A few of you know and some may have guessed that Asiya is my magickal name, not the name I was born with. I love the name Asiya. I don't particularly like the first name my parents named me with (absolutely love my last name - doesn't go at all with my first). The first name I was born with has connotations here in the United States, both intensely negative and intensely positive, and none of those connotations have anything to do with me. In fact, those connotations don't even have anything to do with my parents (they just didn't care about the negative connotations). Yet soon as someone knows my real name, they immediately ass-ume things about me that are incorrect and sometimes offensive. How do I know this? Because after finding out my name, they ask me stupid questions about me and my name.
My "real" name is similar to: A set of parents who are white, non-religious Americans decide to name their baby Mohammed. Most people who encounter Mohammed straight out ask him if he's a member of Al Qaeda, or when he's going to blow up his next building (or some variant of these). Some Muslims decide that because of the name, Mohammed must have been born to be a Muslim too, even though Mohammed has no interest in it. A few seemingly well-meaning but stupid people ask when Mohammed arrived in the states (despite that Mohammed is white, has an American accent, and dresses in the same manner as his fellow Americans).
Yes, people are really that stupid. They are also assuming and bigoted. Over the years, I have encountered thousands of people that stupid. And I encounter it on an almost daily basis. In addition, realize the parents were that ridiculous, careless, and mean to do that to their child. The above was an example; my name is not really Mohammed, but the circumstances, connotations, and stupid things people ass-ume are comparable. When I meet someone, they impress me for a moment if they at least keep their mouth shut and don't bombard me with bigoted statements and questions (seems about 10% of the population is okay). We often hear about bigotry due to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and appearance, but rarely if ever due purely to names.
I've been toying with the idea of getting my first name legally changed, but I haven't decided and haven't looked into it yet. I have no idea what name I would change to. It wouldn't be Asiya; I'd rather keep my magickal name and legal name separate. Alright, moving on...
There are four reasons why I chose the name Asiya:
1) When I began in Wicca, I was taught that you should harmonize your Birth number with the number of your magickal name, using numerology. My birth number is 1. "Asiya" also adds up to 1.
2) In the secular Arabic world, "Asiya" means "one who tends to the weak, one who heals". A couple of my focuses early on were herbal medicine and healing magick.
3) Asiya is an alternate spelling for Assiah. Assiah is the Kabbalistic fourth world. Malkuth is the sole Sephira to reside in Assiah, the realm of the physical Earth and everything that implies. I'm very focused on the practical - I don't care if someone has a pretty theory if it means nothing for real life - which is an Earthy kind of thing, and Assiah is the world of action, manifestation, completion.
4) Asiya, wife of the Pharaoh, is one of the four most sacred women of Islam. You can read more about her soon at this site.