Glossary - exWitch Australia (formerly 'Born Again Pagan')

LAW OF NAMES

"Knowing the complete and true name of an object, being or process gives one complete control over it."

The Law of Names is related to both the Law of Knowledge and the Law of Association. The law simply states that by knowing the true and complete name of an phenomena or entity gives you complete control over it.

There are two premises upon which this upon this law is based: First, a name is simply a symbol of the definition of an phenomena or an entity. If the phenomena is fire, one simply says fire instead of describing the whole phenomena of fire. If the entity is a man, one just says a man. The names or terms fire and man convey the definitions of fire and man. Names convey defini- tions to others provided they are spoken in a mutual language spoken by both the speaker and listeners.

Second, the names of phenomena and entities can expand as one gains more knowledge about the subject matter. This is extremely important because the more one knows about a thing the more control one has over it. In some incidences a name of a thing can be traced to its root, even in a foreign language, which will supply one with additional information about the thing.

This is when the magician combines the Law of Names with the Law of Knowledge, and when doing so he can select a specific phenomena or entity because he possesses all the knowledge he can about it. For example, the magician does not mention a fire or a man; but names a fire in a certain location, a village or town, or mentions a man named Thomas. He knows about fire and the location, as he would also know about the man called Thomas. This is why magicians have or seem to have a wealth of knowledge. Ancient magicians were sometimes called wise men.

Some occultists, particularly Wiccans and Neo-Pagans, choose mystical or magical names which many keep secret because they believe there is power in the names which would be lost if known.

see also: LAWS OF MAGIC

PLEASE NOTE:
One of the major problems with 'defining' Paganism and/or its beliefs and practices is that it is an 'organic' movement, in that it is undergoing constant change and re-evaluation from within, and as such any 'one-size-fits-all' approach to understanding Paganism will be found wanting.

Due to the very 'organic' nature of Paganism, and the many differing Paths and Traditions within it, in many cases no one definition may be universally accepted by all Pagans. Therefore, where such cases of possible conflicting and/or contradictory meanings of certain terms occur I have endevoured to give not only the generally accepted meaning, but also any major 'variations' in belief and/or practice.

Christians who believe this difference in meaning of certain key terms, beliefs and practices to be unique to Paganism need to remember that such conflicts also arise within the Body of Christ - the Church. Take for instance the differing practices amongst Christians concerning Baptism and the different attitudes towards women in the clergy.

- Jean-Luc