Reprint of the Nomicon @ this blog. Pt Two: Why do Wiccans use Craft Names.

Why Do Wiccans use craft names?
Wiccans use craft names for what amount to two sets of reasons, historical reasons and modern reasons. Historical reasons refer to the reasons why they were used in Early Modern Wicca* and Modern reasons are the way they are used now.
Most of the historical reasons are based on the fact that Wicca is an initiatory mystery religion that originally claimed to be based on a religion that had hidden underground for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. By "Initiatory" we mean that early in Wicca membership was only open to those who underwent an initiation rite. In that initiation rite, the person, amongst other things, agreed to abide by the rules of the group, keep the existance of the group a secret and take on a new name, to be used within that group.
This new name served three basic purposes. The first was that it maintained secrecy in the group. In the traditional group to which I was first introduced, calling the leader by her first name within the group was considered bad form. We all knew her name, we were, in fact, at her house, but within the confines of the group, we called her by her craft name. While it is claimed this is one of the reasons the religion survived the Witch Trials (because you can't confess,even under torture, the names of people whose names you don't know) there is little proof this is so, but certainly it is more difficult to trace "Lady Copper Bobcateagle" than it is to trace, oh, Kaatryn MacMorgan. (Especially since I'm on amazon.com, all over the web and listed with the copyright office of the Library of Congress, not to mention the IRS.) So, in addition to privacy, these craft names were said to offer protection from the inquisition which, as we all know (she said sarcastically) is lurking behind every door. In addition to protection and privacy, this craft name also added a sense of equality within the group. Bill Gates and Donald Trump could be in my coven, and they would still be Lord Moonbottom and Lord Fluffyback, or whatever their names were. Their last names, their outside identity, would mean nothing. If you consider that Wicca is, at its heart, a British Tradition, this becomes even more obvious-Spencer, Windsor, Morgan, Campbell, Douglas or Smith, you're all on parr in the circle.
These craft names also often represent the experience of a mystery. A mystery is a rite sacred to a god, pantheon or tradition in particular and undergoing that mystery or even witnessing it (depending on the mystery) changes your status with the divine, either by giving you new information or by assuring you a position in the afterlife. Mysteries are not a Wiccan thing, and I speak here of mysteries in the most general of terms. An example of a mystery, albeit not a very dramatic one, is the Christian ceremony of baptism. During baptism a child is usually given a name, and when an adult is baptised, he often takes a new name. This occurs again if the person becomes a priest or monk, and is no different in Wicca, with many people changing their names as a result of acheiving or undergoing a mystery or mystery rite.
Lastly, some Wiccans use craft names because they are nifty and they think they must have one. I'm no fan of this. As you are reading this on the net, you probably already have a screenname or email name that says something about you. Few of us stay "Bob12346594623@aol.com" for very long. A screenname is a great thing to have for nifty purposes, and you can always find a nom de plume or pen name if you want to sound fun or intriguing... (In fact, I have a couple!) You should not be taking a new name simply because you don't have one. If you are a solitary, and self-dedicated, and want to take a name of dedication as part of your dedication ceremony, that's one thing. Taking a name because it's nifty is another thing.
In closing, I'd like to remind those taking new names that traditional Ceremonial Magick, something many Wiccans practice, requires an old identity not a new one. In the most anceint of metaphysical formulae, the only way to command the powers around you, and the only way to communicate with the powers that be, was to tell them exactly who you are. The more names you have, the harder this is: "Oh great all, I am Stephanie, born Steven, child of Micah the enginneer, and Dora the explorer, called Bessie by the Wicca and Lady Silverbottom by the Magi, called Esmerelda by the coven of the blackened rose," et cetera. It is for this reason that many Ceremonial Magicians use their real names whenever possible...

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