Chakeeta's
ARCHETYPES
There are three main ingredients of the individual's personality that appear in dreams as seperate figures-sometimes as people the dreamer knows,
sometimes as fictitious characters or personifications, more rarely as
other images. The worst side of the individual has been called his Shadow
and is the personification of his worst faults and weaknesses.
The Anima, or in a woman's case, the Animus, is the embodiment of whatever
is of the opposite sex within the dreamer: in a man it will be all that is feminine
and emotional in him; in a woman it will be her masculine attributes. Finally
there is the ideal or true Self, the highest potential that the individual is
capable of attaining and that may communicate with him through his dreams.
Although the Self starts as a vague figure of potential standing somewhere in the
future, once the other two figures have been properly integrated into the personality
that lies beyond them, they will have served their purpose and so will be unlikely
to appear in dreams again.
Because the chief quality of inner being is energy, each of these dream figures
represents a different aspect of the vital forces at the individual's disposal,
and each can galvanize this energy.
For the particular manifestations of the Archetypes, (Hero, Old Man, Unknown Man,
Unknown Woman, etc.); also animals, and shapes, etc.
When approaching the archetypes figures, it is important to bear in mind the
healthy person's final aim or goal: every aspect of the personality should thrive
in it's own domain without encroaching on the territory of the others; the continual
conflict along the borders should temper and strengthen the character; and all the
parts, having first been clearly differentiated and known, should ultimately
become related to and integrated into the whole personality, the centre of which
if the Self rather than the ego (though, confusingly, selfishness, self-interest,
self-centeredness, etc., are related more to the ego-egocentricity-and not the
true Self.)
THE EGO. = The "I" of the dream. The ego is above all only a part of the
Whole Self, and it's conflict with other forces within the personality figures
predominantly in dreams.
The most common abuse of the ego is for it to exaggerate it's own separateness and
engulf all other aspects of the Self. This leads to a rigid, distorted,
and materialistic outlook at the expense of what is equally real, though insubstantial
-namely, the potential and spiritual realms. It also leads to egotism, difficulty
in trusting others or relating to them, and too little loving acceptance. This
onesidedness can be compensated for by making as much room as possible for dreams or
any manifestations of the unconscious.
At the other extreme, the ego, which is basically the elaborate receptive
organ for assessing reality (whether conscious or unconscious), may be in danger of
being swallowed up by the ubiquitous dream state. It must be preserved against this
regressive urge by objective self-criticism, differentiation of the unconscious
by constant observation, as well as attention, conscientiousness, and patience,
all of which strengthen the ego.
Every person sprang from an anonymous unity with Nature (in the womb) and must return
to it, but with a difference: to be pure nature, but conscious of it.
Therefore, consciousness must defend it's reason without letting the imagination
and unconscious atrophy.
Normally, to achieve the proper and realistic balance, the sacrifice of the ego is
required, for the ego is full of delusions and limitations, unable to see beyond
it's own standpoint and outlook to the reality of the Other.
THE SHADOW (a figure of the same sex as the dreamer). - The person whom the dreamer
fails to recognize; a vague insticnt figure, sometimes standing slightly behind the
dreamer. = The neglected side of the individual, that part of his potential that he never
developed; sides of his character that have already been thwarted and frustrated;
but above all, aspects never recognised.
Everybody has his individual Shadow, and it is nearly always the worst side of himself
that he has failed to recognise. It is a rare exception for somebody to have such a
dingy conscious view of himself that his Shadow is the personification of his
better side. The sensitive altruist will have a brutal egotistic Shadow; the courageous
individual willhave a cowardly Shadow; the ever-loving person will have a bitter
cantankerous Shadow; Dr Jekyl had Mr Hyde, and so on.
The encounter with the Shadow is usually painful: the shock of seeing
ourselves as we really are at oiur worst. To face it humbly is ti accept ourselves,
and from that to see the rest of reality as it is. It is the way to greater understanding
of others, new insights, particularly into the unconscious. It often revives normal
instincts, appropriate reactions, creative impulses that have been condemned
to conscious oblivion along with the evil and destructive sides of the personality.
It is important both to know the enemy and to cultivate abd channel this vital energy
that may otherwise erupt in a primitive and dangerous manner.
Think of the person you detest most in the world, mix in the worst characteristics
of anyone else you know, and you have a fair idea of your own Shadow.
It frequently appears in dreams in the image of people whom the dreamer dislikes
or envies in waking life.
The dark side of ourselves is not destroyed by being ignored. On the contrary, it
continues to seethe and fester below the surface, and normally requires
little more than a change of circumstances to become only too apparent. One of he
most obvious ways for people to reveal these inner qualities is by their obsessive
and overemotional dislike of the same qualities in other people. To withdraw these 'projections' to recognise the inner conflict from which they arise,
is one of the major works of maturing.
