The anima and animus are, in Carl Jung's school of analytical psychology, the unconscious or true inner self of an individual, as opposed to the persona or outer aspect of the personality. In the unconscious of the male, it finds expression as a feminine inner personality: anima; equivalently, in the unconscious of the female, it is expressed as a masculine inner personality: animus.

It can be identified as the totality of the unconscious feminine psychological qualities that a male possesses; or the masculine ones possessed by the female. Jung stated that the anima/animus archetype was not totally unconscious, calling it "a little bit conscious and unconscious."[1] In the interview, he gave an example of a man who falls head over heels in love, then later in life regrets his blind choice as he finds that he has married his own anima–the unconscious idea of the feminine in his mind, rather than the woman herself. The anima is usually an aggregate of a man's mother but may also incorporate aspects of sisters, aunts, and teachers.

The anima is one of the most significant autonomous complexes of all. It manifests itself by appearing as figures in dreams as well as by influencing a man's interactions with women and his attitudes toward them, and vice versa for females and the animus. Jung said that confronting one's shadow self is an "apprentice-piece", while confronting one's anima is the masterpiece. Jung viewed the anima process as being one of the sources of creative ability.

I first came acquainted with anima and animus while reading Peirs Anthony's mode series. It wasn't until I got to fractal mode that anima and animus was mentioned.

The Shadow knows

well.........at least it's not a venomous enema.

Yeah. I bet those are really a bummer.

If anybody would know it would probably be the shadow.

well, at least the steelhead fishing is good now!!!!

Shadow is also an archetype.

Oops, I though this was a thread about Assassin's Creed...

Backing out of thread now...

The subconscious mind is a very frightfully symbolic thing isn't it.

Yeah. That is why I think it is good that it is lower than the conscious mind. It would be scary if the subconscious mind was above the conscious mind.

I know that in some more secluded 'tribal' cultures that the males will dress as womenkind when a new life is had in the village community. Also, most guys ffeel very much more nurturing after the birth of their kid, so that it is not far off to say that there may be in the mind of guys something of a feminine personality, sometimes borught out more.

Most animals don't pay any attention to sex differentiation until mating season, when hormones are clear beacons. In the majority of the time, the animals would have a similar mental habit or behavoir, I would imagine. I think that if humans where less pocessed of the ailment of thinking about body parts all of the time, they too would share a more common personality, and then it might not be so odd for traits to be either masculine or feminine, whereas now there is quite the (uncalled for) distinction.

The creative note I'd agree with. I doubt, however, that there are really layers to the mind between sub or uncounsious mind to normal thinking states. I notice that I have control over what is in my mind and the line between the two. If i have a bad week or two, so spell of time will be apparent when ideas and thoughts when I have to really try to keep them down under. But my point is that by one's actions habits and daily doings, the threshold can be adjusted, and one is responsible for his own sub or uncounscious mind.

Not sure I get what you're getting at, but thank you for digging up this subject anyway!
Something I'm very interested in of late, so it got me going again. Done some reading, and very fruitful soul searching. Gonna pick me up a few books at the library on the subject.
Guess it's time to get my anima & animus sorted,