How did you find your pagan name?

[Moonfire Shadowfox]

I was wondering how everyone found their pagan name. How do you know its right for you?

[SilentDreams]

Well if I'm not mistaken its your 'Wiccan Name' not a pagan name. Seeing as how paganism is also a categorey. Anyways.. I don't have one, I'm not wiccan and even if I was I just see no need for a special name.

[TYRRHENUS]

I was wondering how everyone found their pagan name. How do you know its right for you?I invented mine in like a minute's worth of soul searching. Which is probably why I think I'll be changing it soon.
Not that you might go down this path, but as an example, in Roman reconstructionism you choose a praenomen - a first name, a nomen - a family name, and a cognomen - a nickname. If you do anything spectacular you get an agnomen added at the end. Other paths might have different methods.
I don't think its set in stone. If you don't like it, change it. Good luck.

[Ivy Artemisia]

I was wondering how everyone found their pagan name. How do you know its right for you?

Meditation. My first name just 'came' to me... I decided to find a 'last' name before I reached my third degree, I meditated on it... asked the goddess. She gave me a name, and showed me the symbolism behind it. It sounded kinda funky to me... but you don't argue with the Goddess when you ask for her help.. LOL :)

~Ivy Rainriver

[Nishtha]

I go by "Nishtha" which is Indian for "Devotion". I found it quite a beautiful name, so I adopted it as I my own. It's signifigant to me in a number of other ways too, of course... _whistle_

[-Ember]

Craft names....

Well, my first one would have been my dedicate name. In the trad I'm part of it is fairly loose, not too dificult to change but not something taken on or dropped at a whim. I spent time researching what I wanted to become as a dedicate (the name helps shape the wearer) and what would balance problems/obstacles in my birth name. Then I played with them to see what fit best... poems, saying them out loud... I had a good long list for a while....

My initiate name? Given to me. It is part of the adoption-into-the-family process. It won't change unless there are serious problems with it.

[-Sky-]

Actually I've read that there are 2 craft names.One which you use while interacting with other witches or while in a coven.And a second one which is given to you during the dedication ceremony and only you,the HP and the deities know it.
I've first seen mine in a book called "Sweep" and I loved it very much,it attracted me and I also thought it was right for me.I still have it and I still love it!

~Anna

[Blair]

Back when I considered myself wiccan, I took the name Blair Hawke. Blair came to me when pondering some stuff in 9th grade German class. I had found a site somewhere on the internet that said my celtic zodiac was the hawk and it stuck. I'm not even sure if the zodiac info was current but the hawk has stuck with me. Eventhough I'm no longer wiccan I still use the name online because it has taken a deeper significance in my life. Most times it seems more natural to use than my real name.

[misschief]

i was born with it. i don't use a special name.

[Rudas Starblaze]

it just came to me, and it fits me well. for not being a Pagan or a Wiccan

[WynterSpirit]

It took some time......I did some hard looking at myself, who I am and the things that were important to me and made me feel good......winter and snow makes me feel good, so I used it. :)

[Anahita]

The name just appealed to me very strongly. Basically, it got stuck in my head after I read it in an article somewhere. Anahita is a Persian water/fertility goddess.

- Anahita

[FieryChyld]

i have to on which i use. see fierychyld was given to me by my aunt she decided that i should be called fierychyld for my fiery personality. i also go by nocticula which is 12th century french for little night. my best friend ( who also is pagan) gave it to me because i seem to cope better when i am in darkness

[Sleet]

i don't use a special name.

Same here.

[Kern]

Kern came to me from when I was studying wicca and I was drawn primarly to the Celtic Cernunnos,but that name didnt seem quite me,so I shortened it to cern and changed the c to k.As for my last name I chose AshRaven because according to the Irish Tree calendar I was born in the tree month of Ash(but I dont put to much into that calendar anymore)and the raven because I feel connected to the bird.The name just stuck after that.I did go by Aldwyn for a short period but it just didnt feel right.

