Anima
Derived from Latin meaning “a current of air, wind, breath, the vital principle, life, soul”, the Anima refers to the unconscious feminine dimension of a male which can often be forgotten or repressed in daily life. However, in order to psychologically progress and reach greater internal balance and harmony, it is necessary for a man to recognize, embrace and connect to this latent element of his character.
The man who has connected with his feminine Anima displays “tenderness, patience, consideration and compassion.” However, repression of the female element within the man results in a negative Anima that triggers personality traits such as “vanity, moodiness, bitchiness and sensitivity to hurt feelings.”
Animus
The Animus, which is a Latin word that means “the rational soul; life; the mental powers, intelligence“, is the unconscious male dimension in the female psyche. Due to societal, parental and cultural conditioning, the Animus, or male element within the woman, can be often inhibited, restrained and suppressed. On the other hand, some societies and cultures (such as the Western way of life), ruthlessly impose masculinity ideals as ways to excel, succeed and get anywhere in life for women.
These external elements can contribute towards a negative Animus, which reveals itself in a woman’s personality through argumentative tendencies, ruthlessness, destructiveness, and insensitivity. However, integrating a positive Animus into the female psyche can result in strength, assertiveness, levelheadedness and rationality.
Connecting to your inner Anima or Animus does not require you to become homosexual or lesbian, as commonly thought. And if you identify with either of these sexual orientations, it doesn’t require you to become heterosexual either. Why? Because these dormant elements within us have nothing to do with sexuality, and everything to do with creating a balance on the scales of passive (female) and aggressive (male) energies within us.
Connecting to the Anima for males is about understanding feminine energy which manifests itself as passivity, sensitivity, and emotionality.
Suggestions include the following:
- Practice the art of listening with concern and compassion.
- Rediscovering your passionate side through romantic gestures.
- Taking care of, or nurturing something.
- Practicing thoughtfulness and consideration of the needs of others.
- Expressing the inner Anima creatively, e.g. music, art, sculpture, poetry, dance.
- Practicing mindfulness, meditation and other ways to get in touch with, and understand, inner emotions.
- Expanding your hobbies or interests to incorporate feminine energies in your life.
- Practicing Self-Study in order to develop greater consideration of your internal needs for love and fulfillment.
For females, connecting to the inner Animus is also about understanding masculine energy which manifests itself as everything that is active, dominant, and logical.
Suggestions include:
- Practicing assertiveness.
- Adopting a role or position that puts you in authority/dominance.
- Learning to take charge of something in your life.
- Discovering and developing your leadership abilities.
- Reading non-fiction instead of purely fiction.
- Becoming more self-sufficient and self-reliant.
- Learning masculine skills, (e.g. fixing car problems, handy-man abilities like using drills, fixing broken appliances, etc.)
- Gaining more emotional balance by practicing mindfulness, meditation, and Self-Exploration, etc.
- Learning to become more rational by studying the approach to problems, decisions and situations by rational people.
In essence, the basic question you need to ask yourself is: “what is the current balance of male and female energies in my life, and what needs further development?”
Females for instance, may possess more Animus (male) energy than female energy, and thus will need to get back in touch with the Anima (female) energy latent in the unconscious mind. Vice versa for males. Essentially, creating a balanced self is always contextual, and changes from person to person.