Claiming Marhayla

 I was given a new name about eight years ago in a dream. A healing name, for when I am ready to step into my power. I’ve tried a few times to use it, but it never felt quite right. I liked the sound of it—Mar-hay-la. I wondered what it meant. I googled it and found things that were close (Mahayla, Mahalo), but not quite it.

Then, a few years ago, as I was reading Prayers of the Cosmos by Neil Douglas-Klotz, I found it! In the book he translates some of Jesus’ prayers directly from the original Aramaic—the language that Jesus spoke. Neil Douglas-Klotz defines the root mar as the elementary rising principle that shines, lightens, and heats all things. He further describes it as the light of the One shining through material creation. Then on the next page, he defines hayla as one’s instinctual life energy, energy that produces and sustains, power in unison with all natural creation.

So Marhayla, this healing name, for when I am ready to step into my power, is really guidance for how to do just that. Mar tells me that healing is really all about seeing the light, shining the light in and on all things.  And hayla tells me that the way to step into my power is to align my life energy with heaven and earth, and then connect with the life force energy that flows through all things. Wow, what an awesome gift!

Writing my book, The Shaman’s Way of Healing from Sexual Abuse, was such a healing process for me, and putting it out into the world is a huge act of power, so this seems like the perfect time for me to claim my new name, Marhayla.  My goal in claiming the name Marhayla is to raise the light and heal the souls of all I come in contact with as I follow where the life force energy leads me.

As this new name blesses me, may I use it to bless the world.