Anima theory - new article

[Cathy L. Anderson]

A new article of mine, provisionally titled Anima, Crossdressing and Alchemy has been uploaded here:

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepage ... lchemy.htm

Carl Jung devoted a substantial part of his career to studying the psychological meaning of alchemy; this work directly relates to the anima--the repressed, female side of a man's psyche--and therefore also to crossdressing.

Jung considered coming to terms with the anima perhaps the most difficult psychological task of a man's life.

Women, by the way, have an analogous issue--that of integrating the "inner male" into their personality.

Cathy

[Estefania]

Cathy,

I read your article, and found it really interesting.

A lot of what you wrote there can be a reflection on how my cding has evolved over the past few years. From the separation between the "femme side" from my life to the evolution in my persona when I realized that "separating" the "femme side" and the "guy side" wasn't the solution, and wasn't even desirable.

I don't know if I would pretend to say that I have "trascended" to a "higher order of being". However, it is true that it has allowed me to find a better balance in my life, and to be in peace with myself, regardless of the cding in itself. In other words, there is no need for CDing as a manifestation of the "femme side", because there is no femme side perse. It is only me, all the time.

While at this point in my life I don't feel a need or drive to CD, I know that it may be something that I will want to do some time (or else, I would have already purged all my stuff. ) But it would be only because it is something that I enjoy doing, not because I would be needing to do it to express who I am. After all, I can express who I am regardless of what I may be wearing.

Thank you for sharing your article with us.

Gaby

P.S. I almost forget to add that more than being useful for those wanting to stop or moderate their CDing, it can be really useful for those trying to understand themselves, regardless of the alleged 'biological causes' for cding.

Thanks again.

[Cathy L. Anderson]

Hi Gay,

Thanks for your comments.

I don't know if I would pretend to say that I have "trascended"... However, it is true that it has allowed me to find a better balance in my life, and to be in peace with myself, regardless of the cding in itself.

Since writing the article my view on the stages has changed a little. A better model might be:

1. Separation -- letting more or less distinct male and female subpersonalities emerge. For the M2F CD, this would mean giving permission to experience one's inner female without guilt and shame, to respect her, and to see the necessity of including her.

2. Distillation -- refining the newly-liberated male and female sub-personalities. One identifies the positive and negative parts of both.

3. Conjunction -- re-combining the refined male and female into a single personality. Whereas before the relationship between male and inner female was characterized by conflict, now it is marked by cooperation and syngery.

Would that fit your experience better?

Cathy

[Estefania]

Cathy,

Sorry I had not been able to reply before.

I like the changes you made to the earlier version of the article. However, in my personal point of view, I like better the word "Integration" than "Conjunction" to describe that third stage.

Ah, scrap that... I just re-read the whole article. And really... I wouldn't change a thing to it. Again, I find it very interesting, and I have to wonder how comes that anybody else has made any comments in this thread.

Regards,
Gaby