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What's in a name?

at the scarwash

01:32 / 23.10.03

A few years ago I took custody of a young cat. At this point in my life, I was vaguely learning about Voudoun, and had just seen True Stories for the first time. I gave my cat the name Papa Legba, because he seemed to have an almost supernatural talent for making his way through closed doors.

The other day I put him out as I left for school, fed and watered him, and then returned to my bathroom to shave and ready myself for the outside world. I sat down in my living room for a postprandial smoke, facing the dead bakelite console radio, and I heard a sequence of quite disturbing noises emanating from my room. Somewhat reluctantly, I ventured towards the source of the sounds (my bedroom). I discovered my cat, happily sprawled across my bed, with no evidence whatsoever as to how he managed to re-enter my apartment.

So I was just wondering if anyone has found that the naming of pets or anything else has had equally curious effects.

Shanghai Quasar

10:07 / 23.10.03

"You creatures! Throwing your names all over all the time! That's why you're so weak. Too many are knowing your names, takes your power away."

It's not entirely in context with the pet naming story, but it goes well with the question and abstract.

I have found myself interested, increasingly of late, in the power and importance of names. This thread just popped up at the right moment. Any outside views to mix into the pot, Barbelithians?

11:53 / 23.10.03

Naming is a magical act, indeed sometimes magicians are called 'namers'
But all cats can walk through walls, it's a side effect of the ability to purr.

Spyder Todd 2008

12:53 / 23.10.03

Cats are naturally psionic, what can I say?
Names are important. Somewhere in the back of my head, I know my true name. 'Spyder' is a close condenced version. But it is just that, condenced. More later.

19:23 / 23.10.03

knowing somebody's name gives you power over them. ever stopped what you were doing when somebody calls your name?

19:25 / 23.10.03

knowing somebody's name gives you power over them. ever stopped what you were doing when somebody calls your name?

19:46 / 23.10.03

rhedking is quite right. I always maintain there are only three words in the english language that truely some up who I am and what kind of person I am.

And they are my first, middle and surname.

20:34 / 23.10.03

But they are given names, which someone else has chosen. If you had changed your name, and taken one which stood for who you were and what you believed in, wouldn't that be more descriptive of you than the names you were given by someone else? I mean your surname isn't really even chosen, is it? It's just handed down. You can become the names you are given, but I don't think they can completely signify who you are or truly sum you up because they weren't picked by you to represent yourself. It's someone elses interpretation of who they wanted you to be.

21:32 / 23.10.03

I suppose I use that phrase when thinking about how people use the language. Something that was mentioned in the "White Flame" meditation part of Invisibles (Vol.II).

The idea that people use words to label themselves, and others, and after all names are just labels aren't they.

I try not to do that, and us the phrase I quoted to show that.

In fact I would ask, is there any way of TRUELY summing up an individual through words, whether they be names or not?

at the scarwash

22:55 / 23.10.03

I think that the naming ritual performed by your parents (even if it is just putting it down for the birth certificate) binds you to it, and gives it power over you. I do believe you can effectively change your name, but I think that it's difficult to completely discard the one you were born with. Marilyn Manson still threatens people when they call him "Brian," which I heartily encourage you all to do.

Shanghai Quasar

03:31 / 24.10.03

You did not pick to be who you are, you can simply be just who you are. Names are somewhat connected with that thought, that you did not chose to be born, but you were born and people have identified you.

Call it the final act of creation. It has been created by the union, nutured and birthed by the mother and now it is named. The parents have the power of creation and in naming their creation they allow it out into the world. They have defined it and the creation may then defy it or deify it.

Feel free to argue that the nature of the surname has been traditionally to impose masculine dominance over a family line.

That's what names are all about, aren't they? Power.

Of course, this is all taken from a Western stand-point. Ideas about birth names, adult names, chosen names, ritual names, earned names and so forth vary wildly from culture to culture.

10:54 / 24.10.03

I found this an interesting read on the topic of names:
www.bmezine.com/news/pubring/20031017.html

14:55 / 24.10.03

also there is the fact that the two people who give you these names are usually with you for your defining years as a child and it's their interaction with you that makes you the person you are as an adult.

I like Shanghai Quasar's idea of the name being "the final act of creation". Just think of the time and energy expectant parents take in naming their child. Hell there's a whole wall of books to help them in any big name bookstore.

As for the surname (and I may be wrong here) but isn't it only a recent thing where it was used to stengthen the fathers role and power in the family line? You hear the stories and histories of how certain surnames come from the father's trade or by adding the word son to the father's first name. And besides the amount of families with children with different surnames doesn't make them any less of a family (but that is an arguement for a totally different forum).

Steering back to the magick, can I ask if those amongst us who are fuller mages then myself, use their "given/real" name during a ritual, or do you use a "fiction suit" as a mask in your dealings?