One of our senior and truly cherished teachers Sharon Jenkins has written this heart felt piece about her choice to change her name from Sharon to Kanika.
Spiritual names carry a special significance within the world’s spiritual traditions. It is a vibration and a tool that helps to elevate your energy through the power of its nadh (inner sound current) and meaning. It has the potential to challenge you to live in your highest consciousness.
Your spiritual name is based on the numerology of your birth date, and I imagine each tradition and the associated teachers who offer the names to their students have their own unique way of choosing them.
Last year I met a Himalayan monk called Pandit Ji whom I immediately connected with at one of his yoga philosophy classes. I continued to go to his classes every week for 6 months during which time my teacher offered me a spiritual name based on my astrological moon chart and his personal considerations after getting to know me, as there is more than one name that may be appropriate.
In October 2016 I went on a spiritual retreat with Pandit Ji to India on a pilgrimage to the Holy Ganges River, many sacred sites, holy temples and caves within the Himalayan mountains where the ancient Vedic texts had been written. Needless to say my experiences in the Himalayas were transformative and life changing.
Since returning and continuing my training in Vedic knowledge, I have felt a calling to start using my spiritual name Kanika more and more - which my teacher has translated for me as ‘golden energy'. For me, making the choice to start using my spiritual name has come through the love, respect and trust I feel for my teacher and also taking another step toward leaving old patterns behind and connecting more deeply with my infinite self.
Blessings,
Kanika