Want a Happily Ever After? The Negative Animus is your competition (and he's terrifying)

We continue with our mini-series on the anima and animus, using Steve Richards' Lilith novel as our narrative base. In today's episode, we discuss the animus, and what 'he' means for women and for men, as well as what happens when 'he' gets a little too possessive. There's a lesson of redemption in here for women - this is the riddle 'he' wants you to solve.
➡️ Lilith: The Last Temptation of Adam
A true Jungian mythos, now in development and pre-production as a feature film -
Check out the novel here:
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Today’s show hosted by Steve and Pauline Richards, & James P Dowling
Jung To Live By, presented by the Institute for Psycho-Systems Analysis™, is creating videos and podcasts on Jungian Depth Psychology for personal development and study.
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Jung To Live By Intro/Outro music:
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by Mike Bastow and Luke Jennings

[@JungToLiveBy]

No timestamps today, as no need! It's all the animus, and then an exposition on the nature of the Self. If you'd like to explore this story as a full narrative 'punch' (the best way to experience it IMO), you can pick it up here: gumroad.com/l/jtlb4 Cheers guys! Take care.

[@GetEasyMoneyCash]

Hi Richards, Thank you for sharing a snippet of your drama ‘Lilith: The Last Temptation of Adam’. Apart from the fact that the Japanese government is worried about the increasing number of men marrying holograms of women (virtual images, literally), last year I was myself dragged into something much akin to the drama which you have described. It started with a dream in which I had climbed onto a growing beanstalk which grew away from my childhood house. All my friends and family stood back at the house looking up at me (literally and metaphorically), yet a dog was barking at me from back there because a women was dangerously close to getting sucked up by a whirlwind in the sky. She eventually got sucked up. During the coming months I honed myself outwardly through Muay-Thai and inwardly through inner-work, and I became more down as every drop of life was squeezed out of me in the pursuit of an undefined ideal. During sessions of active imagination a Black Hole, or Black Sun, appeared to me several times. I related this Black Sun to the whirlwind from my dream, and in turn to Saturn or Kronus - the cruel taskmaster of harvest and devourer of children. Personally, I feel that the Black Sun is somehow related to this Von Hesse character which you described - an unsurpassable, living ideal which drains yet nourishes in its own peculiar way. My question to you is wether or not you know of any connection between the Black Sun and Von Hesse. Thank you 🙏.

[@vin608]

One thing that I noticed in my last relationship: It was always me who had to resolve conflict and bring peace, and she was impressed when I did. Only my positive anima could knock out the grudge of her animus!

[@contrapos]

28:29 "But for young men, that starting point could be so much sooner if they look to the past." Wow, never have I been so thankful. I had looked everywhere - but the past? Never even thought of going there. I feel grateful to finally be confronting my hubris, it really does feel like a new starting point, a new perspective which I can embrace that I think has the potential to change my life. 31:13 be careful 36:17 something my parents couldn't do.. listening to this story gave me hope and motivation to keep discovering myself. This is the kind of person I want to be. Honestly, I started and then stopped taking notes and eventually just listened with my eyes closed and i feel like i've just witnessed wisdom that knows no end. I don't even know what to say at this point. It really put things into perspectives to show me what frog in a small well I was. I was rewatching the final segment about introversion and the following tendency to rely on the inner psychology that Jung himself was caught in, and the opposite side of paying attention to the biology and instincts -- genomes at the end of the day. I was just told that I couldn't think my way out of this, but despite this proposed challenge feeling like a natural disaster to someone who's been suffering from ego inflation for way too long, I still felt a sense of relief that someone's finally managed to convince me to stop. When you distinguished archetypes from human genome instincts using the self-portrait analogy, it felt clear - it's like I could see where the misunderstandings are coming from at a structural, systematic level. It felt like learning how a computer system worked. I will keep watching your videos and continue to learn, but I will also be careful and pay close attention to remaining human. Much love, thank you.

