Every time you say my name

Names have more power than our culture dares to give them. Almost like, we shouldn’t believe the power of another person’s name —or even our own— because how dare we believe we are divine. And that’s insane considering it is what people call us, it’s what we respond to. And I say divine here intentionally because so many old school names we’ve been given by our parents have meanings that allude to the divine, even if some of our parents might’ve not been aware. My sister’s name (which is actually used in jokes when clowning hood girls), Yesenia, has several beautiful meanings depending on where you look—it can mean palm tree, gift from God and she who is loved. My name, Amanda, also means she who will be loved with the word love/ama right at its root. The popular name Stephanie means crown. 

I’m part of a book club with the Brujas of Brooklyn where we discussed this. Many people when embarking on a spiritual journey change their names and embrace the meaning of what people call you—a whole rebirth. 

Imagine what it’d mean if we walked in the meaning of what people call us, whether it’s our birth name or a name we choose for ourselves. Imagine what it’d mean, believing that you are a gift from God, a beautiful flower, a sacred stone. 

I know the haters will be mad about mine, Amanda. I know there’s people who have called me despicable things both to my face and behind my back. And they sought to label me with horrendous words and plaster it in an imagine across my face, ignoring my pleas for understanding. I almost lost myself in that world too, in the belief of what they said, you can say that I almost forgot my own name. 

And yet, what they don’t realize and what I failed to notice too, is when folks say my name, AMANDA ALCANTARA, they’re calling me love. That being said, yes, keep my name out yo’ mouth if u wish to speak ill of me, for your own sake. Cuz I believe in every single syllable in my name, and every time someone calls me, they anoint me and themselves with amor. 

What’s your name and what does it mean?