Having already addressed the Shadow and the main points on Social relationships in general, as well as Love and the two archetypes, we address here what differentiates the Animus from the Anima.
The animus is individuality, the conscious ego as it attempts to sense its unconscious : its basic, collective nature…
The animus represents the idealized picture of masculinity for women.
What is the animus ?
The animus is “the logos” (spiritual mindset), reason, structure, the power of logic, ideas, communication, the spoken word, rationality, inertia, completeness, brute force, the consciousness of the ego, the individual, the essential unit, etc…
The animus is the masculine archetype; it’s the seduction of woman, it asserts itself over them through its eloquence, intelligence, strength of character, and hardness… It encourages introspection and self-affirmation, and as a result it can shatter affectivity.
The animus is the complementary, contrasexual part of a woman : it’s present in every woman. For a woman, the animus is an agent of personal fulfillment, individuality, independence, individualism, strength, and aggressiveness, but also of solitude…
The animus is inherent in a man, though each man has his own particular way of expressing it, and there are different standard types of animus which we can link to the Astrological Elements. Every man is of course a mix of these various styles :
- the Fatherly Man (water) is protective, attentive, considerate, comforting, reassuring, and very attached to traditional family values, and the standard example is “the head of the family”.
On the negative side, a man of this type may tend to be authoritarian and dominating, and demand order and submission under duress (physically and/or emotionally). - The Childish Man (air), a handsome, immature youth who is a bit like a feisty “mad dog”, is brilliant, playful, and a teaser, and seduces others with his youth, childish side, keen mind. The standard example is “the fashion model”.
On the negative side, a man of this type may be fickle, irresponsible, moody, superficial, unfaithful, cold and unfeeling, self-serving, and may even show himself to be cruel. - The Heroic Man (earth), the ultimate man of action, is valiant, athletic, the hero, the conqueror, the fighter, the victor, the builder, charismatic and self-assured, brave, pragmatic, persistent, and determined, and the standard examples are “the warrior and the hunter”.
On the negative side, a man of this type may be violent, brutal, dominating, grasping for ambitions, power, and riches, extremely materialistic, destructive, insensitive, jealous, and possessive. - The Mystical Man (fire) is spiritual, visionary, wise, intelligent, cautious, creative, philosopher, and possesses a vast amount of knowledge. The standard examples are “the intellectual, the statesman, the guide, and the guru”.
On the negative side, a man of this type may become fanatical, overly passionate, and indifferent to ordinary things, perched high in his lofty realm, and teeter on the brink of madness.
These are the standard categories of the animus that we may find in women’s projections of the animus onto men, projections that may in fact be radically different from the animus that the man in question is actually experiencing !
The animus may also be projected outside of a relationship, onto activities that are related to the types of animus evoked above : paternity, art, work and sports, religion and mysticism, etc…
In practice, each man expresses an animus that is the fruit of a mix of these four standard types of animus, although we should still always ask ourselves which of the animus qualities, conscious or unconscious, led a woman to project a particular standard type.
Men should become aware of their unconscious Anima, their inner partner, and integrate it into their lives, keeping in mind that no real woman could ever be the true equivalent of this idealized inner image.
The animus in astrology
There is no magic formula to concretely determine where the animus is hiding (the entire animus) in the Birth chart, because there are many factors that can have an influence, and not all of them are easy to see at first glance.
Let’s start with the obvious planets of the animus : the Sun and Mars are the most important.
The sun is particularly significant in a man’s birth chart. As Dane Rudhyar characterizes it, “it’s the symbol of the source of Self’s energy” (see Individuation).
Mars represents desire and action, the propensity for confrontation, the drive to initiate (which allows us to become a catalyst), primitive instincts, etc… Because it’s a social planet, its Retrograde motion is very significant.
The planets Mars and Venus should obviously be analyzed more carefully when we are studying the animus and the anima. Their intrinsic energies can vary significantly depending on whether they are in their dignity or their debility (see Rulerships) and depending on which sign (feminine or masculine), or else the Astrological Elements they are located in (remember that fire and air are masculine while water and earth are feminine).
For example, when Mars is in detriment in Libra (the sign that Venus rules over), it will have an eminently feminine tint… In the event that at the same time Venus is in Aries (sign that Mars rules over, which moreover would create an Opposition), and thus in detriment too, it would inevitably be “hardened” (this example is a case of Mutual Reception).
Mercury is androgynous, and so it may be representative of both the animus and the Anima; its placement among the signs and the elements determines which one it’s more representative of, but Mercury is never anything more than a secondary significator in this way.
Jupiter, a planet of expansion and mysticism, tied as much to discussion and social niceties as to philosophy, laws, and morality, creates a basis for the logic and rationality of the animus, onto which a person may construct their individuality within society.
Saturn (generally androgynous and also often considered to be masculine, a kind of the sun’s twin, in fatherly symbolism) may indicate the Shadow of the animus. This planet is above of all a significator of the dark side of our personality, and it may take on aspects of either the animus or the anima, so it needs to be analyzed in parallel with the rest of the chart (Aspects, Framings, etc…).
The transpersonal planets are related to the images of the collective unconscious of the animus (see the article Love, psychology, and astrology). These images, which are connected to the personal planets of the animus, create the need to project onto non-human entities (businesses, states, or groups) or the need for transcendence and experiencing things more intensely through spiritual growth.
Uranus in particular is a real “detonator” for the animus (and for mystical experiences). Its inspirational qualities, unpredictability, and eccentricity, in addition to its idealistic nature and thirst for freedom, feed and activate the animus.
Pluto (which tends to be androgynous) is considered by some astrologers, rightly so, to be the higher octave of Mars, given its violent nature and in how it represents sexuality. Indeed, this planet does have some very masculine qualities (it shares Rulerships of Scorpio with Mars, which is certainly the most masculine of the feminine Signs).
When a planet is assigned to the male sex, we need to qualify that assignment (nuance), because if the planet then finds itself in a feminine sign and a feminine house it may clearly manifest feminine characteristics.
In terms of the Houses, the animus is unfailingly represented by the Ascendant, while the anima is represented by the 7th House.
The ascendant represents our personality, the ego, the conscious, individuality, and, by extension, Individuation. It seeks out complementarity through projections of the unconscious, repressed qualities of one’s personality.
If the 1st House has a planet in it or is emphasized in some way, this accentuates or changes the qualities of the animus.
The Black moon, with its wild nature, could have a castrating effect on the animus.
The axis of the Lunar nodes is fairly androgynous (neutral). The north node represents the synthesis of the two complementary, but opposite, archetypes : the anima and the animus.
For Jung, the personality develops chiefly as a result of the integration of its “inner partner”, but this integration cannot be achieved if one psychological function is repressed relative to another (therefore a planetary function).
The various techniques for Individuation involve a global development of all parts of a person (i.e. the entirety of the Birth chart; see Visualization Techniques) and a reciprocal interpenetration of all of their psychological opposites, especially between the conscious and the unconscious (the Shadow and the contrasexual partner, the Anima).
Individuals cannot be happy if they repress and deny a part of themselves; this often leads to Depression.
To go further :
Animus on Wikipedia