The Monkey Blog

I've been pondering lately.  The question begs for answers. "What can I - who feels like a teeny, tiny grain of sand in a limitless landscape - do to insure a thriving planet for me, for you, for the generations that will come after us?"

And I started thinking about monkeys :)

In particular the hundredth monkey.

During the 60's and 70's, if you were around as I was, there was an explosion of consciousness arising from the combined forces of a personal growth movement, yogis coming to America, the fashionable rise of quantum physics, the new age and New Thought, the self-help and return to Nature movements (not to mention civil rights and more) all converging. Things were lookin' good but the possibility of total planetary annihilation was looking as bad as ever.

By the mid-80's Ken Keyes Jr., author of 15 books including Handbook to Higher Consciousness, was among the number of teachers who went viral with their work - and in particular a concept from his book The Hundredth Monkey.

In his authors dedication Keyes says:

"This book is dedicated to the Dinosaurs, who mutely warn us that a species which cannot adapt to changing conditions will become extinct. This book is not copyrighted. You are asked to reproduce it in whole or in part, to distribute it with or without charge, in as many languages as possible, to as many people as possible."

After seeing recent references popping up again and again in sources as diverse as internet marketing campaigns and Forrest Church's book Love and Death, I decided to take Ken Keyes up on his offer.

It's been 25 years since publication and we are indeed living in Hundredth Monkey times. We have all sorts of technology at our disposal, so what's so important about little Imo, the star of Keyes story - and who does this little monkey represent?

Why it's you of course.

According to Keyes "Although the exact number may vary, this Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon means that when only a limited number of people know of a new way, it may remain the conscious property of these people.

But there is a point at which - if only one more person tunes-in to a new awareness - a field is strengthened so that this awareness is picked up by almost everyone!

Thus, when a certain critical number achieves an awareness, this new awareness may be communicated from mind to mind."

So what IS the thought that we can propagate here?

1. individuals matter.
2. you matter.
3. what you think...matters
4. what you think - and further what you DO with what you think... matters

So I created the blog "Are You The Hundredth Monkey?" as a forum to highlight all of you "yous" out there.

(I even started a twitter group called "You Are The Monkey!!" Surely there's been many a person who clicked onto that particular notification and went bonkers (Whaaaat?? Somebody is calling me a monkey??!)

LOL every time I think of it... :)

...but hey, this is where I can link total strangers (who have yet to be friends) so they can see each others' good works among the craziness that such a network can be.
 
You or I don't need to be members of a special group either so much as we are a gathering of individuals who can feel the wave and see each other.  You can be UU or Yogi, spiritual or secular, young or old or anything in between - you can be all of it or none of it...but if you can think and share, then you are "the monkey," and YOU have the potential the be the HUNDREDTH monkey. That's the one who tips the scales toward good through your thoughts, your actions, and your sharing.

Powerful stuff I do say...

So far The Monkey blog has collected soulful stories and supportive comments from everyday people like Nancy Wolf, Jan Guarino and Phil Howard who speak of living the ordinary in extraordinary ways.  I've highlighted grandmothers, little kids and Santa Claus.  There are additional links to some serious soul food like Rev. Ken Beldon, Joanna Brandi, Dr. Shui Yin Lo and even little Georgie.

There's also a link to download the Ken Keyes book in its entirety - for free.

Each time we see something good...every time we have the courage to be "different" and share it, then we too, like Imo, have the opportunity to change the world.

Check it out.

You can soak it all in or add to the content - here or on the blog. That would really be awesome.

You Are The Monkey Blog

Namaste