The Animus Process: A 6-month Course in Stages, Shadow, and Clinical Integration
Session 3: The Animus in Fairy Tales
November 30, 2025
11:00am PST - 1:00pm PST
Every woman carries a hidden masculine within her psyche.
Ignore him, and he’ll run your relationships from the shadows.
Recognize him, and he’ll become your greatest ally.
by Lyna Tevenaz Jones, M.A., ACMHC
The Animus: the inner masculine that every woman carries within her
“The animus is the deposit, as it were, of all woman’s ancestral experiences of man – and not only that, he is also a creative and procreative being, not in the sense of masculine creativity, but in the sense that he brings forth something we might call … the spermatic word.”
[- C. G. Jung, “Anima and Animus,” CW 7, par. 336.]
The Animus is a central concept in Jungian psychology.
It is not an external man, nor a simple memory of the father or past partners—but an internal, autonomous, and evolving figure, representing the masculine polarity of the female psyche.
Just as men carry within themselves an image of the Feminine (the Anima), women are inhabited, often unknowingly, by an inner masculine presence: the Animus. The aim of individuation is to constellate and integrate both aspects.
Module 3: The Animus in Fairy Tales and Stories
Online
For our third workshop, we will explore the Inner Masculine through fairy tales and universal storytelling.
Across cultures and centuries, the Animus reveals himself in stories long before we learn his name.
In this module, we enter the world of myth and fairy tale—Bluebeard, Psyche and Eros, The Girl Without Hands, and other timeless narratives that expose the many faces of the inner masculine: the predator, the guide, the knight, the prophet, the shapeshifter, the initiator.
Through guided exploration, narrative decoding, and symbolic attunement, you will begin to recognize the myth that has been living at the center of your own life. This module helps you see what has been moving you—protecting you, sabotaging you, seducing you, or trying to wake you—through the lens of archetypal story.
Why work with the Animus?
Because not doing so means the animus remaining trapped in your unconscious - it rules your life from the inside out, inserting itself into relationships, work, and hinders individuation.
Working with the Animus means:
Regaining your psychic authority
Breaking out of the cycle of romantic projections
Accessing structured and aligned creativity
Reconnecting with your discernment, your inner compass
Transcending paternal wounds without denying them
What to expect…
Theoretical Foundations
My approach to working with the Animus is both clinical and symbolic.
What You Will Learn
- Recognize the Animus in Universal Story
Trace the inner masculine as he appears in fairy tales, myths, legends, and sacred texts. See how cultures across time describe the same psychological forces in different symbolic clothing.
- Build Symbolic Literacy
Learn how to interpret archetypal figures—
the predator, the guide, the knight, the prophet—
and understand what each represents in your psyche.
- Discover Your Personal Animus Myth
Identify the story-pattern that has been shaping your relationships, desires, conflicts, and spiritual path. Begin to understand how your myth wants to evolve.
- Translate Myth Into Inner Work
See how these stories offer instructions: thresholds to cross, illusions to shatter, instincts to reclaim, and inner unions to prepare for.
Tales and myths are not simply stories: they are psychic maps.
They speak the language of the unconscious, where the Animus takes root.
They speak directly to the part of us. that is most ancient, most instinctive, most true within us. They speak the language of the unconscious - the unconscious does not usually speak in arguments or concepts, but it communicates in images, figures, symbols, and movements.
That is why Fairy Tales endure the passing and test of time: they speak directly to that part of us and our species that has not aged. When you listen to a fairy tale, something within you recognizes itself, even if you cannot quite put your finger on it: it is an encounter of the unconscious with the unconscious.
Fairy tales depict psychological realities we all experience: loss, loneliness, the encounter with the inner predator, rites of passage, illusions that must crumble, unexpected resources, and metamorphoses. Thus, what seems chaotic in life takes on structure, direction, and meaning through the container of the fairy tale.
Additionally, exploring the Animus through stories is perhaps one of the safest, deepest, and least threatening ways to access it within ourselves.
