A common practice among magickal people, particularly those on the Net, is to take on what is known as a Magickal Name. Like many things within this religion, a magickal name is not necessary. For us, it helps maintain the anonymity on-line, gives us the chance to choose a name that describes ourselves or the type of people we'd like to become, and of course, there's the blatant "It's really cool to have a new name." First, let me try to explain the different reasons for having a name.

The main reason, in my opinion, is to find those traits within yourself that makes you unique, and put them on display for people to know. This not only helps people understand you better, but it may give you a sense of a better connection with the Divine. These traits may stem from your astrological signs, your interests, your hobbies, or they may just feel like *you*. For example, I know a guy who drums in circles all over the Midwestern United States. His name? "Rhythm." Simple, sensible, and it lets you know who he is. In my case, my real name means something along the lines of "Follower of Christ." Nice guy and all, and I'd love to live up to his example, but that's just not *me*. A name not only lets people know who you are, but also what kind of person you want to become. An example is that a person who wants to be known as a strong, solid leader, but has self-esteem problems, may first choose the name Acorn, as it will grow into an Oak later.

Anonymity is always a benefit. Mind you, a magickal name is not to give you free reign to do whatever you want, like harass others on-line, etc. and get away with it because they don't know who you are. But realistically, we still do have problems with people who choose to harass us. Plus, it also helps when people you know may not approve of your lifestyle. Now I have no problem with letting people know I'm Pagan, and putting it all over this site. Heck, I have my picture on here, as well! If people want to know who I am, they need look no further then this site. And I am aware that this can make or break getting a job, an apartment, etc. no matter how much a person, group, or company claims tolerance. But these are my choices. For Pagans still in the broomcloset, going the semi-anonymous route works best if you want to communicate with others or post a website.

It's also important to remember that while a person may have a public magickal name, they may also have one (or two!) for private use only. It's possible that the person may have a name solely for use within his/her coven. In fact, the person may have yet another name for use only between him/her and his/her Deity. That's a lot of names! But it is possible, especially if you don't feel like revealing your name to the public. Names have power...that's a belief that's been around for millennia.

Now, how do you go about choosing a name? Keep your eyes open...you may strike across a word in the dictionary some time and it may hit you as being *right*. You may also try listing in a notebook all your traits, plus, on a separate sheet, all the traits you'd like to have. Go through these and don't rule out anything because it sounds funny or not fancy enough. You want to be true to yourself, not give in to sounding grand to others. Unfortunately, sometimes it seems that people pull from the same list of "exotic" words to mix and match for their magickal name. Like in the example of Rhythm, it is not necessary to have a "Magickal First and Last Name." Another famous example is that Gerald Garnder wrote under the name of "Scire," sans a "last name." Don't forget to check into names of your own ancestors' cultures. A lot of people are drawn to Celtic or Celtic-sounding names. I know I'm half Finnish and half German...I would be more true to myself, in my opinion, if I chose from those cultures than from Welsh or Scottish. When in doubt, check out baby name books...you may find something that appeals to you there.

I'm personally against the idea of choosing the name of a deity or adding the title "Lord" or "Lady" to the beginning of a magickal name. These are just my preferences, but as much as I like some of the names of deities, I think choosing their names will also give you their traits. Be very careful...choosing "Lady Morrigan" may sound like a great name, but it not only carries some heavy baggage, but also may be viewed as sounding a bit pretentious if you're a beginner.

I chose my name in this method: Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" has always been my favorite poem. When choosing a character name for a role-playing game, I chose "Raven" because my character was slightly insane and I felt Poe was the master of insanity. When I came on-line, I had a small stockpile of names that I used: Zephyr (from a story I was writing with my cousin), Birdie (I'm a bird lover), Millennia (my computer was a Micron Millennia), and Raven (my character). Finally, I narrowed it down to Raven. When I chose to get a free e-mail account, I wanted to spell "Raven" differently to try to be unique. Even though it was already taken, the spelling "Rhaevyn" really appealed to me. It was even more important because of my interest in birds and the poem. When I found my "last name" (I know, I know...I just said it isn't necessary), I was thinking about changing my name altogether. Dawn and dusk are powerful times of the day for me because, like myself, I feel that they are always changing so rapidly in a short period of time. The morning is even moreso because I was usually awake and up while it was still dark due to crew practice. I debated this for a while, then asked for a sign...my eyes landed on a bottle of perfume in my room called "Sunrise." I just knew it was correct and it would work with "Rhaevyn" better than "Sunrise" alone.

Frankly put, don't choose a magickal name just because you think it's cool and because everyone else seems to have one. A name may or may not require a lot of searching depending on who you are. Relax...it may come in a dream, it may just be a name you've liked for a long time, or it might be from a source that you'd otherwise consider strange. You may want to check out the book The Complete Book of Magical Names by Phoenix McFarland if you're searching for names and their magickal meanings. Keep looking around you, but don't worry yourself to death. Many people describe their names as having chosen the person instead of the other way around. In fact, you may eventually decide that you like your given name the best after all!