The Physical is related to health, integrate consciously the energy of the opposite gender/4.part

Marketa Juristova

In previous articles I have tried to bring you closer to the phenomenon of the anima and animus archetypes. I have tried to make you try to imagine something as unimaginable as energy coming from the unconscious. This time it will probably be even more challenging, because I would like to introduce anima and animus to you personally.

As I have hinted before, we can (and do) encounter personified archetypes in dreams or dream visions. The figures that demonstrate the energy of anima or animus are, of course, symbolic. They can take on the form of both humans and animals. But you won't always find them in every dream. Sometimes you sense that what you dreamed had a different character, that it was not a story using the experiences and scenery of an ordinary day. It's hard to describe, but something tells you that the dream you had was somehow unique, I don't want to say exceptional, but during the day you ask yourself questions like "What the hell was that?", "How did that get into my head?", "Why am I even thinking about this strange dream?"

I think the energy in the unconscious can also be defined as some unknown mystical creature inside our soul. I myself, like many people, have been fascinated with dragons since childhood. Dragon-themed tattoos are very common (I have one sitting on my shoulder too), and movies and TV shows about dragons inspire general enthusiasm. People just really feel some special, mysterious, attractive and unknown energy in the dragon symbol. I don't mean to say that all people feel this way, of course, it's just a certain segment of the population. Some may associate the energy within themselves more with an angelic being

The best way to describe a character representing an archetype is to describe a specific dream, preferably a lucid dream, so that we can be more certain that the dream entity really represented the archetype. This is because the state of consciousness called a lucid dream allows the dreamer to make a specific request of the dream space, and the vision that follows is the answer. We can therefore look with a great deal of certainty at the specific dream visions of lucid dreamers and use them to show the personification of the anima and animus archetypes.

In my practice I have encountered lucid visions of several people (including my own, of course), so I can try to show what the anima and animus archetypes might look like using these examples.

Dragon as anima-dragon queen

"After a while, I looked up at the sky. High up in the sky I saw two dragons flying. As soon as I focused my dreamy attention on them, they flew towards me and one of them ( the dragoness ) spoke to me.

She introduced herself to me as T........ and added that she was the queen of dragons.

Interesting, I thought. She also revealed that she had visited me in my dreams a few times in the past (this information surprised me the most, and honestly pleased me - I took it as an honor that the queen of dragons herself had come to visit me in my dreams, and not for the first time). So we continued our conversation and after a while I asked her if I could fly on her huge dragon's back. She immediately said yes, but first I had a task for her to complete. I happily agreed and successfully completed all of her instructions. What followed, however, I did not expect. Suddenly she declared that I would not fly on her back. I was both extremely surprised and disappointed by her words. I did not expect her to renege on her promise after completing the task. I was so disappointed that I cried for the first time at that moment in a lucid dream. Sorrow spread throughout my entire being and space." An anonymous lucid dreamer

The dragones in this dream, the dream vision, symbolized anima, the archetypal feminine being on the "other side" of reality, in the unconscious, who in this case took on the role of teacher.

The dragon as animus - the dragon cathedral, my vision

(full text in the book "White Book of Lucid Dreams-Guide")

"I ran and floated down the corridors of the cathedral, calling : "Dragon, dragon!" I was aware that my voice sounded like the cry of a small child. Finally, I saw a massive staircase leading down. It was very wide indeed, and I thought it might lead to a dragon. So I rushed down the stairs, running, falling and flying until I got to some large underground space where there was a rectangular pool. I looked into it and in the dark depths , which looked like a chasm, I saw two red eyes and the shadow of a head looking at me from underground. I called out into the abyss, "Finally! Come up, dragon. I'm not scared, really!" The ground began to shake and a dragon began to rise from the depths. I kept saying over and over, "I'm not scared, I'm not scared, just a little bit." I stopped looking down and sat down by the pool instead, I waited for the dragon to emerge. The noise was getting louder and louder, it sounded like music getting louder. I was a little worried about what I would see on the surface and also if the dragon would destroy the edges of the pool with its body. But instead of the dragon, there was only a sort of goofy clown figure with a hat. I was a little relieved but thought disappointed. "So this is really it, is that it?". When suddenly there was a woman emerging from the pool, she was huge and beautiful, with diamonds in her face. Like some monumental ancient statue come to life. I asked her if she was the dragon. She told me that yes, she was a dragon for a while, and she had this form for a while."

In this case, thanks to my fear, the male energy manifested only as part of the personality, but the duality is clearly visible here. One energy, the masculine, is in the depths and when it comes to the surface it transforms into the feminine and, as it were, the divine. I think I was right to fear in this vision, the energy of the animus is huge and would not only break the edges of the pool. Transforming into a female goddess is a safe solution and I think it illustrates beautifully how the unconscious is sensitive to our psyche. The animus rising to the surface without this transformation would likely cause psychosis, or some other more serious problem

In waking life, you may not have much opportunity to identify these unconscious energies, but it can be said that whenever your consciousness recedes, the unconscious gets closer to the surface. This happens in emotionally stressful situations (e.g. an argument with a partner, a humiliation at work, a phone call with the mother-in-law...), in life-threatening situations (which is actually also an emotionally stressful situation), or in debilitating physical performances, during orgasm, deep meditation, or when ingesting substances that affect consciousness.

For example, even such alcohol can lift anima or animus out quite nicely. How do you behave, what do you feel when you're at a level, or even more? But you have to take into account your age and physical performance. The fact that you are more likely to fall asleep after 50 age when drinking alcohol speaks more about the state of your body than the personality of the animus (in my case).

It may seem bizarre to you, but I think you can also convey a message from consciousness to your unconscious counterpart through a mirror. I mentioned it in the first text of this series, smiling to yourself in the mirror in the morning works wonders. Also, recounting a problem face to face to yourself can be relieving and most frequently you will then get some feedback in a dream. As a general rule though, nothing is to be overdone, lest you be taken to the madhouse.