all too good to be true. It’s funny though.

Fox: Why?

Bärchen: Conway was the High Lama’s choice to be his successor, but why would he choose someone who hadn’t at least started on the Path on his own?

Fox: Yes, I guess the High Lama saw something in Conway that even he himself could not see.

Bärchen: So he thought it would be “take the leap and build your wings on the way down”; that sort of thing?

Fox: Like that, yes. It worked for us, didn’t it?

Bärchen: True. I’m curious what you think we should do if we were ever in that situation? To be invited to succeed as High Lama, I mean.

Fox: That’s a tricky question, Bärchen. When I got us our current gig, I kinda had to sneak us in, under the radar. But I knew what I wanted, and I knew you didn’t have much…okay, any, social capital to leverage. That’s why we’re playin’ these small, low-budget venues. You can blame me.

Bärchen: No, that’s never going to happen. But am I right in thinking this is because of that odd Karma I had, about not being accepted by, well, anyone?

Fox: It’s not that exactly. It’s just that the truth is so bizarre, people shrug it off and go their own way. People on the Path, even, let alone those for whom all this is just so much imaginary shit. Well, it is imaginary, everything is after all, but hopefully it is not shit. But you can’t blame people. The understanding of the Nature of Reality is rather a lot of explosive material to have lying about. It can undo a lot of blockages, but it can undo you if you’re not careful.

Bärchen: If you forget how to walk before you learn to run?

Fox: Exactly. Don’t you remember? You were going straight-up bonkers for quite awhile there, and I sometimes wondered if you were going to pull through. But, to get back to the book, sometimes a story is good at putting life’s choices in stark, “either-or but not both” terms. “Lost Horizon” is like that. Shangri-La is a place to preserve the best the world has to offer, but without any possibility of gaining worldly fame and recognition. And that’s how monastic life is usually marketed.

Bärchen: The way of the householder is a bit more difficult.

Fox: Oh, much! That’s because it’s the fastest method, and the most likely to fail. And you still don’t get recognition with it; in fact, that can be a deadly poison for the householder. But for a lot of us, it’s the only way open; we’ve still got a lot of Social Karma to consider. That said, a girl sure could get used to a place like this.

Bärchen: Yeah, we definitely agree on that. Meanwhile, I don’t mind taking the gigs nobody else wants. You’re definitely making it fun.

Fox: Or I wouldn’t do it. Uh huh.

Bärchen: I guess our both-and answer is to keep traveling with our strange, little Alternative Reality Medicine Show…

Fox: And that’s why we’re also building our Imaginal Temple, for our own “place of refuge” part. Buuut…how about you and I extend our stay here for one more night? We can get back to selling Alternate Reality Snake Oil soon enough.

Bärchen: Ha! No need to coax me.

Fox: I’ll call the front desk then! Oh, and look at this cool refrigerator magnet I got in the Library Gift Store:

ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते |
पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ||
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ||

oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidam pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate .
pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate.
oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ …

That is Whole and this is Whole, the perfect has come out of the perfect; having taken the perfect from the perfect, only the perfect remains. Let there be Peace, Peace, Peace.