Magical Names

This is another one of my favorite topics to talk about! I love the concept behind Magical Names, and I know a lot of new-comers to this Path and to Wicca are interested in the use of Magical Names. Many new-comers choose an outlandish name when they first start their magical journey, and end up changing their names at least once along their Paths. There is a phenomena sometimes referred to the Name-of-the-Month-Club. This usually happens when someone has not taken the time to fully immerse themselves on their Path – they just want something fun and cool sounding to tell their friends (I know that sounds terrible, but it is often true amongst the younger new-comers).

A Magical Name is something that is unique and special to you, and it should be something you plan on keeping for a long time. In a lot of traditions, your Magical Name is not provided to you until either you have gone through a Year and a Day of training, or at your initiation.

The term Magical Name has many meanings – it can be the name of your Soul, your Essential Self, It is very powerful, and when you tell it to people you are giving them a bit of yourself in the process; it can grow and change with you and your Path; you can have multiple Magical Names for different purposes (kind of goes with the pseudonym concept of using your Magical Name on your artwork or writing). You can have all of these names, and they would all have meaning to you and your path.

For example, I have always been a wandering soul. I love traveling, being on the move, so I pulled something from my ancestry and then something that had come to me in a dream. The first part of my name was Gypsy, taken from my connection with the Romany people living in Germany (last known Romany relative died during WWII in a concentration camp); the second part of my name was given to me in a dream by a Shaman guide that I have not seen since – Coyote. For the last six years I went by the name Gypsy Coyote – it was the name I introduced myself as to new people, it was the name I slapped on all of my artwork. It was the name I used in my Craft. I felt, at the time, that it truly did speak to my Path and my existence on this planet. I was a wanderer, I never felt at home anywhere. I felt like a stray, and I was just waiting for the next train to take me on an adventure.

I do not feel that way anymore. I have stopped using the name Gypsy Coyote because it has ceased to have a connection to my current Path. I do not have a Magical Name right now – I am waiting for it to come to me, like the first one did.

So now you see how your Magical Name can, and possibly will, change throughout your life. We all have a Soul Name, but we are not always privy to what that name is. Meditate, research, and look at your life and your Path for inspiration. Try not to be presumptuous or egotistical with your name, try not to use titles that are reserved for Elders and those who have spent decades studying and practicing along their Paths. Be simple, unique, and genuine in choosing your name.