I’ve been asked how I received my Pagan/Spiritual name of “Ocean.”
It actually all started when I was a student at Gallaudet College (now University) – a Liberal Arts college for deaf and hard of hearing students in Washington, DC.
My real name happens to be Virginia Beach – the person, not the place.
I grew up in the Midwest, so my name was never a big deal in my hometown, but when I arrived in Washington, DC it became a real conversation piece! Everyone got confused and thought I was FROM Virginia Beach…then after I would explain that my NAME is Virginia Beach, they all thought my parents must have had a really interesting sense of humor.
Actually, there was no humor involved – my mother always loved the name Virginia, and when she moved to Indiana as a teenager from her hometown of Saint Louis, the next door neighbors were a family named Beach. They had a son named James. Then one day the lady met the fellow…and the rest is history. They had a daughter, and named her Virginia. End of the story.
But back to Gallaudet…as you might know (if you stayed awake in geography class), Virginia Beach – the place – is located just a few hours south of Washington DC. A few hours east of DC on the Maryland shore is another popular tourist spot…Ocean City, where many of the students would go to party on the weekends.
It wasn’t long before my classmates were bumping into me on campus and teasingly asking “Hi, Virginia Beach…how’s the weather at Ocean City???”
I was a writer and copy editor for the college newspaper, called The Buff and Blue. One time, as a joke, my fellow editors decided to print a by-line to one of my stories:
by
Virginia Beach
(not as popular as Ocean City, but still passable)
As you can expect, that story got more comments for its by-line than its contents (which to this day, I can’t even remember…)
With no offense meant to any of my Deaf peers – whom I love and respect greatly (well…most of them, anyway!) – some of these jokesters were unable to pronounce “Ocean” easily, thus when they spoke it sounded more like “Osh” with a long O.
Thus, for a brief while during my college days, I was known as “Ocean City,” or Osh if you prefer.
Although I first became interested in Paganism, Wicca and Witchcraft while still a student at Gallaudet, it wasn’t until after I left and moved back to the Midwest that I began studying The Craft in earnest. I decided to partake in a year and a day of serious study, which involved actually living at a spiritual sanctuary, where I was able to immerse myself in such studies 24 hours a day, seven days a week…working with various teachers, attending various workshops, and participating in various rituals.
At the end of a year and a day (the traditional duration of time for studying before being initiated or ordained), the tradition under which I was studying would hold a special ritual by which I would then be ordained as a High Priestess of the Craft (having been initiated two years earlier).
Although I had been studying and practicing Paganism for three years, I had always used my mundane name during all this time…or more accurately, my nickname – “Gin.” I had yet to take on a spiritual name. But now I was getting ready to be actually ordained as official Pagan clergy. Damnit, I wanted a Pagan name!
But try as hard as I could, I just couldn’t seem to come up with the right name. Ohhhhh…I tried. I would meditate for hours, waiting for the Spirits to club me on the head and tell me what my new name was to be. I would do tarot readings, trying in vain to gain some insight from the cards. I would drink chamomile tea and then go to bed, hoping to receive an answer in my dreams.
And I prayed. Ohhhhhh Goddess…how I prayed!
But alas…no luck.
Those 366 days went past pretty fast, and the day of my ordination rose bright and early on Midsummer morn. And I still was VirginiaBeachthepersonnottheplace… or “Gin” if you prefer. I was in a state of sheer panic – by what name was I going to announce myself to the Lady and Lord and take my vows? While having a spiritual name is not mandatory, I really, Really, REALLY wanted one!
The moment comes. I am brought forward before the altar to be announced to the Goddess and God. The High Priest asked me by what name did I wish to be known???
And at that very moment – without even thinking, without any planning whatsoever, I blurted it out…
“OCEAN”
Now where the hex did that come from???
But the minute I said it, it just felt right. It was as if the Spirits had been playing a little joke on me, withholding my name until the very last possible second, and then suddenly thrusting it out of my mouth and hands.
And somewhere in the back of my mind, I could see all those Deafies back at Gallaudet hooting and cheering. Yeah, gang – you teased me mercilessly about my name all those times in that dang newspaper office, but now I got the final laugh!
On that Midsummer Day, in front of the Sacred Altar, I became Ocean. And I’ve been Ocean for nearly 23 years since.
And yes….some of my friends do call me Osh for short.
This sculpture shows the sign for "connect"...and that is what Deaf Pagan Crossroads is all about - making connections. Connections between Deafhood and Paganism, connections between the Deaf Community and the Hearing Community, connections between myself as the writer and you as the reader. I hope you will take the time to read my various posts, some of which are listed below. Welcome to the Crossroads, and I hope you make some connections here!
