As I was writing my last post discussing various plants and my new adventure 'gardening', I began thinking about names and how I have read by multiple spiritual, esoteric writers that names are inherently 'bad' or negative and do not help in our oneness. A few days later I was listening to a radio show by one spiritual author who just happened to state during that show, "Names divide us..." and pull us apart.
I think that maybe I am not far enough along my spiritual path or too far along on my scientific path to completely believe this about names.
I believe and agree with a lot, but I cannot completely get behind this or see the importance of this teaching. Names add context and substance, facts and knowledge about something, which in science includes more information and expands our knowledge. It is in the name and facts where differences lie and where I see the differences bringing us full circle to our oneness, our relations to each. It is in those differences where I see my connection to all things. My statement would be, "Names divide us and highlight are uniqueness in our oneness."
What is in a name....
Phoebastria immutabilis
Phoebastria nigripes
Above are pictures of two albatross species, the Laysan's and Black-footed albatross. By just hearing their scientific latin names, as a scientist, I know that they are closely related species and must have many attributes in common. As a non-scientist just hearing their names invokes beautiful pictures of the ocean, since both of these birds spend their entire lives at sea except to breed. Additionally, in my mind, these names invoke pictures of their majestic wing span and how the way they use air currents is extremely similar to man-made aircraft.
And these names bring up (unfortunately) pictures of just how connected we all our do to their ingestions of plastic that they digest in the middle of oceans and on far from
mainland atolls.
On a personal note, their names invoke feelings of joy and adventure from various research cruises as a scientist that I have done at sea. The way that they come up to the boat and are curious and inquisitive. Their names bring up a deep connection to family, the way they fly for days out at sea collecting food for their young back at the nest, flying thousands of miles to do so.
So, in the end the names initially divide, but if you choose to move past the division into a world where names invoke images, thoughts, feelings, and compassion, which can draw one ever closer to oneness....
What does a name mean to you? Does it divide or conquer?
