What’s in a (Wiccan) Name Anyway?
Everything that exists has energy, including our names. There is a theory which states that the names that we are given at birth by our parents or guardians are names we have chosen ourselves (on a soul level). It is my understanding that prior to our birth, names would have been chosen by our soul to carry the right energy, to ensure that our journey into being ‘human’ is successful (even if we don’t see that we are being successful). The individual letters are symbols, and the combination of these symbols into a name becomes a cocktail of energy packaged neatly into an affirmation that we hear daily.
Combine that with our social and ideological interpretations of words and we have something that is so loaded with energy and meaning that it almost takes on a life of its own. Names are like tremendously magickal spells in which the energy of “you” is invoked every time your name is spoken, written or thought about.
With all of this in mind, it’s not surprising to consider that many practising Wiccans will choose, or are given (if part of a coven) an alternative Wiccan name to the one that they were born with. Oftentimes, this name is treated as sacred and secret.
Practicing Wicca is very much a personal practice in that you choose how you want to conduct yourself, your spells, beliefs and rituals. There is no ‘bible’ – so to speak – that tells you how to do it. It’s up to you to choose whether you want to share your Wiccan name or not, and what name you want to take on.
Ideas for Wiccan Names
Here are some examples of where you might find inspiration for a Wiccan name;
- Animals
- Gods and goddesses
- Seasons
- Celebrations and traditions
- Nature
- Wise people
- Herbs
- Crystals
- Astrology
- Numerology
- Angels
- Flowers and trees
You can play around with combinations of a few of the above too!
What if I find it hard to think of a Wiccan Name for myself?
Interestingly, whilst choosing names from the aforementioned categories does seem to work for many, I found that this process didn’t work for me and my name is nothing like this (however, I wasn’t comfortable until I found one that I know I will keep for the rest of my life).
Many books, and articles on the subject (at least that I’ve read) appear to express that it’s pretty easy to choose your Wiccan name and I’m sure that many people do indeed find this a simple process, but for others finding a name to settle into may be a little bit more difficult. If you find yourself changing your name frequently, it’s likely that you just haven’t found the right name for you yet.
Some people will find it easy to find their magickal name. Others might try a name and find themselves changing it occasionally; there are no hard and fast rules about how to choose a name. The only advice that I would give is to try it on and see how you feel using that name. Don’t just settle with something just because you like the idea of it – try writing it down as a signature, repeating it to yourself in the mirror, and sleep on it for a while before making a final decision.
Usually meditation and a little self-reflection will help the right name come to you, but if it doesn’t please read my article A Journey to Finding My Magickal Name – it may help. Sometimes if you take away the conventions surrounding what a Wiccan name “should” look and sound like, you might find something that absolutely works for you, but may not even seem like a name to another person – this is certainly what happened to me.
Finding your Wiccan name, just like everything else in Wicca, is a totally personal and entirely unlimited journey.
Michelle Marshall is a multi-passionate writer, entrepreneur, life-coach and tarot reader. Her work focuses upon personal empowerment, and how to fulfil our soul’s needs, whilst living in a challenging and un-natural climate. Readings, information and empowerment can be found at www.earthandwonder.com.
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