Flashes of Insight

It was a gorgeous and uplifting day at Junglefriends today. I saw some of my favorite monkeys and they were all so glad to see me too. It’s heartwarming how they know I am there to help them and they show it so clearly with their joyful calls and excited little faces.

Macy, one of many white faced capuchins was my first customer and she just adores me. Her human parents told me that she doesn’t even behave with them the way that she does with me sometimes. She called me over today and wrapped her tail around my arm and started looking for my jewelry which was hidden under my shirt, smart monk! Then she showed me her boo boo on her little hand and we put some calendula creme on it which only proved to be like dessert to her as she licked it off as quickly as I could put it on her. She took my hand in hers and gave it little kisses and then groomed my nails picking ever so gently on my unmanicured cuticles for a minute or two. I honestly don’t know who gets more out of this exchange.

Macy came to Junglefriends with her human caregivers who are no longer present and she clearly enjoys her bonds with loving humans like myself who will reach out to her. Actually, she does the reaching with her outstretched tail and friendly attitude.

A few months ago however I made the mistake of succumbing to Macy’s charms in front of Christopher, the monkey that was supposed to be her “Love Connection.” Macy clearly thought that I was her love connection at the time and wrapped her tail around my arm and smothered my hands in kisses. She would have dragged me into the cage with her had I allowed it or if she could ,calling me to her with monkey squeals everytime that I withdrew to treat another monk. My mistake was not in adoring Macy, but rather mistaking Christopher’s similar overtures to me afterwards. I assumed wrongly that he wanted the same love from me and quickly learned to not make such a mistake again when he grabbed my arm with his nails giving me a few nasty cuts which to this day I proudly wear as my initiation into the world of the monkeys. I was after all a human and Christopher wanted to be Macy’s one and only.
Months later, Macy is not as interested in me but still holds out a friendly tail and hand for cuddling as she too becomes assimilated into her own world of monkeys as she was supposed to be all along.

For some reason, the whole place was noticeably more peaceful than it had been in months. In recent visits, there had been many new monkeys needing rescue who were being integrated into their new surroundings. Perhaps the pace of new emergencies has eased allowing all to relax into a more calm routine.

Two of the new kids on the block, the large spider monkeys, Molly and Mikey, were finally really enjoying their new habitat called the Thunderdome. They had been unexpectedly left at Junglefriends and had to recover emotionally from that trauma. They were incredibly and appropriately fearful for some time because of such an upheaval in their world. With the loving and constant care that they received, there can be no doubt that these two are living a profoundly better life. Instead of creatures that fled from others in fear and anxiety, I see two happy spider monkeys who have resumed their peaceful and gentle nature. Its quite simple, give a being what they need and healing occurs.

I treated Molly’s shingles giving her some flower essences and gem elixirs to soothe her mixed with water in a little paper cup which she happily drank. I was amazed by how delicately she took the baby carrots from my hand when I fed her and her bud Mikey was no exception. I gave him a cup of water at the same time as I have learned to always give something simultaneously to a pair of monks so that no one steals from the other. I was totally taken by surprise and delighted by how gentle they had become. It is a constant testimony to the love, care, and rightness of the path that the staff of Junglefriends maintains with their beloved monkeys when you observe these transformations and healings time after time.
Another of my fave monks is Udi who is a most charming spider monkey with dark brown fur and the heart of a clown and a cassanova. I make my own gem elixirs and use them in a mister bottle and Udi loves to be misted with the one that I call Purple Haze, named after the lavendar lithium quartz crystals that I use to make it. This is a great essence for some of the monkeys who need to mellow out and many just love the effect of being showered by these soothing mists. Kari and the gang like it for themselves sometimes too.
I am extremely grateful that they allow and appreciate my contribution to these little beings in fur coats.

Sometimes you have to be really careful with the monks as Kari Bagnall, the founder of Junglefriends calls them.

My blind monkey friend Katie Scarlet,a Capuchin, came out from hiding when I called her name and immediately sought my hand giving me her monkey kisses. She is just the sweetest little girl, and one of three sisters[the other 2 are diabetic] who had been unwittingly orally chastised by her human mom. For some reason, she did not understand that the little put downs that she frequently spoke in jest were hurting Katie’s feelings. This was the first thing that Katie had ever communicated to me when she arrived. When I later saw “Mom” in action I could see the problem for myself. Fortunately I was successful in helping her understand the toll this was taking on Katie and probably the other 2 sisters as well. This simple behavior change has improved the sweet monkey’s self esteem and she is now obviously feeling so much better about her life and her world. Katie shows me her gratitude each time I see her and I am thrilled to have been able to help that whole family be kinder to each other. Looking at her today, she actually felt like a new monkey to me.

