Pagan Thoughts

Names by Lilith Silverhair

It is with our names, especially those we can choose for ourselves,
that we tell exactly who and what we are.
In today’s society the naming of a child does not have the
ritualistic overtones that it once did. Parents pick a name they
like, or name a child after a grandparent and that’s about as far as
it goes. But we are of the Pagan Community, having found our
way "home", often feel the need to give ourselves a new name, to
signify the new person we feel we are, or the person that we have
never been able to show others. Many people do not care for, or even
hate, the name they are given at birth. So it is especially
delightful for Craft initiates to be able to choose a name they feel
comfortable with. Well, then, how does one go about choosing a name
that signifies all that we feel we have learned and the emotional
joy of becoming ourselves? There are many, many ways as we will see.
The simplest way of renaming oneself, of course, is to pick the name
of a deity, crystal, plant, animal, etc., that you identify with.
The name Lilith originally came from a Dungeons and Dragons
character I played many years ago (she was, of course, a magick
user). But while doing research when trying to pick a Craft name I
found that Lilith’s legend of being Adam’s first wife and not
subjecting herself to him by refusing to lay under him during sex
touched something within me. I do like a woman who knows her own
mind.
There is much more to Lilith’s story, eventually going back to the
Goddess Kali. The more I researched the more I attuned to the name.
You must research the name you are thinking about picking, not only
will it tell you more about the name but it will tell you more about
yourself. You may really like the name Holly, but are your energies
too scattered at this time in your life to be able to live up its’
potential? Salamander may sound really nifty in a name, but are you
comfortable with the element of fire to bring it into your life that
intimately? Much consideration must go into the choosing of a name
that you may reveal more about you than you know. There are also
more complex ways of picking a magickal name. One can learn the
mystical and magickal meaning of the vowels and consonants and
gather them together in a name that resonates in a way that
compliments the direction you want your life to take.
You can also use divination tools to pick a name, such as Tarot
cards, Runes, and even a pendulum. With the Tarot cards and the
Runes, first pick one card or stone to determine the number of
letters in the name, then pick that number of cards or stones. Each
Tarot card has a numerical value and you may use that to correspond
to a letter of the alphabet. The Runes each have a phonetic
correspondence to a letter of the alphabet and so there are the
letters for your name. With a pendulum, you can open a mythology
book to the index of names and dowse with the pendulum, paying close
attention to how the pendulum acts with certain names and picking
your name from those it reacts strongly to. Even if you have long
known your magickal name and have used it for many years, there may
come a time in your life when you want top change it or add to it.
In the past year I began to get the feeling that there should be an
addition to my name. I knew that it had something to do with Silver,
but there was even more to it than that. I began listing names with
silver in them; Silvermoon, Silverraven, Silverwolf,
Silversong.. .nothing felt right. Then I notice that the silver I was
searching for was not outside my body but on it, in my hair! And it
clicked. At thirty-four The Crone is by no means standing on my
threshold, but She is certainly closer than she was when I took the
name Lilith. So I have added Silverhair to prepare for that time
when I hand the title of Mother to my daughter and look the Crone in
the eye with love and trust.
You can add to your magickal name during transitional periods in
your life, as you spiral upward in levels of initiation, or simply
if you feel the name you carry now no longer describes who you are.
It is recommended that you do not change your magickal name too
often to keep from scattering your energies too thin. Year cycles of
three, seven, or nine can be appropriate times, if you are a
solitary practitioner, to consider whether your name still fits you.
You should never force a name change on yourself, or choose a
magickal name simply "because." Names, of course, carry power, and
the energies of an inappropriate name could draw that into your life
which may not necessarily be beneficial to you. The naming of names,
the naming of ourselves, is another way in which we as pagans and
witches assert our individuality and yet still align ourselves as a
community with that which makes us strong. So, whether we call
ourselves Bill or Sue, Willow or Raven, each time a name is spoken
it reminds us and others of our connection to each other and the
Goddess, She who has many names and yet is One.

I bought a standard deck of tarot cards today, and just did a standard spread. I wanted to perform my own right now because my boyfriend wants me to do one for him later. I like this deck - it’s very pretty

What To Do: 7 of Swords - running away, lone wolf style, hidden dishonor; making plans becomes problematic, friends may let you down, don’t rely too much on others, you can’t lose what’s not yours to begin with, get everything in writing
Hmmm…introspection is what I’ve been doing, and it’s obviously not making me any money, LOL. I have a written note, referring me to Bob’s daughter’s waitressing job; But it also suggests not relying on others. Perhaps I should bring my note to show his daughter, but still look for other opportunities on my own.

Nick’s Spread
Background Info:
*R = Reversed, which means one of three things: the cards "meaning is not as strong (its meaning is "present, but cannot express normally, freely, or completely"), its meaning is more extreme, or an external influence has more power over the situation".
*The major arcana (Fool & Star): "Each of these cards symbolizes some universal aspect of human experience/human nature. Some cards are individuals who personify a particular approach to life."
*The minor arcana (suits explained below) get more specific:
*The suit of Pentacles: practicality, security, material concerns
*The suit of Swords: intellect, thought, & reason

What to do from here: be direct & to the point in similar situations; troublemakers (people, items, or ideas) surround you, deal with them openly & boldly to keep them from dominating your thinking and blocking your talents