Housing the Mystery

“Aphrodite women always stand out. Go to any public venue and wait for the moment of recognition. There she is – the “it” girl. Tall and slim, or short and slim, blonde or raven or red-haired, it matters not. Whether she dresses like a princess or a prostitute, she has the unmistakable spark that is the touch of Aphrodite, the golden goddess of love and beauty in Greek mythology. Women who embody the Aphrodite archetype have much less choice in how they behave or react than they, or others, imagine. The myths tell us that Aphrodite qualities are essential for the joy of life, but the shadow side manifests when a woman is completely identified with Aphrodite’s powers, when other archetypal qualities of the feminine are unimportant to her.” ~ TRAGIC BEAUTY The Dark Side of Venus Aphrodite and the Loss and Regeneration of Soul. by Arlene Diane Landau

“There are certain types of women who seem to be made by nature to attract anima projections; indeed one could almost speak of a definite “anima” type. The so-called “sphinxlike” character is an indispensable part of their equipment, also an equivocalness, an intriguing elusiveness – not an indefinite blur that offers nothing, but an indefiniteness that seems full of promises, like the speaking silence of a Mona Lisa. A woman of this kind is both old and young, mother and daughter, of more than doubtful chastity, childlike and yet endowed with a naïve cunning that is extremely disarming for men.” ~ Extract from Marriage as a Psychological Relationship by Carl Jung.

If a woman has Venus Aphrodite as her primary archetype she is usually considered an Anima woman. A strong current of Venus running through her makes it virtually impossible for this to be otherwise. Venus is the alchemical goddess, both vulnerable (meaning existing in relation to others) and virgin (meaning independent) whereas all the other goddesses are one or the other. Venus is both vulnerable and ferociously independent, herein lies her core contradiction. It is at the heart of her archetype which is why she is the creative goddess of love and beauty. Both she and others, especially when young, will not know what is happening. This “spark” goes beyond the exterior though it has to be acknowledged that Aphrodite women are often good looking. Traditionally the Anima woman is the muse. Venus is a priestess of Love. Venus is compelling and magnetic. She is the light and the light is surrounded by darkness. Sometimes, as with a nebula, at the centre is a black hole; the void, the mystery, divine love.

Being an Anima woman means you effortlessly activate powerful energies in other people, both men and women. Often you will not know why and even be blissfully unaware of your potent magic. You are just being yourself but being yourself as an Anima Venus type will elicit powerful and often destructive feelings in others. An Anima woman is like a child-woman; she can activate passion and possessiveness in both men and women, she can activate jealousy in women and desire in men and in some cases vice versa. People will want to love her or destroy her, depending on their drives, but they can never ignore her though many will feign indifference. Everybody has an opinion on her. Few want to integrate or include her. Many times this can cause her much pain and many times she will hide out to cope with the barrage and weight of the projections. These times she will feel hurt by life, she will feel misunderstood, degraded, dehumanised and dismissed as unimportant. These wounds and traumas can accumulate over the years causing her to withdraw and deny her talents because they get her into too much trouble. 

People have a fear of joy, love, freedom, the divine and creative power. Aphrodite represents all these things, they are inherent to her being and she cannot hide them. She sits by the source of undiluted joy and unbridled love. This triggers huge reactions in people as our culture tries to deny these elements, dismiss them as unimportant, trivial. They are viewed as childish pursuits.

It takes many years for an Anima woman to comprehend what is happening and to master her special powers. At her highest she is creativity central and inspires others to be their greatest, she can love one man and stay with one man, and at her lowest she drifts aimlessly from lover to lover never activating her own creativity and thus not fulfilling her destiny. She confuses sex with the act of creativity, the two become blurred, the two go hand in hand. A Venus woman is acutely conscious of how sexuality and creativity are twins. This special knowledge makes her seem somewhat dangerous though on her part it is intrinsic to her life and she is imbued with a kind of innocence and joy. She will focus on all her lovers’ talents rather than her own never realising that she is just postponing her own growth. She is caught up in the spell of her own myth-making and caught in the net of drawing out others’ greatness instead of her own. In short she is afraid of her own formidable power. It is advisable that a Venus woman develop other aspects and roles too – eg. mother, friend etc rather than just romantic lovers.

If you are an Anima Venus type woman it is vital that you develop other archetypes in yourself especially as you age. It is also advisable to shift from the muse role to an artist in your own right. Anima women make excellent artists because they house the mystery. They are the spark of creation. They possess magical powers. They are a walking contradiction, (the free spirit allowing themselves to belong to others, for example) like any artist worth their salt. If a woman does not develop other qualities her life has the potential to become tragic. If she has been hurt a lot, which is inevitable given her role in this life, she will have a ferocious side.

Having magical powers comes with a high price!