The Illuminated Monkey logo explained.

When developing the church over 30 years ago I wanted a simple logo that would stand out and represent the basic tenets of the church. The outdated thoughts on either Creationism or Darwinism were limited to either scientific or religious bias; another version of evolution needed to be accounted for. 

Human DNA is most closely related to that of chimpanzees; an over 98% match. Why is that? In ancient tablets of the Sumerians, there is mention of Anunnaki coming to earth tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, years ago and developing a budding human race by combining their DNA with that of creatures found on our planet; chimps and apes. Many eons later we evolved from that beginning inception.

So a likely choice for the logo is to use a chimp as its basic image. The chimp is presented wearing glasses that reflect mushrooms in the lenses. This is a reference that civilization is far older than science states it is, but that it has also destroyed itself many times over. At the same time the mushrooms are also a direct reference to not only the "stoned ape" theory of evolution through the use of psychedelic plants found naturally on our planet but also to represent the Church's belief that a better connection to nature, to existence in total, might be attained by using this natural sacrament. The chimp is also shown smoking a "joint", yet another reference to the ancient use of a natural plant to allow mankind to exist in harmony with not only nature but with each other. Throughout all of mankind's destruction, the Monkey has remained, watching from afar at the folly of man attempting to reign supreme over nature only to destroy itself in the process time and time again.

In the entire logo, the Monkey is seen in the middle of a stylized Faravahar, an ancient symbol from Persia. It is found throughout antiquity, and used by many cultures, but it is most noted for its use in Zoroastrianism, serving to depict "fravashi", or personal spirit. The Church acknowledges the vast contributions Zoroaster brought to humanity, and we honor his memory through this inclusion. There are also many depictions of the Faravahar signifying guardian angels, divine grace, and a representation of the Anunnaki descending to earth.

The Church's logo has been spread around the globe for decades bringing awareness to its unique views.

 

 

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