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Taking Names
In the New Testament, Jesus seems to have been in the habit of re-naming his friends. He renames the fisherman Simon as “Cephas” or Peter. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, are given the surname of “Boanerges” which means something like “Sons of Thunder”. And there is mention of how Thomas was called “Didymus” (which is interesting because both Thomas and Didymus mean “Twin”).
Few people nowadays seem to give much attention to what’s in a name, but I’ve always been interested in it. Whenever I meet a new person who has some kind of impact on my life, I always look up the meaning of their name. My own first name, Timothy, comes from the Greek and means “honouring God”, while Stephen (my middle name) means “crowned” and also comes from the Greek. My last name, of course, is French and is a trade-name: butcher. Although if you wanted to get creative, you could maybe apply it to “la bouche” and derive the interpretation of “mouther” or something.
There’s some joke I heard recently. I’m absolutely terrible with jokes and forget how the whole thing goes, but it has something to do with an Indian (Native American, not India) chief and where he derives names for members of his tribe. Supposedly he just goes out of his teepee and names the new child according to whatever he sees. The punchline of the joke has something to do with calling someone “Two Dogs Fucking”.
Like I said, I’m bad with jokes. But I’m good with names. I also always feel “weird” when I don’t know someone’s full name: or at least their first and last name. Back when I had a cell phone I would only enter in first and last names. When I see other people’s phones who have only first names listed, it drives me slightly bonkers. I can never quite express why. I think it simply has something to do with understanding a person, their energy signature, the meaning which underlies their character.
One of the things I like about looking up name meanings is that they give you the English translation of them. There are precious few modern names which are actually English words to begin with. “River” springs to mind. “Heather” is another. Almost all of them are references to the natural world, which is wonderful. But imagine my first name was actually, in English, Honouring God. Imagine how different of an experience I would have of life, and you would have of me. Because, you see, your name becomes like a prayer: always on the lips of yourself and of those around you.
It would make my full name be something like:
Honouring God Crowned Butcher
Or rearranging it for aesthetics, maybe Crowned Butcher, Honouring God. It begins immediately to suggest a character, a life, a way of existing within the world, a process of transformation - which is really what life is all about.
I wrote about this more overtly, if also more abstractly, with regard to my “life is a musical” idea. Giving each character a name which is an English phrase which describes some central transformative aspect related to them as a character. Some of the names included:
THANK YOU THANK YOU
HA HA ONLY SERIOUS
EXCUSE ME MA’AM
OH HOW COULD YOU!
RELAX THANKS
YES I SWEAR
Around the same time period I was really investigating this as a creative potentiality, I had a dream that someone in the comments on my website, a regular visitor, renamed me I WILL I WILL. At the time, it felt like a very appropriate name because I was mustering the full force of my intent, of my willpower, in order to burst forward into increasing levels of self-mastery. But it also had an ironic reading of it as well - an ill-dignified reading, if you’re into the tarot. It’s almost a joke against me: I keep saying, “I WILL! I WILL!” but then never get around to it. Another name for that aspect of my character could be or could have been maybe something like “PROCRASTINATION FASCINATION.” I like putting these names together into either rhyming pairs, or words that slightly bump or rub against each other in funny ways to create or complete conflicts. “PROCRASTINATION FASCINATION” (I think these work better in ALL CAPS for some reason) could be interpreted as I never finish anything because I become too obsessed with small details and never zoom out enough to fit them all together. Something like that.
Anyway, a lot has happened to me in the past week. And even more has happened to me in the past month. Either way, I feel like I have hit a turning point, or maybe some kind of birthing point. And perhaps the best way for me to commemorate it is to take on, informally, a new name to guide me through the next phase/scene of my transformation and growth as a “character” in the “musical of my life.” I am thinking that the name FOCUS ACCOMPLISH might be a good one: nice and straightforward. Not a lot of room for ambiguity. I also was toying with “GIT ER DONE” for a little while, but it felt too jokey, so I think I will probably stick with FOCUS ACCOMPLISH to be my guiding prayer upon my lips and my heart and within my mind. What’s yours right now? What could it be? What should it be?
September 8th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
That’s my name but you can borrow it for a while.
September 8th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
Nah, I’m all done with it.
The RZA actually talks about this in the Wu Tang Manual a bit: how one of them would have a nickname for a while, but then they would trade and they would realize it was a better fit with a certain person.
Hip-hop culture in general seems to have a pretty strong understanding of what I am talking about here with MC’s and DJ’s and tagging etc
September 8th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/09/write-and-vote-.html
September 8th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
About your last name, “mouther”. maybe it means Speaker. I suspect you could be one of the Speakers spoken of here:
my dj/prayer name:
PROLIFIC PERSUASION
September 8th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
Speaking of speakers, I also like the name:
ANNOUNCE ACCOMPLISH
September 8th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
I had an Episcopalian Priest, when I was growing up named “Boucher” seems related to the theme Brooke pointed to.
