As a child I thought my first name was strange. My mother picked it because she did not want something everyone else had, and she did not want to name me after anyone in the family. She must have been too groggy or too excited after childbirth to remember that her next youngest sister was named Marlene! So although I was not supposed to carry the moniker of any blood relatives, I am glad to share my name with my lovely and very dear aunt. Marlene is a contraction of MARy MagdaLENE. Mary Magdalene, of course, has been made famous by her association with Jesus of Nazareth, and by her often incorrectly maligned reputation as a woman of shady character. But most historians agree she was probably your typical wealthy woman who fell for a charismatic leader and decided to chuck the good life and follow her guru. She was the most favored of the disciples (according to the Gospel of Thomas), was the first to encounter Jesus after his resurrection (per the New Testament), and had a gospel attributed to her (part of the apocrypha.) Mary was willing to leave the material world she knew to follow the callings of her soul. She was a strong woman in a time when women were chattel. Some say she was freed of her demons through her faith. I like to imagine her as the centered, passionate, courageous, feminine aspect of my highest Self. Happy birthday, Marlene!
Mary Magdalene by Carlo Dolci
Renee is French for "reborn". My mom was Swiss and my dad liked art and aesthetic things, so they liked the sound of it. French sounds so yummy and sexy and vital, I love speaking it and I love France! But reborn as what? as whom? Stay tuned....
Asha is a Sanskrit name. It was given to me by the head minister and teacher of kriya yoga at the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment here in San Jose, Ca. I had been studying yoga and practicing meditation for several years when I felt called to put a name to my experience as a spiritual being walking this earth plane. Asha means "hope that springs from deep faith." Having grown up in a fairly conservative, usually suspicious, sometimes depressing family of three (me, my mom and dad) I did not think of myself as very faithful nor hopeful. My kriya name is an invitation to renew my faith on a daily basis, to remember the good there is and to act as its herald and advocate. Hope springs eternal!
Asha in Sanskrit आशा
When I divorced after 30 years of marriage, I felt compelled to change my last name. I had never felt at home in my married name, and my maiden name seemed to have passed its expiration date. I thought about dropping my last name entirely, but felt like I wanted a connection with my family and its history, the stream of beings and events that had led up to this one creation: me. Since I was little I had heard stories about my paternal grandmother, Dorothy, who died when my dad was only ten, and was remembered as a kind, sweet, gentle woman. I had pictures of her sitting with her husband and four children at the photographer's studio, standing by the Model A in the driveway, smiling in her felt cloche hat and shawl collar coat. My dad thought she was part Native American and remembered her dressing up for ceremony in her regalia. I never met her, but part of me knew her in a deep mysterious way. To honor her memory, I took her maiden name of Robbins. I like the way it sounds, strong yet round on the tongue. Robbins is a diminutive form of the German "Robert" which means "bright fame". My Capricorn nature likes that!
So when I put it all together it spells "a woman who follows her higher calling to be reborn in hope made brightly famous." Or something like that! Am I the embodiment of that wonderful expression? Can I manifest the energy of the names I am given? How do I resonate with the reverberation of those sounds as they echo in the vast cosmic consciousness of this existence? This next year will tell.
Marlene-Renee-Asha- Robbins....Marlene-Renee-Asha-Robbins.......Marlene-Renee-Asha-Robbins.......
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