What’s in a Name
What if you could change the outcome of an interaction by choosing the energy of your words for the desired effect?
It may seem like a lot of work, but at some time I'll bet you have chosen your words carefully. Perhaps it was a conversation with your spouse, where you were looking to come to an agreement. It could have been a ‘talk' with your child, when you were trying to get them to see things a different way.
The act of naming itself is a declaration. Whether it's your given name ,or the myriad labels that we give everything, think of how many years it took you learn to name things ‘just like everybody else.' Of course, these are collective agreements in consensus reality. You call this place you sit, a ‘chair', and a being that comes from your body, ‘your child.' Naming is a declaration, it is a containment of an energy.
Consider that you can do the same thing with any word. You don't have to tap into the collective agreement of ALL words. If this were true, what words would you choose to change the energy of?
Let's start with your name, notice the energy of it, notice the stories, the collective agreements about you. Are there any agreements that are ready to be released? Notice what occurs.
How does it feel to have a new energy associated with your name, with you? Explore and engage what's possible for you, now that the energy of your name, of you, has been freed. Notice. No right or wrong. Just notice what arises within you. Allow the surface to slough off and see what is beneath. Just be with it, allow it to move through you.
Notice and muse . . . What's new? What's you?
Growing up, I wanted a different name…one that could be shortened. Seemed everyone had a nickname Roberts were Bob, Susans were Susie and here I was Karen…no way to shorten it. Then somewhere on my life journey, I shifted into loving my name. I looked up the numerology of it and found power in the K. Sometimes, when I introduce myself I say “Hi, I’m Karen with a K”. It helps people remember me and it reinforces to me personally, that I am of value, that I Am.
One of my workshops is Wordology, The Pictures You Paint With The Words You Speak. Word meanings change with time. Words mean different things to each generation and words mean different things to those who grew up in different parts of the world….yet so many times we speak without thinking and assume that everyone else knows exactly what we mean.
So thank you for expanding the positive energy and consciousness about the words we use to describe ourselves.
I have truly never liked my name nor felt it fit me. As with many names, the rhymes that can go with -Nancy- are not always positive. I was named for both grandmothers but have always gone by nancy. The paternal side always called me NancyCatherine as there was great resentment that I had not been named solely for that grandmother..The only time I was called NancyCatherine by parents or maternal side was when I was in trouble.. ( I laugh as I write this but at the time all of this was excruciatingly painful)
so, today…. I did a “meaning of names” search and Nancy = Grace in the English, French and Northern European translations. Interestingly enough, Grace was my mother’s first name. I went to an Indian numerology site suggested by Adela and the description associated with Nancy 9 number 5) is just not me. However, nancyB is associated with number 8 and that description, with some fine tuning, is me.. I took nancyB as my sig several years ago because there were so many “nancys” on some of my list. I know via interent at least 15 and 5 of us are glass artists ! There is another Nancy Barry in my county who is also an artist.. So, there must be some sort of artisty link in our name! ANYWAY
SHIFT that happened at about 5 am ! I CHOSE nancyB as how I am identified on the internet, in my business and as much elsewhere as is possible. The lowercase “n” and capital ” B” also act to distinguish this name. In vocalizing this name it BE-comes: nancyBE….. BE: the person I choose to BE.. WOW! WOW! WOW! so, from now on dear friends, I am
nancyBE
namaste
NancyBE … I love it!
My heart had felt heavy on the calls the last couple of days because of the devestation in Haiti. I felt conflicted for personally benefiting from the energy shifts in light of what’s happening all around. Thank you for the reminder that there is suffering all over the world and also for the gentle nudge to be the energy we want to see in the world NOW so that it will ripple sooner. I needed that today.
I had never met another person named Camara until recently…I hated being the only one until I realized what a gift it is to be the only one.
Adela,
Thank you for exploring this further with me and bringing the energy of others into it. The comments have helped as well. I am still sitting a bit with it but I think that I have come to some understandings about the energy of all my names.
