Monkey

Foolishness; thoughtlessness; being ruled by impulse; ones instincts; the frivolous surface workings of the mind or expression of frivolous emotion – or impulsive difficult to control urges; greediness and self-centredness; being irrational in the sense of being stupid; mimicking or aping other people or the group, thus being a follower; the struggle involved in becoming conscious.

The monkey can also sometimes depict your primal animal self that existed prior to developing self awareness. So it can indicate the sexual and feeling conditions underlying your present socialised personality. It can in this phase be a wonderful and wise aspect of yourself. Therefore it is sometimes the same as ape. See Mammal Brain

What view have you of it, whether it excites, disgusts or frightens you. Is it funny because it exhibits some aspect of human nature so openly, like monkeys making love in public? Is it to be envied because it is so honest, like the dog growling at someone it doesn’t like or is frightened of, and giving obvious affection to someone it has a link with? With such straightforward questions you can arrive at what your dream monkey represents to you personally.

White monkey: The white monkey is a wonderful representation of the mixture we may feel of our instincts and our collected human experience. The white monkey then becomes a wise teacher who shares insight into our behaviour in a way we can understand. It is, after all ourselves.

Example: One was a monkey with a white ruff. They were like jewels but not expensive.  Moving it produced an amazing display of colours. Sometimes just a sheet of colour, sometimes patterns of colour and radiated light. Never the same colour or pattern.

The man explored his dream and wrote, “I entered the image of the White Haired monkey. I saw things from the vision of the White Haired. It was so simple, so organic and life filled. I am only a finger of life, only a tiny part of the organic, living, whole. I am only one member of a large group. Life, through its living organism, cares. In the group of monkeys, if the mother dies, a sister or brother cares for the baby. Each individual is only one cell in the whole body. If that person goes away or dies, life, in the form of another person, cares for the children, or fills the needs of the adult. John is away from his children and woman. I, as a cell of life, came to Hyone and the children to care. If it were not me it would be someone else, some other life cell.

 Example: The whole crux of the problem is in trying to be everything to someone. Since I have stopped trying to be everything to D. – husband, lover, supplier, strength – I find I have an easy, very relaxed, loving and growing relationship with her. Yet I am trying to be more than I can be with S.

The wisdom of the White Monkey was hell. If we let it, Life, through its members, intertwines. One person’s breast feed us, and others steady as someone else’s intelligence communes with us, while our own being likewise mingles variously in many lives. The secret is today what I can and do in the lives I contact. And also to let other lives come to me, D, S and all our children.

Example: From there I began to see human caring. It was as if I felt myself to be one of a group of monkeys. Within the group life was lived out of ones inner simplicity. But certain aged monkeys could attain a different level of awareness. They were called the White Haired Ones. I could become a White Headed One, but I would have to die in the sense of relinquishing my personal desires, fears and goals. Was I willing to do this? It had elements of risk. It might mean the end of life as I now lived it. But I had to take the risk. I was willing to die.

I became a White Hair. I saw from the vision of the White Haired. It was so simple, so organic and life-filled. I am only a finger of life, only a tiny part of the organic, living, whole. I am only one member of a large group. Life, through its living organism, cares. In the group of monkeys, if the mother dies, a sister or brother cares for the baby. Each individual is only one cell in the whole body. If that person goes away or dies, life, in the form of another person, cares for the children, or fills the needs of the adult.

Example: In this state there was an awareness of being connected with everything around me, in the beginning of creation. This was the first day. Also I was aware of what I felt was a monkey running to keep up with what was me. It was what I had always thought of as the real me, and it was nothing but a monkey that wanted to be the real thing but couldn’t. The monkey me was a photocopy of everything we believe, not the reality. Our conscious mind is a photocopier and yet we are so sure we know reality.’

Example: I dreamt a small animal was clinging to my chest. It gave me the strong feeling of its animal nature, and was like a small bulging eyed monkey or lemur. As it clung it had one of my hands held firmly in its mouth using it as a teat. Its teeth were slightly painful. I knew it did this on account of being frightened, and I, with others, was taking its back from where it had escaped.

The dream clearly shows the vulnerably ‘mammalian’ feelings of the dreamer, and how this part of him is frightened and lost in the human world.

Example: I suddenly remembered I had forgotten the monkey and had this feeling of dread and guilt that there was this thing in my care and I had forgotten it.  This feeling was very strong.  Then someone told me the monkey was here and had followed me.  I then had this flash back in my dream and I saw what had happened as the monkey had followed me.  I had driven in a car and the monkey had constantly run behind the car hiding behind objects (e.g. fences, gates, lampposts) all the way so as not to be seen/caught but keeping the car in sight all the time and darting from one object to the next.

I called the monkey and it came out from its hiding place and ran towards me and jumped into my arms.  This part was very significant to me as it was running towards me I had a fear it would hurt me maybe bite me but as it came into my arms it was soft and affectionate.  This happens again in the dream at least twice more.  I would forget about the monkey but as soon as I remembered it and call it, it would appear.  It would always follow me but would only come to me when I called it.  Each time it appeared to me and ran to me there was this same fear that it would hurt me but each time it was soft and kind and nice to hold.  The dream ended by me waking up.

I feel your dream is portraying something special about how you relate to yourself. Sometimes the monkey is described as being thoughtless mischief maker, but I see something else in your dream. It is that ‘something else’ that has caused you to feel such strong feelings of dread and guilt. In fact there is a lot of love linking you with it and it to you. And I think it could bring tears if you recognise what part of you it is.

That you forgot the monkey shows a struggle between you and the small creature that was willing to keep up with you. It is, I believe, an ancient struggle that few people are aware of. It is the struggle that goes on in each of us between our animal self and our cultured, educated and often tortured mind. Yet it is not a war, but a simple request to be recognised, respected and given a place in your life.

It is a dramatic struggle involved in becoming a conscious and mature person. The struggle is in gradually emerging from the impulsive animal tendencies such as we see in social hierarchy, religious and political groups, one nation fighting another. So the monkey can depict your primal animal self that existed prior to developing self awareness. It can indicate the sexual and feeling conditions underlying your present socialised personality.

But the monkey is also very wise with an instinctive wisdom millions of years old. If you can meet it and help it arise out of its instinctive responses, it gives you wisdom in exchange for the love it gives you. After all, what is human life but a gradual emergence from the processes of life, and often a complete denial of our ancient heritage?

Idioms: Make a monkey of; monkey business; monkey with; monkey tricks; monkey’s uncle; monkey on your back.

Useful Questions and Hints:

Does this monkey express wisdom or pettiness? Try to define what is petty or wise about the monkey.

What activity are you engaged in with the monkey, and what does this suggest/

Are you accepting, rejecting or manipulating the monkey, and in what way does your activity reflect waking attitudes to your natural impulses?

See –   Techniques for Exploring your Dreams – Life – Martial Art of the Mind – Self Help