There are many stories about mistaking these projections for reality, attacking them,
and being destroyed by the resulting strife, war, etc., in the outside world,
and by madness (paranoia) in the inner world.
Extrovert/Introvert. = The value of integrating the Shadow into the
personality is perhaps clearest in the case of the extrovert and introvert. When the
time comes to develop the other side, which has so far been neglected, then dreams
call attention to this.
Trying to life a wholelife focused exclusively on the outside world or devoted
entirely to the inner realm inevitably limits the scope of the individual's life
and leads to many delusions. For the introvert to break out into the world
of sun and trees, and for the extrovert to begin to reckon with his inner
disposition, his own needs, etc., is for both a fresh experience that broadens their
horizons and incidentally gives them a greater understanding of each other.
If the individual meglects to do this, it will notonly exclude him from the other
realm, but he will also find himself becoming increasingly incompetent in the sphere
to which he has exclusively limited himself. Even the extrovert's relationship with
the outside world will begin to play him false because he can't reckon with inner
factors. Similarly, the introvert's conflict with the outside world will disturb
even his inner tranquility.
ANIMA/ANIMUS (a figure of the opposite sex to the dreamer). = It is common
knowledge that young people usually fall in love first with their own idea of
woman/man, and they project this idea onto a likely face and get a shock when the
person beyond that face turns out to be different from their idea. This feminine
figure within the man and masculine figure within the woman have been called the
Anima and Animus; they play many other roles throughtout a person's life besides the
one just mentioned. This confusion of the inner realm with the outside world can be
a cause of strife throughout life, not only between wife and husband, but also
between mother-in-law and son-in-law, and so on.
Later in life this inner potential of androgyny may be neglected and abused
with one of two results. Either the individual will become cut off from the
necessary influence of elements of the opposite sex (a woman, for example,
may become hysterically emotional while a man may become increasingly dry). Or in certain circumstances the inferior function may take possession of the individual. Then the man
may behave like a second-rate woman, becoming sentimental, capricious, unstable;
whereas the woman may become avid for aythority, make intellectual assertions,
or become quarrelsome.
Ideally, if we come to terms with the Anima and Animus-recognise them for what they are throughout life-they are the source of our understanding of the opposite sex,
as well as key figures in opening up the full range and potential of our inner being;
and they enable us to reconcile intellect with feeling.
ANIMA. = This is the centre and pattern of all the feminine forces within the man.
The emotional, intuitive, and instinctive side of his nature. All the women the
individual has known in his life-but especially his mother-will have helped
to form his image of what is feminine. In his dreams this female figure may have features
of any of them, or may be a completely unknown woman, or be represented by such animals
as have been feminine deities in mythology.
Increasing awareness of this feminine principle enables the individual to
integrate his spontaneous, receptive, sensitive, and adaptable qualities, but
above all to develop the warmth and genuine feeling in him-all of which will compensate
for his aggressive male conscious attitudes.
There are 4 main aspects of the feminine figure, which in a woman's dreams
represent her Self, each with a positive and a negative side-though usually it is
the negative side that first reveals itself in dreams.
Dreams attempt to compensate for lopsided conscious attitudes.
Therefore the Anima usually appears when a man is neglecting the feminine side of himself
and before the consequences of this have been felt. This may mean that the individual
is forcing everything in him into the masculine mould, which will by degrees
turn tenderness into hatred.
Especially during the second half of life the failure to respect and assimilate these
vital feminine forces within often lends to premature crustiness, rigidity, and
obstinacy; or else weariness and irresponsibility, often accompanied by a
endency to drink.
Alternatively, the repressed feminine characteristics may erupt in irrational
moodiness, and so on.
Neglect of the Anima can affect his relations with women onto an actual woman and
thus failing to see her as she really is-and incidently cutting him off from other
large chunks of reality-the woman concerned will tend in response to identify with
the man's expectations and hence to play-act, leading to a spiral of bogusness.
On the other hand, if a man's impreesion of women, formed in particular circumstances,
has rendered his Anima repellent to him, he may project this figure onto every other
woman, and so find no escape from his fear of women.
Sometimes a man projects his Anima onto one unobtainable person, thereby avoiding
contact with the opposite sex altogether.
In these and other ways the Anima, instead of being the guide, becomes the siren
of daydream and fantasy, wrecking real relationships, obscuring the true
qualities of the other person, a fatal and destructive succubus who creates
an illusion of androgynous self-sufficiency.
The Anima reveals her inner wisdom only to the man who grapples seriously with her,
knowing her for what she is, treating her attentively and consideratley,
but also with discipline. Only then will she guide him to the full range of his
personality, his potential, his true Self. By accepting her as an independent inner
personality to whom he can relate, a man transforms the Anima into an ally,
just as with a woman.
