(3) Inner Work

To make a long story short, I eventually discovered what Jungians

call the Animus--the major masculine archetype--and the Anima, 

who represents the major feminine archetype that prevails in a 

person's mental landscape.  Beyond these major archetypes there

are secondary archetypal forces that prevail in this inner world of 

the psyche.  The focus of dream analysis is to understand how these

archetypes speak to us, how they determine who we are, who we

become.

Much to my amazement, my personal Animus represented himself

as a monk--robed, but wearing a warrior's boots.  And my Anima

presented herself as a woman I knew who was a scientist and teacher.  

Philip oft asked me what these descriptives meant to me.  It took time 

to bring forth what they meant, but eventually I determined the

significance of such for me.

Yes, I was meant to be a monk--but one who lived and worked out

in the world.  As a monk-warrior I very much spiritually engaged the

issue of sustainability: i.e., as an architect engaged in Green 

Architecture, as one who focused on the major issues in my region

where the major requirements were about Energy and Water.

And much to my amazement even before I was *conscious* of

any of this, I was unconsciously, naturally, living out this archetypal

map.

I found, too, that I had to attend more to my personal Anima.  She 

was represented by a woman who was a scientist and teacher.  

Philip got me thinking what this might mean for me.  I had taught

a retreat seminar about EcoSpirituality over the years at the

monastery, but I felt that now I had to extend more out into the

world in some significant way.

Perhaps blind luck, but at this point a friend at the nearby 

Southwestern Vocational University contacted me, informing me

that a teaching position at the Architectural School was open--and

would I be interested?  Indeed I was, and soon I found myself in a

new capacity: as a Professor of Architecture!