07/01/2009 18:55:38

BB, My love to you, for I know what it is that you are going through! I had a hard time finding my name untill I stopped looking for it! In my case it was the realization that it just does not matter what name you choose the gods will know its you! That led me to my name! I am an artist and in my heart I believe that with the help of the Mother, all can be healed by art! This is why I chose Sevastra (Art Saves)! However my teacher has another name for me, as does my good friend and teacher, Eve of Isis,and I know that the gods know me by whatever name I am called! Remember that no matter what you read or what you hear, the magical name was used as a way to keep book religions from knowing who you were! We need this no more!We now use it to get closer to the devine within ourself, so it is your choice and if it helps you to feel closer to the Goddess it is a good one! I hope this helps BB and may the goddess shine on you and all you do! Sevastra P.S. Just don't title yourself with a Lord or Lady until you are a priest or priestess!

07/01/2009 06:27:25

*takes a moment to formulate her thoughts into words*...First of all I'd like to introduce myself to you BB. I am Eve of Isis. I began my path into Wicca almost 13 yrs ago...subtly, but in all honesty its been a part of me all of my life and it merely took someone familiar with the craft to make me realize what I was drawn towards & thus after spending about 3 hrs sitting in meditation,...and listening to my guide speak to my inner poet,..Eve SpiritSinger was born. I kept that name up until 2yrs ago. My story if you would like to hear it is a bit unusual...and explains how I came to know my true self. For now I will forego the telling of it, as it would take a little more time to explain, but I will tell you this much & of this I am certain. We take on the names of those we feel connect us to who we are & of what we believe in. I have been walking a path that has been touched by an ancient promise....guided and true to its course no matter who or what has crossed my path. I believe strongly in reincarnation...an in the re-intergration of spirit energy,..we can no more deny who we were then we can ignore who we are now. I have had many people meet me & after getting to know me, do not question my use of the name I have offered to those who become connected to my circle. There are many aspects of the origins of Witchcraft & some versions may tell you we are not to use the name of the deities as our own, but in all honesty I've never believed it cannot be used when it is the energy within the entity. If you have any understanding of the term Avatar...as it pertains to those who have been called to return with a very "preordained" purpose in this lifetime to both serve humanity & to see to the protection & preservation of life...all life, then you are face to face with someone who carries within them a very specific Divine spirit energy. Many of the Deities were once living breathing entities whose lives became entangled with the labyrinth of myths surrounding the ancient legends. I have been told that I am incarnate energy,...and I've never doubted the sources because it was revealed to me on many separate occasions, by different individuals who either were not speaking to me in the presence of another or there was no connection to one another and I was in their company only. So those who are bringing a very specific diety energy to an awareness aka conciousness sometimes use the old names to make themselves recognizable to others. If the incarnate within you is not of an ancient, then choosing to use a name unconnected to your own energy would be improper. In a way its almost like calling out the wrong name when addressing someone. It creates confusion & in some ways upset to the deity. I know it might seem as if I'm talking in code or in riddles, but I assure you BB,...I'm not. I use the name I know will allow others to recognize the energy that is my universe within...my "Ka". I too believed as you were told that I could not use a deity name & so when I chose my first Wiccan name,...I chose something I felt connected me to who & what I was...SpiritSinger...Eve is the first...or to identify the precipice of....as in "on the verge of realizing what is to follow"....the time when we are aware that the next thing to come is to be celebrated. Christmas Eve, all soul's eve, etc. I have an initiate who has been my student & my kindred since she asked me to be her teacher. In deciding her name,..I asked her if there was any preference as to what she wanted to be a part of it....she said all she really wanted to be certain of having in her name was her connection to the moon,...so I used the name Chandra as the first part of her name,...she is very empathic, among other things....her magick is unique, but she has always struck me as someone who is easily recognizable as being an old soul long connected to Heka. So I took from an ancient tribe of Africa her Middle name of Ashe'.... her full name is Chandra Ashe' Asa : Healing magick of the Moon. I've told her that as she goes further along her path her name may very well change as she grows in her understanding of who she was/is & becomes. If you are drawn to something in your life, teaching, motherhood, song, poetry, gardening ....whatever it is, you can most definately use your nicname of BB as it is a part of you influenced by your nephew; with whom you have an obvious deep affection for..otherwise the nicname would not mean as much as it does. If you would like to contact me to talk further about this or about anything for that matter, please do so freely. Even more to the point if you'd like to add me to your friends list I would certainly welcome you to mine. A'nekh em hetep, reswet em hetep djet!(Live in peace, dream in peace always!) ~Isis~

06/30/2009 09:43:25

BB-it is so hard to tell someone what their Wiccan name should be! It is such a personal thing! I can give you advice that you can either take or leave, your choice! Some believe that your Wiccan name should be a name that brings you power or shifts you from the everyday to the magickal, some believe that it should be only something you get from your coven, still more believe that it should be done through numerology. All of them are worthy. My Mother uses her given name, she believes that it represents who she is to her core, her innerself. The best advise that I can give is what feels right to you, what empowers you! It is more important how the name makes you feel, not neccesarily how you got it. As far as the belief that you can not use names of Gods and Goddeses, that I had not heard, however, it is somewhat tabu to use the titles, Lord and Lady, until you have earned them, which I tend to agree with. I do not know if this helps, just remember, it is how the name makes you feel. If you want it to be BB, or Brit-Brat, that is great. If you want to use your given name, that is good too. Remember also it may change over time as you connect more to your higherself, the true you, and as your connection grows to the deities. Nothing is wrong if it means something to you, Hope this helps, this is truely the best advise I can offer, others may have better!
Blessings,
Tigerseyes