Deaf Pagan Crossroads 
Hee Hee… I’ve had to explain to several people that my friend Ocean’s real name is Virginia Beach… and it gets a lot of laughs, but good laughs. My last name gets laughs, too, but not the best kind… oh, I know, I must tell now… it’s… Massingill… BUT.. it’s spelled different.. I make sure to point that out. Of course, my boy cousins and my brother all had a harder time of it, to be sure.
I like your name.
I like your story here. I know when I first heard your name I had a double-take. I’m originally from Virginia, so I was one of those laughing friends. 😉
cool when i first joind the coven i came from, they asked me what name i wanted, i chose berkana the rune of growth and rebirth as i was leaving my old life of christianity for wicca a new life. my hp said why not birch stands for the same thing? growth and rebirth and wanting a magical name so bad i became birch
I loved this story!!!
Especially the moment when you found your name!!
I was touched and moved.
Blessings
Mama Kelly
And interestingly enough, with a name like Ocean, she’d rather live in a cabin in the woods than a cottage on the beach…go figure…LOL…BUT in honor of her watery name – she does do water rituals – and by that I mean conducting rituals while IN the water – like, in my parents swimming pool one summer evening 😉
I also have a special story as to how my Pagan name was confirmed to me, albeit kind of a tear-jerker. And funny, because as Osh and Birch both commented, at the time I REALLY wanted my Pagan name, and hadn’t quite found it yet. The last two gals I told the story to of how Crystal Dolphin got her name broke into tears and told me I should have warned them. So…I’d be happy to share my story with anyone who wants to hear it…just be warned, you may need a tissue!
Oops – I thought maybe you meant you’d actually posted your story up on your own blog site, but apparently not (hint, hint)… 😉
After all, isn’t that what blogs are supposed to be for, Sistah dear???
Yes, folks…I actually conduct rituals in swimming pools.
Actually, that was a damn good ritual, if I might say so myself!
Yes Mother Ocean…hint taken. 😉
Actually, I was thinking of posting that story on my own blog site – which I haven’t taken the time to work on and get up & running yet (I was kind of going through a couple weeks of writer’s block myself) – but that sounds like a good project for this weekend, don’t ya think? Now that my brain seems to be coming out of the fog it was lost in.
And yes, it was a damn good ritual! The Goddess spoke to us that evening.
Thanks for sharing your story, Ocean! I have recently been thinking about whole deal with names (including spiritual name) and the meaning behind them. Your story put somethings that I had been thinking about in perspective.
I would also encourage those thinking about taking on a spiritual name to read this well-written article posted by my colleague, Sojourner, over at A Pagan Sojourn. She has some good things to say about spiritual names:
http://pagansojourn.blogspot.com/2007/03/whats-in-name.html
Thanks for posting the link to my blog, Ocean!
btw – I love the new look you have going here at DPC. Very nice.
Curiosity satisfied! Thanks for referring me to here. I laughed when you made good witty remarks, you should be a novelist or at least a narrative style nonfiction writer! I shed tears *gasp* and felt shivers down my body when you came to that MOMENT. I am not even going to analyze IT, thank you :)!
Thanks for the great story, all in all :). Later!
It brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for sharing your story. When you come to my mind, I see you on the beach at Kirby Cove, scribing “adventurous” into the sand, and the waves teasing you as they “took you at your word”.
Soon it may be time to do a personal ritual at the ocean to honor it and explore why it’s called you here. There are some lovely wild beaches between San Francisco and Santa Cruz, and doing that before summertime might be a good idea; summers on this northern part of the California coast are often foggy and cold, while spring and fall are glorious. (I’ll tell you about the best bakery on the coast – in Half Moon Bay – when you’re inclined!)
So glad to see your story –
Hugs, Ginny (aka Freyja, and thereby hangs another tale).
A lovely story, Ocean. I’ve often wondered myself. I’m from DC (though now in PHX) and can only imagine how often you had to explain Virginia Beach. Sigh. I’m glad you are in my life, by any name!
Wanted to go over to Pagan Sojourner and read her article, but you have to be invited to read her posts. Or have a Google blog, which I don’t. Love to read it, though.
Greetings , Ocean !
I was reading about how you gots that name ! It is so interesting. Now, everybody will know that name is you. Your name is a good magical name. I like it. And good to hear from you ! Goddess bless you.
Witchpi