ABC of Paganism: N is for Names

The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names.

                                                                                 –Chinese Proverb
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​Names hold power. All one must do to find evidence of such a fact is to refer to the Egyptian god Ptah whose thoughts as words became real, that which he named was created or the Abrahamic god in the Old Testament of the Bible, existence in the book of Genesis starts with the power of the word and naming of the animals in the Garden of Eden. 

Across many cultures, the first recorded actions within the universe are semiotic in nature. Naming things is how humanity makes sense of the Universe.

Abracadabra can be translated from the Aramaic to mean “I create what I speak”. Not only does naming create something from nothing (taking an abstract idea from the astral realm and making it materialize in the physical realm) it also grants control over that thing. Knowing the true name of something grants you power over that thing. This isn’t a new concept; it can be found in numerous places: 

• Egyptian mythology with the legend of Ra and Isis where Isis tricks Ra into revealing to her his true name thus granting her his power. 
• The Germany fairytale Rumpelstiltskin where the Miller’s daughter can only escape from captivity if she discovers the imp’s true name. 
• The Hobbit where there is power in learning the names of the Elven swords found in the Troll hoard for Thorin and Gandalf. Bilbo also slips and reveals the name Baggins to Gollum who then is able to track him, though he later hides his name from Smaug.

 All of these examples illustrate the belief that there is power in knowing the proper name of something. So while some individuals feel that names aren’t important as we are all One in the end, I disagree … while we are manifested in the physical realm it is important to name things in order to control or utilize the power of that thing. This is why I have learned the name of my ritual blade, my crystal ball, my skull, my scrying mirror, my cauldron, my wand, my chalice, my besom, my sword … these tools have names and I have cultivated a relationship with each of them and have learned their names and they have learned mine. My familiar spirits have names … they have given me a name though I am aware that it is not their “proper” or “true” name, but a name that only I know them by and why I don’t share their name with others … when I construct a servitor – I name it and never share that name with anyone else. Names hold power and I will not relinquish that power to anyone as has been said, “With great power comes great responsibility.”