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There are higher powers guiding us throughout our life – we have always instinctively known this. They can be gods – some see them as natural forces, some as the divine – even though the names change – they are ultimately the same thing. We used to devote hours to understanding them, learning from them, even worshiping them. In the modern age, we have decided that nothing affects us. We have become self-proclaimed gods. We forgot that we are in a constant connection with everything that surrounds us.
Living without paying any attention to the divine left us feeling empty and constantly searching. That is why we are working on our connection to nature again. We are trying to rediscover the knowledge the ancients had – to live as one with the divine. Let yourself be inspired by nature, trust your intuition and it will share its timeless knowledge with you! Since you are on this page – you are already on the right path! Study the universal symbolism and trust your intuition – it will change your life!
This article focuses on the Spirit Animal Monkey, its symbolism, personality traits, ways to reconnect with it, and more.
Monkeys are playful, curious, adaptive, intelligent, and trickery animals. They tend to live in groups with a clear hierarchy. Most people see them as easy-going, fun-loving animals – but monkeys have a lot more to offer as a guide. They are associated with higher knowledge and the transition from one state to another – a symbol of growth and change. It will remind you of the importance of enjoying life as it is and having fun, as well as how to adapt to any situation and grow from it. The monkey, as a spiritual animal, is a resourceful and balanced guide. It will bring fun, knowledge, and support to you. You will learn how to work in a group with unspoken rules, how to have fun like when you were a child, and how to achieve any goal you’ve set – because you can adapt to any situation.
If you feel like you relate to this animal and its traits or want to channel them in your life, keep reading this article – to find a way to understand how to use and find them.
Meaning and Symbolism of Monkey As Spirit Animal
If you relate to the Spirit Guide Monkey – you are most likely easy-going, intelligent, temperamental, playful, resourceful, and adaptive. Those qualities put together make you a rather difficult to put in a box individual. You have a lot of paradoxical characteristics – you are calm and easygoing but can also react swiftly, fun but also intelligent, creative, and serious. It is challenging to grasp the whole personality of the monkey. However, the balance of both of these sides is what brings you true power through intelligence. It’s truly magical to have so many sides of your personality in one place!
Here are some facts about them that may surprise you and help you see the whole picture of their character. Monkeys are social creatures – they are friendly and calm unless you disrespect their boundaries. They will teach you that happiness is an entirely you-related activity. Learning to be content with your life and thrive in a group is a serious task. The monkey knows how to entertain and be serious at the same time – it knows how to enjoy life alone while being an active member of a group. An interesting fact about monkeys is that they use grooming as a token of affection. They take care of each other – that’s how they show their love. That is an important skill we can all learn from them.
The monkey – evolutionary speaking – has mainly lived in the trees. It embodies the Element Earth and Air– it is resilient, goal-goal oriented, stable, creative, protective, playful, temperamental, intelligent, and adaptive. Combined with their ability to use tools and progressively learn – the monkey is a balanced opponent and a powerful ally. With this spirit guide, you will learn, expand your potential, and have a fun time while doing it! It’s the perfect balance of understanding life and therefore not taking it so seriously!
Characteristics and Personality
The Spirit Animal Monkey will help you rediscover your creativity. Its adaptiveness, caringness, ambition, and playfulness, will inspire you to find these qualities in yourself. The monkey will take care of your inner child. It will remind you how free you felt when you were playing, pretending, or just spending time with friends when you were younger. Sometimes your inner child needs healing, and the monkey will guide you on this path.
When you were young, you used to get excited – you saw life as a fun place – as a playground. Everything seemed easy and pleasurable. With time we forget what that meant. Maybe you got scolded on the way, you needed to be serious, or someone told you: “Aren’t you a bit too old for this?”. To be fair, it makes no sense to put an age limit on fun.
The monkey will bring joy and color into your life. It will support you in the way of healing your inner child. You will learn that you can be serious and do fun and random things simultaneously.
When you are healing and acknowledging all of your soul, and you have learned how to rely on yourself for your happiness while forming meaningful connections – you will tap into your divine power. That is the goal of the monkey – to guide you on your journey of improvement and self-love.
Having fun is a sign of confidence and self-care. You will learn how to feel secure in your skin and your abilities. The monkey will show you how to be balanced and content.
