Canku Ota

(Many Paths)

An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America

November 2, 2002 - Issue 73

Thunderhawk - Cowrate - Ancient Art of the Bovine's - Part 3

At this point in the story the little mice were again getting sort of "wiggly" and Penny suggested that they take another break. Moose Lee agreed and dismissed the mice for a ten-minute recess. As Paddy was walking away he looked at Michayla and said, "Yuk!" That last part was too mooshy for me!" Michayla said, "Paddy, that was soooo sad. How can you say that? Poor Mr. Nishioka. I almost cried." Paddy said, "Yuk!" and ran away shaking his head in disgust.

As all the mice returned to hear more about the history of Cowrate they saw another man standing with Moose Lee and Two Eagles. Moose Lee said, "I'd like to introduce a mighty Apache Warrior to you. His name is Andrew Daly and he has just returned from a mission helping spread Cowrate to Native American children from other tribes far away in a place called California. We are honored to have him back here for awhile." As they all looked At Andrew the Apache he smiled and nodded a greeting to them all.

Then Moose Lee continued with the history of Cowrate.

The Return Home

Mooses had learned a great deal in her nine years away from home. She had all but forgotten about her friends back in India. Now that her return was imminent she was really excited about seeing them again. The trip was long and Mooses didn't arrive near her home village until late at night. She found a comfortable place to rest so that she would be refreshed the following morning when she went to find her family and friends.

That first night she had strange dreams. In her dreams, it was difficult to tell if the dream was real or just a dream. She saw herself as a cow once again and the image was not attractive. She had grown very accustomed as to her human image and admired it, becoming very comfortable in it. Her dreams included being happily married to Master Nishioka. Her life had become a confusing mixed up blend of many different thoughts. At one point, she even began to doubt as to whether or not she even wanted to continue her Spiritual mission.

At first light, she awakened. She was in her human form. She had to begin a deep meditation in order to refocus her life. The meditation was very helpful and Mooses felt completely refreshed afterward. She had regained her appreciation of whom and what she really was and was once again looking forward to resuming her Spiritual journey. The next part of the journey would be the long trip to Russia, to part the sea and cross over into the land called North America to seek the Native American Indian people and spread the art of cow-rate to the cows on that part of Mother Earth. This part of the journey was a bit confusing to Mooses. Jakob and Kali had given her little information about that portion of her journey, except that she was to spread Spirituality to the bovines in that area of the great Mother Earth.

Later that morning, Mooses began walking down the road to her village in her bovine form. Things appeared very different. There were no cows working the fields. She noticed a cow standing in the road and asked the bovine where her friends might be located. The cow slowly looked toward Mooses and told her that the two friends about which she was inquiring had died. Mooses felt very surprised and deeply saddened by this news. Then she asked the cow how things were going for the bovines of India. Again, the cow moved very slowly, turning her head toward Mooses. The cow said, "Who are you, anyway?" Mooses replied, "I am Mooses." The cows face lit up and her eyes drew wide open. She said, "Are you THE MOOSES? The Mooses who worked with the Holy ones, Kali and Jakob, to set the bovines of India free from our human overseers?"

Mooses felt a little awkward, but answered "Yes." The cow shook her head from side to side then up and down. She said, "I am truly honored." As she spoke, she bowed respectfully to Mooses. Mooses again felt a little funny but bowed politely in return. The cow said, "My name is Ryka. The other cows of the village and I wondered if you really even existed, or if this was all a Legend of some sort. Were you really off in other countries? Are you really going to lead a Holy mission of cows to a far away land in order to set the bovines of that land free?"

Mooses asked the cow, Ryka to slow down with all of her questions. Mooses told Ryka how tired she was from the long, long journey back home and that it would be best for her to rest for the time being. Ryka agreed and walked eagerly towards the village, obviously quite excited that she would be the one to "spread the news" that Mooses had returned!

