What's in a Name?

Last night was another trip with Evelyn to Heavenly Hardware, the quaint little metaphysical shop in a not-so-quaint neighbourhood. The topic of discussion was spirit guides and angels, and we each gave our two cents on the matter.

Personally, I believe in the idea of spirit guides. I have had a few peculiar moments in life where I haven't felt alone or have been saved from harm by something. For all intents and purposes, I shouldn't be alive. I can think of four separate incidents where my life could have been taken from me, either by fate or my own actions.

Remember TWA Flight 800? The airplane which exploded on takeoff from New York City all those years ago? I was on that plane... same flight, same time... two months before the accident.

As for angels and demons, I don't believe in using those terms. I've always been one who felt that attaching a religious connotation to certain supernatural things wasn't right. I think it's a matter of what you want to see... or what you need to see. If you believe in stereotypical angels, you will see a winged human. And who says they have to be higher beings anyway? Why can't an "angel" simply be a living person we know... a spirit guide be your best friend in life... a helpful presence be that of a dead friend or family member lingering around?

One popular discussion from the night also had to do with me. The leader of the meetings has said several times that she hates calling me by my name, because she feels my name doesn't fit me. I tend to agree: I've always hated my name. So, we ran through a dozen possible names to refer to me. At one point, I said, "Call me Ishmael." (In reference to the first line of Moby Dick) At various times, I was called James or Robin. Evelyn said she felt compelled to call me Chris when she first met me. So perhaps I should from henceforth be referred to as Christopher Robin James William Ishmael?

It does have a certain ring to it... and it's better than Eeyore...