ANIMUS. = This represents the masculine features in a woman's character
which, integrated properly, will give her greater discernment, self-knowledge,
and ability to reflect and deliberate. Although it is an inherent part of the
woman's potential, it is affected and formed by her contacts with men and is completely
different for each individual, varying as much as men themselves-from the highest to
the lowest, hero to rake. If it is developed into a whole balanced personality in it's
own right, the Animus is the natural guide to the deeper layers of the mind.
The Animus usually appears in a woman's dreams to remind her of the need to develop
these masculine characteristics in herself. Because this archetype is the source
of a woman's judgement at a primitive stage if it is neglected: the woman is then
gullible to rigid collective convictions appropriated without a thought; unquestioned conventional opinions, assumptions that have originally belonged to her family
and that have been taken over wholesale and never examined.
If her negative Animus later begins to dominate her life-usually when the man
in her life has let her down-she may become devastingly obstinate and opinionated,
sure that she is always right in everything: everybody "ought" and "should" do this
and that, however irrational, because "I just know....."
The more the image of the Animus recurs in the dreams, the more urgent it will be
to develop this masculine and intellectual side of her being and relate to it,
without losing touch with her true nature-the necessary feminine antidote to this
prejudiced and argumentative side of herself, which necessarily remains unrelated to
the real needs of others.
Like the Anima, the Animus may be projected onto someone else with ensuing
disillusionment: a woman expects from the man she lives with something that is really
part of herself, and that has nothing to do with him. This indicates an immaturity
in the woman, who will often still be attached to her mother in an infantile way.
Although of course it is usual for the male partner to express the male attitudes
in a family, the woman is able ro share in them all the more fully for recognizing
them in herself.
Through dreams one can come to know the particular idiosyncrasies of one's
personal and individual Anima or Animus and allow for it in waking life. The dream
may reflect the conflict of Logos (intellect, conscious spirit) v. Eros (emotions,
and unconscious soul). Only when the proper balance between these are found will
the way be paved for the integration of the whole character.
THE SELF. = While the Shadow and the Anima/Animus are those parts
of a dreamer's potential that have been neglected so that the main characteristics
of the personality can be realized, the Self if the archetype of the future, the
potential developement of the individual. It is like a figure beckoning from the future, necessarily of the same sex as the dreamer, but later becoming a symbol of wholeness
including all aspects of his personality, past and future, active and passive,
creative and receptive.
The symbols themselves may range from the highest to the lowest. Almost
anything may serve as a symbol, bit it will be easily recognizable as referring to
the inner being because the immense significance the dreamer attaches to it.
The Self is the higher spiritual man, the unknown and even unknowable quality
of human nature itself, in it's godlike universal and eternal aspect and in
it's individuality in time. The finite limited man, reaching out for the roots
of his being-which are both his source and his goals-transcends the personal to
embrace the whole range of nature and reality to it's very depths. In a potential
wholeness, which becomes the image of God within him, this unity is achieved
by penetrating the sphere of inner being, which at the same time will permeate the
worldly sphere of unique individual existence. In this way the potential self
becomes the actual self; the seed grows into the whole integrated personality.
When the images of this archetype start cropping up in dreams, it will
probably mark the beginning of the process of becoming whole, identifying with something
other than our everyday selves, and also more enduring. This peculiarly intimate
knowledge and experience of reality makes it spring into being in such a way that
what lies beyond the ego becomes as vivid as personal experience; indeed, it so
becomes personal experience that there is a danger of confusing the image of reality,
the clear glass, the godlike, with the reality.
If the images of the archetypes appear in their negative, destructive form,
which they often do at first, it will indicate that their particular forces are being
neglected and so turned to a disadvantage. Just as the Tarot cards that are upside
down are supposed to point to what can be altered most easily and turned to
good advantage, a negative archetype indicates the very point at which there is most hope
of advance, of change for the better with in the character,
There are four main aspects of the woman's Self and of the man's Self,
and each is related to one of the four functions of the mind; and the Self
becomes whole when all the different aspects have been separately developed and
then finally integrated within one individual.
A WOMAN'S SELF. = Every woman is the realm of feminine energy incarnate.
She embodies the intangibles of feeling and instinct. This is the archetype of
nature and of life, the earthy and the erotic.
There are four main aspects of the feminine potential, which are related to the
four functions of the mind: the Mother, sensation; the Princess, emotion; the Amazon, intellect; the Priestess, intuition. Just as the feminine realm compensates for the
driving conscious will of the male world in a general way, so the particular type
of the woman's femininity will complement the man: the effeminite emotional man
with an amazonlike female counterpart is not uncommon.