[Mau]

i was born with it. i don't use a special name.

Ditto. My name here just means cat..I dig cats :)

[cartweel]

I only recently found one that suited me, actually. I had always liked the name and one day I just, well, went for it. *shrugs* It was a simple decision that I didn't agonize over- I'm completely willing to change it if the need comes.

[LeaAnon]

I use a general one that everyone knows which is LeaAnon... basically it is my middle name Lea and Anon for anonomous. It just fit. I do have a craft name that I don't tell people ...that i decided on from reading books and doing numberology. It works....I am very pleased with the results...but you just know.

[Amadore]

Mine just came to me. I was just outside at night time, relaxing, looking at the stars and moon and such when I heard "Amadore". Yes, I literally heard it but nobody was around me! At the time, I had no clue what Amadore was or meant... so I did a quick search. I then discovered that it was a name that meant "Gift of Love" and I was totally in love with it ever since :D

[~whispers~]

:hugz: my name was given to me years ago by my grandfather before he passed. we were very close and he was my guidance up to the very end. he called my whisper because i am small build (short and petite) and he said that big things come in small packages. and that sometimes noone will hear you scream but a whisper is carried on the wind and will hit even teh deafest(by choice) ears. so he called me his whisper because even if we werent in teh same room or house i could hear his thoughts and feelings

[~Anamorata~]

I was given it at birth...my grandmother said it fit me, and we never argued with gran...and, she was never wrong. :fpeek:

[Thalias_Smile]

I am still using Thalia's Smile, simply because i havent gotten around to asking the admin to change it to my online name, which is Talame. It is actually an accidental mis-spelling of the Sumerian word, talamu, which means "to bestow upon." I actually heard the word while I was writing a short essay for my online temple...I was writing like a madwoman, I swear I was channeling the stuff....and right in the middle of it, I heard the word TAHL-uh-MAY. It sounded like a woman's voice...very Middle Eastern....much like what you would hear in Iran or Iraq...which ironically enough, is the same location of ancient Sumer...the birthplace of Western Civilization, including permanent cities, written language, and written law. And it happens to be the birthplace of the God I worship, Anu. So, I did not choose the name, it chose ME

[nevermore_2008]

i dont know it just came to me, tigitha breeze picked his this way :

Tigitha for his spirit guide :the tiger
and breeze beause his element is air

i picked rowan cuz it ment witches tree
and raven because air is my element and a raven represtents
air and i love the poem "The Raven"

[Ceallach]

I don't have a special name. The one I use here is the Gaelic form of my real name.. Kelly. Groovy.

[CaitrionaMorgaine]

Actually, in most cases I've seen it referred to as a "magickal name" which wouldn't exclude those of us who aren't Wiccan. I refer to it as my "spiritual name."

When I considered myself Wiccan, I chose the name Rhiannon Silverwind because I have always loved the name Rhiannon. It just sounds beautiful to me, and I like the imagery evoked in Silverwind. Some years later I realized that the name no longer fit me. A random search brought up the name Solana and I took it as a last name. Rhiannon Solana became my public name, and has been that way since.

About 5 years ago, the Goddess Rhiannon appeared to me in a vision, and I have had a close relationship with Her since that day. She came to me when my brother was diagnosed with brain cancer, and since he is young enough that he could have been my own child--I felt drawn to Her story of losing her son. Rhiannon's stories remind me to always honor the truth, and to be strong in your own truth. Those are some reasons why I was so drawn to Her.

Avalon's Blessings, ~Rhiannon

[SacredWithin]

I was wondering how everyone found their pagan name. How do you know its right for you?

I wouldn't call my name Pagan as I am not, but I wil let you know how I came up with my spirit name (which BTW, is not my screen name).

Basially I wrote a list of various things in various topics that I thought represented me or I felt I could associate with. For example, I wrote down all the animals, colors, feelings, etc. and then I circled which ones out of the different lists fit me best.

