Sacred Names

The world is rife with philosophy regarding sacred names (especially, within Pagan history; though you can find it in Christian history as well). and apparently my guides want me to add to it. In the modern age, we don’t think much about the names of things. As children, we are taught everything has a name, and names are important, but we don’t think about them as sacred. In some ways, this is evidence of how far language development has come. However, in other ways, it shows something that we are lacking in our current time. In antiquity many things were mysteries, and knowing someone’s name gave you power over them, as their name was seen as sacred, holy and only to be shared with those you trusted. In some cultures you may start with one name and then change or add to it later in life. Names were not as static as they are today.

Within Pagan Communities there is such a thing as “Craft Names” (honestly, for me these have always felt a little like the baptismal names in Catholicism, in that many Pagan practioners take a name that they only use within their spiritual community as a sign of their rebirth on the path). I have had my own Craft name (and honestly, I went through a couple of them and they never felt quite right.) However, during my preistessing ritual, I came to discover a new layer to the idea of names, and especially craft names. In preparing for this ritual, I spent time contemplating whether or not the Craft name I was using still fit, or if I was now a different person that who I started out as (and this is my own philosophy on craft names- I think it is fine to change them when you have personal milestones and changes in your life, so that it may reflect your growth- it’s a little like The Doctor {Reference to Doctor Who, produced by the BBC} regenerating; The Doctor gets a new face and personality characteristics but is still the Doctor, we can change craft names but still have the same body and face). During that time of contemplation I decided that I would like to change my craft name when I had my ceremony, because I felt intrinsically different. So I began looking for something that fit.

The day of my ritual came and I had a name that embodied special association and , in my mind, reflected who I hoped to grow into. While I won’t go into the specifics of the ritual (it is special and I keep it close to my heart) I will say there was a point in which I was to turn to the Altar, address my Patron Goddess and introduce my new craft name to her as a way of affirming that change. So, my ritual is progressing. It is full of emotion and energy. I come to the moment to introduce my new craft name to my Goddess Frigga and rededicate myself to her service. I turn to the altar and say the prayer I had prepared and as I go to affirm the craft name I am taking, a completely different name pops into my head and out of my mouth! This was a name that I had never heard before, but when I spoke it that first time preceded by ” I Am…” It rang true and sent shivers down my spine. This was a truly sacred name that it’s mere utterance seemed to connect me immediately with my God Soul, and the magically divine energy I (like all other people) carry within my being.

This name as has sent me down rabbit holes as I researched it, unveiled to me truth about myself and the world around me and even years later, instantly connects me with what others call magical/ spiritual consciousness. It was a gift from Frigga herself, one I keep locked away, like Frigga’s treasure in Fulla’s chest. It is my key to myself, (warning: incoming second Doctor Who reference) just as the true name of the Doctor is what opens the T.A.R.D.I.S. door and allows him to experience all of time and space.

For me, this gift of a powerful sacred name, was a sign that I was walking in Frith with my Goddess and myself. It has allowed me to access things I never really even dreamed of. This is one of the things I like to help people discover, for I believe that each of us has a secret Divinely gifted name that unlocks our potential and our connection to the Divine and that this name is the gift of Frith between the egoic self and the God Soul. Finding and learning to work with this name is the work of Frith Craft.