What’s in a Name?

When I had the idea to write a blog post about my “new name”, I thought it would just be a fun topic to explore. However, in the past couple of days I’ve had in depth conversations with many of my soul sisters around the idea of “renaming ourselves” and as it turns out it’s more common and goes much deeper than I had imagined. So, let’s dive in!

My parents named me Elisabeth Ann. I’ve asked my mom why she didn’t spell my first name with a “z” as is common in the U.S. She doesn’t have an insightful reason other than she preferred spelling it with an “s” which is more common in Europe.

Somewhere in my early childhood I started being called “Liz”. Again, I asked my mom why and she said the kids in the neighborhood started calling me that. Not to criticize my mom, but I wouldn’t let random kids determine what my child would be called for the rest of their life😊.

Maybe it’s because I’ve discovered that what we call ourselves matters. Just think how many times you hear your name in a day, a year, or a lifetime.

I wasn’t even fully cognizant of this when I named my own children. If I had been, I would have been even more intentional with my choice of names.

I started to become more aware of my relationship with my name when I was in college and my closest girlfriends began calling me “Lisbeth”. For the first time, I felt like this was a name with which I resonated. It was similar to my original name, Elisabeth, but shorter and less formal. It also felt like my girlfriends were calling me a name that had special meaning to them and to me. It brought a sense of bonding between us. In fact, we all began to use “nicknames” for each other that aligned with our identities as we were growing and maturing. Or some were just really funny.

When I started working in the corporate world, again my closest friends began calling me yet another name, Libby. And to this day, they still do.

But somewhere in my twenties, for the first time, I took ownership of my name. Tired of still being called “Liz” by the majority of people in my life, I decided to change the spelling to “Lis”. It seemed to make so much more sense given the spelling of my birthname and the love of my nickname. Understandably, it took a while for it to stick given that for almost three decades people had called me “Liz”. However, eventually almost everyone adopted it.

It hasn’t always been an easy name for people to pronounce. Some still pronounce it with a “z” on the end. Some say “Lees” rather than “Lis” which rhymes with kiss. And some even add an “a” to the end of it calling me “Lisa”. Rather than being frustrated by this, I love that my name is unique and a better reflection of me.

So just when you thought surely this can’t happen again…yep, I did it. I have once again taken ownership of my name and changed it, even at this late stage in the game. Here’s how it happened.

A couple of months ago I attended a Divine Feminine event near my new home. To begin the gathering we went around the circle introducing ourselves. At the end of the afternoon, a woman came up to me and said, “When you introduced yourself, I thought you said your name was Bliss.”

Talk about an “Aha” moment. The clouds parted, a bright light descended, and I felt the energy of her statement coursing through my entire body. It was as if a message had been delivered from the higher realms.

My name isn’t Elisabeth, or Liz, or Lisbeth, or Libby, or Lis. My name is Bliss! A name bestowed on me long before I incarnated on this planet. I immediately reclaimed it as my own.

Why? Why did it hit me so profoundly?

Because to me Bliss is more than a name. It’s a state of being. One that represents enlightenment, a rising above the earthly plane, a return to the Light.

It embodies pure joy, happiness, fulfillment. The desire to dance, sing, and play. The ultimate freedom.

Now, every time I call myself Bliss, or someone else does, I am reminded of the reason I’m here and the journey I’m on. It’s the new me. No longer bound by my past – the names, roles, storylines, beliefs that others wanted or needed me to adopt.

I am now free to fully embrace the truth of who I am and the story I am writing for this second half of my life.

I Am Bliss!

(As I’m writing this synchronistically one of my favorite songs begins to play, “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac. Those of you who are my age will understand the profundity of this and the lyrics…“Well I’ve been afraid of changing cuz I built my life around you. But time makes you bolder, even children get older, and I’m getting older, too.”)

In The Essenes – Children of the Light by Stuart Wilson & Joanna Prentis, here’s what they say about the Essene children…

“Each child comes with his or her own little history. The star chart is part of the history, but there is also the name and the vibration of the name. We believe there is an Angel of the Name, and this Angel knows what name the soul has chosen. The Angel of the Name makes its presence felt by the mother, and if the mother is sensitive to the incoming soul she will know when she is in contact with the Angel of the Name, and she will recognize the name when it is presented to her. She will feel as if the right chord has been struck in music, and that is because she recognizes the energy of the incoming soul and knows that the name reflects that energy.”

So, what’s in a name? You are! You are in your name. Your vibration. Your energy. Your life, your story, your journey, your destiny.

But if your mother wasn’t in tune with the energy of you as an incoming soul – which is likely the case for most of us – then does your birth name fully capture the true essence of you?

If so – rock on with your bad self!

If not, ask yourself these questions…

Do you love your name?

Is it an accurate reflection of your energy and vibration?

As you grow and transform is your name keeping up with you?

If not, how would you change it?

What would you like to be called instead and why?

It’s not too late. I know many women who have adopted new names for themselves – Joy, Grace Ann, Lila, Anne Rose. Names of Indigenous origin, names of Goddesses, names of angels.

Give it a try and let me know what you come up with by replying to this email. I’d love to know who the true you really is!

And if you want to dive deeper into discovering how your name has influenced your life’s journey, I invite you to meet my dear friend and soul sister, Michelle Marie, the founder of Love Voice Rising. She has a new offering called “Exploring Your Name” where she provides guidance and insights that will enhance your journey and inspire you to step more fully into your authentic self. You can learn more here…www.LoveVoiceRising.com.

Be bold. Be Daring.

Be AWE-dacious!

P.S. When I was growing up my mom would frequently encourage us to heed Joseph Campbell’s advice to “Follow Your Bliss”. What she didn’t know was that her daughter would one day do just that. Thanks, Mom!