NAME CHANGE

(originally posted on Facebook May 25, 2019)

Names are often given to us, identities with ties to stories we had no conscious control over.
The name "David" means "Beloved of God" in Hebrew. It’s nice, familiar, and feels right. King David left a beautiful legacy, and one I feel grateful to be aligned with.
"Solomon" is very close to my original middle name, and resounds deeply with a Magical lineage and spiritual ancestor. It carries weight, and the identity which feels most aligned now, in this phase of life, if not for the rest of this life.
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My birth name of "Landau" has always felt wrapped in story. While my ancestor Yechezkel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yechezkel_Landau was well known for presiding over a dispute over a mystical amulet (Magic runs in the family!), and while I feel grateful to be connected to this lineage, I am dropping the name from my public identity at this time.
This is for several reasons. Aside from the indigenous Rite of Passage tradition where birth names are changed or discarded in favor of the new adult’s chosen identity, I feel that, first and foremost, as I more fully accept a life purpose and path I have always known, and step into the role of building a public persona (which will grow significantly in coming years), I want to have some division between my personal and public life.
While serving professionally in a spiritual way naturally includes a peek into my personal life for the purposes of integrity and "walking the talk," I also care to put some distance between any manifestations of fame and my birth family. And of course, dropping the birth name…