[@JungToLiveBy]

Hi @contrapos, thanks ever so much for your comment! I feel drawn simply to encourage you - you've been gifted a moment of insight, and an opportunity for it's 'integration'. I'm really glad you've found such utility in Steve and Pauline's words. There's much more to discover on JTLB, and your stance for moving forward is appropriate: always remember to be 'you'. All the best, James

[@JungToLiveBy]

Hi @contrapos you've expressed a deeply resonant understanding of the material, which is very commendable. Regarding the past, in the form of the 'ancestral psyche' this is very real, and amounts to the anticipations of the genome, as acquired across evolution: human and pre-human. If you check out our recent video: 'Resolve Your Anima & Animus' it opens with a Paleolithic scene: the 'birth' of a new human life, at the peri-moment of its imprinting onto its mother. In that crossover moment, the 'ancestral voice' of the feminine, is heard over the cries of the new-born child, declaring that the child (as its Ego develops) will soon 'forget' whence (through its genome) it came, and yet, the ancestral psyche, will not forget the child. Its all in there to discover. Blessings and Respect, Steve & Pauline🙏🙏

[@tracik1277]

This has given me a lot to think about. I’m beginning to think I could be animus possessed! The reason I say this is because I have had to ‘parent’ myself from a very young age, becoming aware of my own consciousness at 3 or 4 years old and dealing with abusive parents/family/teachers (In the 70’s). I have never fitted into a gendered type or sexuality at any age (but don’t buy into the ideas floating about these days and have never expected special treatment in this regard because it isn’t something that feels unnatural to me - being autistic helps with that). Then I have single-parented my son (now 25 and also ASD) thus having to be ‘mother and father’ to him, which seemed to come naturally to me. Also my endocrine/hormonal makeup is slightly atypical. If I have any problem with this state of affairs it is that I have never been able to settle with a suitable partner or profession, and now I imagine that either of these things is unlikely to happen for me, which does make me sad.

[@ShinigamiOni]

How do you address such a man? Such a rivalry? You learn from them. Who better a teacher? Of circumstance and of yourself?

[@jamyncarter1847]

Sometimes in a moment of clarity the pain and turmoil start to make sense and a laugh bubbles up. What a cosmic joke we’ve found ourselves in. Comedy and Philosophy merge together in the profound. There is the difference between earned and unearned wisdom. Experience.

[@sennewam]

44:02 A woman understands the animus in a way that a man can't. "We can't make the alchemical union on the inside if we don't prepare our own masculinity to receive the archetypal feminine"

[@jungtolivebyafterdark]

Hi again , many thanks for the time stamp. Just one correction, it refers to women understanding the ‘Animus’ better than men can. Kindest Regards, Steve.

[@manvelavetisyanvids]

My wife is the embodiment of lilith!!! Omg! I'm so happy I found this. She has driven me to depression and not wanting to live and when I expressed this she told me "sooner, better!" but i really want to help her recognize her animus. The book link isn't working! Page not found.

[@JungToLiveBy]

jtlb.fanlink.to/lilithbysteverichards. Kindest Regards, Steve

[@manvelavetisyanvids]

@@JungToLiveBy ordered! I'm going to request a session with you as well. I'm going through this right now. I'm married to a Lilith! Can't wait to read the book. Thank you so much for your vital work!

[@tracik1277]

These talks are getting so interesting 🤩

[@practicaljung9743]

Hi again Traci K, many thanks! Lilith, as Jungian mythic fiction is part of our promise to Franz Jung about bringing his father's work to a wider audience. Kindest Regards, Steve,

[@mamasworldview]

Do you have a video on how to tune into the instincts and be led by them as opposed to outside influences like gurus and teachers? And what about if instincts have gone awry as can happen with trauma and addiction? How will you know when you're tuning into correct rather than distorted instincts?

[@moons_mind]

This Von Hesse character sounds interesting. Will have to see how his story ends

[@practicaljung9743]

Hi Moons_Mind, over the trilogy he develops (individuates). The journey is a very long and difficult one. Kindest Regards, Steve.

[@Om.arweens]

I need more on how to hook into the instincts from JTL!

[@JungToLiveBy]

Check out our latest video ‘Resolve your Archetypes & Meta-Instincts: The Ultimate Guide’ as it covers a great deal of this.

