In ancient times, names were chosen for the distinction they carried. Many Chinese societies invented names for the incoming soul and child, giving each name a mixture of sounds and symbols with secret significance. Even today, many African names are created and given because of the significance of their sounds and meanings. This might involve blending the parents names or choosing a name that reflects a quality that will suit the child.

Leslie Alan Dunking defines "name magick" as the attribution of supernatural power ot a name, or a belief in the extraordinary significance of a name. Belief in the magick of names still exists today against a name because of what has been associated with it in the past? Which name conjures a better image of a lovely, dainty child~Jessica or Bertha?

In ancient societies and schools of wisdon, people taught that to discover the name of a person or a supernatural being was to gain power over it. Our tales and legends are filled with individuals who needed to discover a true name of someone to be saved. Tradition says that to have power over any of the elfin or elemental kingdom one must first learn the name. Thus there arose the use of hidden or secret names. Many of the ancient gods and goddesses had secret names, which they revealed to people at times. That name could then be used to call upon the energy of that being, allowing a person to use it and fuse more intimately with it.

Keeping secret names is a custom that has not passed with time. Many couples have sweet, secret "love" names for each other. These names are only uttered in the presence of the one they love. And if the name ever is made public, it is seldom used in private again~it loses its power. The power was the essence of its meaning for the individuals. It is why the ancient teachers cautioned "strength in silence" in all things, particularly in regard to names.

The names we use or choose reveal only what we wish to reveal. They define the expressions of our energies for this incarnation. We are not bound to them, but unless we become more aware tof their very real effects, we can never unfold the porential we are capable of. Our names are special creations; inherent within them is the creative principle that operates throughout nature and the universe. It is what grounds our essence into a unique life of learning and expansion. We can awaken this creative aspect through our names and thus learn to control ourselves, our lives, and our evolution.