I realize I no longer feel connected to my maiden name for sure. I think I will finally change that.
In this moment though I can see where I needed to reconnect with the energy of the name by which I am usually called – Malia – Mary. It is the energy of mother. And it is the grace by which this figure accepted her connection to Divine. How fitting for me and why do I not call on that more in my work? It is an extra gift.
As to my given name – Malialanimaka I see similar things – again it is my intuitive nature and perhaps a reminder of listening and flow.
It has never fit in the box on legal papers and with Silversmith it certainly will not but it is like my little extra gift – even if only on paper.
Still open but appreciative to it all,
Malia
Your blog post today held particular significance to me. I have viewed my name as both a curse and a blessing. It speaks of my uniqueness the moment people see or hear it. Yet it also weighed heavily on me for years as being nearly unrecognizable to anyone. It only has been the last decade that I have come to embrace my name in its fullness and embrace it as an expression who I really am. Thank you for bringing this aspect of our beingness out for all of us to see and appreciate.
My story about Names goes like this: My father named his first born (me) Christopher in honor of his WWII buddy and from age 2 he took me out with him to work around our farm. Until about age 8 I was often mistaken as his son.
They called me Christy which worked for me until a number of years ago when I felt as though I needed to soften my hard edges and changed my name to Christa and it worked. It’s working; I feel it’s easier now for me to be the softer more loving, more caring person that I feel I am on the inside and wish to express to the World and thus have come up with the business name of Christacare.
For now, it feels right, but I remain open to the further evolution of me, my name and my business. and open to any feedback or suggestions from the Tribe. Thanking you, Christa
Hello Adela and all,
What a beautiful shift. Was trying to find the eye of the storm the last few days and having a hard time getting grounded in my body. I wasn’t able to connect to my Yes, until you said to connect with the essence of our name. What a shift… to feel the essence of Kathleen… big, strong, an immoveable rock, one that is sure and who knows. Everything unlike her is up right now but I’ll keep tapping into the “I am Kathleen” to ride the storm out. A big thank you and love to you all. I feel so enlivened by all of your contributions.
You are talking my language! I could and have written books about the energy of words.
What’s in a name. With Renee as my given first name I am reborn w/o effort every single moment.
Talk about a priceless gift.
I use an exercise about our names as an icebreaker or intro for new groups. Great power in the stories and immediate connection.
I really like this, Adela….Several years ago, I decided to give my first name…Emmaly…some
air time, so I told all my friends that was my new name. Then last year, I went back to Sue. Sue
had more fun than Emmaly, even though I like that name, too. The vibrations were just different. My cat has three names. Each one represents a different aspect of her personality. Maybe we all need several names…as I write this I’m feeling a name change coming on. I wonder what it will be.
Sue
I love this whole concept Adela being a lover of language!I feel that naming has huge energy to it and for many years have tried to use language positively and to use only words which I felt right with……..many of the spiritual teachers have urged us to erradicate negative vocabulary and I sense that this is so important and is one reason that I find newspapers so disturbing. My knowing has been to move away from these unless an article is so powerful and positive that it cannot be ignored.Importance is both therefore in the written and spoken language. Beautiful writing and the resonances of sensitively written or spoken words fills me up sometimes to tears.
Some two years ago the energy of my name Rosemary seemed to want to be lightened for all the past associations. Many now call me Rosie which I feel is lighter, especially new more aware people, and certainly children respond to this.
I am fascinated by the hidden language sbehind the curtain, that of feeling itself and how new experiences arrive through this and new knowings. Even as I write every cell of my body is in tune with what my fingers tap out like a dance…… I could write and write ……. I am all for new declarations. Maybe as a conscious group we could declare ourselves wayshowers, if not already, to encourage others to be more alert to the energy of language and especially maybe that which reaches the rear children of our world. I am sitting on my swivel not chair writing this as it propels me to new exciting places literally…I’m off!