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Our Names: Hidden Keys to Our Identity and Destiny
Your name matters more than you think. Let’s decode it.
Have you ever wondered where your name came from?
Our names are more than just labels; they define our identity and contain our families’ dreams, aspirations, and unconscious desires.
Let’s examine them from different angles to decipher all the information they can provide through a psychogenealogical perspective.
1. The significance of names
Nothing and no one can exist without a name. We begin to exist within society when we are given a name.
Traditionally, stillborn babies were not given names.
Naming is an act of power and a means of control.
This is exemplified by enslaved people being stripped of their original names and being given common names and no last names by their owners, thus robbing them of a sense of family lineage and individual identity.
After the abolition of slavery in the United States, formerly enslaved people began to adopt surnames. Some chose the surnames of their former owners, while others created new names or adopted names from their community. This name adoption was a significant step in reclaiming personal identity…