If you’ve been following my journey, you know that months ago, when I experienced my first Light and Sound Alchemy Meditation session at Light Alchemy Hawaii, one of the messages I received from my higher self was that before I can do the work I am meant to do, I need to first learn my name and who I was/am. It was during this session that I first received the clarity I needed to recognize that I am on the same level or higher as many of the beings with which I work — something that I think I’ve always known, but could not begin to accept.

Since then, I have continued down my path, collecting small details that I hoped would lead me toward learning my name.

This past Monday, November 6, 2017, I learned my name. Let me share the story.

On Saturday, November 4, I joined my mother, sister, and friend – Lyndsey – at Sacred Falls International Meditation Center | Wat Lao Buddha Sacksith. They were holding the That Luang Ceremony, a traditional Laotian festival that pays respect to the most sacred stupa in Laos. We joined in festivities: we chanted, we fed the Monks, we made offerings of food and water to all the spirits and beings of the universe, we shared our merits (karma) with those who do not have their own, we ate, and we circumambulated a stupa that was built to represent That Luang.

Afterward, we sat down with one of the monks who was visiting from Thailand. It’s customary, at least in my own upbringing, for people to ask the monks for guidance and blessings for the future — in many cases, the monks are connected to other beings or to a Source that gives them insight and foresight. Mommy asked questions and provided translation since none of us speak much Thai. The monk started, first, by sharing the following messages:

• I should change my haircut so that my third eye is visible — I had recently cut bangs to pay homage to another deity, but I guess I’ll be growing that back out
• I am able to offer blessings to all kinds of beings, but there are so many that want my attention that my Spirit Team (my mother called them Angels) have a hard time protecting me

He decided that he would do a ceremony that would help to protect me and bring my happiness, along with different ceremonies and blessings for my mother, my sister, and Lyndsey.

The ceremony the monk did for me was intense and emotional. His eyes bulged out of his head. His body seemed filled with power. He raised his voice, using guttural and tongue-rolled words that accentuated the movements of the blessing water sticks being waved and brushed along my head and body. It was like some great being had come into the monk.

Afterward, the monk said that I needed to spend more time speaking to and consulting my mother. Mommy asked, “you mean, me?!” The monk clarified. My mother, Ganesha’s mother, Shakti (Parvati) — actually, he said the name in Thai which is kind of like her other name, Uma. Parvati is my mother from my previous life. And that the best version of Parvati for me to honor is the one with many arms, riding upon many dragons. After all, I am the Daughter of Dragons.

My mind was spinning. If Parvati is my mother, and Ganesha is my brother, then who am I? Am I Kartikeya? Is Siva my father? Who were his other children?

Lyndsey did some research. And then we knew. I am Mansā (Manasā), born of Siva’s semen upon a statue carved by Kadru, Mother of Dragons (Naga or Snakes); raised by my step-mother, Parvati; sibling to Ganesha, Kartikeya, and Siva’s other 2 daughters. And it all made sense:

• Siva and Ganesha reaching out to me
• Hanuman, an aspect of Siva, protecting me
• Tuatara saying that I am family 
• Meheanu saying that I am family
• The being that came into the monk was my father, Siva
• My one eye being much blinder than the other (tied to the legend of Chandi, an aspect of Parvati, ripping out one eye)
• My struggle with self-love and self-acceptance and with wanting love from others (tied to Mansā being rejected by Parvati; in turn, by Siva; by her husband; and by the people who wouldn’t, at first, recognize her Goddess-hood)

And so this past Monday, I learned that I am Mansā. And Monchalee. Reincarnated. Reborn. Skin shed to become a new being. To learn. To grow. To change. To become.

I was hoping that as soon as I learned my name, that my spiritual path in this life would become clear, and that I would know exactly how I am to fulfill the promise I’ve made of bringing balance. But I was wrong. This is just the beginning of my journey — it gives me a starting place, and insight, and guidance. And it also provides roots and foundation.

I am Mansā, but I am also Monchalee. I am not here to be Mansā, else I would not have been reborn into this existence. But I am here. And I got some work to do.