When you are born you are given a name.  Generally your parents haven’t had time to get to know your personality before they name you, they pick a name that sounds nice, or has the virtues they desire you to have.  As a result many children dislike their names, or feel that the name means nothing for them. 

When you start along the Pagan path, it is customary to take on a “craft name”.  A Magickal name that you will use when in your Pagan persona.  Some people believe that you should have 3 craft names, One that you use in a Coven or in Magickal workings, one you keep for only the Goddess and God to know you as, and if you are on the Internet you should have a separate Internet craft name.  They also say that non-Pagan people should not know your craft name, and that you should only give your Craft name to people if you really need to, or it will lose some of the magick.  I personally think that you only need one name, as the more names you have the less time you spend being each, and the longer it will take before it feels like it “fits”.  I don’t mind Non-Pagans knowing my craft name, and I would rather be known as my Pagan name than my real name.  In fact, I am actually considering changing my "real"  name to my craft name. 

I have 1 craft name, Obsidian.  This is the name I use in my coven, when dealing with Pagans on the Internet, it is my business name and it is my username for many Internet things.  I don’t ever use the last name part though (Star), I only use that as my business name, and if I need to enter a last name when filling out Internet forms - I wanted something short, so I picked Star.

I spent months searching through name books, and thinking of my craft name, then one day while copying information into my Book Of Shadows, I flicked over a page on Crystals.  The name Obsidian jumped out at me, as I flicked over the page, and I stopped, thought for a moment, and flicked back.  I knew straight away that I had found my craft name.  The Star part came from the first time I had to make up a witchy e-mail address, and it asked for a last name.  Thinking quickly I came up with Star.  I thought that since Obsidian is a long name, the last name should be short to balance it out  (I am earthy and practical, I am not a “Silver Mountainwater ShadowStream” sort of person .. most of the time I am “Obsi”  not even Obsidian) 

It didn’t take long until it felt as comfortable to use as my “proper” name.  Some people can search for months and never have anything jump out at them.  Hopefully this will help you choose a craft name.

How do I find a Magickal name ?

Choosing a craft or Magickal name can be one a very hard thing to do.  You need to choose a name that distinguishes you from everyone else, one that has some meaning for you, and one that you like.  But, you have to be able to pronounce it, and feel comfortable using it as a name to represent you.   Some people meditate and let the name come to them, almost like a vision quest.  They may ask the Goddess, God or their Spirit guides to help them choose a name.  Others seek out their name, trying hundreds of names to see which one fits.  You cannot rush getting your craft name, it is something that you will feel is right when it is.  When you think you find a name you like, say it out loud many times, to see if you like the sound of it.  Write it down, to see if you like the way it looks in your handwriting.  If you still like it, try getting friends to try calling you that name a few times, to see if you like it when others use it.

Meditating

If you want to receive your craft name through meditation, sit or lie down in a quiet room where you will not be disturbed.  You might like to put some soothing music on and light some incense.  Clear you mind, and then imagine yourself as you would like to be.  (Keeping it realistic)  are there any names that seem to pop into your head?  Now try imagining yourself as you are now.  If you did think of some names before, see if they still fit the image of the real you.  Another way would be to imagine you are in a nice safe place, perhaps on a secluded island or in a forest.  Now imagine the Goddess or God walking up to you (Or appearing in a flash of smoke if you prefer).  Ask the Goddess or God if they could help to give you a craft name, and see if any names pop into your head.  If you don’t get a name, but instead get some other message, such as a country or period in time – research this, as you might find your craft name.
 

Choosing your craft name

There are no rules for choosing a craft name, you can have just a single name, like Oakmoss, you could have a first name and last name, such as Sapphire Moon, or you could combine 2 names into the one name like RavenWolf.  You can also have what I call “triple banger” names (names with 3 or more components), such as Morgana ShiningStar.