A fairy tale doesn't just show the wound; it also shows the path out: the ordeal, then the coming to consciousness, the decisive act, the growth, and, in the fairy tales we will explore, the encounter with a more mature form of the Animus.
The initiation arc offered by fairy tales is sometimes far faster and more effective than lengthy and complex psychological explanations.
The story speaks to our unconscious, where theory often fails to truly communicate with it.
Bluebeard, Psyche and Eros, The Girl Without Hands… these stories express what the psyche cannot always formulate: the grip of the inner predator, the illusion of love, the quest of the knight, the need for a guide, paternal wounds, prophetic impulses.
René Magritte, La Magie noire 1934
The Animus Module 3 — The Animus in Fairy Tales
November 25, 2025 - 11:00am PST - 1:00pm PST
In this module, you will explore how the Animus appears in classic tales such as Bluebeard, Psyche and Eros, and The Girl Without Hands. These stories reveal the archetypal patterns of the inner masculine—predator, guide, knight, prophet—and show how these forces shape relationships, intuition, creativity, and inner authority.
You can register for the 6-month journey down below.
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When projected, the Animus can trap us in illusions, dependencies, and suffering. But when it is recognized and integrated, it becomes an inner guide: a source of wisdom, discernment, creative power, and authentic expression. It is both the challenge and the key: that which binds us and that which sets us free.
Integrating the Animus
Integrating the Animus isn't just about "accepting your inner masculine" or "balancing your energies."
It's a slow, demanding, and deeply transformative process that also involves confronting the Animus as it is—not as you want it to be.
One of the most powerful steps in integrating the Animus is the withdrawal of projections: the very quality idealized in a man—or forcefully rejected—points to a part of self still in exile.
The Animus becomes conscious when we act out the qualities it carries.
About me
Lyna Tevenaz Jones is a psychodynamic and Jungian-informed therapist specializing in depth work with adults and adolescents. In my clinical work, integrate attachment theory, internal family systems, archetypal psychology, and affective neuroscience. My thesis research explored how symbolic imagery and active imagination can restore connection to the Self in the healing of childhood trauma and attachment wounds.
What You’ll Learn
By the end of this workshop, participants will:
Be able to more precisely identify how the Animus manifests in their relationships and in what ways it is projected (idealization, criticism, unavailability, fascination, etc.). They will be able to recognize their recurring relational patterns and understand their psychological function in light of analytical psychology.
They will have experimented with practical tools—a projection journal, relational mapping, and active imagination—which will help them begin to withdraw their projections and reintegrate the qualities they attributed to the other person.
Clinically, this means: better differentiation between the self and the projection, a decrease in emotional and intellectual dependencies, and an increased ability to invest their psychic energy in creativity, independent thinking, and more conscious and balanced relationships.
Next Live Workshop on 11/30/2025
11:00am PST - 1:00pm PST
Join the live lecture + receive the recording + PDF presentation + Inner Work journaling pages
Price: $55
Early registration gives you access to the full live session, the replay, and a downloadable PDF with prompts and guidance to deepen your personal practice.
Pay-in-4 options are available at checkout
Through Bluebeard, Psyche and Eros or The Girl Without Hands,
you will see the figures that already inhabit you appear: the predator, the knight, the seducer, the guide, the prophet.
Recordings of Previous Classes
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Session 1 Recording: Mapping the Animus
Recording of session 1 + pdf presentation + workbook
$55
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Session 2 Recording: The Animus in Relationship
Recording of session 1 + pdf presentation + workbook
$55
The Animus Process: A 6-month Course in Stages, Shadow, and Clinical Integration
The full series is the most cost-effective path:
six workshops for $200 (a savings of $130). A complete arc of transformation, at a significantly lower rate.
You receive all the recordings of past classes + pdfs + inner work guides.
This six-month journey offers a deep exploration of the Animus, the inner masculine force that shapes thought, creativity, and relationships. Through six carefully designed webinars, you will map the origins of your Animus in childhood and family dynamics, recognize how it influences your relationships through projection, and encounter its symbolic expressions in myths and fairytales. We will also examine the Shadow Animus and learn how to set boundaries with its destructive voices, while also awakening the Guiding Animus as an inner source of wisdom, inspiration, and confidence.
