Pagans were explicitly mentioned in the ACAS guidelines on the Act, which have the same force as case law.Įmployers should be aware that these Regulations extend beyond the more well known religions and faiths to include beliefs such as Paganism and Humanism. Ironically enough, when it was published, some people apparently thought that Yvonne Aburrow actually was a pseudonym.Īt that time, many Pagan authors used pseudonyms, because it was still legal to discriminate against Pagans at work in the UK, and everybody could still remember the “ Satanic Panic” in which fundamentalist Christians tried to convince social workers that there was an epidemic of Satanism in the UK, and that Pagans were Satanists.įortunately, the 2003 legislation on religious discrimination in the workplace means that Pagans are protected by employment law. When I wrote my first book, back in 1992, I considered using a pseudonym. I am known by a particular nickname to a particular group of people, and it feels very odd indeed if anyone outside that group uses that nickname. Sometimes the name only fits in a particular group or context. Sometimes a name is suggested to you by others if it feels right, go for it. There are many reasons why someone might want a Pagan name: to feel more in touch with a particular deity, animal, bird, or tree to emphasise a quality that you possess, or to which you aspire to celebrate a connection with a particular animal, bird, plant, place, or being that you already feel.Ĭhoosing your own name is a powerful magical act. My last name is probably derived from the Anglo-Saxon for fortified town ( burh) but it may just possibly be derived from the Anglo-Saxon for burial mound ( beorh), though in that case my last name would probably be “Berrow”. Fortunately for me, the name Yvonne means “Yewtree” anyway. Hence people choose the names of plants, animals, or birds that they particularly like. Many people decide to have a Pagan name because they want to celebrate an aspect of Nature with their name.

The Enchanted Garden of Messer Ansaldo by Marie Spartali Stillman (1899), via Wikimedia Commons Why have a Pagan name?

Magical names for plants