Btw you inspired me to do some research on my own name.
September 8th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
How about FUSION CONTUSION?
Over time it could modulate to CONFUSION SOLUTION.
September 8th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
I’ve heard that in earlier Native American cultures people would change their names or be given a new name by someone else when they reached any kind of turning point or entered into a new phase of life. I have some psychic friends who have personal memories of shared lives they had as Native Americans and they have continued this tradition, actually legally changing their names on several occasions,and also using different names for different roles. For example one of these friends has three very different businesses, one as a hypnotherapist, another as a psychic consultant, and another raising dogs. She uses a different name for each. To the general public, she is three different people. Only those that know her know otherwise, and call her by her (current) preferred name.
September 8th, 2007 at 5:36 pm
Tim,
This is your expression number based on your full name from Decoz numerology software. Does this sound like you?
“Your Expression is 26/8
Tim, you have the power and potential to achieve great things. It is both your
challenge and your birthright to gain dominion over a small part of the earth.
Whatever your enterprise, you strive to be the best and most successful in your
field. You are highly competitive and will not rest until you are satisfied that you
have bypassed the opposition. You enjoy challenges and rivalry.
You are a realist and a visionary planner. Money and authority are available to
you if you are willing to discipline yourself — generally an inborn talent — and
persevere in the face of the considerable obstacles in your path.
You are dynamic and have a talent for efficiency. You understand the larger
picture, see the broader challenges, and know how to marshal your collective
resources to address the problems. You delegate responsibility well; it is best for
you to leave many of the details to others.
Tim, you are a great leader of people and an outstanding judge of character.
You are demanding of those who work for you, often putting things in no uncertain
terms: do it my way or don’t do it at all!
At the same time, you don’t hesitate to reward the faithful and hardworking
employee. You are not a particularly tolerant leader; too much tolerance violates
your sense of efficiency. You go directly after your goal with courage and
tenacity.
You have a natural understanding of money, authority, and power. You are
able to struggle consistently after your goal. Eventually power falls to you. Within
you lies an innate balance between the higher and lower characteristics of man.
Your challenge in life is to balance your higher ideals and your understanding of
the hard realities of the earth.
Much effort will have to be put out and many ups and downs experienced
before you reach the level of success you desire. Life will probably test you many
times with obstacles that seem insurmountable. But in reality, these are merely
opportunities for you to learn how to use power and authority in the face of
difficulties, and to find out just how much power lies within you.
It is crucial for your success that you balance the material and the spiritual.
You have chosen a path that requires balance between giving and taking, reward
and punishment, action and reaction. Despite the obstacles on your path, you
are a true survivor.
When focused exclusively on your desire for results and success, you can
become stubborn and intolerant; you can be driven by excessive ambition,
causing you to be exacting and without perspective. Be careful of your alcohol
consumption, a danger-zone for you. Tim, you can be a social drinker, mixing
business with pleasure — a dangerous cocktail.
An excellent manager, organizer and administrator you have talents in many
areas of life. Entrepreneurs, executives, bankers, brokers, negotiators, gamblers,
coaches, collectors, heads of institutions, builders, art dealers, manufacturers,
promoters, military officers, police detectives, smugglers, engineers, pilots or sea
captains.
You have been entrusted with special gifts, the use or abuse of which has an
immediate and often physical effect upon you and those around you! Use these
gifts for the good of mankind and accept your own good fortune with gratitude.
This is your rewarding stage in your evolution. Yours is a life time of harvest. “
September 8th, 2007 at 5:49 pm
yahweh has uplifted conquerer apple
September 8th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
JP,
hve you conquered your apple?
September 8th, 2007 at 5:54 pm
“Conqueror Apple” sounds like it relates to Adam & overcoming original sin: ie, Christ. Or, Yahweh has uplifted you to overcome original sin, death, etc.
It’s pretty damned amazing just how many of our names refer back to God
September 8th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
Paul Simon’s Rhythm of the Saints:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/1b30of
The first song once made me cry really hard when I was high. The rest of the album is awesome. There is a line in it: “these prayers are the memories of god” which reminds me a lot of this whole “prayer name” thing.
September 8th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
sweet, thanks for that, Tim!
I just noticed your mention of the name ‘Thomas’. That’s my maiden name. I don’t know why I glossed over it before. My brother and sister are twins.
September 9th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
Ever thought about the Adolf and Eva connection? Also fascinating with Adolf’s musical collection, and his genetic history …
I’m crazy, I know, i’ll just excuse myself with some heavy medication now. Have fun - and thanks for some very interesting articles on your site!
September 9th, 2007 at 11:35 pm
What about it, exactly?