Holding Your Power
On Friday, I had my monthly book club meeting over lunch. We chatted about this month’s book for a little while, but the conversation slowly evolved into an examination of a larger personal and cultural issue – the power of names. I have been thinking about the power that titles hold – or should I say the implied power that we give titles, such as mother, father, sister, brother, husband, wife, etc. But, of course, each individual could hold hundreds of titles for themselves, so the power is divided over and over again and weakened. So what power does a name have?
I started thinking about the power of our given name, the name our parents bestowed upon us when we were born. Although I only use my given name when I am signing legal documents, I value and respect it because it was the first gift my parents gave me – my identity – before I was even consciously awakened from my rebirth into this earthly realm. Legally, I was assigned this name, a set of symbols that stood for my unique self. This name allows me to be a citizen, own property and to vote. This name has legal power.
Over time my family grew to call me by a nickname, which I lovingly embrace to this day, but only my immediate family call me this nickname. This name has sentimental power.
As I grew older, I was endowed with another nickname from friends, which I later adopted in my professional life. This name has the power of recognition.
When I entered my marriage, I accepted a new name too. This name binds me to another. This name has the power of commitment.
And when I dedicated myself to Wicca, I chose a name for myself. Over the last decade as I have transformed, so has this name. As a released the power of one name and empowered the next name, I felt the aches and pains of growth. Now, I have settled into a name that I have claimed for myself, a name that will live with me as long as I need it. When I do the work of a Priestess, the Gods recognize this name. This name has the power of magick.
So, we have titles that define pieces of our existence, and we have names that define our powers. But how do we hold together all our powers, when they are scattered across so many names? I recognize that the powers are within me, even though they are invoked with different names. I’ve been thinking about writing a ritual to bring together the power of all of my names. A ritual to locate all the loose ends of my powers and link them together. Has anyone else done a ritual like this?
