The Role of the Animus in Archetypal Dreamwork

The process of working through one's dreams inevitably leads to an awareness of what is variously termed the false or shadow self. This false self consists of beliefs and values that a person clings to and that are at odds - incongruous - with the True Self. Another term for the energies that are destructive to a dreamer's true nature is pathology. Most of us become divorced from a deeper sense of ourselves during childhood; and it is here that the pathology takes hold, filling the empty spaces that are left behind in our psyches and serving to re-define who we are in the world. In order to return to a state of psychological and spiritual health, to that child's place of trusting in the Creator, we have to follow through with a process whereby the false self - and all of the pathology that's bound up with it - literally dies. The chief agent of this transformation is recognized by Archetypal psychology as the Animus.

The terms "Animus" and "Anima" were originally coined by the Swedish psychologist Carl Jung to denote the masculine aspects of a woman's psyche and the feminine aspects of a man's psyche, respectively. However, some modern schools of thought within the field of Archetypal psychology define the Animus - and his role - in a vastly different way. While he does exhibit masculine qualities, appearing invariably as a man or male animal in dreams, he serves as initiator for men and women both. Also, he is not a "part" of the dreamer but rather a kind of mediator between the Divine or archetypal world and human consciousness. If the spiritual impetus of dreamwork is to establish a relationship with the Creator of God the Father, then the Animus epitomizes the essence of a statement attributed to Jesus Christ, that one does not come to the Father but by Him.

Down in the depths of every man and woman there exists the child self that knew - indeed, still knows - the love and support of the Divine. One of the main tasks that the Animus takes on is to bring this knowledge to consciousness. His job is to wake us up. Unfortunately, his presence is seldom welcomed, initially, for two main reasons. (1) In order to come into contact with the Child, through the deeper feelings, one must first become aware of the pathology that has stood in the way for all of these years. For most of us, this entails a blow to our pride as we're forced to acknowledge behaviors and patterns that we don't feel very proud of and never thought we'd have to look at. (2) The Animus brings about the death of the false self. The way we've been operating in the world may have been destructive to our True Selves, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we're in a hurry to give it up. After all, it feels very familiar and it served a purpose. The animus is a harbinger of change that can bring along with it the loss of so many things that we thought we really wanted.

It's little wonder that, when he appears in dreams, the typical reaction of any dreamer is to flee in terror.

Ultimately, we can only move through the process of dreamwork and grow spiritually if we surrender our willfulness and accept the Animus' way over our own. We have to be willing to give up our comfortable modes of being and consent to be led into the deeper reality of ourselves. This paves the way for a far-reaching transformation to occur. All that has hitherto been buried beneath the pathology - the passion of the heart, the Child's trust, the capacity for spontaneity and joy - can begin to emerge. These new energies can then enter into, and revitalize, all areas of our lives.