A few months ago, I discovered The Kabalarian Society which is located in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. I’m fascinated by numerology, Western astrology, Vedic astrology, the Tarot, Buddhism, and other out-of-this world subjects. Anyway, for the past couple years; I’ve tossed around the idea of changing my name. It’s not that off the wall because many actors, actresses, and writers have changed their names or use stage or pen names. You’d be surprised who’s changed their name. Google your favorite celebrity and I bet you they’ve changed their name.

Through the Kabalarian Philosophy, I discovered something called nameology. It’s relatively new to me. Nameology is the practice of mathematically calculating a ‘balanced name’ that’s in harmony with one’s date of birth. Who knew?

According to the Kabalarian Philosophy, “A balanced name will allow your child to attract the experiences needed to fulfill his or her purpose in life. With your support, your child could excel in school. A balanced name creates an expressive child; one who is creative, reliable, and capable and who will experience overall good health.”

I ordered a ‘free’ Name Report from the Kabalarian Society and was surprised by the findings. It was as if I was looking into a mirror. How did they know? How could they know? Lo and behold, they recommended a name change for me. As I mentioned above, I contemplated changing my name for many years; however, it’s a different story when you actually take steps to change your name. I became conflicted because I really liked my first name of Rebecca (I never cared for the name Becky — mom would call me that); it was my last name I was ready to bid farewell to. I didn’t want to wait until I got married. It wasn’t that simple.

The other conflict I had around changing my name was, “Could your name really throw your life off balance?” I’ve been working on myself since 2007 and was under the impression that if one shift’s their thoughts and beliefs, their life would shift. Wasn’t this enough? Is a name change really necessary? I read and re-read testimonials from people who changed their name, but I still had more questions than answers.

It took me a couple of weeks before I ordered the Kabalarian Society’s Balanced Name Services. I mean, could a balanced name really change my life? I still wasn’t sure.

Needless to say, I wasn’t thrilled with the selected first, last and middle names that were given to me. They didn’t ‘feel‘ right. Plus, I identified with the name of Rebecca Sebek. Hello! That’s what my parents named me. Changing my name wasn’t as easy as I imagined it to be.

Luckily, I worked with a wonderful consultant from the Kabalarian Society who was very patient with me. I inquired about names that I liked but none of them were a good fit for me. She gave me list after list of names but none of them felt right. The good news is I have a lot of character names for my books!

Finally, after a lot of going back and forth and inquiring about other names I liked, I decided on the balanced name of Amandah Tayler Blackwell. I always liked the names Amanda and Taylor. However, for my balanced name the names of ‘Amanda and Taylor’ are spelled differently. It’s a process.

I won’t lie … it’s been a struggle to get used to my ‘new’ balanced name. It’s been an adjustment for my ‘close’ family as well. I had no idea how identified I was with my name of Rebecca Sebek. Talk about being attached to something. I’ve learned a lot about the art of detachment.

To help me adjust to my ‘new’ name, I researched nameology and discovered that some indigenous tribes give their children new names when they reach adulthood. Again, many celebrities and writers change their names so why can’t I?

If you’re contemplating changing your name, think and meditate about it because it’s not as easy at is seems. Order the ‘free’ name report from the Kabalarian Society and review their findings; you may be surprised. If you feel inclined to change your name — go for it. If you’re pregnant or about to have a baby, choose your baby’s name carefully. You may want to consult a nameologist. It could make a difference in your baby’s life.

Amandah Tayler Blackwell
(aka Rebecca Sebek)

Related articles

• What do you think of these baby names for a girl? (parenting-success.com)