Read through lists of possible names and pick out the ones you like. Write them down on paper and try a mix and match of the names to see which ones fit well together. One easy way to do this is to write each name on a piece of paper, and then lay them all out making words.  Re-arrange them into names that you like.  This is an easy way to make longer names.  You can use parts of words to create names if the whole name doesn’t work together.  For example if you liked Athena and Amethyst, you could use “Athena Amethyst” as your name, “AthenaAmethyst” or you could use parts of both names to create “Amethena”

If you are going to take on the name of a Goddess, God or Elemental, It is a good idea to ask for their blessings before you take it as your own.  You can do this in a meditation.  Picture the Goddess, God or Elemental, and ask them if you can use their name.  If you get a favourable response, you are free to use the name, with their blessing.  If you do not get a favourable response, you may need to rethink why you want to use that name, and try again.  They may feel that you don’t know them enough to make a decision like that.  I feel you should research the particular Goddess or God before you name yourself after them. That goes for using part of their name, such as Isisanna or something.

An example of a favourable response I heard of was one a lady in one of my Classes.  She wanted to name herself Venus Moon.  She did a meditation and she saw herself at the beach, She saw Venus coming out of the ocean towards her.   Venus put a necklace of pearls around her neck, and whispered some words to her before returning to the sea.  As the experience was a warm and pleasant one, she took it as a sign that Venus had given her blessings to use the name.

You can change the spelling of other names to change the way they look and make your name stand out, such as changing Dragon to Dragyn or Calandra to Kalandra. 

It is best to stay away from names such as Storm, Phoenix, Angel, Fairy and Rowan, as they are commonly used.  If you wish to use these, I suggest you add other names to them, or use them as components of a name to give your name an individual feel. As there is nothing worse than turning up to a circle to find 6 other people called “Storm” there too…

Using Numerology
If you are interested in numerology, you can choose a name with the same number as your birth name.  Or if you would like the craft name to be a certain number (based on the meanings of the numbers) you can choose one based on it’s numerological value.  You don’t have to of course (I didn’t), but if your birth name had a value of 5, then you might like to choose a craft name that also has a value of 5.  The following is a table to help you work out the number for each letter.
 

            For example, if your name was Sharon Smith.  You would work out the values of your first name: 

S=1  H=8  A=1  R=9  O=6  N=5     = 30 

(Which you reduce to a single digit by adding 3+0)  = 3

You reduce all numbers down to a single digit, except for 11 and 22, which some people like to leave as double digits called “Master numbers”.  Then work out your last name, and add it to the first:

S=1 M=4 I=9 T=2 H=8 = 24  = 6   (2+4)

(First name) = 3   +   (Last name) = 6   =    (Full name) = 9

In this example, your real name would be a number 9, so if you wanted to have the same value for your craft name, you would have to find a craft name that also added up to 9.   If you already have a name that you like, but that adds up to the wrong number, you can add another name to it, either as a last name, or make it a larger name, such as:  Forest MoonBeams  which has a value of 9.

F=6   O=6     R=9 E=5 S=1 T=2 = 29  = 11  (2+9)  = 2 (1+1)
M=4   O=6   O=6    N=5   B=2    E=5    A=1    M=4    S=1    =34      = 7 (3+4)

Forest = 2    MoonBeams = 7          2+7 = 9

Although Forest adds up to 11 – which is a Master number, if you are including it with a surname (MoonBeans), you can reduce it down to a single digit.  If you really like a name, but can’t make it add up to the right number, try adding different last names, or changing the spelling slightly.
 

What the numbers mean
Each number has a different meaning and some believe that the meanings of the numbers can tell you about the person.  Numerology is too big a topic for a small book such as this, so I’ll just give you a brief run down on the numbers.

