Spirit Names

Hello soul friends!

My common name is Steve. My Christian name is Steven. At the Zen Buddhist Temple, I'm known as Cha'gil which I'm told means happy and auspicious. When I pray to Wakan Tanka (Lakota for Great Mystery), I'm known as Tacha Ishakib Ashtima which means Sleeps by Deer. I recently started working with a shamanic mentor learning the ways of Awakened Heart Shamanism in the tradition of the Chinchero people from the mountains of Peru. I haven't been given a name for this tradition yet. For now, I suspect that they just call me Gringo Tonto, which I think means white guy always messing up. Phew…that's a lot of names! A lot of identities. Do I ever suffer from "spiritual identity disorder" (yes, I did just make that up)? Absolutely. But how fun it is to have so many names to describe my spiritual journey!

Why do we have spirit names? In our European based western culture, a name is just a name. But in other cultures, a name would define a person's path in life. My last name Wyse, reminds me to honor my ancestors. Ch'agil reminds me to be joyful and to keep my thoughts positive and full of hope. Sleeps by Deer reminds me to stay alert, focused, and mindful. White Guy Messing Up reminds me that I'm learning and that it's okay to make mistakes. 

If you don't have a spirit name, I encourage you to get one. Meditate on it. Ask Spirit, or a friend to help you. Choose a name that defines who you are, or who you want to be. Create sacred space and hold a ceremony to introduce your new identity to Spirit. Use your name when you pray. Spirit loves to hear our voices.

Love yourself. You're amazing!

Steven sometimes Wyse