Process of Individuation

SelfLove -> Purpose -> Anima - Animus -> Development of Wholeness and Individuation.

Symbol of Tao

Without love to oneself is not possible to discover one's purpose, because how you can accept your nature if you don't love yourself. Really selflove, nature and purpose are very interconnected terms.

Another thing which we can't do without selflove is to love other people around us - our partners, friends etc. Because ability to love is the faculty, which can be measured by how much you can give of: care, respect and knowledge. On the contrary, selfish person can't give, because of his/her insecurities. You can give from the state of resourcefulness, what's why you should care of yourself first. And your partner, if truly loves you, will understand.

But actually relationships are represented by symbol of Tao, which means give and receive.

We mostly focused on receiving in love, but what about other part - giving?

Sometimes we misunderstand giving - confusing it with sacrifice.

Giving is a highest expression of potency. In the very act of giving, I experience my strength, my wealth, my power.

Giving to our partner without waiting anything in return - we unwind will of Dao, which with every turn produce more energy, and hence wealth in Union. (Because our partner from the perspective of love-faculty will do the same)

In the sphere of material things giving means being rich. Not he who has much is rich, but he who gives much.

In Astrology 1st House is associated with personality and purpose, answering the question "Who Am I ?" When the question is answered we move into life, start gaining the resources to support oneself - 2nd House. 2nd House is associated with money and also food, because in the ancient times there were no money (it's an invention of the society) but people still required resources to support their survival, and the main resource is food, which we need on daily basis.

We meet friends - 3rd House of Communication, we find a place for living (4th House), we fall in love (5th House ) and how to serve or to give (6th House) and then finally we meet our partner (7th House ) with whom we build a relationships.

Anima/Animus

7th House is associated with our Alter-Ego, represents qualities which we lack for our realisation and compensate through our partners and allies.

We live to present a particular appearance to the world, one that highlights our strengths. Carl Jung called it a "Persona" a mask we wear in the society. We like to imagine that we make a decisions based on rational consideration, we have reasonable control over our lives, we are consistent and mature, we have a free will. But in one particular aspect of life these self-opinions are all easily shattered - when we fall in love.

In looking at these altered states, we might be tempted to describe them as forms of possession. We are normally rational person A, but under the influence of an infatuation, irrational person B begins to emerge. At first, A and B can fluctuate and even blend into each other, but the deeper we fall in love, the more it is person B who dominates. Person B see qualities in people that are not there, acts in ways that are counterproductive and even self-destructive, is quite immature, with unrealistic expectations, and makes decisions that are often mysterious later on to person A.

(c) Robert Greene.

According to Jung, we are actually possessed in such moments. He gave the entity (person B) that takes hold of us the name anima (for the male), and animus (for the female). This entity exists in our unconscious but comes to the surface when a person of opposite sex fascinate us.

We all have hormones and genes of opposite sex, but during our childhood we repress them to present to the society an appropriate gender role - persona. We other person of opposite sex fascinate us so much because it triggers this qualities in us, and we project them on our partner.

When we don't realise that anima or animus operate from our subconscious - finally the relationships break and we blame our partner that he/she didn't live up to our expectations and then we repeat the unhealthy pattern again.

Understanding the anima and animus and how they operate within us allows us integrate the qualities we repressed during our childhood. By integrating this qualities we become a whole and more dimensional personality.

According to Carl Jung, integrating these aspects is essential for achieving wholeness (Individuation)—the process of becoming our true, fully realized self.