This is a journey that has turned my world, right-side-round and I'm here to share every moment, experience, and process throughout it.
Please keep in mind that I am starting this blog post on journey day #1 and as this journey progresses, so will this blog post, with updates.
What's in a name?
Have you ever noticed that when you name a pet...or child, they grow up to "fit" their name? I've never met a hyper dog named Snuggles or a calm cat named Loki. Is this because the names we give to animals and people have so much power that they actually form and shape that living soul?
The same goes for children. You give a baby a name and they usually "grow into that name". For example, my son's name is Ayden which means Fiery One...and boy let me tell you, his name suits him to a T.
Take a moment and think of your name and how it shaped your life and personality.
Think of your children's and/or friends' names and their personalities....they typically fit like a glove, don't they?
But what if the name doesn't fit?
What does that mean?
What does that feel like?
Let me tell you...
When I was born, my mother wanted to give me ancestral names and name me after my grandmothers. There was power and purpose in her naming choices but my father hated the names.
For 3 days I was nameless as my parents argued over what to call me and were unable to come to an agreement.
On the 3rd day, the hospital told them they had to go home but could not leave without first giving me a name...so reluctantly my mother gave in to my unbending father's choice of Sarah Christine.
I grew up hating my name, never even knowing my naming story until well into my adult years.
My mother said it never suited me and it never felt right.
I spent years and cycles not knowing who I was or who I was supposed to be...not consciously understanding why I was even going through these internal battles.
Imagine on a spiritual level for a moment that in your very first days in this Earthly realm, your own parents don't even know who you are...imagine what kind of imprint that leaves on you in a deep subconscious manner.
It wasn't until many years later that I discovered that I was never really meant to be a Sarah Christine, but an Elizabeth with the other ancestral name options of Catherine, Anna, or Emma. Right away I felt an energy wave blow through me as if for the first time in my life, someone was speaking MY name.
Unfortunately, many further years passed because the idea of a name change never even occurred as a possibility. I figured I just had to continue this life being someone I wasn't meant to be.
And for a while...I did ok.
It wasn't until 2022 that the whispers of my "real" names kept calling to me, so I began to dig a bit deeper.
Re-Naming Ceremonies in History
Name changes to go back to the beginning of our written time.
Names were changed when a child became an adult, in many cultures.
Initiations in cultures, orders, and religions around the world, would assign a new name.
Re-naming has literally been going on for thousands of years, yet suddenly here we are with little to no such thing...and certainly very little information on it.
In my quick searches of the histories of renaming, it seems since the Christian movements began and indigenous and pagan names were changed to Christian names...there was no going back.
The ceremony of name changes just seemed to stop.
Nowadays a name change happens to a woman ONLY within a marriage. And to change your name to anything else, cost a great deal of fees and a mountain of paperwork. "They" have stripped us of our initiations and ceremonies to choose for ourselves and to find the power within our own name-calling.
So I dug deeper...
I started discovering that renaming has NOT vanished...only become hidden and silent.
I made a quick post in several social media groups asking people's thoughts on a renaming ceremony (thinking it was something quick unheard of) but to my overwhelming surprise, a HUGE number of people have been initiated within an order or on their own into a "rightful" name for themselves.
This small piece of knowledge gave me so much peace and hope that a name change was perhaps not so far out of reach.
My Fears...
Where do I begin? Here are several of the fearful thoughts that I have been battling throughout this process of thought to change my name.
What would people think?
I know, I know...It shouldn't matter what people think, but I'm lying if I said this didn't cross my mind.
Would I be judged?
Would people call me fake?
Would I be taken less seriously?
Would my friends and family not support me?
How would it feel to me to be called by another name after so many years?
Would the legal process be too much of a hassle?
Would changing my name ACTUALLY shift the energy around me and within me?
Would that energy be better or worse?
I'd have to change EVERYTHING I've worked so hard on...emails, websites, social media, and hundreds of YouTube videos...is it worth the stress?
This is the extent of my journey thus far.
Today is 20 October 2022, marking the 1st day of my name transition.
Where will this path lead me and what will come of it?
Day 3 - Shifting in the Change
Eeeek! So I've officially made the shift on my website (and slowly working into social media) from Sarah C LaBrie to Emma Elizabeth. The first day felt amazing, the second day I was filled with doubt and wondering if or when I will just change it all back.
The ego struggle is real.
I've had an unexpected amount of fear behind this change...
Every single fear has been ego based...what will people think? will I be supported? (all the fears listed above), which is proving to me that this new growth is not just on a spiritual level but also on an emotional/ego level.
It's been really tearing me away from putting so much thought into what others think. This of course...though hard, is a VERY positive thing. I've always felt I was really good at disconnecting myself from the thoughts or judgements of others, but this is proving to show me otherwise.
It's been a powerful shift of growth and I am welcoming the pain that comes with it, because I know that means I am growing.
I love that I can document this journey. If there is one rule or lesson that I have always and will always teach and share...it's this...No matter what stage of life we are in, we should always push to continue growing.
If there ever comes a stage when you or I think we've made it and don't need to grow anymore...we have lost.
Every day is a lesson, every day we can soak in information, and every day we can strive to enhance our lives for the better! As long as we keep pushing forward, we are winning!
What are your thoughts? Please share below.
Save this blog post and stay tuned for updates as my journey continues to unfold.
Sarah Christine < Emma Elizabeth