Barack Hussein Obama II birth certificate (Photo credit: planspark)

A college room-mate of mine left an impression I will never forget.  We were comparing our experiences with our given name versus how we were known.   It seemed her eccentric anti-establishment father protested the requirement to complete a formal birth certificate for each of his 6+ children by completely filling in the lines of the form with as many names as possible.  While each sibling received an Avant-garde first name based on Greek or Norse mythology that they were known by, it wasn’t until as young adults applying for a birth certificate that they realized how many names they were endowed with in the same vein.  The ribbing that they received in school in the early years over an uncommon first name, left its social stigma with my friend.  She had mixed feelings of anger and joy for her father’s creativity for the names she had been given.  I often wondered if her name experience related to the mythological stories of their origin.  I suspect it had.

Names are words that when uttered have a frequency, the name we are known by delivers that frequency to our energy system every time it is spoken.    My given name is officially Carolyn – a name selected after great debate over a European tradition– should I be named Caroline like my mother and her grandmother?  My mother hated the ‘line’ in Caroline and insisted on a more modern ‘Carolyn’ which won the day. However in practice, my parents and siblings called me ‘Carol’ as it was shorter.   It was only when the harsh realities of a grown up world settled in and the bank would not deposit a check made to ‘Carol’ when my official ID said ‘Carolyn’ that I started to wonder what name I should be using.  Patterns of identity confusion may have set in at that point.

In my late 20’s I took a job in a new city and province on the other side of the country.  When I got off the plane a welcome committee greeted me and I was introduced as “Carolyn”.  I was too shy to say “Just call me Carol as my family does.”   A new identity and persona for me was born. I was now Carolyn, which felt formal, royal and somehow important filling an ego need at the time.   When I returned home to Ontario I was ‘Carol; – the informal, loving family member and friend.

When I moved back permanently to Ontario, with new employers I now stuck to the formal ‘Carolyn’ but a new problem arose.  Increasingly the lines between work and family blurred. My new and old friends would correct each other on my real name!  However, at a recent social gathering of this set,  I was referred to as both Carol and Carolyn depending on in which context I had made the friend.  No corrections were made.  I found that interesting.

Oddly enough, maybe it is the years of resonance repatterning work on myself and others, advancing age or the positive intentions of others… I seem to resonate with any name I am called- Carol, Carolyn, Caroline, or even the Italian Carolina.   I respond equally and no longer turn red with embarrassment, or feel an awkwardness to explain myself.   I never correct anyone but allow the other person to call me as they resonate.

I know it is a trend among many who have done considerable inner work and healing to change their name for a variety of reasons.  Some make the transition successfully and reap the rewards of a name more aligned to their essence.  Others do not, reverting back to their original.  Whether you have made a name change or not, there is a steamer trunk full of patterns to examine with your given name and an inner freedom to experience when you resonate with your name!

What is your experience with your name and have you repatterned it?  Sharing welcomed!
With love and light

Carolyn

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