(PBP) The Letter C: Craft Name

**This post is part of the Pagan Blog Project. Weeks 5 and 6 are the letter C. For more about PBP, check out their website here.**

I haven’t really written about craft names much here on the blog.  Most likely because I don’t use one.  “Sita” isn’t a craft name, it’s a pseudonym I use specifically for writing on this blog.  I never chose a craft name because I never felt like I needed one.

Craft names can come from a wide array of places.  Names inspired by the natural world are pretty common.  Animals, birds, plants, trees, stones, etc. are probably the most common source to pull from.  The two most popular names I can think of are Raven and Willow.

Another popular source is mythology and drawing from a specific mythological tradition.  Using the name of a god or goddess is less popular but also often used.  Some of the more popular names I’ve seen are Athena, Rhiannon, Arianrhod, and Brigid.

The key to a craft name (a.k.a. magical name) is to find a name that feels right to you.  It should resonate within, maybe strike a chord in your being, that says “yes, this is who I am, this is who I am becoming.”  Sure you can choose a super cool name like Silver Athena Stormlord or something, but does that show who you are?  Does that name sound like the inner you?  Yes, it sounds cool to say, but is it the right name for you, or are you caught up in the flashiness?  I think some people do get caught up in the flash of craft names and don’t choose the right name for themselves, and then there are other times where someone has a flashy name and it really is right for them.  Sometimes it’s hard to say which is which.

If it feels like the right name, then go with it.  Chances are, it’s right for you.

Often I’m told that a craft name will find you.  You don’t find it.  The right name reveals itself to you.  I don’t know how true that is, seeing as I don’t have a craft name.  But for the past two or three years, I’ve been feeling a strong pull to a certain name, and it’s not one I would have chosen for myself had I sat down and tried to come up with a name for me.  But this word just pulls at me and envelops me in warmth, and makes me feel more complete–so I have a feeling that a craft name has found me after all.

Another concern with names is the energy behind the name.  A name, a word, has power.  When you speak the name, you are calling on the energy of that word.  “Willow” calls on the qualities of the willow tree and brings those qualities closer to the person who bears that name.  “Raven” can call in the qualities of the raven and the qualities of Raven, the deity.  Both are tricky and cunning.  When using a craft name, it’s my opinion that you should also look at the qualities of that name and what kind of energy you would be calling in when you use it.  For example, I see people name their pets Loki or Hecate because they think the name is cute for the animal, and then they wonder why little Loki or little Hecate are such a handful.  It’s because the name calls on the energy of the name, just as our daily/mundane names have energy.  The difference between our birth names and a craft name is that the craft name is chosen by you and may feel more like your real name than your birth name does.

Craft names can be useful, but they aren’t a requirement for a spiritual or magickal path, at least not until you get into the higher levels of a coven or other similar type of group that uses craft names.  Then a craft name may become necessary, for a variety of reasons.

Craft names, like pseudonyms, can also be used as a barrier between the mundane world and the magickal world, and can provide a measure of protection.

Vegetarianism and Paganism

A growing misconception seems to be taking hold both within and outside of the Pagan community.  This misconception is that in order to be a “real” Pagan, or a “true” Wiccan, then you must be a vegetarian/vegan.  This is grossly incorrect, and I have personally seen the effects of this misconception among Pagans.  I witnessed the trouble one young woman went through for being Pagan and a meat-eater.  She was verbally attacked over the Internet and so many harmful, hurtful, foul names were hurled at her that I ached for her pain.  And all because she had decided to share the fact that she is no longer a vegetarian because her body couldn’t maintain that lifestyle. The attacks on her were sickening, disappointing, and shocking, and made me ashamed to call myself a Pagan because those attackers also claimed to be Pagan and actively used Paganism as the argument in their attacks.

Vegetarianism and veganism and any other diet choice is a personal choice.  It is not a mandated part of Paganism that a human cannot eat meat.  In the traditions of Paganism I am aware of (which range from Asatru to Wicca to Heathenism [and some Native American traditions]), denial of meat is not a rule.  It is not a principle of these traditions that any member must not eat any animal.  Some may say that members may only eat animals killed in an honorable fashion and in a way that utilizes all the useful parts of the animal.  But no tradition I can think of bans meat as a food.

