Name and Self-image

Recently I changed what I want to be called.  Have you ever considered changing your name, hoping that it will make you feel different about yourself and the world? Would it change your self-image or the way that others see you and respond to you?  Would you communicate and act differently?

For me, I just had a strong, sudden feeling I wanted to be called Maggie.  My name is Margaret Ann, so it is not a difficult transition, from Ann to Maggie, a version of Margaret.

After I kept getting this urge, I consulted someone on what difference it would make energetically.  She referred me to a numerologist.  I must admit I had never really considered the energetics of doing this until very recently. After the numerology session, though, I decided to go ahead, changing my online presence and informing people.  I don’t have to change anything legally.

So what is in a name, I wonder? Since I have done this I feel really strange.  I am trying to get used to being called Maggie, and some friends and relatives are having a hard time with the switch as well. There have been other major changes in my life at the same time, so it is hard to make a direct relationship to the changes I feel. I do know that when someone wants to call me Ann, it feels really foreign and uncomfortable. But I’m also not sure I’ve fully embraced Maggie.

I have lost interest in many things and activities I used to like – books I liked to read, courses I liked to take, possessions I thought I loved, and places I liked to be.  I want to let go of many things I used to value highly. I feel really strange. Who am I? Is my self-image changing? What is my place in the world?  Where do I want to live?  And so on.

Have any of you had these types of experiences with a name change? Did you have other types of experiences? I’d love to hear your thoughts and feelings around this type of change.