Welp, I've done it -- gone and changed my journaling name for the first time in 17 years

[capri0mni]

"CapriUni" was (is) a portmanteau of "Capricorn" and "Unicorn" that I chose for my online "face" throughout the Internet over 20 years ago (And it had been my LiveJournal user name for 17 years)

I was inspired to pick that name because of an essay I'd read describing the symbol of Capricorn/fish-tailed goat as the mid-point in the evolution of the soul, with the Unicorn as the ultimate superior form (because the duality of the two horns become united in one perfection).

Only, over the past couple of decades, my beliefs have changed, and I no longer see unified harmony as superior to polyphony and complexity. And besides, the very idea that the fish form represents something base, and inferior, that must be evolved out of, now has too much of an uncomfortable taint of Lovecraft's racism.

So I've now changed it to "Capri0mni" (note well: spelled with a zero, because Dreamwidth code doesn't have room for capital letters), which is a portmanteau of Capricorn and Omnicorn (All the horns), instead.

I am still fond of the Capricorn goat, and the myth of how he came to be a constellation. And I still love unicorns. I just no longer see them as connected on a scale of spiritual evolution.

(Also note: I've decided not to release "CapriUni" for anyone else to use, because I'm not changing it anywhere else I'm using it, and it had been my identity for so long, the idea of anyone else taking it kind of creeps me out. So if you search for CapriUni, it will all lead back to me, just like it always has)

Comments

[alatefeline]

Thank you Capri0mni!

It is cool to hear about your name-story. :)

[capri0mni]

You're welcome!

(Yeah, I figured it would be somewhat impolite to go and change my "face," and leave people wondering what, if anything, had happened to spur the change).

[pebblerocker]

Congratulations on your evolution! I've known you by the old name a long time, but I welcome the new one.

[capri0mni]

Thank you! :-D

I appreciate the support.

Were you around for one of my first LJ icons? It was the astrological symbol for "Capricorn" with a Unicorn's silhouetted head (in white) behind it, and the word "CapriUni" at the top.

I'd like to figure out how to do something similar again, but figuring out the silhouette of a creature with all the horns, is just a bit trickier. ;-)

[redsixwing]

Congratulations on the update, and what a fascinating source for your name!

[capri0mni]

Thank you! (and thank you).

[vilakins]

I really like the name and the reasons behind it, and the zero.

I didn't realise you could choose to hang onto your old name. I wouldn't mind finding a new one myself, but vilakins is never taken anywhere, and all the other names I tried originally were taken. So I suppose vilakins I stay until I can think of something else unique.

[capri0mni]

That's also an advantage of "CapriUni." (and, I also suspect, "Capri0mni"); Put that in a search engine and, so far, it all leads back to me.

I like the zero, too. Using a zero to spell a prefix meaning "All" has a certain Schoedinger's Cat elegance to it. :-)