So many of the monkey rescues are diabetic because of the foods that they are typically offered in captivity and because of the lack of exercise that most exotics suffer in captivity.
Don Knotts one of the 9 Iron Men, [monkeys who had been tortured for 20 years at labs doing iron experimentation and were finally released to JF] had taken an interest in me when I visited his neighbor Katie a few months ago. He is making tremendous progress in his socialization as well as accepting humans again as something other than abusers. Amazing that any of them even want to have anything to do with humans at all after the pain that we as the “more intelligent and humane”,cause them in our ignorance and in some cases downright cruelty.

Nearly a month had gone by since I last visited JF as I have been busy putting together the 4th Annual Wise Woman’s Festival. Kari, the founder of Junglefriends, presented her wonderful Born To Be Wild film and was greatly appreciated. Now I have the time to return to the monks.

I was eager to meet Simon, the new squirrel monkey, and to see how the rest of that gang was dealing with the loss of our dear little Curri.

Curri and I had a most special rapport. She was quite crippled and was barely eating when we first met and I was just coming out from the loss of my dearest friend and companion Tara and my own injuries that were semi crippling. Sitting with Curri and treating her with flower essences and lots of love seemed to be mutually rewarding and she began gaining some weight and becoming more comfortable in her body. She loved to play in my hair and bury herself in my breast and I looked forward to each visit for the opportunity to sit with Curri. Sara, one of the volunteers who was most involved with Curri, would always give me a progress report and delight in the number of mealworms that we could get in her. Curri told me that she especially liked jam on her meal worms so jam it was.

It is hard not seeing her there and holding her little body in my arms and it is also a blessing as now Curri is free from her crippled form and the world that cages monkeys, takes them from the jungles and then abandons them as not “good pets” when they act like monkeys. I am sad for me and all the little squirrel monkey friends she had like Bowser and Howie but so grateful to have shared time with this special little creature.

The first essence that I used today was a combination called “Don’t Worry be Happy” and the monks just loved it,especially Simon,the new kid on the block. He brightens the world of the squirrel monkeys habitat. he is just a little baby and cute as a button. He adores the flower essences and drinks heartily and happily from the dropper that I give him. I use the wonderful flower essences made by Green Hope Farms who not only specialize in an animal repertory but also have occasionally donated some bottles of essences to me so that I can freely give them to sanctuary animals in need. [They also supported my treatment of the Katrina Hounds by sending me large bottles of their essences that would help animals in such distress.] You can find them on the web or simply go to the link on my website.

Some ofthe essences that I gave to Simon were New Beginnings, which is what he is having here at JF. You would have thought that I was giving him ice cream or something equally tantalizing [and wrong].He wanted all I would give him. Then I saw that he also needed Grief and Loss to deal with his change of residence, followed by Don’t Worry Be Happy, which he slurped down with gusto. Sara told me that they were concerned that he had yet to go outdoors much so I gave him Run and Play which I have learned to do last for obvious reasons as that would possibly be the last time that I would have cooperation. He was so happy and friendly when we were done and I know that he will be much more adjusted from this treatment by the next time that I see him.

Months ago, I had had the same reaction with Dodger, the then new Marmoset. He greedily slurped down many droppers of flower essences and demanded more and more. Today, he is socialized with his new monkey friend Isabel and could care less for the drops. It seems that when a monkey is new to JF, they need these drops to smoothe the transition and of course, some continue to need them for various resons, but some like Dodger, do not continue to need essences once they are grounded in the new reality and love of JF.
One of the older capuchin monkeys, Marvin, was so depressed when he first arrived that they feared for his survival. He was barely eating or socializing until he met his lady love. I also had given him some good essences to help that relationship bloom. Today, I passed a cage with a big airplane toy in it and was told that it was Marvin’s new place and that he was now thriving and totally playful and happy.

Each story, each monkey is a tremendous victory and represents countless hours of attention,love,money and hard work by the crew at Junglefriends and is a tiny but hugely important drop in the bucket for the healing of exotic animals that should have never been taken from their homes. One hope is that those in captivity are here to teach the world about the plight of the creatures in the wild so that we can be sensitized to appreciate and protect them by saving their populations from becoming toys for selfish humans or overrun by the heartless wheels of progress that could care less whose environment is destroyed.

BLESSINGS
FLASH SILVERMOON

You can meet the monks at www.Junglefriends.org [and make an appointment to visit when you are in the Gainesville Fl area].

Katie is on the first roster and Macy and the spiders are on the 2006 page while Don Knotts and the iron men are on 2005. They are starting to do better$$ wise and can hardly handle all the requests for them to take on new monkeys every day. They need many more full time caregivers and its a tough job. Of course more donations will always allow them to save more monkeys a they are one of the few true Primate Rescues in this country. We are so lucky to have them here.