Mooses went to sit under a shade tree to rest; she hadn't rested for a very long time. Suddenly she sensed quite a commotion in the direction of the village. As she moved a little bit to get a better look, she saw approximately forty cows running in her direction, causing a huge dust cloud to rise into the air as they approached. Poor Mooses. She could only guess what the meaning of this was. As the cows approached, Mooses saw Ryka at the head of the herd leading them in Mooses direction. Ryka shouted, "There she is now!" The other cows started asking soooo many questions. Poor Mooses, she tried to listen but heard only jumbled sounds as all of the cows were talking at once. Mooses smiled politely and sort of bobbed her head up and down as if to seem agreeable. What Mooses finally gathered from the excited cows was that they all thought that she was going to take other cows along with her and each of these cows wanted to volunteer. Finally Mooses began to speak. As she began to speak, all of the cows started saying, "Shhhhh! Mooses is going to speak!" Mooses was amazed and suddenly her voice stopped. As she looked at the cows their eyes were wide open, they were all listening so intently. It was as though they thought Mooses was the Great Creator!

Then, Mooses began to speak. She guessed that she should make her voice sound really Spiritual in order to appease the seemingly crazed bovines! As she spoke, she said, "I am Mooses. Twelve years ago, Jakob appeared to me in a vision...", before she could finish, the other cows were talking wildly amongst themselves, "Did you hear that? Jakob appeared to her in a vision! Holy cow!". As the murmuring and talking died back down, Mooses began to speak again saying, "Jakob then appeared a second night and brought along the great and mighty Kali...", then the cows erupted in discussion a second time. "Did you hear that? Then Jakob appeared with Kali! Holy cow!" After the bovines settled down again, Mooses began to speak once again, "Jakob and Kali appointed me to go on a most Holy and Spiritual journey..." The cows interrupted yet a third time. They said, "Did you hear that? She was to go on a Holy and Spiritual journey! Holy cow!". Again, once the bovines settled back down, poor Mooses began to speak once more, "I have been to China, Korea and Japan, learning about their various forms of cow-rate..." This time, the bovines interrupted wildly, "DID YOU HEAR THAT??? She was in China, Korea and Japan...learning their style's of COW-RATE!!! HOLYYYYY COW !!!"

Mooses was very tired and this was becoming distressing. She quickly turned herself into an eagle and soared away. As she departed, she heard the bovines absolutely going wild after seeing her transform herself into a bird and flying away from them like that. As she looked back, she saw that they were trying to run after her. She needed rest desperately so she flew far enough away to find a remote and safe place to rest. As she rested, she thought about the bovines that she had just encountered and how complicated her life had suddenly become. Again, she began longing for the simple life she had enjoyed as a human, learning and practicing martial arts. Now her life had turned completely upside down. She did not realize it at the time, but when she turned herself into the eagle and flew away, she sent the cows scurrying everywhere with wild stories about what had transpired that afternoon. Then stories grew wilder, and wilder as if they were playing the game of "gossip".

Mooses rested for several days and then returned to her village. As she approached the village she turned herself into her bovine form. The first cow that Mooses saw was Ryka. Ryka at first was very tentative. The stories had spread far and wide and had become preposterous. Ryka was obviously nervous. Mooses began to speak to Ryka and Ryka remained still. Mooses said, "Are you alright Ryka?". Ryka meekly nodded her head up and down as to affirm that she was okay. Mooses went on to say, "Ryka, I am prepared to make the next part of my Spiritual journey, which is to travel to Russia and cross over to the place called North America. I cannot take a bunch of bovines with me. The journey is too far and too dangerous.". Ryka nodded her head up and down as if she agreed with Mooses. If I take any other bovines I will only take only one.". Ryka nodded her head up and down as if she understood Mooses. Then Mooses stunned Ryka by saying, "Ryka, I would like to ask you to accompany me on this Spiritual mission." Ryka's head tilted sharply to the side in a look of a confused puppy. Mooses said, "Ryka? Are you okay Ryka?" Ryka sort of nodded her head up and down as if to say that she was okay. Mooses went on to say, "Ryka, If you want to go, I need for you to become a mootial arts expert, as well as a deeply Spiritual serene being. Ryka, I will teach you many things we both will need for the journey in order to spread our message to the bovines of the faraway land called North America."