These animals represent:
- Playfulness
- Adaptation
- Intelligence
- Creativity
- Inner Child
- Balance
- Happiness
- Confidence
Monkey Spirit Animal Positive Powers
Inner Child: Your inner child is the little voice inside of you. It sounds a lot like your younger self. No matter how old we grow, we carry our younger selves within us day-to-day. Perhaps our hurt 5-year-old self shows up when our best friend doesn’t answer our phone call, or our misunderstood 15-year-old self comes out when a colleague doesn’t see eye to eye. Caring for this younger version of ourselves is what inner child work is all about. The spirit guide monkey can help you see and understand your temperamental side. Try to approach it caringly. Remember that you will be dealing with a child – it isn’t in any way responsible for what it was put through. Ultimately – it learned about its surrounding world at that age. You might not be happy with what it learned – but it is in no way to be taken accountable for it. The monkey understands your inner child – it understands how to love and nurture it. It will teach you how to fulfill your inner child’s needs – to become a healthier and happier person now.
Maybe you were told to be more serious, to talk less, to be more social, to do something useful, and so on. We all have similar examples – our parents were trying their best, but their words somehow stayed with you. And now you hear this little voice that is telling you: “I want to do something fun!”, but you automatically think that fun isn’t responsible, so you suppress it. Well, unless you learn how to fulfill the needs of your inner child – you will always compensate for them and be somewhat restricted and blank. The monkey will teach you that it is okay to have silly moments and still be serious and intelligent. To be truly wise you shouldn’t take yourself seriously – because you will know that you are just a mere moment in time and nothing more. Try to enjoy life as it is right now, try to have fun, and embrace your inner child’s desires.
Playfulness: Playfulness is an important activity. You explore the world in a new and fun way. The monkey knows how important it is to relax and explore. When you try new and entertaining things out – your brain creates a new connection between the neurons. In other words, you might learn something unexpected from known things. You will connect the information in a new way.
Playfulness has a creative impact on us – when there are little to no rules and you are free to express yourself – you create something fun and unexpected. It’s important to do pleasurable things often, even if they sound ridiculous to some people. For example – remember that toy you always wanted as a child – get one, who will stop you. Even if you play with it for 20min – the enjoyment you get from it is enough. Try to take life in a less serious matter. After all, we have a limited time here – might as well be the most random, authentic, and creative version of ourselves! The monkey will guide you on this path.
Intelligence: These animals have a closer connection to the spiritual realm. Their wisdom gives them this easy-going energy. Because of their higher understanding of life – they have the freedom to express all of their personality traits. The most important one of them is their understanding of life. It is an ongoing process, but we are just a small dot in it. How marvelous is it to think that you have very little impact on the universe – your responsibility is to experience it. The spirit guide monkey knows that – it is in touch with this higher wisdom and enjoys life each day. We can all learn to slow down and appreciate life as it is. Your place in the universe is important for this moment specifically – but you need to express yourself shamelessly and proudly to have the intended impact..
Balance: Balance comes from accepting both sides in yourself. Every quality that you have comes with another as an after-effect. For example, if you are ambitious, you might be more self-centered. Try to understand that if you take one trait out of your personality another will suffer. Another example is that if you make an introverted person more social – they may become less creative, less caring – maybe something completely different, but there will be a consequence. The idea is not to completely cut off something you already have within – it is to balance it. The monkey has found this perfect state and will teach you how to achieve it!
Monkey Spirit Animal Negative Powers
Immature: The monkey is immature at times – that is the result of its playful and easy-going nature. It is important to find the balance with those qualities – like with any other. While it can be useful to be carefree and to do fun activities, there are responsibilities that you will be held accountable for. You can’t always shy away from serious conversations and tasks because they seem too complicated. Challenges are what make us grow mentally. Try to understand that there is a time for everything. The balance of your personality traits demands it.
Temperamental: Because they are so in touch with their inner child – the monkeys can be temperamental. They can react abruptly to any situation without putting a lot of thought into it. Try to remember that being in touch with your feelings is wonderful, but letting them control your life is chaotic. The monkey is absorbed by its emotional world, which makes it highly reactive to everything without considering the consequences. Taking action is a vital step – but only after at least some consideration of the affect it will have.
Monkey as an Animal Totem
A Monkey totem reminds you to be: adaptive, playful, easy-going, creative, in touch with your inner world, and balanced. When you want to embody some of the traits that this animal represents – keep a symbol of it nearby. Remember: it doesn’t have to be anything out of the ordinary – it can be in the form of jewelry, art, written words, or anything you associate with this animal. Therefore, any object that reminds you of it can be a totem.
