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Author White transports readers to a sacred ceremony in the Himalayas as the Dalai Lama seeks to ascend to a higher plane of consciousness. His prayers are answered by Chakra, a goddess-like being who appears in the form of a radiant dog. The affable white Labrador often speaks in “sacred sonnets” reminiscent of the sometimes-poetic teachings of Tibetan Buddhist texts.
The lyrically written tale, drawn from tenets of ancient wisdom and White’s flights of fancy, moves from Shamballa to contemporary Australia. Chakra locates two women—Sophie and Elsie, a reporter and a palm reader—whose destinies are bound together as sisters in a previous incarnation. Through her sensitivity to vibratory phenomena in the physical plane, Chakra guides the two women to embrace a higher understanding of the sacred etheric world that exists within the mundane physical world. Elsie, in particular, is near the end of her life and ascends from her physical body into an exalted state. Meanwhile, Sophie continues her life with skills gained from these encounters with realized teachers.
It’s not hard to imagine one's life taking these turns or to consider that the author has personally experienced similar events in her own life. With the fanciful dog Chakra as a primary catalyst of change in the narrative, the novel will appeal greatly as a significant teaching story for young adults as well as adult readers. White’s rich, descriptive prose and her skillful handling of the spiritual discoveries and realizations of the charming characters make this book a pleasure and a treasure for enthusiasts of Eastern philosophy and visionary fiction alike.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review