The animus when on his way, on his quest, is really a psychopompos, leading the soul to the stars whence it came.
Visions : Notes of the seminar given in 1930-1934 (2 Volume Set) (Bollingen)
“For the animus when on his way, on his quest, is really a psychopompos, leading the soul to the stars whence it came.
On the way back out of the existence in the flesh, the psychopompos develops such a cosmic aspect, he wanders among the constellations, he leads the soul over the rainbow bridge into the blossoming fields of the stars.
You see, the mythological idea was that man originally came down like a shooting star, a spark of fire, from the infinity of space, and fell into a created form and became a definite isolated little flame.
That gave rise to consciousness which is an isolated light in the night of the infinite spaces.
But when that creation of a human being is fulfilled, the animus does not press on to further generation or shaping of matter.
He begins to detach himself, to fall out again; he goes back to his origin, to the interstellar spaces where he once more walks among the stars.
We don’t know whether there is any definite abode there, but according to mythology, the testimony of the consensus gentium, the heavenly mansions, the abode of the souls of the deceased are somewhere out in interstellar space.
It is therefore quite natural that even in very modern people one still encounters the same symbolism- whatever it means.
It is of course metaphorical, but we have no other than symbolic means to express such an idea.” ~~Carl Jung, Visions Seminar, Page 1229.
Hidden behind the personal animus is a larger animus
Encounters with the Soul by Barbara Hannah
Onkel said that the analysis of the Weidmann dream shows a dangerous enterprise which might have murderous consequences.
An old animus means opinions, and a young animus means an enterprise.
It is a parallel with the Luttichau situation. ‘Maisie’ [another pseudonym for Tommy] is in the same position as Viktor [Luttichau] doing nothing, no money and that is why Margerita is leaving him.
In our unconscious we are animals somewhere, and Viktor’ s lack of money is causing the divorce.
I was surprised.
Onkel said a man’s egoism is so great that he can smear his boots with the fat of his murdered brother.
Such a dream where a young criminal animus reveals itself, means a dangerous enterprise is afoot.
My unconscious says that I could kill Maisie when he is in such a mood.
Then Onkel told me of his African experience with Baynes.
They were all in a tent, and Baynes was outside.
Suddenly, they heard a shot, and one man said, “Let’s hope that’s Baynes blowing out his brains!”
It seems Baynes was in terrible humors all the time.
Onkel said such moods bring out a murderous feeling in one.
I could kill Maisie, and if I run away from Maisie, it is as if I had killed him.
One must make use of every instance of a bad mood, by saying the next day, when the mood has worn off, “Yesterday, you behaved in such and such a way, no reproach meant! Were you in a bad mood, yes or no?”
Then ask purely for a statement of facts.
Ask the person for a reason why he was in a bad mood.
The cause and why. Maisie, of course, hates like hell to be in such a mood, for a gentleman has no moods.
He dislikes it himself and he feels defeated, and angry and irritable with himself for it shows that he is not master of himself.
In analysis, one has fewer moods because one has an emotional outlet.
In a personal relationship, resentments store up. “I” am the apparent reason for Maisie’s moods; he has resistances against me, and I am quite likely to arouse resistances.
I am a ‘very nice person’ and such ‘nice’ persons have nasty feelings.
I have a spark in my eyes, from which one can conclude that in me there are hidden nasty reactions.
Maisie is too tactful, and too much a gentleman, to talk of his resistances.
There are millions of opportunities in a life together for having bad feelings which ought to be talked over, so as to create an atmosphere of understanding and compassion.
Maisie’s unconscious is chuck-full of resistances and resentments. ~Katy Cabot, Jung My Mother and I, Page 196-197
