The Jonah story has resonated with me at least since fall 1998, when, at age 25 and just out of treatment for serious drug addiction, I started to write a novel in which the name for the main character immediately popped into my head: Jonah.
I then did some research about Jonah and the Whale and learned of the archetypal resonance between it and the story I had started to tell. Your article is an excellent reminder of that resonance. I don't know if "look forward to" is the proper expression for how I feel about the journey into the dark, damp belly of the beast, but I am certainly eager to experience the illumination once on the beaches of the other side of that watery, transformative journey!
Thanks for reading, and for this thoughtful response, and especially for sharing your story. The resonance with recovery from addiction, or depression, or chronic illness, is so clear. And these are all places (I’ve been in all of them) where we lose those Jupiterian qualities of faith and certainty in life’s goodness. What I love most about the story is the soul nourishment that awaits us when we re-engage with life.
I’m a guy with a “weak” Jupiter in its fall in Capricorn, but it is tightly conjunct my Moon (in its detriment, lol, 12 minutes separating) and conjunct my Sun and North Node (born on an eclipse) just past midnight with Cancer Rising. (I’ll give my data in case you want to look for clarity: January 4, 1973, 5:10 pm, Tacoma, WA, USA).
All of this is to say I’m emotionally quite Jupiterian, very BIG-hearted, but I also have had periods of life, including those early-to-mid 20s where I lost my Jupiterian faith completely and used substances as a survival mechanism, only to come out of the whale and find myself in DEEP gratitude for the “littlest” things, such as the sun on my skin, or a little frog crossing my path on a morning walk.
I feel very paradoxical at my core, and wonder if my MC at 29.30 Pisces plays a role in that! Still learning so much about both astrology and myself and I look forward to learning more via your blog!
Anyway, thanks for your reply; it stirred up a lot!
I appreciate this deep dive into the stories of being swallowed whole and returned renewed. That name-Yunus-makes me think of living the “You-ness” that we are. May it be a season of revelation in how we relate to ourselves and each other 💛.
Thank you so much for this thoughtful response and blessing. I just looked up the meaning of Yunus/Jonas/Jonah, it is from the Hebrew for dove, implying one who is peaceful.
When I was young, my grandmother had a porcelain doll named Bronwyn. She loves that name. So of course I just looked it up and discovered the association to the “white raven,” perhaps a cousin of the dove 💛.
The Jonah story has resonated with me at least since fall 1998, when, at age 25 and just out of treatment for serious drug addiction, I started to write a novel in which the name for the main character immediately popped into my head: Jonah.
I then did some research about Jonah and the Whale and learned of the archetypal resonance between it and the story I had started to tell. Your article is an excellent reminder of that resonance. I don't know if "look forward to" is the proper expression for how I feel about the journey into the dark, damp belly of the beast, but I am certainly eager to experience the illumination once on the beaches of the other side of that watery, transformative journey!
Thanks for reading, and for this thoughtful response, and especially for sharing your story. The resonance with recovery from addiction, or depression, or chronic illness, is so clear. And these are all places (I’ve been in all of them) where we lose those Jupiterian qualities of faith and certainty in life’s goodness. What I love most about the story is the soul nourishment that awaits us when we re-engage with life.
I love your reply!! Very resonant!
I’m a guy with a “weak” Jupiter in its fall in Capricorn, but it is tightly conjunct my Moon (in its detriment, lol, 12 minutes separating) and conjunct my Sun and North Node (born on an eclipse) just past midnight with Cancer Rising. (I’ll give my data in case you want to look for clarity: January 4, 1973, 5:10 pm, Tacoma, WA, USA).
All of this is to say I’m emotionally quite Jupiterian, very BIG-hearted, but I also have had periods of life, including those early-to-mid 20s where I lost my Jupiterian faith completely and used substances as a survival mechanism, only to come out of the whale and find myself in DEEP gratitude for the “littlest” things, such as the sun on my skin, or a little frog crossing my path on a morning walk.
I feel very paradoxical at my core, and wonder if my MC at 29.30 Pisces plays a role in that! Still learning so much about both astrology and myself and I look forward to learning more via your blog!
Anyway, thanks for your reply; it stirred up a lot!
I appreciate this deep dive into the stories of being swallowed whole and returned renewed. That name-Yunus-makes me think of living the “You-ness” that we are. May it be a season of revelation in how we relate to ourselves and each other 💛.
Thank you so much for this thoughtful response and blessing. I just looked up the meaning of Yunus/Jonas/Jonah, it is from the Hebrew for dove, implying one who is peaceful.
You’re welcome!
I love name etymology 😊.
When I was young, my grandmother had a porcelain doll named Bronwyn. She loves that name. So of course I just looked it up and discovered the association to the “white raven,” perhaps a cousin of the dove 💛.
Yes the cranky mercurial cousin of the dove! Sounds about right :)