Many people choose to take a magical
name for their occult works. Its not strictly necessary, but there's a
practical as well as a dramatic purpose behind adopting a spellcasting
pseudonym. Apart from separating your regular identity from your magical
one, it can also actually help you rasie energy and truly focus for workings
and rituals, as well as establishing a magical "self". Many women and men
take on the name of the god or goddess with whom they have the most affinity.
Some are in regular use, but have a particular meaning which could symbolise
the style of the individual witch: here are some options from the Western
tradition.
Woman's
Names
Astrid
- The name
of many Scandinavian queens and princess, meaning divine strength. (Old
Norse)
Calypso
- A calm
visage hides a women's strong emotions (Greek)
Danika
- Morning
stat, that which awakens. (Old Slavic)
Dido
- Teacher,
enlightener. Dido was an ancient priestess of the north African city of
Carthage - her name has also come to mean that by teaching and serving
others, you gain wisdom yourself
Lilth
- Lilith
was the first wife of Adam in ancient eastern mythology, and it means "belonging
to the night". Lilitu is another version. (East Semitic)
Miranda
- Admirable, extraordinary (Latin)
Urania
- Meaning
heavenly, as Urania was the Greek muse of astronomy (Greek)
Wendy/Wanda
- Wanderer
- "a dream-led daughter, roaming over glen and dell and seeking violets
in the snow." (Old German)
Zeena
- The "wecoming"
one, from the Greek, Xenia. (Anton LaVey is one "witch" who claims that
names beginning with Z are more powerful than, say, those starting with
S.)
Zerlinda
- Dawn-beautiful
(Hebrew/Spanish)
Men's
Names
Ammon
- The hidden (Egyptain)
Beck
- A lonesome brook looking for a river (Celtic)
Conan
- Intelligence, wisdom, high exalted (Celtic)
Forrest
- Dweller in a forest (Old French)
Frewin
- Free, noble, friend (Old English)
Galen
- Little bright one (Irish Gaelic)
Marsden
- Dweller as the marshy valley (Old English)
Seth
- The appointed one (Hebrew)
There are, of course, many other
names too - many Wiccans prefer shamanistic names of aboriginal and American
Indian origin - others simply take the name of their power animal and incorporate
into their own name....