Having a monkey totem in your home will bring harmony, excitement, self-improvement, healing, creativity, emotional intelligence, and joy to you and the people around you. If you keep it somewhere you look at often – you will become more balanced.
How to Call the Animal Spirit of Monkey for Help?
Whenever you want help from your Spirit Guide, take a totem of it with you. If you aren’t working on a specific quality that this animal represents and just want help with a decision – the best way to get in touch with your guide is through visualization and meditation. You can try to imagine what it is like to be a monkey – if that is too difficult – then try being in the presence of one. Think about how it behaves, how it moves, try to be inspired by it. If you have troubles visualizing and meditating altogether- ask for a sign. Ask it to make itself known by a specific signal in real life to guide you. You can ask for something that seems a bit unnatural to occur as a sign – but have no expectations of how and when you will receive it.
How Does an Animal Spirit Make Itself Known?
Your Spirit Guides give you information from other spiritual realms. Understandably, it is more complicated to translate it into our language or into physical signs accurately – because some of their messages are unnoticed – they aren’t out of the ordinary. That is why we should learn to see them and decode them.
A good beginning is to notice when and where you see this animal. Don’t forget to ask yourself clarifying questions that will help you understand the divine timing.
The Spirit Animal Monkey can make itself known in any reality – dreams, visions, and real-life situations. For example: seeing it in art or on clothes, reading about it, hearing about it on the news, tv shows, or from a random conversation, often encounters with the same animal, a person randomly mentioning it, or receiving a figure of them. Trust the divine timing and listen to your intuition when it comes to understanding it.
How to Understand Your Spirit Animal’s Message
Because your guides send you messages that are specifically designed for you – the most accurate way to understand what they mean is to ask yourself and to trust your intuition. It can be a frustrating process, it can also be easier and faster to rely on universal symbolism, but in the end, nothing can compare to your associations and beliefs. The messages are in tune with your whole being – past, present, and future. Therefore you hold the key to understanding them.
Every detail is highly important: the time, place, situation, surroundings, atmosphere, and so on. Take your time to work it through. An accurate way to start is to notice how you feel about the message and then start working out why you feel like that. Trust the divine timing and dig deep into your thoughts and memories.
Meaning of Monkey in Dreams
Our minds and bodies react the same way to dreams and thoughts as to reality. Therefore, whatever our thoughts generate or what we experience, decoding it follows the same logic. The messages are highly personal – and only you can fully understand yours. That is why you should mainly rely on your intuition, but if you are having troubles general symbolism might bring some clarity.
Here are some examples of what a dream might mean:
When monkeys appear in our dreams, they are a reminder of our subconscious that we need more fun and adventure in our lives. They are often a calling to take time off of everything and everyone and simply relax.
Monkeys in dreams symbolize instincts, deceit, intuition, betrayal, playfulness, immaturity, and childish behavior. They also remind us to nurture bonds with family and friends.
If you dreamed of a monkey on a branch, that dream is often a sign of something pressuring you from inside.
If you dreamed you had a monkey for a pet, that dream is a bad sign. It often indicates that you are overwhelmed with fear and worries.
The most accurate meaning is yours! Take some time, journal your thoughts, meditate on them – it will bring some clarity. Remember that sometimes you need to take the longer path to gain a reward.
Meaning of Monkey in Various Mythologies
One of the most popular Hindu gods is Hanuman the Monkey, in some tales said to be an incarnation of Shiva. He is revered for his bravery, strength, loyalty, devotion, and dedication to justice.
Monkey lore in China predates Buddhism, for the Monkey appears in the Chinese Zodiacal beliefs, believed by scholars to date to around 1100BC. In some parts of China, the Monkey is worshipped as the “Great Sage Equal to Heaven.”3 Of interest is also that the rough Western equivalent for the Chinese astrological sign of Monkey is the sign of Leo (which I am).
In Japan, the monkey was alternately a messenger to the gods or a physical manifestation of a god. The origin of the three monkeys, “Speak No Evil, Hear No Evil, See No Evil,” is also thought to have originated at the Hiei Shrine at Mt. Hiei.
In the Americas, the Mayans of Guatemala and Mexico worshiped a howler monkey god ( sometimes depicted as twin-gods), who was the patron of the arts; music, scribes and sculptors. In the Mayan Calendar, the Howler Monkey corresponds to knowledge of history and rituals, as well as prophecy.
