what's in a name? (Part 1)

[Contessa]

How did I miss this post? These explanations are tremendous

Yes music is a very powerful source for calm... but one of my traumas caused music to become a trigger instead of the saviour it was. Otherwise I would most definitely have had a name that was musically oriented.

One of my most loyal, strong and gentle advocates calls me Contessa. We make up ridiculously  long nicknames for each other with royal titles, middle initials, double barrelled surnames, prefixes... they just get longer and longer. So he gave me the first name 'Contessa', and at the end of our good goofy chats he signs off with 'Good night dear Contessa'.

It always feels good and I always go to sleep with warmth and calm

[MyselfOnline]

I actually just changed mine, as anyone who knows me might recognise the author I took my previous screen name from. Now I have this, which comes from the trees with their split-open, hollow cores that, nonetheless, keep on growing.

[balovesyou]

mine is my initials and loves you. i have always been suicidal and i know how it feels to be alone. i figured anyone seeing loves you would make them feel comfortable and not scared. i hope it helps others

[sanmagic7]

just checked in.  these are tremendous!  thank you all so much.  fascinating to me as to what moves different people, inspires them, calms them, disrupts them.  the independence and individuality is beautiful to me.  unfortunately, this is what i think a lot of people miss - both regular and professional people.  how can they clump people together like they do?  thanks all for posting.  you're all so wonderful, each in your own way.  blessings.

[ALLHAILTHEGLOWCLOUD]

I know I'm a little late to the party but as I'm new here and just poking around I thought I'd add my two cents!  I really like the podcast Welcome to Night Vale about a desert town where the bizarre is commonplace, and in one of my favorite early episodes an entity described as the "GLOW CLOUD" comes to the city.  It rains animals of increasing size over the city, and it looks like all will be lost until it's discovered that the GLOW CLOUD came to town mostly just to join the school board so its child would have a good scholastic experience.  In all subsequent mentions of the eldritch phenomenon that now runs the school board, it's accompanied with a flat toned exclamation of "ALL HAIL. ALL PRAISE.  ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD." 

[sanmagic7]

never too late, this thread is ongoing.  thanks for your two cents!

very interesting concept.  the glow cloud just wanted to make sure the school system would be run well.  i love it!

[Saule]

Saule is the Lithuanian and Latvian goddess of the sun. It also means 'willow' in French. Goddess names always give me a feeling of strength, so I often use them as usernames. And willow trees seem rather resilient, bending but not breaking.

[LaurelLeaves]

interesting thread you have here, Sanmagic7.

My name is merely the meaning of my name.

But I more pictorial than verbal.  The picture is of cupid hold a laurel wreath.  Cupid was a real mischief maker.  He made Apollo fall in love with Daphne.  Daphne did not want him and called to her father to save her from him.  Her father obliged, turned her into a laurel tree.  Bereft of Daphne, Apollo worshiped the laurel tree.

I do not know precisely what this means about me... other than I have an aching heart for love that I'll never get.

[Blueberry]

I never feel too creative when I have to think of a name (or email address or sth). I tend to blank. If I had a cat, which I don't, I'd probably call it Cat.

So Blueberry is actually pretty creative. 
All things nature are a source of inspiration and calm to me. I was musing on the different countries I've lived in, and berries just popped into my head. First I was thinking of different types of berries with pretty 'local' names. But decided I'd rather have a berry name that doesn't immediately place me geographically. Plus, blueberries are meant to be really healthy. I'm not always too good at self-care, including nutritious eating, so it's good for me to have a gentle reminder of that, rather than my name focussing on bad things that have happened to me or problems I have.

[sanmagic7]

these names have so much heart in them, it fills my spirit to read about them.  thank you for contributing.   

laurel leaves are also known as bay leaves, i believe, and bay leaves are one of my favorites for seasoning, especially anything with beef.   it's spicy and a bit pungent, gives a meat a bit of zestiness and depth without being too much.    and i so wanted to name one of my daughters daphne, but was outvoted by friends and family both times.  they told me she'd be called 'daffy' by kids at school, and it would be a horrible thing to do to her.  i still love the name, tho.

interesting goddess name, one i've never heard of.  willows are some of my favorite trees - i grew up with one overhanging my yard.  they give the best shade and move at the slightest whisper of the wind.  there are none here in mexico, but i look for them whenever i'm in the states.

blueberry is one of the healthier foods we can eat, and o so cute to boot!  looks like your creativity is there, just under the surface.   i'm so enjoying this.

[AphoticAtramentous]

Reviving this thread cause I'm allowed. Haha!
I was just walking along when three roses popped out of the ground and handed me a card, wedged between their petals. I inquired; "Oh what's this?" and took a gander to notice it was directions to a nearby ancient site, one filled with stories, history, and meaning... and me being the curious fellow I could not help myself but traverse the overgrown path. 

I have a thing for people's backstories, usernames especially. Such a small thing but it means so much to some people, a name chosen by the individual, one that best represents them. It's beautiful, I think.
I also notice a few referrals to Willow trees here. Interesting that, Willow trees are my favourite type of trees! There's something surreal about them... the way they hang and droop, so unlike anything else. I've always been fascinated by them, from a very young age. I didn't have them in my neighbourhood, but occasionally I'd be in the car, drive past one and I couldn't help but stare and admire.