Number 1 - Leader. You demand respect and attention, and need to feel in control.  Creative, but watch out for selfishness and arrogance. 
Number 2 - Peacemaker. You are sensitive and shy.   Tactful, patient and empathetic. Watch out for letting others take advantage of you.
Number 3 - Creative. You are optimistic and somewhat of an attention seeker.  Generous, uplifting for others and confident.  Watch out for mood swings where you get depressed and moody. 
Number 4 - Practical.   You are down-to-earth, methodical and somewhat stubborn.  You seek stability and justice.   Be careful not to let yourself get too set in your ways.
Number 5 - Adventurer. You love to travel  and meet new people. Curious and a natural motivator. Be careful not to let yourself get carried away with the adventure though, sometimes a bit of number 4’s stability would be good!
Number 6 – Counsellor.   Helping the weak and the downtrodden is your given or self imposed gift in life.  You counsel, heal and lend a ear to others. Be careful to learn when not to poke your nose in though, sometimes people need to go along the path alone.
Number 7 – Scholar.  Forever learning new things and seeking answers to unsolved mysteries.  You love telling stories and facts to show off your knowledge.  Be careful not to isolate yourself in your studies though.
Number 8 -  Visionary.  You have your goals set out in life, it’s just a matter of getting there.  Though the path might be difficult, you can inspire others to help you.  Just make sure you keep working towards that goal.
Number 9 - Philanthropist.  You often sacrifice your time and money in order to lend that helping hand. Imaginative and creative, your view of everyone as equals helps others to become attracted to you.  You need to realise though, that there are bad things in this world as well as good, and that they are ok too. 
Number 11 - Energetic. Buzzing with ideas and sometimes no avenue to express them.  You want to fit in, but your lack of confidence stops you from seeing that you do have your place.  You need to learn to chill out in times of great stress.
Number 22 - Successful. Success can be yours, however without the vision to get you to your goals, you can achieve a small amount of your potential success.   Don’t underestimate yourself, and use your talents to get you where you want to go.  Remember to be flexible to other ideas and you must learn to trust in the ability of others to see where it is you’re going and understand how to help you get there. 

Making a Name
Here is a sample of names you can create by taking several parts of a name, and putting them all together. 

Rain Wolfdancer,   CrescentMoon Storm,  Rainforest MountainStar,  Lady Mountain Dancer,  Rain BlackThorn, 
Star FeatherSong,   Sea MoonFire,   Amber RainWeaver,  Nova BlackFeather,  Wolf FireStorm, SnowMist,  Amber Fire,   SeaSong,  Tempest MoonSong,  WindDancer, MistMoon,  Blossom CloudRiver,  SunHawk,  WindRider,  Nova SeaMist, 
Raven NightStorm,  Rider NightSong,  SunSong,  MoonBeam,  Scarlet WaterCloud,  SnowStorm Dancer.

The following is a table you can use to create names such as these.  All you do is take a name from the first column, add a name from the middle column and then add another from the last column. You can also use this list to make a name only using 2 parts, by choosing names from either column.

You can have them as 3 separate names, or combine 2 of the names into what I call a “double banger” name like SeaMist – which is made up of 2 parts.
 

Picking a Name ..
Don't forget baby naming books and websites!

You can change the spelling of other names to change the way they look and make your name stand out.  Try substituting i for j or y, and vice versa.  Such as Sonja, Sonia, Sonya.   You can also change ina to ira in many cases, for example changing Sabrina into Sabrira.  You can also try writing the name backwards.  I use this online when I chat in a chat room when Obsidian is taken, I change my name to Naidisbo, which I think makes a pretty cool name, and is not often used.  Another example is Albanara becomes Aranabla. 

Adding an a, i , or ina can make a masculine name look more feminine, and dropping an a, i or ina can make it look more masculine.  Changing the letters around slightly can create a feminine name from a masculine name, and vice versa.  For example, Ariadne is feminine, but Ariaden could be masculine.  Bren is a masculine name, but Brenna is feminine. 
 
 

More information about Magickal Names can be found in  Obsidian's Magickal Names booklet or from Obsidian's Witchcraft Class CD.  Available from:.