The Anima and Animus represent female and male aspects being activated in the opposite sexes. Men and women possess feminine and masculine traits equally and in dreams, the anima may appear to a male as a highly feminized figure. The animus can appear as the male ‘protector’ or associate who appears to the female in dreams. Men will dream of doing feminine things, like wearing a dress, while a woman may do things that would be considered masculine like dominating or mounting another woman. Both are exploring the opposite traits of their gender in an effort to adopt them. These type of dreams are coaching the male toward sensitivity, while the woman may be exploring empowerment through a dream of domination. These qualities emerge as a reminder of how the female must develop her assertiveness or power to provide for herself, while the male must develop sensitivity or introspection in expressing and blending his feminine side into his masculinity. Both the female and male qualities are necessary in authentic empowerment and balance. Often this Archetype will appear as someone in a dream that wants to be intimate – while you thwart these unsolicited advances. Since this energy is seeking integration and expression – their behavior can show how this is emerging within you. Sharing intimacy with this Archetype portrays how these qualities are being adopted or integrated. Having them tease or question you, while approving or disapproving of your response can be a type of initiation into authenticity. There is also a Shadow side to this Archetype. Since the Shadow represents qualities that remain outside of awareness because they were deemed unacceptable, often there will be something quirky about this Archetype when it first makes its appearance. It can present as a Trickster , challenging you to confront your inconsistencies in thought. Or, this character can appear bizarre or handicapped as you examine the dysfunctional expression of its energy. Dreams of this type show a sequence of meeting an unusual character of the opposite sex who wants to be intimate. They may bother or challenge you, or you may dream of an immediate attraction as you move to adopt the qualities this character represents. The intimacy stage shows the actual integration or acceptance of these qualities as you move toward a higher level of self actualization. See also Archetypes and Universal Characters .