Ryka began to emerge from her state of shock. She asked Mooses if she could go tell her friends. Mooses told her that there was no time and she did not want other bovines interfering with their departure, so they left immediately.

The Long, Hard Journey

As Mooses and Ryka left the village one of the other cows had seen them together, so of course, the village was alive with wild stories and gossip about the two. It didn't matter as far as the journey was concerned but throughout India Ryka would now attain a legendary status among the bovines also.

The trip was going to be very long and extremely hard. The trip would take at least three months. It would take the two bovine's across some of the most treacherous landscape in the world. Additionally, once they left their beloved India, they would no longer be held as sacred and could easily be killed or forced into hard labor. Furthermore, there were plenty of predators that would be dangerous to the two bovines safety along the way.

The trip itself seemed absolutely impossible, let alone did the ultimate goal of raising the Spiritual level of bovines on the other side of the world seem to be realistic. Mooses knew that Ryka wasn't really physically tough enough for such a venture but her hopes were that Ryka would be tough enough mentally and with Moosess training along the way, Ryka could become both physically and spiritually tough enough to make it. The first part of the trip was going to be across the foreboding Himalayan Mountains. Then on through Tibet, then China, and as they approached Mongolia they would have to contend with a portion of the Gobi Desert. Then it would be on into Russia. The trip through Russia would be very tough also, including briefly crossing the Arctic Circle as they pressed on toward the Bering Straight, which separates the Arctic Ocean from the Bering Sea. It was at this point, that Jakob and Kali had instructed Mooses to part the sea and cross over into North America. The sea is very deep at this point and the task appeared to be very difficult if not impossible.

As Mooses and Ryka began their long journey, Mooses was afraid that Ryka would drive her crazy with all of her endless chatter and meaningless questions. Mooses politely responded but never initiated any conversation. After the two started to ascend the Himalayan Mountains, Ryka's talking reduced to almost a whisper. Finally, Mooses could begin to train her. The first thing that Mooses said to Ryka was that she needed to conserve energy so talking was to be kept at an absolute minimum. Mooses began regular stops for resting and she began to teach Ryka about meditation. Meditation would become very important for the bovines in maintaining self will and a clear mind. It would be easy for Ryka's inexperience and fears to get the best of her so the meditation lessons were very important. One of the next things Ryka had to learn was to eat and drink only enough food and water to be satisfied. She was no longer allowed to eat or drink so much that she became too stuffed to continue, or too stuffed to be able to move with as much skill, speed & agility that she was capable of creating in this early part of her training.

As the two bovine's traveled they began to encounter serious obstacles. Two unattended bovines were seemingly easy prey, both for humans who wanted to enslave them and snow leopards who wanted to eat them! Mooses was able to handle all of these situations but ultimately elected to assume a human form in order to minimize the tiring encounters. She elected to take the form of a large rugged looking female who appeared to be of Mongolian ancestry. She was an intimidating and formidable looking woman!

As their journey progressed, the two mutually agreed that Ryka would carry supplies on her back for eating and basic survival. While the additional weight would be a factor, the value of having supplies far outweighed the negatives. The two pressed on through unbearable conditions. The weather in the Himalaya's can be very unpredictable and deadly. Unfortunately, heavy snow and severe cold beset the two weary travelers. On the second night in the extremely bitter weather, Ryka stumbled and fell. She was frightened and rapidly losing her spirit to live.