My own name is a combination of two words...
Atramentous was something I found first, whilst reading a thesaurus and the synonyms of 'black'. I've always been rather 'black', lol and I don't mean race. My clothes are all black, my favourite writing colour is black, my hair is black, my possessions are black, my damn pillow is black! hahah When I get a cat, it's going to be black (fun fact, did you know black cats are the least likely to be adopted?  ). I would have bought myself a black phone but then I'd never find it at night. I don't know why I'm obsessed with black things. But Atramentous specifically means ''black as ink". And it represents me well. I like black, I'm a writer/artist, it's fitting. And you know, it's OKAY to like black. Some people take it as you being an emo or a goth, satanic, whatever... but I think it's okay. Just like how some people prefer to dress in pastel, others prefer white, I prefer black. My preference is black but that doesn't mean it's bad. White text on black background is easier to read anyway, in my opinion. 

Aphotic, or in full "The Aphotic Zone" is the part of an ocean or lake where the last of sunlight reaches, the very depths of water.
The Aphotic zone reminds me that, whilst everything can be cripplingly empty and bleak at times, there's still 'up'. There's still the surface, there's still light up there, there is hope. I don't know when, but one day I'll rise to that surface. I'll arrive at the Euphotic zone, the sunlit area. I just have to keep swimming, keep fighting. And it's a good thing I'm a naturally good swimmer. Though ironically I have a fear of the ocean and I freak out over the thought of being in a vast open area with no land in sight. lol 

So, I think, with those two words combined it kind of resembles... well, me obviously. Aphotic is my circumstance, Atramentous is my personality. Both are black, both are dark. The difference is that one is harmful and the other is not. The Aphotic zone wants to crush me under the pressure, to swallow me in its darkness. But fire beats fire, and one of those words will prevail. I can only try my best to have Atramentous be the victor. It's a convoluted omni-way trip to Euphotic.

[I like vanilla]

This is a great post. I too have wondered sometimes about people's names.

Mine is because when I started my healing journey I remembered a time when I ran ahead with my brothers to the soft-serve ice cream place. You could choose chocolate or vanilla or a swirl of the two. My brothers put in their orders, but when the ice cream man asked my which flavour I liked, I responded 'I don't know, you have to ask my mother' and did not understand the puzzled look that he gave me. Throughout the rest of my childhood I ordered the mixed cone because it was safest (and also what my mother ordered).

As I started therapy and separating from my NM, I began realizing that I had no idea what I liked, what I enjoyed doing, what I disliked, etc. She had so enmeshed me into her, that I had no idea who I was as a separate person. So, I went out and started trying everything and anything that looked remotely interesting or enjoyable (foods, past times, books, etc.). I still enjoy trying new things to see if I like them.

Along the way, I realized that I like vanilla soft serve cones. I do like other flavours of ice cream, but when it comes to the swirled-on-top-of-the-cone soft serve, for me it is vanilla all the way. I have actually gone to soft serve vendors just so that I can order vanilla ice cream cones. Yum! That discovering was both one of the earliest realizations of how bad my NM is, and one of the earliest moments of something separate that I liked for myself without considering her opinions about it. So, I like vanilla is symbolic to me on my healing journey.

[M.R.]

I have actually wanted to start a thread about names but I'm glad I didn't and waited because then this thread popped up and I wasn't being redundant.

Melodie Rose is actually my name. Well my first and middle.

For the longest time I hated my name. It represented being feminine and vulnerable which was something I refused to be, not understand that being vulnerable is what makes us strong. I still have a difficult time with this concept, but at least I can be more objective about it.  And now I love my name. Its unique and pretty.

But anyways, I have a whole story. My father was actually the one that got to pick my name, and when he was younger he was into writing his own stuff. And one night he was strumming on his guitar thinking of a good name and 'Melody' came to him but he wanted me to be different and replaced the 'y' with 'ie'. And as he looked down he saw a rose that was on his guitar and bam, my name. He also still has this particular guitar. It sits in our living room collecting dust unfortunately.

He is still very into music, and ironically I am too. Music has really been my only escape.

And the spelling choice was indeed unique. In 21 years I have only met one other woman with the same name and same spelling as me.

I also wanted to say, I find it interesting to see how we are all unique and diverse in what touches us and how creative we are. Haha

Melodie

[AphoticAtramentous]

For the longest time I hated my name. It represented being feminine and vulnerable which was something I refused to be, not understand that being vulnerable is what makes us strong. I still have a difficult time with this concept, but at least I can be more objective about it.  And now I love my name. Its unique and pretty.

In regards to my own first name, I'm kind of in the same boat as you, except... I STILL hate it. Haha And I don't know if that will change.
My first name is the name of a well known princess but I am so painfully unlike a princess, or at least I don't want to be associated with that kind of role. And eventually my F started calling me a 'princess' as an insult because I didn't like playing in the yard (bugs scared me). And I didn't like getting dirty either. So now a princess reminds me of cowardice and weakness.
...I should get a name change, lol. Something more masculine, with some oomph to it. So much effort though. 

It's nice that you can see your name in a different, more positive light though.

[Sceal]

Wow, Woodsgnome! That's amazing. I would love to live in a cabin in the wood. And one day I will, when the bank will let me borrow money to actually buy a place. (I'm also a huge fan of folklore)

My name comes from the Irish language and it means "Telling the tale", which I felt was fitting as it's what I am trying to do, slowly starting up trauma-treatment.

So many lovely songs from you people!