Then I tried out different combinations to see which one felt good to me. For a while I was stuck with two.

[MoonBard]

My pagan screen name is one that suits me. I'm a night person and love the moon. I'm a musician/songwriter, so MoonBard seemed a good name. My magickal name, which no one knows(but me), was determined by information I obtained from Bucklands CBoWs' numerology chapter. I've read that ones' magickal name should be closely guarded. I've never actually discussed that subject with anyone. Any thoughts on this ?

[Sephiroth]

i found sephiroth in the jewish kabala but ppl dont beleave me so i say final fantasy 7 now.

[Writer_Waif]

I go by several names depending on which group of people I am with.

If I am with my Tsalagi (Cherokee) Family I am called Ayosdi Waya or "Wolf Who Seeks", this was a name gifted me by a Cherokee Elder many years ago.

If I am with our local pagan community and with pagan friends I am called Phoenix FireStar Rising, I was gifted this name during a Shamanic Journey where Pele' (The Hawaiian Fire Goddess) gave it to me, on the lip of a volcanic culdera.

My last name that I use, seldom anymore .. is SilverMoon Dragon. Gifted to me by a friend several years ago.

My blood family or most of them call me by my pagan name. My mother, sister and brother are the only ones I know that call me by my birth name anymore.

:flowers:

[-Ember]

i found sephiroth in the jewish kabala but ppl dont beleave me so i say final fantasy 7 now.

Well, they are a little different in each place.... You say sephiroth as in the kabbalah and the first (naturally irreverent) thing to go through my mind would be "oh, a dot." ;)

[ElectrumBennu]

:adidas: Part of my Craft name came from my mentor within the FOI (the part of my name you all know), and the other part, I'm somewhat reluctant to share on here. I don't mind using this part of my name publicly, but prefer to keep the rest between myself, the God/desses, and my covenmates.

Actually I've read that there are 2 craft names.One which you use while interacting with other witches or while in a coven.And a second one which is given to you during the dedication ceremony and only you,the HP and the deities know it.
I've first seen mine in a book called "Sweep" and I loved it very much,it attracted me and I also thought it was right for me.I still have it and I still love it!

~Anna

[:: taceo ::]

taceo is just my username and means 'to be silent' or 'to pass by in silence'. I chose it as it represents a 'philosophy' which i think is important and will stay important during my spiritual/magickal development. (Is the importance of silence recognized across all magickal paths or is it just a Ceremonial Magick thing?)

I don't have a 'pagan name' yet as i've not found one that i feel really fits me. I do have a magickal motto (again from my CM backgound) which reflects my current attitude to my practice. This is something personal to myself and for this reason is kept secret. We all change so i don't feel it's important that our name/motto changes to reflect this, hence i change my motto as i feel changes in myself and my views.

It's really quite easy to adopt a motto which describes the direction in which your practice is heading. Finding a name which reflects your true self however is nigh on impossible! :whatmewor

*taceo keeps searching*

[DarkHeart13]

At first my Craft name was Dark Heart Thirteen. It sounded too much like a screen name so I changed it to Jada Raine. But my first name was chosen because I've always been a dark, deep, poetic type of person and 13 was added because at 13 I decided to be a Wiccan after studying the path for almost a year.
I chose Jada Raine for an odd reason. The lead singer of Poison, Bret Michaels, has a baby girl named Raine Elizabeth. Well there is something about her I am drawn to. Maybe she has a strong aura or spiritual essence that could assist me in my works. This little girl is so cute and it makes me happy to know that Bret cares for her so much. I guess I chose Raine to be part of my name because I want to feel like Raine. She's growing up with such a great dad but I never had a dad so it just makes me feel better to think of her with Bret. Jada has always been a name that I wanted to call my little girl if I ever have one. I thought it would be really neat to have Jada Raine as my Craft name and then later on, my daughter could have that name passed down to her.
Dear God, this has been a long one! Sry! Guess I got carried away...lol
Blessed Be,
Jada Raine