To be honest, I can think of no tradition that would do so.  To do so would put into place a rule that would not only potentially cause harm to a member, but also disrupt a natural balance.  What would happen if a member were to join, become a vegetarian, but then find that their body cannot sustain that way of life?  Is that member then kicked out?  That hardly seems very respectful or loving.  As for a natural balance being kicked out of place, well, our bodies are designed to eat meat.  It is natural to eat meat.  Eating meat does not make a person an unnatural creature.

I doubt that the gods (whichever ones you work with) would really care what you had for dinner last night.  I doubt they would truly care whether you ate prime rib or had a salad.  In my admittedly limited experience, the gods don’t give a damn about that sort of thing.  They do care that you are healthy and able to work with them in a healthy manner.  Out bodies are complex and affect all parts of life–if your body is unhealthy, how do you expect to have a healthy relationship with the gods?  For example, you can’t exactly participate in a ritual if you have the stomach flu, and if you’ve gone about nutrition in the wrong way and deprived yourself of nutrients by ignoring what your particular body requires, then you do yourself a disservice as well as the gods.

Vegetarianism and veganism are not bad things.  But those kinds of lifestyles are not for everyone.  Not everyone can physically maintain it, even when taking supplements and vitamins to compensate for the lack of meat.  I have a friend who was vegetarian for many years, but even this very problem caught up with her.  She wishes she was still a vegetarian, but her body simply could not keep itself healthy despite her best efforts to maintain the lifestyle properly.

Most paths of Paganism include the ideas of respecting yourself and respecting the natural world.  If you are respecting yourself and your body, and what your body needs, then (to be blunt) what the hell does it matter what you eat?  Even better is if you can eat meat in a way that respects the natural world.  The meat you consume once belonged to a living, breathing, moving creature, a creature that gave its life to feed yours.  We all owe a debt to the animals who give their lives for us, yet few of us pause to think about this.  My advice is to either 1) learn how to hunt and hunt your own meat so that you are assured that nothing goes to waste and the kill is honorable, or 2) buy organically from a meat co-op, the farmer’s market, or a similar setup.  Again, you are assured that nothing is wasted and the kill is an honorable one.

My personal view is that if humans weren’t meant to eat meat, we wouldn’t have canine teeth–teeth specifically meant for tearing.  That being said, I also think there are right ways and wrong ways to go about meat consumption.  The meat packing industry is cruel and inhumane.  But hunting and swift kills, and honoring the spirit of the animal who has given his life to sustain yours, is acceptable and humane.  A quick kill with honor, and not wasting the gift given to you, is far more humane than the meat industry today.

The horrors of the meat industry should be a motivator to bring about change.  It does not mean anyone necessarily has to become a vegetarian.  Being Pagan and eating meat is not a crime, nor is it wrong.  Eating meat does not make me less of a Pagan, and the same is true for those who choose not to consume meat.  It is a personal choice, and no one should be attacked for making a choice that speaks to their own soul.

Question of the Week: Animal Symbolism

Happy Monday all!  I’m getting really interested in researching and learning more about animal symbolism.  So I’d like to know if there are others out there who have knowledge on the subject or are interested.  Here’s this week’s question:

Do you use animal symbolism in your practice/magick/life/etc.?  Are there any animals that have special meaning to you?

Post your answer in the comments below!

Saturday Snapshot: Zoo

I went to the free lights show at the National Zoo last week.  It was pretty great, I highly recommend it if you’re in the DC area.  Anyway, here are some shots from the zoo and some of the animals!  (I didn’t really get good shots of any of the lights, unfortunately.)

Most of the animals were asleep by the time we got there.

I honestly can't remember what this bird is called, but it's cute!

Przewalski's horse

Snake!

Snapshot Saturday: Nature Outside My Door

I snapped these funny pictures last month and finally got them on my computer.  I figured nature pictures would relate to a paganism blog, so here you go!

 

This squirrel apparently really wanted the food in the bird feeder!

And then he decided to hang out a while.

This little albino squirrel has been around for a while. He's the only albino one I've ever seen!