If you are always trying to be ordinary, you will never know how Extraordinary you can be.

 - Maya Angelou

 

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Why Skyladona?

Many people have asked me why I have a Magickal name, and I am often surprised, as nobody seems to pose that question to people of other faith's who either give themselves or have another name chosen for them  (eg. nun's). To those who do inquire, I give them the following explanation:

I have given myself the Magical name “Skyladona”. I chose this name to represent my grounding in Witchcraft. My birth name (The name my parents chose for me), represents who I am as much as my Magickal name, and all my other names (Mother, sister, daughter, aunt, cousin, wife, neighbour & friend), so I am happy to be called by both. My Pagan friends call me Skyla. I believe the name “Skyladona” to be the only one in existence, I have searched the internet extensively & have found no other.

When selecting my name, I looked at the individual meaning of letters, selected what I wanted, and played around with combinations of the properties that fit my personality, and the numerologically correct combination until I found the right one for me.  The letters and their combinations mean the following:

* S & A - Sun signs. Very much a driving life force, a leader, ambitious, and tends to be impatient. The explorer and extrovert, who automatically assumes command. Frequently a “big sister” with very strong feelings for or against. Would not knowingly hurt anyone, but might not realize her own strength.

* K -  Moon sign. Sensitive, domestic, tends to be emotional & easily influenced to tears. Has a fertile imagination, & is very fond of home.

* Y -  Neptune sign. Frequently possesses ESP, extremely psychic. Introverted and mysterious, Often interested in psychology, psychiatry, chemistry & botany.

* L -  Jupiter sign. The investigator, scientist an seeker. An interest in the material rather than the spiritual. Ideas on religion frequently change, Has a great sense of humour. Very trusting, yet likes to know the “why” and “how”. Not greatly interested in money.

* D -  Uranus sign. Inclined to appear strange & eccentric because she is usually ahead of her time. Very interested in the Occult & psychic research. Strong intuitive tendencies. Can be bitterly sarcastic if crossed. Believes in liberty and equality. Easily predict outcomes.

* O -  Venus sign. Gentle and refined, pleasant and sociable. Natural peacemaker, charismatic,  friendly and agreeable. Excellent hostess, often experiencing difficulty in finance.

* N -  Mercury sign. Active mentally and physically. Inquiring, exploring, methodical and orderly. Makes friends easily, and would make a good teacher. Fond of reading and research.

The girl's name Skyla s-ky-la is a variant of Skye and Skyler. It is of English origin. Skye and Sky are used as nicknames for Skyler and Skylar, as nature names, and possibly in reference to the Isle of Skye in Scotland.

The girl's name Dona d(o)-na is of Spanish origin, and its meaning is "lady". Variant of  Donalda d(o)-nal-da, don(a)-lda is of Scottish and Gaelic origin, and its meaning is "world mighty" (or world wise)

From this, when put together, "Skyladona" means "Wise Lady of the sky", and is encompassing of earth as a whole, (or nature as a whole), inclusive of the natural world beyond our own planet. It is also the embodiment  of the meanings of it's individual letters as outlined above.

My defining moment

As a child of about 12, I read “The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe series”, and although it was the same old Witch bashing that goes on in most fairytales; that was not what I remember it for. In one of the books (The final one in the series "The last battle") a character (Tisroc), who had been fighting on the side of evil - known as "Tash" (but he avoided doing evil acts wherever possible and believed Tash was a good god figure), was standing before Aslan (the godlike figure embodiment of good), and upon seeing him immediately was aware of the truth - he realized he had aligned himself with evil. He was ashamed that all his life he had been “on the wrong side”. But Aslan in his infinite wisdom explained that even though he had not physically been fighting for the side of good, his kind heart and actions meant he had always worshiped Aslan (i.e. the divine good).

The passage goes like this.....

"So I went over much grass and many flowers and among all kinds of wholesome and delectable trees till lo! in a narrow place between two rocks there came to meet me a great lion. The speed of him was like an ostrich, and his size was an elephant's; his hair was like pure gold and the brightness of his eyes like gold that is liquid in the furnace. He was more terrible than the flaming mountain of Lagour, and in beauty he surpassed all that is in the world even as the rose bloom surpasses the dust of the desert. Then I fell at his feet and thought, Surely this is the hour of death, for the lion (who is worthy of all honour) will know that I have served Tash all my days and not him. Nevertheless, it is better to see the lion and die than to be Tisroc of the world and live and have not seen him. But the glorious one bent down his golden head and touched my forehead with his tongue and said, Son, thou art welcome. But I said, Alas, Lord, I am no son of thine but a servant of Tash. He answered, Child, all the service thou hast done to Tash, I account as service done to me. Then by reasons of my great desire for wisdom and understanding, I overcame my fear and questioned the glorious one and said, Lord, is it then true, as the Ape said, that thou and Tash are one? The lion growled so that the earth shook (but his wrath was not against me) and said, It is false. Not because he and I are one, but because we are opposites, I take to me the services which thou hast done to him. For I and he are such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him. Therefore if any man swear by Tash and keep his oath for the oath's sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him. And if any man do a cruelty in my name, then, though he says the name Aslan, it is Tash whom he serves and by Tash his deed is accepted......."

This was a VERY significant point for me. I had one of those light bulb moments that changed the way I thought about religion in general forever, and why being true to yourself and what works well for you is so vital for the health of your inner being. I realized the path to enlightenment is just that, a path, and as I said earlier, it doesn’t matter what path you take, it is what you learn on your way, how you treat all others, and the goodness in your heart that takes you too your ultimate goal. This is why, much later in life, I chose Witchcraft as my path to enlightenment. I like to be guided, but I realize the journey is the discoveries I make for myself, by looking inward for the answers to where the truth already is, rather than to others where my own personal truths can never be. Formal religions where you have to do that this way etc, because a book written by some man back in history said so, seems ludicrous to me. I like the freedom to question, learn and grow through experiences, rather than being told what to do or I will be “punished” in the afterlife (That's one of the best things about Witchcraft by the way, there is ALWAYS something new to learn). This life is too short as it is, why would I spend time focusing on what may or may not come next? Is it not better to be good and do good, simply because it's the right thing to do, rather than through fear of punishment if you don't?

Please see the "About Witchcraft" section on this website for more information on Witchcraft.