ANIMA/ANIMUS

Visionary psychologist Carl Jung created the concept of the Anima and Animus.  Within each man or woman there is the human archetype of the Anima or  the Animus, the male and female "self".  We are powerfully identified with gender , but the soul is  neither and both.  Anima is the feminine aspects of a man -  for example,  the tenderness, intuition, nurture, etc.  Animus in a woman may be understood  as possessing the qualities of  assertiveness, the will to take charge and fight, and  so on.  Because we are personally and culturally deeply identified with being  "male" or "female" almost from the moment of birth, it is difficult for each sex to express and experience the qualities that are seen as "other". 

In patriarchal culture, so-called masculine qualities are glorified, and feminine qualities denigrated.  Men are forced to suppress their sensitivity  and their nurturing qualities, and  women have been socially conditioned to be passive and dependant. Our cultural dismissal of the feminine, of  the collective Anima, has resulted in a world dominated by the glorification of  war, and the vast loss of human potential in both men and women who are unable to integrate or to  express their innate wholeness.  This card encourages you to continue to get to know the Anima or Animus within as you continue to achieve Balance.

Reversed:  You have, as many if not all do, a "wounded" Anima or Animus.  Make every effort to heal and get to know the "opposite" qualities within your life, and your spirit.

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All artwork is copyright Lauren Raine MFA (2021)