Mooses knelt down by her friend and tried to comfort her. The bitter cold wind howled and blew snow everywhere. As midnight approached, Ryka began to convulse and cry out in agony. Mooses couldn't go far from her side because she would be unable to find her again in these horrendous conditions. Mooses began to panic. She saw that Ryka was going to die very quickly if she didn't do something. Mooses cried out in exasperation. Suddenly, Kali appeared in a blinding light. She said hello to her trusted friend Mooses. Mooses implored Kali to help poor Ryka. Ryka was aware of what was going on; even in her state of desperation, she understood that Kali had appeared. Ryka cried out to Kali, asking her to forgive her and spare her life.

Kali spoke soothingly to Ryka, saying, "Hush my dear Ryka. It is not yet your time. There is a warm barn very close by. I will tell Mooses how to get you there. Once you are safely inside the barn I will reappear to you upon your awakening. Rest now my brave Ryka." With that, Kali touched Ryka on the head and the bovine fell into a deep, deep sleep. Kali turned to Mooses and said, "Mooses, there is a warm barn about 30 yards in that direction. I will help you move her into the barn. She will sleep for two days. The storm will pass and the skies will clear. There is plenty for you and Ryka to eat and drink in the barn. She will recover within the week, so pack up your supplies and prepare to move as soon as she is well enough to travel. Another terrible storm will be here within the next few weeks and you must move quickly."

Kali helped Mooses move Ryka. As she had promised, there was a sturdy and comfortable barn very close by. Once inside Mooses closed the door, sealing the bitter weather on the outside. It seemed odd to Mooses as there were no humans or animals nearby. Just this sturdy old barn in the middle of nowhere! As Mooses looked around she saw that again, as Kali had promised, there were plenty of supplies including food and water. Mooses bowed and thanked Kali. With the thank you and the bow, Kali smiled. She assured Mooses that for now, everything was fine, but to beware and remain alert for the remainder of the journey. With that, Kali bowed and disappeared.

Mooses felt happy about Kali's help, but her final words wore heavy on her mind. Mooses trained hard during Ryka's deep sleep. She continuously checked on her friend to make sure that she was alright. On the third day, as predicted, Ryka awakened. Her eyes burst open wide. Mooses was at her side. Ryka looked up at Mooses and smiled. Mooses smiled back and greeted her friend. Ryka said, "I saw Kali!". Mooses told her all that had happened and Ryka was amazed. She felt better but was very weak. On the fourth day after her awakening, Ryka began training again. She was feeling very restless by then.

Suddenly, in a blinding light, Kali appeared again. Both Mooses and Ryka bowed deeply to her. She bowed in return. Ryka fell to the ground and cried. She thanked Kali over and over again for coming to her rescue. Kali touched Ryka lightly on the head and immediately her crying stopped. Kali told her to arise and Ryka did so bowing reverently. Kali looked at both Mooses and Ryka for a few silent moments then began speaking, saying, "You both are very brave. You have undertaken a mission that holds future of the entire bovine race squarely within the success or failure of your mission. You have faced many obstacles thus far and have mastered each one. The storm was grueling, but fortunately I was able to offer some assistance. There will be more dire challenges on the rest of your journey. You must stay alert, maintaining complete awareness and utilize your intelligence to avert deadly consequences along the way. You must never forget the vital importance of the successful completion of your journey. Jacob and I will be praying for you. I must go now. Best wishes for a safe and successful journey. Farewell.". Then Kali disappeared from their sight.

Mooses and Ryka remained silent for a long period of time just staring at the spot where Kali had stood. Then, slowly, they each tuned their heads to look at each other. They each smiled and then went about preparing for their departure. They packed up as many supplies as Ryka would be able to handle. Then they left the barn and resumed their journey.

They were on a narrow trail that lead through the Himalaya's. As they approached a sharp bend in the trail Ryka looked back to where the barn had once been and much to her surprise it had vanished! She stopped cold in her tracks. Mooses, who was in her Mongolian human form was leading Ryka with a rope and felt the sudden tug. As Mooses looked back she saw Ryka's mouth wide open and her eyes fixed upon the spot where the barn structure had once been. As Mooses looked back she was also amazed to see nothing there. The two looked at each other and grinned, shaking their heads in a "yes" manner. Each seemed to realize what had occurred. Then they continued their journey.

