#witch name

“The Name is the Word, and the Word is the Will.”

The History and Occult Roots of Magickal Names

From the twilight of ancient priesthoods to the shadowed circles of modern covens, the use of a magickal name has endured as a sacred rite of passage. In ancient Egypt, priests adopted hidden names known only to the gods. In Greece and Rome, initiates took new names upon entering mystery schools. Even in early Christian Gnosticism, secret names of power were uttered in rites to awaken divine sparks.

In the grim days of the witch trials, names became shields—aliases to protect one's identity from persecution. Yet behind this guise, magickal names always held a deeper purpose: to declare the soul’s rebirth upon the path of power.

The Power of the Name

To name is to claim. To name with intent is to shape reality. The magickal name is a spell in itself: a sigil woven from sound, meaning, and will. It becomes a mask and a mirror—both concealing and revealing.

Empowerment:

• Your magickal name is your chosen self, free of mundane bindings and societal labels. It is the spirit clothed in its true title.

• It helps focus your will, anchoring your magick in identity. When you invoke your magickal name, you invoke your deepest current of power.

Protection:

• A magickal name can shield your mundane identity from spiritual and psychic intrusion.

• It acts as a boundary, separating the profane from the sacred. Spirits and energies know you by the name you give them, and this name grants you dominion in the unseen.

Names as Living Spells

Names carry vibration and intent. In Qabalistic tradition, names are numerically charged (via Gematria) and hold divine archetypes. In Thelemic thought, one’s True Will is embedded in the formula of the name, consciously or unconsciously.

Your magickal name is your word of power, a compact spell that resonates with your path, strengths, spirits, and purpose.

It should:

• Reflect your magickal current (death, transformation, lunar energy, chaos, wisdom, etc.).

• Be distinct and sacred—not something you casually utter.

• Hold personal meaning, whether derived from myth, dreams, visions, or gnosis.

Choosing or Receiving a Magickal Name

Some witches choose their name. Others receive it in dreams, trance, or ritual. A magickal name should never be rushed. It may take time to emerge, much like a familiar spirit.

How to Discover Your Name:

• Meditation and Introspection- Ask, "Who am I becoming?" "What archetypes walk with me?" "What symbols have followed me through life?"

• Divination- Use tarot, runes, or pendulum to explore name fragments or themes.

• Dream Work-Set the intention to receive your name in sleep. Record symbols and sounds that appear.

• Scrying or Automatic Writing- Enter trance. Let syllables or words come. Don’t judge—some names may feel alien or wild at first.

• Astrological or Numerological Construction-Choose a name whose number aligns with your birth chart, life path, or desired magickal vibration.

Living with the Name

Once chosen, baptize the name in ritual. Declare it to the spirits, the elements, and the powers you serve. From then on, use it only in sacred work—unless you're in a tradition or community where names are spoken among initiates.

With time, the name may evolve. You may shed one name and take another, just as the serpent sheds its skin. This is natural. You are a work in progress, and your name is a living glyph that grows with you.

Examples and Symbolic Structures

• Luna Corvina – “Moon Raven” — lunar wisdom, shadow flight.

• Azariel Nocturne – angel of fire and harmony in darkness.

• Thornshade – guardian of wild, liminal spaces.

• Seraphina Lux – burning seraph of divine light.

• Malphas Vex – a rebellious echo of daemonic command.

Some practitioners even use multiple names:

• An Inner Name- Known only to you and your gods.

• A Coven Name- Known to fellow witches.

• A Public Name- For writing, art, or spiritual leadership.

You are the word made flesh. The name you wear in the circle is your sigil, your spell, your crown. Speak it with reverence. Whisper it into fire and fog. Let it echo through the veil and mark your place among the stars.

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.”

My witch name is [null]. I go by Rio on the internet, but in my craft, I do not go by a name whatsoever. My practice is linked so closely with my God, and they do not know me by my name.

They know me by my actions, my hopes, my works, and importantly, my faith. Their needs transcend a word, letters strung together to conjure a sound, a knowledge of a person.

⋆ tools, clothing and names ⋆

about working tools, knife, marking in metal, sword, other tools, dress, jewelry, horned helmet, inscriptions, your witch name

յ. the working tools are dictated by the tradition, usually every witch has a personal knife that in many traditions is called athame, it usually has a steel or iron double-edge blade and the length should be whatever feels comfortable for you

շ. if you're not able to make one you can adapt an existing knife, the main point is that it should have something made by you, so get a knife (such as a hunting knife) and replace the handle and/or carve your craft name or monogram on it, don't worry if you have one you think was used to murder someone, cause all tools after being made will be ritually cleansed and purified before use to remove any negative vibrations, then they'll be personally charged and consecrated

Յ. the knife is your personal and magical tool and as such is something very special, so it'll not do to simply go to a store and buy and unaltered ready-made knife, you have to work on it to make it your own

կ. there are two ways you can etch the blade to inscribe something on it: you can use wax, cut into that what you want on the blade, pour on acid or some other etching agent and then wash it after some minutes, or you can engrave the blade, writing on it with a proper engraving tool that can be motorized, it's still effective but this method doesn't give a solid marking as the acid etching

Տ. the knife can substitute the sword, that is usually not essential but many covens like to have a coven sword, usually used to mark the circle at the start of every meeting

