The Sounds of My Name
Saturday, Mar. 13, 2004 8:36 p.m.
You know those forwarded personality quizzes/tests/theories that always get forwarded to your inbox through your friends or colleagues? Usually they're in the form of questions, right, and you answer them and they tell you what kind of personality you have, that kind of crap? There must be a greatest hits list of the most frequently forwarded quizzes, like the Which Tree Did You Fall From? test, which isn't really a test, it just assigns you a tree based on your birthday and then gives you your attributes based on the, uh, tree. Never mind the basis behind these things, if you're a personality test junkie like me, you'll follow the instructions just to find out things you already know about yourself, all the same.
Lately I received the weirdest personality-revealing forwarded mail ever. My psychic friend forwarded it to me. Yeah, the one who left a ghost at the doorstep of my old apartment. (You gotta read one of my previous entries entitled My Exorcism to know what I'm talking about.)
Anyhow I did a cursory check on the Internet to see if there is any theory behind it, and I think it might have a Sufi or Hindu origin. Whatever. Anyhow this mail talks about the sounds and colors of your name, how each consonant and each vowel sound in your name corresponds to what they call a soul lesson, meaning a path you must take that is part of your destiny, like your mission in life. Each sound also expresses a quality, such as honesty, purity, that kind of thing, all good. So they give you a table of consonant and vowel sounds and the qualities and soul lessons attached to each sound and there you have it, your destiny! All the things you are meant to do in this life, and all the qualities that you are supposed to have, encoded in your name.
Weird but intriguing, right?If you want to see the actual mail I can forward it to you.
So according to this theory, my soul lessons are about understanding myself, opening my heart, staying connected to the divine, teaching knowledge with wisdom, seeing situations from a higher perspective, communicating my truth, and flowing with life and staying balanced. As for qualities, I am trustworthy, generous,self-aware, mentally strong, wise, compassionate and connected to the divine (whatever that means).
I'm simplifying the analysis here but just to elaborate a bit, since I have lots of "aa" and "ee" vowel sounds in my name, certain soul lessons are emphasised because the sounds that correspond to these lessons are repeated twice, sometimes three times. So of all the things I must do in this life, being trustworthy, understanding myself, remaining pure and expressing angelic qualities are top priorities.
Hmmm.
Of course, since most people's names have vowels, most people would have the above as their life lessons as well. Which brings me to the question, do all roads lead to God? After all, isn't that what faith demands of us, to be good and to seek goodness?
There are some other interesting points mentioned too, and I quote: "Some people can only cope with part of their lessons and use a nickname or an abbreviated name, especially in childhood. Often in adulthood they will take on their full soul mission by using their full name."
I think that's true to some extent. I wasn't comfortable with my name as a kid and all through my teens and college years. I don't know why. I think it has to do with a search for identity. I hated the sound of my name as a teenager because it was so different from other people's, so unique and I wanted to fit in. I wanted a name that people could pronounce properly. In college I used my middle name because I wanted to be a different person from the person I was in secondary school. So in a way, I hadn't taken on my full soul mission. It kind of makes sense.
Does it make sense because I am already doing exactly what the mail was telling me, i.e. trying to understand myself and coming to terms with God? Or does it make sense because the theory works? Who knows.
But I'm convinced all roads do lead to God. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
Older entries
Ramadan - 08 October 2006
Where I Have Been - 03 October 2006
Baby Talk - 10 August 2006
6 Weeks of Separation - 16 July 2006
Unacceptable Rudeness - 21 June 2006