i just read something that made me think...

[vegdumpling]

i read a little thing on witchvox about taking magical names. i don't remember what it was called but she set it up like a conversation between animals. anyway, she mentioned was that christians use to unburden themselves and become anew. i read several different things (all sacraments in the catholic church) but then i realized she had left out

Comments

[animamea]

I think when pagans take a new name, they do it as a matter of course *and* put a lot of thought into it. Everyone seems to have a reason for their name, and it's usually not 'because it sounds cool.'

We may not think that the reasons are very good (I run away from people who choose 'Loki' or 'Eris') or particularly original (Rowan, Raven, Cat, Crystal, Willow, Rose, Morgan), but as long as it has meaning for that person, I can't really complain (in public).

And I think it's so ubiquitous because a lot of people don't see 'Heather' or 'Chris' or 'Francis' as a magical person. It's your mundane identity, what people call you at work, the name on your junk mail. Someone else chose it for you, and while they may have put a lot of thought into it, they may not conform with *your* thoughts.

Using a different name, the name that you feels identifies you, helps you think of yourself as a magical person, the person you want to be or you feel you already are.

For example, my mom's name choices were 'Lisa Marie' and 'Aaron' because she's an Elvis fan. I sort of wish Princess Diana would have come along a little earlier, or I might have a built-in pagan name! But instead I am Lisa Marie, daughter of rednecks, named after the princess of rock 'n' roll. I've heard this name spoken in tones of anger and disdain. It's the name my sperm donor hates because it screams 'white trash.'

But my chosen names are mine. They reflect aspects of me that my mom never considered when I was a baby. Some of them change when I change. They are just as much my real names as 'Lisa' or 'Mommy' are.

And if you see no reason to be anything but Caitlin, then keep on rockin' on. I think that's pretty cool. ^_^

[vegdumpling]

i don't have anything against taking magical names, i've just read in too many 101 books that practically tell people they have to pick a new name.

i understand what you say about parents picking names that don't reflect the person you become. my middle name is Rakefet. it's supposed to be the hebrew name for the flower cyclamen but the pronounciation is a slightly off. until just a few years ago i hated that name. it was given to me in rememberance of a child who had died while my mom was pregnant with me. sure that's a nice sentiment but i didn't like the way it sounded or that no one had ever heard of it before. i thought it was ugly and wished i had a normal middle name like my brothers' and sisters'.

maybe in a way my recent acceptance of this name is my magical name. it did come about soon after i became wiccan. i guess i began to see the beauty of having such a unique name, one that belonged to a unique flower. i know that learning to love that name was part of learning to love myself and knowing that beauty is sometimes the unexpected.

how did you choose your names? how do they represent you?

[animamea]

Ooh, there's the problem. 101 books. It should be illegal to sell 101 books without a whole shaker of salt to take it with. ^_^

Once upon a time, I went by Luna Wren. I chose Luna because I was new to paganism and didn't have a path yet. It was a generic-ish name to reflect that. I chose the wren as my animal (not a 'spirit' animal, cos I *still* don't know what that means,) while I was studying animals that are sacred to Celtic-type pagans.

This is from Wikipedia, but it's basically the same info that I got from the book I based my decision on:
"Troglodyte means "cave-dweller", and the wrens get their scientific name from the tendency of some species to forage in dark crevices. They are mainly small and inconspicuous except for their loud and often complex songs."

I was a cave-dweller (or, you know, a bedroom dweller), the smallest (shortest, scrawniest, youngest) of my friends, and very quiet and shy until I decided to bust out with endless rambling conversations, and I love to sing.

I later dropped Luna because it's another name for Selene and I'm not a Roman pagan, and because it was too generic after I found a path.

So I just used Wren, but various other people use just Wren and I didn't necessarily want to be confused with them.

Then I changed Druien (droo-ee-EN) for a while. That's the maybe-Druid-maybe-Gaelic-maybe-no-one-knows version. That's also the reason I stopped using it.

Now I use Dreoilín (droy-LEEN), which is the for-realsies-Gaelic word for 'wren.' It's odd enough that people don't use it too much. And, no, that's not the only way to pronounce it but I'll beat anyone who wants to argue about it.

I'm still a cave-dweller (except now I have my own house and dwell in the living room), I may not be the smallest anymore but I still find it fits, I'm still quiet except for the random rambling, and I still can't go too long without singing. ^_^

And this only addresses my public pagan name. I have other private names that only certain people (or no one else) know, but also fit for the situations where I use them.