Howl Are You?

I fell in love with monkeys at a very young age.  This is a photo of me around 7 years old holding “Charmin Carmen,” who lived in a pet store in Miami, Florida. For many years in my youth, I had the good fortune of spending several weeks every summer with Helen and Jimmy Keenan, who were friends of my parents. Every year, we had a visit with this precious Squirrel Monkey. She always had on a little dress and a clean diaper. I can still remember the feeling of her furry arms around my neck, and her wild scent. I would shake with excitement and joy while holding her.

Much later in my life on a vacation in Costa Rica, I volunteered at a Wildlife Sanctuary on the Osa Peninsula, where monkeys lived. I helped with cleaning the cages, and as I was cleaning a baby Howler Monkey’s cage, he climbed up onto my head. The woman who ran the sanctuary advised me that I must not touch the baby monkey because he would bite me. She suggested that I sit down and wait until this little rascal decided that my head was no longer interesting. 

That was fine until he decided to turn around, which situated his little anus right over my nose, and it smelled horrible!  It took every bit of discipline, meditation, and stamina to sit still and endure this nauseating odor. Finally, he crawled over to his perch, and I flew out of that cage with the screaming meemies. I can still remember that smell, too! 

The animal wisdom of Monkey is playfulness and cheekiness. They are seen as Tricksters in many cultures, due to their mischievous nature. They are also connected with intelligence and deep knowledge. There are many stories of Monkey in many culture’s folklore, such as Hanuman in Indian mythology, who represented bravery, strength, and selfless service.

Due to their resourcefulness, you can call on Monkey to help with problem-solving.  Let the medicine of Monkey teach you how to swing among obstacles.