The Animus Journey
The Animus Journey
A 6-months journey with the Animus
A six-webinar journey to understand, connect with, and integrate the Animus - the inner force that structures thought, draws the gifts from the unconscious into consciousness, and shapes our relationships.
Through approaches based on Analytical Psychology, Psychoanalysis, neurobiogy and myths, you will learn to transform your critical inner voice into a guide and ally.
You can either purchase each session separately or register for the series, which is more economical if you plan on attending all webinars.
Every session will come in its own package, which will include:
Live lecture + recording +PDF guide + Inner Work journaling pages + separate 30mn Q & A
$200 for the full 6-workshop series (regular price $330).
September 21 , 2025
Module 1 – Mapping the Animus
Explore your earliest influences (father, male figures, transgenerational legacies). Discover the four stages of Animus development according to Emma Jung and create an initial map of your inner Animus. See details above.
Learning objectives examples:
Understand the concept of Animus in Jungian psychology.
Trace the 4 stages of Animus development (Emma Jung).
Recognize how father complex, cultural patterns, and transgenerational inheritance shape one’s Animus.
Begin mapping personal Animus lineage.
November 2, 2025
November 30, 2025
Module 2 – The Animus and Relational Projections
Learn to recognize how the Animus influences your romantic and professional relationships. Identify projection dynamics and unconscious repetitions, and discover how to begin removing your projections to gain inner freedom.
Learning objectives examples:
Recognize how the Animus is projected onto partners, mentors, or leaders.
Identify recurring relational patterns (e.g., attraction to unavailable men, rescuers, or tyrants).
Learn the first steps of withdrawing projections.
Module 3 – The Animus in Myths and Tales
Dive into the wisdom of universal tales: Bluebeard, Psyche and Eros, The Girl Without Hands… These stories reveal the many faces of the Animus. You will discover your own Animus myth and how it plays out in your life.
Learning objectives examples:
See how the Animus appears in myths, legends, and fairy tales.
Learn symbolic literacy: predator, guide, knight, prophet.
Discover one’s own “personal myth” of Animus.
January 4, 2026
Module 4 – The Shadow of the Animus
Discover the negative aspects of the Animus: the tyrant, the critic, the saboteur, and others. Understand their cultural and psychological roots, and learn how to set boundaries in the face of these inner voices that prevent you from moving forward.
Learning objectives examples:
Recognize negative Animus forms (tyrant, critic, saboteur).
Understand how cultural inheritance amplifies the Shadow Animus.
Learn boundary-setting practices with destructive inner voices.
February 1, 2026
March 1, 2026
Module 5 – The Animus: Guide and Inspirer
When differentiated, the Animus becomes a mediator, an inner prophet who paves the way for confidence, creativity, and inspired thinking. This module helps you recognize and communicate with this positive Animus.
Learning objectives examples:
Recognize the positive functions of the Animus.
Differentiate true Animus inspiration from possession.
Learn practices to constellate guiding Animus for creativity and confidence.
Module 6 – Integrating the Animus
Integrating the Animus isn't about identifying with it, but rather living with it as an inner partner. This final module offers concrete integration practices and helps you build your personal plan to continue this journey after the course.
Learning objectives examples:
Understand the difference between integration and identification.
Recognize signs of Animus integration (confidence, creative voice, boundaries).
Create a personalized plan for ongoing Animus work.
Taking good care of your psyche and your body.
This lecture is intended for educational and self-reflective purposes only and is not a substitute for individual therapy or professional mental health treatment.
By participating, you acknowledge that any emotional material that may arise is your responsibility to process, and it is strongly recommended that you engage in ongoing personal therapy for deeper integration. While care has been taken to create a safe and thoughtful experience, I am not liable for any psychological discomfort or triggering that may occur. Please honor your own boundaries and seek support from a licensed therapist if needed.
The unconscious is not neutral; it carries both light and shadow, and engaging with it requires reverence, humility, and a grounded internal container. For this reason, we will not be practicing active imagination together live.