[@zoe4737]

HI! I've been binge-watching your content, and I love it! BTW is there a separate video on the "Darwinian spirit"? Thank you

[@JungToLiveBy]

Thanks Zoe 🙏🙏

[@CyberSpud94]

After watching about 10 hours of Q&A content from you folk, with this episode y’all convinced me to buy Lilith 📖

[@JungToLiveBy]

Blessings Reece T, Kindest Regards, Steve 🙏

[@priyaterner6871]

Only just found you. Absolutely brilliant.

[@JungToLiveBy]

Hi @priyaterner6871, thanks so very much for your kind comment. Hope you enjoy the rest of the channel. Some of our recent videos cover the same ground as this one. Blessings, Steve & Pauline 🙏🙏

[@ethanGuitar]

brilliant video

[@practicaljung9743]

Hi Ethan Guitar, my friend, thanks again, for your continued support for our work. Kindest Regards, Steve.

[@FrancisFleuronas]

Wow you guys are amazing. Ive said it before but thank you again for making these videos, the clarity they bring to my life is like a prayer answered. One question, the Lilith playlist says there are 6 videos, but 1 is unavailable so only 5 are shown. Is that video important?

[@JungToLiveBy]

Hi @FrancisFleuronas , thanks for your very kind words, they are very much appreciated. Yes, one video has been deleted. we will be covering this in our next video though. Hope you enjoy it. Kindest Regards, to You, and Respect too for Your Personal Journey. Steve & Pauline 🙏🙏

[@dwifred472]

Seems like we need to find the proper way to deal with this archetypal drama in all of us and learn how to find a good individuation relationship in the real world. Being too strict about our sexuality and desires doesnt seem to be the answer to me instinctively. Hopefully I can keep moving in the right direction with this. Tough journey but a good one.

[@JungToLiveBy]

Hi again, @dwifred472, thanks for sharing those obviously hard-won insights. Kindest Regards, Steve & Pauline

[@zakatista5246]

Re the animus (anima) being a death demon. Where a mother unconsciously rejects her son (or aspects of him), does his anima then consulate in him as a death drive (eg in addiction, risky behavior, etc)?

[@JungToLiveBy]

Hi, @zakatista5246, It can be modelled that way, but its very important to have a based understanding of how things 'represent' themselves (their 'Representational psychodynamics'). Modelling can itself be a huge problem, as in generating things that do not, and indeed never did 'exist', as such. I'd recommend that you check out our new video on Archetypes and Meta-Instincts, outi in a few days, wehere this is discussed in the 'dialectic' (time-stamped) part of the video. Kindest Regards, Steve

[@zakatista5246]

Thank you Steve@@JungToLiveBy

[@frans8861]

So what's the name of the animus that's on par with Lilith? If there is one.

[@JungToLiveBy]

In the context of the Lilith Trilogy her brother is revealed in Lilith 2. Her true opposite and the resolution of her journey is revealed at the end of Lilith 3

[@frans8861]

@@JungToLiveBy haha 😂 I guess I'll have to buy the books to find out, class move.

[@JungToLiveBy]

They only exist as completed film scripts but a clue is Lilith 2 The Devil’s Bible and Lilith 3 The Pleroma

[@frans8861]

@@JungToLiveBy thanks that explains why it's not on the web page.

[@nm-conceptfilms]

That is interesting.. I start to understand a lot of things about myself, and all the signs, that live wont stop showing me.. The way, that I started many years ago, and that nobody understood.. Sometimes even I wouldnt. I went through my complete hell, all by my self - partially in complete isolation, and that was actually, what was necessary. The catalist was a woman, who described herself as Athenas armee. The "everyday psycholgist" would have brought me away from that, and I knew this.. Thanks Jung.. Without you, I would have thought, that I was to become really, really mentally ill.

[@emil6669]

Hello, I have just sibscribed to the 5$ tier on Pateron but cannot find your discord server when I type it.

[@JungToLiveBy]

Hi Emil 666 is this sorted for you yet?

[@paulmessis1094]

This is a huge situation in my own relationship. How the heck can a guy compete with an archetype of this magnitude when your spouse is completely uninterested or has no care about Jungian psychology or working on themselves.