ճ. other ritual tools are the wand, staff, bell, burin (or white-handled knife, an engraving tool used to mark the name or sigil ritually on your magickal tools) and cords, which use will depend on the path you decide to follow also, even if it's recommended to work naked, if you prefer not to you can wear a robe, that can be as simple or as elaborate as you like, the material can be whichever but natural materials are preferred the book then illustrates a simple method to make one: first you have to measure from wrist to wrist with your arms outstretched for the height of the material, then from the nape of the neck to the ground for the length needed of material, fold it inside-out, cut each side as indicated and sew the sides

most witches used to wear white robes, lately more colors appears at festivals and in various traditions, a few wear black but, while acknowledging that it's a powerful color, some think it plays up the misconception of equating Witchcraft to Satanism and it should be avoided, this is a religion of nature and nature is made of color, so let's use them more! other things used can be jewelry, in some traditions used to signify ranks, usually made of silver or copper, and horned helmets, usually used by the priest in some rites where they specifically represents the God

Դ. about your craft name to etch on your working tools, there are a number of different magickal alphabets that can be used, the most popular are various runic alphabets and the theban form of writing the word rune means mystery or secret in early english and it's charged with overtones, the book then shows the Saex-Wica runic alphabet, specifying that if there are double letters in a word any of the glyphs can be written backwards giving a mirror image

now, by starting the witchcraft path you are starting your life anew, so why not start it with a name or your choosing? Many choose a name that reflects their personality or describes them cause names are important, and powerful to choose a name you have to check out numerologically the ones you'd like, there are different systems of numerology but the one described here is the most commonly used, let's give an example: Jessica born on 15 march 1962 wants to call herself Rowena Jessica will have to find her birth number by adding each digit of her date of birth, so 1+5+3+1+9+6+2=27 and bring that down to a single digit so 2+7=9, note that it's important to include all the digits of the year too after having found the birth number she'll have to find out the number of the name she chose, Rowena, so she'll have to number each letter of the alphabet from 1 to 9 as in picture and then sum up the numbers as before, so 9+6+5+5+5+1=31=4

if, as in this case, the number of your chosen name doesn't match you birth number, you could add letters to it to reach the right number, or try with another possible one

Ց. choose your own name and write it in various forms - your witch name should match your birth number cause it's the one thing about you that is unchanging and by doing that you are aligning with the same vibration of the moment you chose to be born once you have found a proper witch name, practice writing it in various forms of magickal script

գ. here is an example of the name Galadriel written in Saxon runes and its monogram:

from Raymond Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft, the Big Blue Book recommended supplementary reading:

Witchcraft from the Inside by Raymond Buckland 

The Meaning of Witchcraft by Gerald B. Gardner

One method of finding ones’s Witch’s Name is utilizing Numerical Significance to each Letter of the Alphabet. One can yield results to find a path in determining the desired witch’s name. Denote a list 1-9 then write out the Alphabet in order assigning each letter a number 1-9 in a list of 3 lines (see below).

123456789

ABCDEFGHI

JKLMNOPQR

STUVWXYZ

Keep adding the resultant numbers together till they form a single digit, thus:

JOHN 1+ 6+ 8+ 5 = 20

+

SMITH 1 + 4+ 9+ 2+ 8 = 24

= 44

=4 + 4

= 8

Now numerologically speaking the digits have the following traditional planetary attribution:

1. The Moon

2. The Sun

3. Mercury

4. Venus

5. Mars

6. Jupiter

7. Saturn

8. Uranus

9. Neptune

In John Smith's case, his name planet will be Uranus. His next step would be to consult a book of classical myth and legend, on the subject matter surrounding Uranus. There will be ample material to select a name from, especially if the book is one of comparative mythology, showing the interrelations of legends among different cultures. One can create a mix of information presented in the Mythology & Magickal references all relating to the said Planet that is the last number of the whole name. Have fun with this & write it in your magickal Tome.

Many Witches choose a name which, they feel, reflects their personality or, in some way, describes their interests or feelings. Names are important. Your Witch Name need not be kept a solemn secret but at least respect it. Use it only with other Witches or, at least, only with those close to you.

Of course you may be quite happy with your regular, given name. If you want to use that as your Witch name also, that is fine. However, check it out numerologically, as describe below, before you make a final decision Some Witches take names from history or mythology, especially those names associated with their branch of the Craft. Others make up names.

Whichever name you choose, or feel especially drawn to, check out to see if it is in fact right for you. You do this through numerology. There are a number of different systems of numerology. The below is probably the most commonly used. (I'm not sure if I can add a picture on this space so you can easily check the numerology alphabet, so I put it at the end of the post. If anyone knows how to put the alphabet in here I would appreciate some info about it!)

Find your Birth Number by adding the digits of your date of birth.

I was born on 4/13/1999

So my number would be 4+1+3+1+9+9+9= 36

Bring that down to a single digit 3+6= 9

Find the Name Number of the name you have chosen. This is done by equating all the letters of the alphabet with the first nine numbers. (Picture on the end of the post)

My Witch name is ATHENEA a (1), t(2), h(8), e(5), n(5), e(5), a (1)

So my name number would be 1+2+8+5+5+5+1= 27

Then I bring that number to a single digit 2+7= 9

Check that your Birth Number is the same as your chosen Witch Name Number.

Birth Number= 9

Witch Name Number= 9

It may take a while to find a name, or choice of names, that you like and that are numerologically correct, but it is well worth it. Perhaps the best method is to get an assortment of appropriate letters and keep rearranging them until you hit an attractive combination.

Why does the name have to match your Birth Number? Because your Birth Number is unchanging. People can change their names, addresses, etc., but they cannot change their date of birth. By choosing a new name that matches that Birth Number, you are then aligning yourself with that same vibration; the vibration of the moment you chose to be born. As mentioned above, there are several different systems of numerology. This is probably the most popular and accurate. But if you feel more comfortable with a different system, then use it. The important thing is, whichever system you use, attune your new name to your Birth Number.

enodia is an epithet of hekate, and kohen is my maternal grandmothers original name. her family changed it to escape anti-semitic persecution and it isn’t really acknowledged often in my family because most relatives who knew anything about that time died young. so i wanted to honor that and acknowledge it by taking it as my own.