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What's in a name?
Carlos Castaneda's philosophy suggests that names have "Power." He advised that a Warrior should change their name in order to shed the "self," embody a new persona, and along with it, a new way of being.
Your friends, family and co-workers, all know you by your given name, and as such, unwittingly hinder your ability to evolve as a person since they have the expectation that you should always be "you."
As "normal" and well intentioned as this may be, it complicates the already difficult task of personal growth since people who know you continue to define you by your past and their projected expectations for your future. True transformation can take place with or without the cooperation of others. However, if the people who know you wish to be part of your transformation, they'll ultimately need to forget who they think you are, see you anew, and embrace who you've become (or at least, who you intend to become.)
One needn't necessarily abandon their birth name outright. For many, it's enough to secretly know of this new identity for themselves. Others may choose to share their new name with a few close friends. If you do this, you may consider having your friends address you by that new name in order to help embody the new and improved "you." Either way is fine. The important thing to keep in mind is, when you use your new name, you need to embody characteristics different from who you usually are. (For instance, maybe you're afraid of skydiving, but your new persona is a thrill seeker.)
This is not a nickname or a mere alias. It's the creation of an entirely new identity, which hopefully, is a genuine improvement upon your "original" self. (Castaneda never suggested this himself. But there isn't much point to doing this if your only goal is to invent a jerk.)
And therein lies the usefulness of a new name. However, a Sorcerer's name must be given, not arbitrarily chosen; perhaps in a dream, a flash of intuition or by someone detached enough to make that gift for you.
Until such time that "Power" can reveal your new name for you, here's a helpful tool to get you started:
GENERATE YOUR SORCERER'S NAME: