To discover a person's "true name" is the stuff of myth and fairy tale. In knowing
what and how a person's soul is called, one may fully understand the underpinnings
of his or her power. Used for good, this magical name-knowing allows the seeker to
recognize helpers, teachers and soul-companions along the quest. Finding the true
name of a person, place or thing is not something to be taken lightly. Naming your
home, for example, is a statement of some intention or quality nurtured there. My
own house, Badgers End, is a cozy den filled with objects that make me feel secure,
a place where I burrow in, becoming perhaps a bit snarly if poked out. Ceremonial
naming brings life to seemingly inanimate objects, transforms them into sacred tools.
A sword is just a sword, but Excalibur! Ahhh! A legend is born.

Likewise, in the Celtic bardic tradition, naming is not merely the act of pointing to an
object and saying, "Tree," or holding out your hand and saying, "Hi, I'm Merlyn."
Bards create a poetic interpretation of their names, which can be used as prayer,
meditation, affirmation or spell. Such a rune of naming can be used to enlighten or
(conversely) confound those to whom it is spoken. Writing a ceremonial name for
yourself is a wonderful way to celebrate who you are now, who you have been,
who you hope to become.

There are many forms such a ceremonial name can take. A bard might sing his/her
poem of naming as both introduction and riddle, playing with double meanings,
revealing secrets only to those who understand the metaphors used. A famous
example is the name-poem attributed to the Welsh bard Taliesin, a fragment of which is:

I have been a narrow sword,
A drop in the air,
A shining bright star,
A letter among words
In the book of origins.
I have been lanternlight
For a year and a day,
I have been a bridge
Spanning threescore rivers…

Another approach is the repetitive style of titles given to Mary,
read as loving invocation and litany:

Thou art the river of grace,
Thou art the wellspring of salvation,
Thou art the garden and the paradise of the virgins,
Thou art the star of morning,
Thou art the star of watching,
Thou art the star of the ocean great,
Thou art the corn of the land,
Thou art the treasure of the sea,
The wished-for visitant of the homes of the world,
Thou art the vessel of fullness,
Thou art the cup of wisdom…

Here's part of an Irish invocation in praise of the virtues of the saint and
goddess Brigid, and the things that fall under her care - the home,
the hearthfire and the ways of women:

Brigid of the mantles,
Brigid of the peat-fires,
Brigid of the twining hair,
Brigid of the augury,
Brigid of the white feet,
Brigid of calmness,
Brigid, woman-helper,
Brigid, woman mild.

Shekhinah Mountainwater suggests that in creating a magical name poem you use names
you once had that still suit you, qualities and connections you wish to affirm, Goddesses
you wish to bless you, and so on. She made hers like this:

Shekhinah, Natasha, Ebony
She of the mountain waters
Daughter of Frances
Granddaughter of Rebecca
Mother of Freya and Frey
Ondine Marina, Mermaid of the Deep
Dweller by the Silver Lake
Friend of the Elves and Fairies
Companion of Cats
Keeper of Hecate's Cave
Maker of Magic
Lover of the Earth and Sea
Priestess of the Sacred Well
Channel of the Muse
Singer of Spells
Weaver of Destiny
[used with permission from Ariadne's Thread]

Your ceremonial title can be read aloud on special occasions, whenever you feel
you need to remember who you are, even as a daily affirmation at your altar. Make
it as long as you like. Don't be modest! Step into your Goddess-self and touch on
everything you feel makes you who you are. This ceremonial name-poem will change
and grow, be edited and added to throughout your life. Here is an excerpt from a
sister-priestess's ceremonial self-naming:

She who finds comfort when her belly is upon the warm Earth, as a snake
She who shares the awareness and grace of a deer
She who is a mother to cats and shares with them a cougar's soul
She who is guarded by the Great Bear and beloved by the heavens…
Our Lady of the Clipboard
She who understands and plans
She who breathes in wisdom and speaks so that others may hear
Teacher, student, mentor, facilitator, friend…
I am a bit of moonlight. I am a piece of the web. I am a part of the world soul…

You get the idea. Begin by writing down attributes you would share if you wanted
someone to know you very well, know your deepest soul. (But remember, no one
needs to ever hear or read this name.) Proclaim your most powerful self, whisper
of your most vulnerable self, delve into the mysteries of your psyche and give them
a name. Incorporate symbols that speak to you, astrological lore, alphabetical plays
on the letters of your name, poetic metaphors for your life experiences. For example, if
you have three sons, you could express this in many ways:

In the Marian style: Holy Mother of Many Sons…

In the Celtic/bardic style: I am the Birthgiver of sons, three times have I delivered…

In the mystical style: From my womb spills forth three sweet fruits…

and so on.

Other things you may wish to include in your name-spell are spiritual turning points,
times that shaped you for ill as well as good, challenges you have faced, ways you
have survived. You may wish to give name to your shadow self, your anger, your fears,
your temper, your failings and faults as well as your skills and strengths. These are all
part of you, and may need naming as part of healing.

When you have finished your name-poem, be sure to read it aloud, to yourself at least.
This is a powerful exercise to do in a group as well, and allows a format for glimpsing
the inner workings of each other in a way that may not be easy in mundane expression.
And as I said when I wrote out the instructions for my priestess circle, "If you want to
shout your name poem aloud in a crowded restaurant, we will of course support you
in that affirmation of your selfhood." (No one opted for this, by the way.) Have fun with
it, let the words pour from you, don't edit yourself too much, and know there is no way
to do this wrong. I close with my own name-poem, written in the Celtic bardic style:

Storm caller
I hear the song of the misty hills
I hear the song of the cold black seas
I feel longing that never ceases
Water of the ninth wave shall quench my thirst

I am a hermit's anchorage, secret
A luminous mind, knowing much
A seeker of dark wisdom
A harpstring, vibrating
Mine is the eloquence of the bard

Beware of sorceresses, for they are quick to anger
Quick of wit and quick of judgment
I am she of the six opinions
I am she who stirs the cauldron
She who holds the Stone of Truth

Oak and mistletoe wear I, the druid's sign
The triple moon of the priestess
I know the lore of tree and stone
I know the power of words
And the silence in which magic is born

I am the opener of the gate
I am the badger in its sett
I am the owl, ever watchful
First into battle, the raven's cry
And at Brigid's forge I temper my blade

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