Throughout the world and throughout history names and naming have been of great importance in religion, magic, the occult, psychic phenomena and mythology. In ancient Egypt not to have a name was thought to be a terrible curse – the worst possible thing that could happen to a person. The Egyptians believed that not to have a name meant that when you died you couldn’t move forward to the afterlife but would fall backwards into the void. Criminals had their name taken away when charged with a crime; it was as if the person with no name did not exist and all hope for eternity was gone.
Psychics believe that names carry a certain energy vibration and changing a person’s name changes that vibration. Certain religions often give converts a new name when they join, and it is also common to have a spiritual name as well as a given one. In ancient China names were often kept secret to prevent their use by enemies. A person’s real name might only ever be revealed to the local astrologer and priest and another name was used for daily use.