And part of being balanced is being wild and natural - and sometimes
fierce and dangerous! - as the leopard is. In the past, I have always
felt on a leash when in relationships, that part of me had been
surrendered, and was being lived through the other person. And there was
always therefore a sense of relief and reclaiming when the relationship
came to an end.
This being a half-person is for many of us normal and natural, in the sense of one's 'other half'. But from mid-life, there is often a push from within the psyche to find that other half within. This is classic Jungian psychology. And it is also reflected in the Native American idea that one is not much use to others in a deeper sense until one has become balanced - which is why elders are valued. This balance is seen symbolically in the Pipe Ceremony in the joining of bowl and stem, female and male, a universal principle.
I was pushed out of my last relationship not by my personality, which would probably have carried on for a long time in a slightly miserable way, but by something deeper that I did not understand and therefore doubted for some years, until it became irresistible. It was my psyche wanting to individuate, to become balanced in this deeper sense. I see quite a lot of people of my sort of age who are single, and they sometimes doubt their capacity for relationship as a result, but I think it is often this new balance that they are moving towards.
As an astrologer, I'm often approached by people at times of transition. So I've got to see this quite a lot. And the stereotypes are often true, which is why they are stereotypes! Men start to feel more deeply (Venus) and women start to stand up more for what they personally want and not be so beholden to others (Mars). And on a deeper level it is the soul calling us for its own mysterious purposes, it is much more than just a psychological integration.
The dream told me I need to feel happy on my own. So I decided to, and it happened, just like that! Though that was just the first stage, I'm sure. We need books about this mid-life process: finding the other half within, and the value that solitude can have for this, and what it means to be with someone else when 2 people are able to live alongside, rather than through, the other. I suspect there remains a need to feel inspired by and intrigued by the other person, a sense that we will never fully understand them.
This being a half-person is for many of us normal and natural, in the sense of one's 'other half'. But from mid-life, there is often a push from within the psyche to find that other half within. This is classic Jungian psychology. And it is also reflected in the Native American idea that one is not much use to others in a deeper sense until one has become balanced - which is why elders are valued. This balance is seen symbolically in the Pipe Ceremony in the joining of bowl and stem, female and male, a universal principle.
I was pushed out of my last relationship not by my personality, which would probably have carried on for a long time in a slightly miserable way, but by something deeper that I did not understand and therefore doubted for some years, until it became irresistible. It was my psyche wanting to individuate, to become balanced in this deeper sense. I see quite a lot of people of my sort of age who are single, and they sometimes doubt their capacity for relationship as a result, but I think it is often this new balance that they are moving towards.
As an astrologer, I'm often approached by people at times of transition. So I've got to see this quite a lot. And the stereotypes are often true, which is why they are stereotypes! Men start to feel more deeply (Venus) and women start to stand up more for what they personally want and not be so beholden to others (Mars). And on a deeper level it is the soul calling us for its own mysterious purposes, it is much more than just a psychological integration.
The dream told me I need to feel happy on my own. So I decided to, and it happened, just like that! Though that was just the first stage, I'm sure. We need books about this mid-life process: finding the other half within, and the value that solitude can have for this, and what it means to be with someone else when 2 people are able to live alongside, rather than through, the other. I suspect there remains a need to feel inspired by and intrigued by the other person, a sense that we will never fully understand them.
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