The weather was clear and cold. The two moved at a pace that each felt comfortable with. It was rapid but not all consuming. For the first few days they took regular breaks in order to help Ryka regain her strength and agility.

Into Tibet

As time passed they began to descend from the Himalaya's and into Tibet. The air was no longer as thin, although travel in Tibet maintains various altitudes. Their breathing was becoming easier. This helped speed up travel significantly. As they made their way across Tibet human encounters became more frequent. In certain instances, whereby the two sensed danger, they simply hid or took routes around potential threats. One encounter was very memorable for the two. As they made their way along a high narrow trail they came upon two men who were in clothing that Mooses knew meant that they were probably monks.

The two Tibetan monks seemed to sense something unusual about Mooses and Ryka. Mooses bowed politely and the monks bowed in return. The weather was beginning to look very formidable. Mooses and Ryka had been worrying about keeping a good pace but the approaching storm had been overtaking them. The time spent with the two curious monks seemed important at this point so they waited for the monks to continue on. The two monks looked hard and long; first at Ryka and then at Mooses. One of the monks walked slowly toward Ryka. Ryka, with no experience with monks became extremely nervous. The man seemed peaceful enough but she was still nervous. As the man approached, he slowly lifted up his right arm and gently placed his right hand on Ryka's head. An eerie, tingling sensation began to slowly emanate through Ryka. It began in her head and then slowly working it's way back through her neck, shoulders, chest and all the way to the tip of her tail. While this was happening, Mooses just looked on in silence.

When the tingling reached the tip of Ryka's tail, the man suddenly withdrew his hand. Ryka felt a rushing of energy flowing through her body. It was an unbelievable feeling! Suddenly she felt utterly refreshed. The man stepped back and was smiling broadly. The four just sort of stood silently looking at one another. Then, the wind began to pick up and some snow started to fall. The two monks both looked up at the clouds. They each stared for several moments. Then they each looked at Ryka and Mooses. Much to Ryka and Mooses's surprise, without a word being spoken, they understood the gentle monks to ask them to come with them and seek shelter from the storm at their monastery. Mooses looked at Ryka and Ryka looked at Mooses, each smiling. They seemed to know that the monks understood their sense of relief and gratitude for the offer. Again, without a word or sound spoken, the two understood the monks asking for them to follow.

The monks took Mooses and Ryka on a path that was not obvious from the regular trail. They began to ascend the winding, narrow path. The path appeared to end at a steep cliff. Ryka and Mooses both stopped short in their tracks. The monks each smiled gently. Mooses and Ryka each clearly understood them to say not to worry and the monks began walking towards the cliff. As they got to the edge they slowly turned around and motioned for Ryka and Mooses to follow. The monks now appeared to be walking on air. Ryka was frozen in her spot. Mooses however, began to follow. Ryka cried out for Mooses to stop. Mooses turned to Ryka and smiledand then began walking towards the cliff again. As Mooses got to the edge Ryka's heart felt like it was going to explode. Much to Ryka's surprise Mooses also seemed to be walking on air! Mooses turned to Ryka and motioned for her to follow. Ryka slowly and hesitantly began to walk towards the edge of the cliff. Mooses had waited for her. Ryka closed her eyes and carefully stepped into what seemed like a cloud. Instead of falling to her death she was quite surprised to feel her hooves land on a soft, impossible to describe surface. As she and Mooses took a few steps forward they saw the monks smiling and waiting for them. The monks waived their arms in the air. Much to Mooses and Ryka's amazement an indescribably beautiful monastery appeared right before their eyes! How could it be that they couldn't see it before, Ryka wondered to herself. Then one of the monks replied, again without speaking a word, "There are many things in this world that creatures and man cannot understand. Just as you could not understand how your companion, Mooses was able to change her physical form the first time, yet you and the other cows saw her change into a bird to escape your questions. There are many, many things that you cannot understand at your current level of spirituality." Ryka and Mooses were stunned. How could this monk know anything about them? Even with Mooses's vast knowledge and high level of spirituality she could not explain this!

