Explaining the name....
GAN ON JUNGIAN!
I have now had the privileged of being an adopted Geordie/Northumbrian for almost half my life. Actually, if we take the ancient kingdom of Northumbria as being "anything North of the Humber" (it's original meaning) then I was actually born in Northumbria - being a proud native North Yorkshireman.
So, what has this got to do with the title of my blog? Well - in my younger and more feckless days, I had a very good friend and one of my closest comadres (the feminine version of 'comrade' and not a Portugese bedpan, for those of you with some linguistic leanings) - Carol. She was a County Durham lass and VERY glamorous -
You have to be able to imagine a Grace Jones with pale skin or an Annie Lennox and not much over five feet six, now, imagine someone who is a trained artist and VERY good at making their own clothes and is inspired by Vivienne Westwood and Dolce and Gabbana. Now imagine platinum blonde hair, cut to a number one on the back and sides and lacquered to within an inch of its life on top, immaculate make up, D.M. boots, fishnet tights, a tutu and a tight - TIGHT corset and possibly even a home made wide brimmed hat Boy George would be proud of...
Anyway, whenever we were 'on the town' and Carol spotted someone who attracted her attention, because of the way they were dressed, or because they were dancing in the streets, or simply being outrageously, absolutely, FABULOUS daaarling, Carol would bellow at the top of her lungs "GAN ON YOUNG 'UN!"
At about this same time, I had one of my first 'therapeutically' based jobs, working with groups of young offenders in one of the more colourful areas of the inner city. I was fresh from the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors and the young people I worked with couldn't understand a word I said, or to quote Tracy, one of my clients and the group spokesperson "EEE pet, I'm shua yo're geet canny, but we cannut unde'stand a wored yer sayin'" (which, translated means - Oh, pet, I'm sure you're really nice, but we simply can't understand anything you say...).
One of the key phrases I would hear from my clients, or, just as likely, from Georgie, my next door neighbour, a camp, working class rent boy - particularly on a Thursday - traditionally the day everyone got paid, and so by implication, the beginning of the weekend was "How, Nick, ar' yee gannin' oot on t' toon the night?" - or "Hey Nick, are you going out on the town tonight?"
So, perhaps now you can begin to imply the meaning of 'gan' - most simply, it means 'go'
however, when coupled with 'on' we have "go on" - which in it's most simple form means to proceed. Someone may offer you the right of way by saying 'gan on hinny' roughly meaning 'you go on ahead of me dear' or 'after you'. However, when bellowed at the top of the lungs it either means "GAN ON YER SOFT SHITE" or "get out of my way you foolish person" or "GAN ON YUNG 'UN" meaning "You got for it, you can do it, I believe in you."
So, "Gan on Jungian" is obviously a pun, I'm a Jungian living and practising in Northumerland (one of only a small handful of trained and experienced Jungians working within a radius of at least a hundred miles) after all - and it's also a message of encouragement to all of you, everywhere, "working out your own Individuation with diligence"
And so, to all of you, my greeting is: "YOU GO FOR IT - YOU CAN DO IT - I BELIEVE IN YOU!"
"GAN ON JUNGIAN!"
I have now had the privileged of being an adopted Geordie/Northumbrian for almost half my life. Actually, if we take the ancient kingdom of Northumbria as being "anything North of the Humber" (it's original meaning) then I was actually born in Northumbria - being a proud native North Yorkshireman.
So, what has this got to do with the title of my blog? Well - in my younger and more feckless days, I had a very good friend and one of my closest comadres (the feminine version of 'comrade' and not a Portugese bedpan, for those of you with some linguistic leanings) - Carol. She was a County Durham lass and VERY glamorous -
You have to be able to imagine a Grace Jones with pale skin or an Annie Lennox and not much over five feet six, now, imagine someone who is a trained artist and VERY good at making their own clothes and is inspired by Vivienne Westwood and Dolce and Gabbana. Now imagine platinum blonde hair, cut to a number one on the back and sides and lacquered to within an inch of its life on top, immaculate make up, D.M. boots, fishnet tights, a tutu and a tight - TIGHT corset and possibly even a home made wide brimmed hat Boy George would be proud of...
Anyway, whenever we were 'on the town' and Carol spotted someone who attracted her attention, because of the way they were dressed, or because they were dancing in the streets, or simply being outrageously, absolutely, FABULOUS daaarling, Carol would bellow at the top of her lungs "GAN ON YOUNG 'UN!"
At about this same time, I had one of my first 'therapeutically' based jobs, working with groups of young offenders in one of the more colourful areas of the inner city. I was fresh from the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors and the young people I worked with couldn't understand a word I said, or to quote Tracy, one of my clients and the group spokesperson "EEE pet, I'm shua yo're geet canny, but we cannut unde'stand a wored yer sayin'" (which, translated means - Oh, pet, I'm sure you're really nice, but we simply can't understand anything you say...).
One of the key phrases I would hear from my clients, or, just as likely, from Georgie, my next door neighbour, a camp, working class rent boy - particularly on a Thursday - traditionally the day everyone got paid, and so by implication, the beginning of the weekend was "How, Nick, ar' yee gannin' oot on t' toon the night?" - or "Hey Nick, are you going out on the town tonight?"
So, perhaps now you can begin to imply the meaning of 'gan' - most simply, it means 'go'
however, when coupled with 'on' we have "go on" - which in it's most simple form means to proceed. Someone may offer you the right of way by saying 'gan on hinny' roughly meaning 'you go on ahead of me dear' or 'after you'. However, when bellowed at the top of the lungs it either means "GAN ON YER SOFT SHITE" or "get out of my way you foolish person" or "GAN ON YUNG 'UN" meaning "You got for it, you can do it, I believe in you."
So, "Gan on Jungian" is obviously a pun, I'm a Jungian living and practising in Northumerland (one of only a small handful of trained and experienced Jungians working within a radius of at least a hundred miles) after all - and it's also a message of encouragement to all of you, everywhere, "working out your own Individuation with diligence"
And so, to all of you, my greeting is: "YOU GO FOR IT - YOU CAN DO IT - I BELIEVE IN YOU!"
"GAN ON JUNGIAN!"
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