Anima and Animus for Everyone
Next up, the Anima and Animus, which we’ve already touched upon in my particular journey. The Anima/Animus are the opposite attributes of what your physical make up is. We have both male and female chromosomes, why wouldn’t/shouldn’t we be utilizing the best of both? Sounds like wholeness to me.
A man must recognize, honor and incorporate his Anima–the feminine strengths of nurturing, compassion, and emotions. Emotions. Aaargh, say many men.
If you know anything of the decades of the 50’s and 60’s, there was a very strict delineation of female roles and male roles. A man just would never take on the responsibility of a ‘house husband’ with all the dirty diapers that entailed. Yet, that is exactly what has come to pass/evolve with the ensuing generations. More and more men are taking on nurturing, caretaking, housebound duties and roles. This is the male incorporating the nurturing feminine attributes of the Anima. Makes me happy.
Ode to the Anima
A long ago classmate of mine wrote a book sharing his journey into (and subsequent return from) the Land of Cancer. He had never married, lived alone. He was quite methodical in his detail of each of the precise radiation treatments and the young female technicians who attended him. He readily admitted that over the course of his treatments, he developed a strong, yet reserved attraction to one of the young ladies. He was quite naked in baring his innermost thoughts of her, eloquent in describing her kindness and caring, risking all with his bravery to finally confess his feelings for her, and her ultimate denial of like feelings. All I could think of as I read was, “She is your Anima.” I think his book was as much a manifestation to honor his Anima as a chronicle of his journey.
Rosie Leads the Way
For a woman, she works to integrate her Animus, masculine strengths. She must recognize, honor, and incorporate the Animus into her psyche—those masculine traits of taking care of herself, having her own opinions, being independent, and standing up for herself. While many suffragettes planted the seeds of Animus infusion, I believe it was the global circumstances of World War II that heralded the beginning of actual integration of the Animus. Rosie the Riveter breached this barrier for women and we’ve been pouring through it ever since. Women were forced (or allowed, whichever way you wish to look at it) to take on masculine roles and along with that the masculine attributes of strength and independence. That outpouring to independence through the 60’s was demarcated as ‘women’s liberation.’
Speaking of women’s lib, I really have to share this quote from Orson Welles that, to me, spoke volumes of what men were feeling after women shook loose their bonds. It was from a relatively unknown movie that I ‘happened’ upon who knows where or how, called, “Someone to Love,” written, produced and directed by Henry Jaglom. (somehow I stuck the Dot in the pertinent pocket!) Orson gives this dissertation:
“That brings us to the greatest revolution of our times which is the liberation of women. But by liberating women we are freeing the last of our slaves. And for fifteen, twenty thousand years there has never been a civilization, there has never been a single civilization, which has not been maintained by slaves. There’s a tremendous diminution to men’s energy. It’s partly because men are sympathetic to the new revolution and partly because we are scared to death of it.”
Unfortunately, since fear is not a manly thing to display (or recognize), men flung it into the Unconscious/Shadow, There, it ‘acted out’ in a scary, irrational spate of backlash against women that is still simmering in smoldering volcanoes for men who cannot face the Shadow and accept it.
Still, not all women chose to venture onto the field of liberation. Freedom can be a daunting prospect. When their time comes, if it ever does in this lifetime, they will need the armor of the Animus, I believe.
The short version of the job of the Anima/Animus:
“Woman’s sacrifice is in freeing herself from entanglements of personal relations to fit her for a more conscious role as an individual in her own right.”
VS
“A man’s sacrifice – which is the surrender of his sacred independence. He becomes more consciously related to woman.” Carl Jung “Man and His Symbols (MAHS)”
Man must sacrifice his independence. Woman must sacrifice relationship to find her independence. Opposites sacrificing opposites in order to find completion/wholeness.
In dreams, the Animus and Anima usually appear as a ‘shadowy’ member of the opposite sex. Many times in real life, the call to recognize the Anima or Animus is projected onto a member of the opposite sex who is seen as an end-all-be-all love that must be attained. Here, one must become very attentive and discerning—the actual person may not be the end-all-be-all. It is their masculine (or feminine) attributes that your psyche needs to embrace and integrate on its way to wholeness. (Been there, done that!)
Opposites Attract for a Reason
Balance. Women need to recognize and incorporate some of the strong, independent masculine traits they see in their beloved. Men need to incorporate some of the feminine traits of nurturing softness they admire in their beloved.
Psyches contain the Opposites…both the dark and the light; the male and the female. The opposites of all things. And all things have an opposite. We just don’t like to acknowledge the dark, scary, bad-rep parts, but we need to. How can you possibly be the whole you with only half acknowledged? By recognizing them as a part of you, you bring light to their darkness, and wholeness to your being.
The Microcosm and the Macrocosm.
Jung also felt that what the individual (microcosm) undertakes in the process to become whole is also played out in the evolution of humankind (macrocosm)—(i.e. The Animus being integrated by women everywhere after WWII and women’s liberation. Then the Anima being integrated in men incorporating the role of nurturer/caretaker)…a whole ‘nother realm yet to be explored.
What about the Shadow? Is the Shadow what we are seeing projected on ‘the Other’ in our drastically divided nation right now? Is the American psyche having to recognize those things we ‘hate’ in the “Other” as being a part of ourselves and accept them? Incorporate the Shadow?
For those who dare enter the dark forest on their own path to seek their holy grail—their true Self—dreams can become your on-board, in-house, fully-involved consultant.
Dreams—A Little Help from Our Friends