Steemit Name Challenge | Why Soul Turtle?

I was tagged by @eaglespirit to do this challenge. She has a lot of meaning behind her names which really made me think about the power of names. Check out her original post to read about them.

Steemit Name Challenge - Why Eagle Spirit?

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The Rules

• Tell us how you chose your current Steemit Username. The story behind it.
• Tell us your real name.
• If you could change your current Username, which name would you choose and why?
• If you have a "change of heart" usernames list, mention it.
• Use the tag #steemitnamechallenge so that all the posts can be tracked.
• Nominate 5 people for this challenge.

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Why Soul Turtle?

This name was actually a spontaneous decision to use online. Back when I was first introduced to the internet, I only used facebook and MSN messenger to talk with people that I mostly knew. As dial-up gave way to broadband, the plethora of places I was a part of on the internet grew exponentially. As my circles grew to include more strangers, everyone was using screen names, and there was a certain allure in choosing an online avatar, particularly in online role playing games where hardly anyone used their real name. 'Soul Turtle' was the name of a mixtape which I found oddly endearing. It was the first available name I used while signing up for an MMO, and it eventually became my screen name on other online forums. I know I'm not the only Soul Turtle on the internet anymore, but it wasn't taken on steemit. So I chose to use it as I've become fairly comfortable in its skin. I found the name catchy and easy to remember, but also as I'm thinking about it now, it is a name that does have some meaning behind it.

Firstly, turtles are awesome. I've always liked them since we did a turtle walk along the coast to collect turtle eggs and help the hatch-lings safely to sea. I also spend a lot of time in my own head, like a turtle in its shell, but I also enjoy meeting quality people and can be at ease outside the shell too. I'm also known to have a certain measure of patience and generally go about things slowly at my own pace without rushing. I'm not old and wise yet, but perhaps someday?

I'd like to think all my posts have some amount of soul in them. I'm quite passionate about what I write about. I spend a lot of effort on all of my posts and little bits of my soul hopefully rub off on them.

Even though I'm not a flat-earther, the name is also reminiscent of the world turtle myth. Essentially, the turtle that supports the world on its back. Perhaps another interpretation of Gaia, the living Earth spirit? As I continue down this path of homesteading and permaculture, I'm learning how every living thing is connected, and the world turtle is a great metaphor for the interconnected wood wide web.

The World Turtle. Google it to see much better art of it.

My Real Name

My real name is Kartik. It's a South Indian name that is the name of a month that falls between November and December in the Tamil calendar. It's also another name for Lord Shiva's first born son and Ganesha's brother who is also known as Kartikeya, Kumara, Skanda and Murugan among other names. Kartik is represented as a philosopher-warrior who sometimes has 6 heads to represent the star cluster of the Krittikas, known as Pleiades in the Greek system, who took care of the God when he was still a baby.

Lord Kartikeya

Lord Shiva's family picture consisting of himself, his wife Parvati and sons Kartikeya and Ganesha.

Hindu mythology is rather fascinating and there are a whole bunch of stories about Shiva and his sons that I was in awe of growing up. I don't know how much in common I have with my divine namesake, but he's no doubt a great guy.

Would I Change Anything?

I'm happy with my current steemit name. I've slowly grown a circle of friends who know me by this name, and I think in some ways it does represent what I blog about. I'm thinking of naming our homestead Turiya Farms, and if I had to choose something else maybe I would've gone with our farm name to represent a more communal vibe. Other than that, this turtle is pretty much here to stay.

I know I was supposed to nominate other people too, but I really don't know how to choose. If you feel like doing a post like this, do it. Consider yourself tagged if you're seeing this.

Images from pixabay and wiki-media commons

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