What's in a Name? (Part 2: Luna's Story)

"Whatever else you do,
listen to your Deepest Self.
Love Her, and
Be true to Her,
Speak Her truth,
Always."
-Sue Monk Kidd

It was around Fall 2006 when I first connected myself with the name "Luna".  I was working at an eating disorder facility and was also in counseling.  One of the things I realized was how disconnected I was from my feelings.  I was told to get in touch with my "inner child".  My counselor was essentially asking me to become more honest about my growing up years and how it affected my younger self.  She encouraged my to name this part of myself.  I began to think of this more as my inner self or true self.  I felt like the "real" me was actually able to express myself freely, feel empowered, and know that I was incredibly capable of living life fully.  I had played a funny game with myself over the years that involved trying to decide what I would name myself if I had been given the option.  What name did I wish was mine...  I could never decide on one.  Nothing quite fit.  It happened one afternoon at the eating disorder facility when I was taking a break on the back porch.  One of my co-workers was telling me about a little girl whose name was Bella Luna.  It was like a light came on....Luna!  I would have named myself Luna.  I began secretly referring to myself as Luna.  I knew I was naming the part of me that was everything I did not yet know how to be:  self-accepting, empowered, confident, honest even when I didn't like what that meant.  It then progressed to my dear friend and I exchanging letters and each of us signing them with our self-given names.  As time went on, I began to identify more and more with "Luna" and who she represented to me.  I was becoming more and more the kind of woman I had always wanted to be.  I also began to "wake up" to a deep connection to the moon.  I learned how the moon is a strong symbol of femininity and how connected woman are even to the changing phases of the moon, especially when a woman is aware of this connection.

The meaning of "Luna" to me continues to evolve and expand.  I frequently get asked "Who is Luna?"  My simple answer is that Luna is a nickname.  And it is.  It's a self-given nickname to remind me to continue on the path of becoming my true self.