Alexandra,
I think you connected much on the dream and my analysis which is most important. The interpretation must fit to be applicable. I see a good fit and your recognizing the important aspects of the analysis should help you in understanding the unconscious energies and motivators that are causing conflicts in your life. In this post I will focus on a few of the issues that may more clarity. Also I will comment on the two dreams {parts of them you posted} you had. I will also address your question about the animus. This seems to be a central theme in your dream as well as your life.

Your response/comments to my analysis
I dont know what is preventing it, maybe its me, not being commited enough or tired. I have spent many years turning to drink and smoking not to an exsessive level but i often feel guilty about it. I had problems with my relationship with my mother when i was a child, we are much closer now but there are hangovers still there that i wish i could let go of, but somehow i seem too proud to do so, wich is silly , she does so much for me and has more than made up for things.

My response
The early relationship with your mother may be central to the motivators of which I spoke of. Unconsciously any emotional issues from those early years are imprinted on the psyche. Even what might be considered mundane can have a big impact on child development and become issues throughout life. If there is a lack of bonding, love and nourishment, those type of experiences the psyche of a child {and infant} expect to receive then it is 'recorded' on the brain. Examining those early years may help you understand what the motivators are. Drinking and smoking are often substitutes for what was lacking in childhood. It is important to look deeper into these possibilities. Discussions with your mother now {let her know the reasons} could very well help tremendously. Merely talking about the possible issues is therapy.

Your response/comments to my analysis
When i read i seem to have more dreams, when i was away, after reading your analysis i had 2 more very powerful dreams. One that my husband got very drunk and out of control at a party (unlike him), I was embaressed in front of my friends, i was hurt and he said he was having an affair (he isnt)there was nothing i could do to calm him down. ANd another that my mother turned up at my meditation class saying she just wanted to see what it was all about, i was very angry that she couldnt let me have this thing for myself and had spoiled it.

My response
In the dream where you husband got drunk, the symbolization would be he is you {your animus}, your past tendencies toward drinking which left you out of control. If you look at that whole dream and put yourself in his place {he is you} then it make more sense. The afair may represent being 'unfaithful' to yourself, the dream attempting to push you toward becoming whole by helping you realize those issues that prevent it.

In the mother dream the focus would be on 'not having this thing for myself'. That may be a clue to possible childhood issues. The anger would be from the early life relationship with her. What was it that 'spoiled' the relationship?

Dream and Analysis
Dream I see the river flowing away from the house. When i turn to face the current the river is gone. There is vast river bed made from yellow sand/stone, and hundreds of men line it working to forge this bed, some of them are naked and some are peeing into the river bed. I talk to some of them. The river bed winds off into the distance for eternity like a serpent, it is beautifully shaped.


Analysis There are emotional currents are flowing from this particular issue in your life. When you consciously confront the issue you remove any conscious conflict that may exist {although unconsciously they remain}. A river bed {with no water current} may suggest a complex exists which could point to underlying unconscious issues related to personality/early life experience sand influences. The hundreds of men would suggest overwhelming animus aspects at work, some that are conscious {naked/exposed} and others that need to be released so to exposed what is not consciously known {to do with any complex you may possess}. You are aware of some of the issues {talking to some of the men} and unconsciously your psyche is working to inform you of what other aspects that are not unknown {which would bring about a needed transformation/snake and perhaps reshape important aspects of who you are}.


Your response/comments/questions about your animus
I would like to understand this {animus} more i am new to jung. My animus is my male counterpart. I am a very male person - i think. i tend to prefer to be with other male women too. Right now my youngest son has just started school and i am starting a new phase of my life. One where i feel i must work. I cannot be employed because of my elder son. But at home i must work. I started off at art college but then fell into work i didnt enjoy, then i had kids, so now is my time to try and start working within arts and crafts again, i need to employ myself. I take a lot of responsibility for my family, i work hard to fight for my disabled sons needs. i often find this hard. My husband is not terribly romantic and dosnt allways nurture my feminine side, and we do not get much respite.

My response
A strong animus, a need to work, these sound like compensations and personality traits. How different {or alike} is your current family life to that of your childhood? A need to work may suggest there was a neglected aspect on your parents part to provide adequate parenting. What was your father and mother's personality type? It could be you intuitively {a natural aspect we all possess and as children can utilize as a tool of recognition and survival} picked up on shortcomings from one or both parents and have spent your adult life compensating for those psyche issues. Experiencing a childhood where strength was lacking would be a motivator for masculine traits to personality {this would be the complex I spoke of}. An overpowering masculine traits could be an issue. There may be an imbalance between masculine and feminine aspects and the syzygy image is attempting to bring about balance {these are archetypal energies we all possess and are born with}. The syzygy is the combination of the anima and animus, or the divine couple {when united and in balance}. The syzygy represents completion, unification and wholeness, which not only points to psychological aspects but also metaphysical aspects {meditation/spirituality, creativity/muses}. The latter is a path to balancing the psyche and the former the condition that prevents balance.

You are truly in a transitional phase and as usual for someone who examines their dreams {an aspect of the inward journey} you have begun to focus on the metaphysical aspects. When I discovered Jung {and Campbell} and began to look at my psychological issues I became interested in dreams and web design. Looking back it seems as if it was meant to be that way, my study of dreams leading to building the websites. The later is my creative self, an expression of my true self. Of course Jung was the psychological part of the equation, discovering what my motivators were {an as usual it led back to childhood issues-the motif of the son seeking the father}. They seem to go hand in hand and from what you have stated in your response you are on the same course. At the age of 38 you are at the beginning of the mid-life thing, a time when we naturally begin to look back and try to get an understanding of why things are as they are.

My suggestion is to look back at your childhood and find what it is that causes a need for a strong animus. And definitely follow up with your meditation and any interests you may have to do with art and creativity. What Joseph Campbell provided was his insistence on 'following your bliss', that thing in life you love doing most. That usually involves creativity {web design for me} and metaphysics, natural spirituality {less religion} and any natural inclinations you may possess {my abilities with the dream is greatly due to my strong intuitive instincts}. This is very much the hero/heroine path that must be undertaken if a person is to find true wholeness, balance and harmony in life.

But first things first. Examine your childhood and if at all possible talk with your mother about your early life and the relationship between the two of you. This could be good therapy for both of you. Uncovering the unconscious energies that motivates is always a release from those negative energies. It is a part of the transition.

Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 64 Male Cocoa, Fl

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