The monks walked toward the great monastery with Ryka and Mooses following. The double doors to the beautiful building slowly opened, revealing an incredible sight. The monastery was absolutely stunning. There were more monks inside. They all bowed with great respect and humility to the monks that had brought Ryka and Mooses. Once inside, the two monks turned to look at Ryka and Mooses. Without speaking, they again communicated. They asked the two to follow them into a great room. The room was perfectly round with two doors; one directly across from the other. The door opened as the monks approached, yet there was no one there to open it! As the four entered the room the door closed slowly behind them, again, with no one there. The two monks sat on the floor. Mooses instinctively sat with them. Ryka laid down on the floor, facing them with her legs folded underneath her body. The monks again looked at Mooses and Ryka and without speaking indicated to them, "Do not be afraid. We are simple men of peace and serenity. Our lives have been devoted to spiritual harmony as have the generations of our descendants before us. What we have learned is not possible for anyone or any thing to learn in their lifetime. We were born at a spiritual level that no normal being would ever be able to attain in their lifespan. Then, by dedicating our lives to the extension of this level of existence, we have been able to significantly advance our abilities. When we first met you on the trail, you were kind enough to be peaceful and still, allowing us to peer deeply inside of your very existence. We do this in harmony with the Universe. Our thoughts and actions are pure, therefore what we do is without expectations or ulterior motives. As we looked into your souls we were able to read, as though your life were an open book, everything about you and your experiences, even the way that you perceived those experiences. For example, we were able to relive Mooses's emotional experience with the great Master Nishioka." Mooses eyes opened so wide that they nearly popped out of her head but she remained silent. Then the monks addressed Ryka without speaking, "Ryka, we were able to experience your dramatic near death experience recently, when the great Kali appeared to assist you." Now it was Ryka's turn to be amazed!

"We are aware of your journey and we would like to make a recommendation about the region called Siberia. In passing through this area you will enter a desolate section of land that will carry you to the Bering Strait. We feel that you would be wise to consider spending some time here training and increasing your knowledge, both for your journey and for the mission that you are currently on."

Ryka and Mooses looked at each other and sort of nodded their heads in an affirmative manner. The monks were pleased. Ryka and Mooses would spend six important months at the monastery. The monks took them in as though they had known them all of their lives. Ryka learned the advanced technique of transforming her body to that of other creatures. It could be valuable on the journey. Mooses learned an ancient art called "teleporting" which is the ability to move one's body instantaneously from one spot to another in time of extreme danger. It was far too advanced for Ryka but Mooses was thankful to be able to learn it.

The six months passed quickly. One day, Mooses instinctively knew that it was time to go. She spoke to Ryka softly, letting her know that the time had come and that they would need to let the monks know that they would be leaving. As they emerged from their room where they had been staying into the grand courtyard their eyes beheld a strange sight. All of the monks were already assembled to bid them farewell. It was an emotional time. They had all enjoyed their time together.

The two monks who had originally met them six months earlier escorted Mooses and Ryka back to the trail. Ryka and Mooses thanked them and bowed before them. The monks smiled, bowed and were suddenly gone from sight. Ryka and Mooses looked at each other, smiled and then shook their heads back and forth in a slow disbelieving manner. What a wonderful experience it had been. For Ryka, it was beyond her previous, wildest imagination. For Mooses, it was a cherished memory that was a continuation of so many others before.

The End - Part 3

© 1997 Geoff Hampton

Geoff Hampton is an internationally known author, speaker, motivator and business consultant. He is the Marketing Director for Indian Voices newspaper which serves Southern California and Nevada. Hampton is also a regular columnist for the wellness business Website www.fitcommerce.com. He can be reached by E-mail at GEOFFLHAMPTON@aol.com.

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