Ziva. What's in a Name.

Many, many, years ago, while preparing for my first degree initiation as a Wiccan priestess,  I had to do some research into various pantheons I was interested in as part of the initiation process. One pantheon I was interested in was  Slavic, as I have both Slavic and Celtic heritage.
 I came across the Goddess name Ziva, which means "life".

Ziva is the Slovak Goddess of life and of the harvest.  When the last sheaf of grain was cut, in order to capture the spirit of the grain, it was placed on  a pole and set in the ground. Praises were then sung to Ziva: to Life.

In one story, Ziva  flies out of Irij, Paradise, as a dove, and spots the God of Light Dazhbog nailed to the Caucus mountains. She rescues him and  carries him back to Paradise to heal him. Together, they created all life, including people.

The name resonated with me for a couple of  very personal reasons.  It seemed appropriate for me to take her name as my own upon my initiation.

Having recently attended the Anglican Church with my daughter, I was surprised to find out, when a friend told me, that Ziva is also a feminine Hebrew name for light. It means "Brilliance or Splendor". This also has a significant spiritual meaning as it refers to the brilliance or splendor of the light of God.


The double meaning of this name seems very
appropriate to me. Ever deepening  meanings are slowly being revealed as I progress along my spiritual path. It helps me to feel connected and know that the Spirit is always close at hand, guiding my sometimes blind, faltering steps with love and light, through this life.