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"Daquadov Udiyvli Galegi, Ani Tsisqua, Ani Tsalagi."
(I am called Udiyvli Galegi, of the Bird Clan, the Tsalagi People)
I replied, thinking perhaps he meant "Who I am" amongst
the Tsalagi. "Hmm. Now isn't that interesting," he said
after a moment, "I ask you twice who you are, and the only
answers you can give me are the labels others have given you. I
don't suppose you really know who you are, do you?"
Labels
We are given them at birth, and carry them with
us throughout our entire lives. These attempts at identifying us,
and saying "Who we are". How many of us can honestly say
that these names we have been given, these labels, truly define
the essence of who we are? A good exercise to do, if you have not
done so already, is to stand in front of a mirror, and honestly,
objectively, look at yourself. Ask the question, "Who are you?",
and then search within your Spirit to see if you really, truly know
the answer.
For many people, the acceptance of the label they have been given
is enough. It is enough for them to simply have a name by which
they can identify themselves- they never really give the question
much more thought than that. For others, the label they've been
given at birth doesn't work for them, so they adopt another label,
a nickname, or something similar, to try and capture the essence
of their being and better fit who they think they are. And then
there's the Magickal people, who take on a secret name, or Craft
Name, as part of the process of taking control of themselves and
defining who they are. But honestly, seriously, none of these labels-
the ones we're given or the ones we choose for ourselves- can ever
really, truly, define who we are.
The labeling doesn't just stop with our names, however. "American",
"Austrian", "Pagan", "Christian",
"Indian", "Witch"- I mention these things and
I am certain that immediately images or thoughts spring into your
mind. These stereotypical images- Can you honestly think of one
single person who truly, 100% fits the image of the stereotype?
Of course not- no one does. And no one should. We even take these
labels upon ourselves- define ourselves with them- as if they somehow
give meaning to who we essentially are. But do they, really?
Labels are just labels. They're like little masks that we hide behind,
or little signs that we carry to try and give ourselves some sort
of identity. Most of the people I have met buy into the labels-
both their own and others'- and don't give it much thought. You
can ask them about themselves, and they'll say "I am ____",
or "I am a ____"- as if that really tells a person who
they are. I suppose that's okay for them, if that's all the deeper
they really want to go. And I suppose that to an extent, these labels
are useful (after all, if we didn't have some sort of names, it
would get rather confusing trying to figure out who a person is
talking about). But then, I also think that labeling is dangerous.
Every time we put a label on something or someone, we limit it to
an extent, if only in our own minds. Whether we realize it or not,
when we label someone as something, we automatically bring in all
kinds of preconceived ideas and notions. Here's an example:
The term "Indian" was applied to the indigenous people
of the Americas. Concepts formed around that label, such as "Savage",
"Uneducated", "Beggar", "Thief", "Primitive",
etc. etc.. Images also spring into mind, such as tomahawks, war
paint, tipis, bows and arrows, buckskin, feather bonnets, etc. But
these things are all stereotypes- these concepts and images get
in the way of being able to see the individual as the individual
they are. As an aside, someone once said to me, "If you're
an Indian, then where's your feathers and war paint?" I replied
by saying, "If you're an Austrian, then where's your Lederhosen
and Gamsbart?" I think he got the point. Some people in the
past have accused me of trying to avoid their pointed, label-oriented
questions. It's true; I do avoid those questions like they were
the Plague. But I do it for one simple reason: I don't want to be
known as just some label- as the people who've met me can attest,
my initial answer is always the same- "I am who I am, and for
me, that's enough".
The labels we put on others are not half as bad as those we put
upon ourselves, however. A very high percentage of psychological
difficulties come from the labels which we place upon ourselves,
and then fail to live up to (or, live up to all too well). When
we put labels on ourselves, we tend to "cheat" ourselves
out of discovering who it is we really are, especially when the
label becomes the definition we use to define ourselves. Who we
are cannot be defined with a label. We can define what our nationality
is with a label, what our job is, what our religious beliefs are,
our political inclinations, or what-have-you, but the truest essence
of our being is no more definable with a label than it is possible
to catch the wind in a basket.
In finding who we are, in the truest sense, we must peel off all
the labels we've acquired throughout our lives, and allow ourselves
just to be who we are, as we are.
May the Spirits continue to guide you
As you Walk the Path you have chosen.
Awen' De Yauh, Ho!
Udiyvli Galegi
The Shadow Viper
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