When I began studying Paganism and Wicca I decided to choose a name for myself. I wanted my chosen name to represent all the things that mean a lot to me. The elements I feel most connected to are rain (water) and wind (air) so I wanted to include something for them. I also wanted to include something to represent the mystery that we are all trying to figure out as well as the woman I strive to be.
"Sh" - represents the sound of the wind through the pine trees and the rain falling onto the grass. It is also part of my given name and represents that part of me as well.
"Ayla" - This part of my name represents the woman I want to be. Ayla is a person I admire most, whether real or fiction. She is the main character in Jean M. Auel's series "Earth's Children". To me, she is 100% woman: she strives to be her best, but accepts her own faults; she looks out for other people; is always growing and learning, both spiritually and emotionally; she knows how to take charge of a situation; she does her best not to hurt other people, but stands firm in her beliefs; when new ideas come along she is open to their usefulness, but still holds on to tradition; she is knowledgeable in natural healing; strong; quick thinking; and able to give her love without losing herself.
"Myst" - The shortened part of 'mystical', this represents all the things I am learning as well as the part of me that I haven't discovered yet. As a variation of the spelling of 'mist' it represents a combination of the two elements I feel akin to. It also represents the 'shroud' around things you can't see with your eyes, but must look for with your heart, spirit and intuition.
This was originally written October 21, 1998CE.
Blessed be.