[@JungToLiveBy]

Hi again paul messis, firstly disentangle yourself from the Jungian Anima, or at the very least, that which passes as such in Jungian theory. The task is relating. If relating is possible, then most things can be worked through. The vast majority of humankind have no knowledge or interest in Jung, and for the most part that has little to no effect on them or their lives. If you take a Jungian perspective, then be careful not to collapse into it. It rapidly becomes an abstraction. Relating is fundamentally an issue of instinct. That’s the level at which both disturbance and healing take place. Kindest Regards, Steve🙏

[@paulmessis1094]

@@JungToLiveBy I understand you fully Steve thanks for the response.

[@JungToLiveBy]

Blessings, and Respect 🙏

[@victorianicholson6850]

How does one go about better relating please ? Thanks 🙏

[@FOXARUS]

@@victorianicholson6850 care, be interested, open minded, listen,etc..

[@Starwalk8r66]

Excellent series!

[@thewilden9727]

Can only find "Lilith the Last Temptation of Adam" through a google search. They have mentioned it's a trilogy, is the series set out in that one book?

[@JungToLiveBy]

Hi mate, if you check the description, theres a link to Gumroad for Lilith. This is book 1; books 2 and 3 have been released, but will be revamped for a JTLB re-release soon. Cheers!

[@thewilden9727]

@@JungToLiveBy cheers dude, not a huge fan of the digital reads but this is tempting enough that I'll jump into it. Thanks for the reply.

[@Lorinstargte]

To beat Von Hess you would need an archetype possession and the only humans capable of surviving it would be an actor capable of keeping his mind separate and unconscious during the possession. And of course the archetype requires it’s own reason to comply. So you can’t just go to the trickster and be like “ hey can you possess me so I get this hot chick 🐣 or trick this girl into carrying my anima” like Pauline says there is a negotiation.

[@sl3ptsolong]

It's strange to me that you can consider anything woo woo when discussing things of this nature. Many would consider this in a similar light.

[@jrayalac]

I want to read more about Von Hesse, where can I find more?

[@JungToLiveBy]

He’s in the full Lilith Trilogy which are in screenplay format only. Also his full back-story is written in to a new novel

[@blueelisa17]

🥺 amazing

[@holisticcoaching7020]

Can an individual be Von Hess? What if you see that character in yourself… I don’t particularly want to be that 😅

[@holisticcoaching7020]

I recognise this as potentially an inflation?

[@JungToLiveBy]

Hi again, @holisticcoaching7020, narratives are the most efficient way of communciating whole-situations, and good narratives embedd the lived experience of many conjoined journeys, in a way that allows the modelling of many different potentials for adapatation and life-span development. An affect-based connection to a character, should always be 'felt' within the context of the wider-field of the narrative. Other journeys are co-present with our own, and other potentials exist within us. The character of Von Hesse develops across the three parts of that story, and indeed, in the earlier prequel. Its an allegory, that involves distilation and change. Just as life should be. Kindest Regards, Steve.

[@sennewam]

"shit-test" is the best meme

[@levisnotjeans]

I'm 💯 pcent checking checking out this van has story, it sounds totally relatable to at least a part of my life definitely an aspect and an archetypical story I want to see more. I was wondering if there's an archetypical story about people being on the borders of insanity and the amount of Truth you can find on that border because I romanticize the hell out of madness just being a reflection of more wisdom than you can handle yet

[@levisnotjeans]

Are there any other stories that represent this archetypal story?

[@practicaljung9743]

Hi Levisnotjeans throwback, there will be a lot out there, in the wider field of literature. My own novel and script work does cover this, in a specific context. that of individuation through the lens of Jungian mythic fiction. You need to find something that resonantes with you, personally - which, would indicate that your psyche 'agrees' with the narrative, as being something that reflects your intended path. There's so much out there, so many authors to choose from. Kindest Regards, Steve.

[@oleghrozman4172]

HELLO!

[@Sub-lt5yd]

Hello Olegh!

[@tracik1277]

Olegh Rozman Warning! That other comment I suspect might be a bot. Don’t go to their channel. (Pls forgive me if I am wrong)

[@josephanglada4785]

I guess I'm done with women then D:

[@hideawayglobal]

Amazing. You all look tired, please get some good sleep

[@The_Mentorship_initiative]

More on shit tests please

[@littleredbicc609]

For the ones in the know, 2014's the babadook imo is a great film on the negative animus. Just a thought as i saw it again recently.