“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.” -Picasso

When I was pregnant with my first child, people asked me, “Have you chosen a name yet?” The answer was always, “Not yet.” My husband Fulvio and I had some names in mind, but we wanted to wait until our baby was born to decide.

In our list of names, there were options like Astro, Teodoro, and Blu, but when I looked at our baby boy for the first time, I didn't see him as any of those names, so we decided to wait a few days before making a choice.

I spent the first days of his life calling him, baby, sweet baby, my love... I smelled him, kissed him, and sniffed his little head. We showered together, I breastfed, and looked into his eyes countless times before understanding a little more about his essence. 

It was around the fourth day that my husband suggested the name Jasper. I looked at our baby and thought, ‘He really looks like Jasper.’ We loved the way Jasper sounded, the fact that it was an old name and what it meant. We started calling him Jasper to see how it felt.

Jasper was musical and that it was fun to hum. The pronunciation was relatively simple, which we also liked. 

The very next day I contacted an astrologer. Fortunately for us, the astrologer also understood numerology. We checked what his birth chart and numerology would look like if we called him Jasper.

Based on the references he provided, Jasper really seemed like a great choice. His numerology (calculated on the basis of his full name) was harmonious and matched with the information on his astrological chart (calculated based on the day, time, and location of his birth).

In less than a week our son had a name: Jasper Traglio

I enjoyed this process so much that I organized a list of each step we went through to choose a name:

1. We waited until our son was born.
2. We allowed a few days to go by. Meanwhile, we fell in love and learned a little about him.
3. We blocked outside pressure from friends and family.
4. We thought of some names that matched his essence.
5. We observed how the names that came up sounded in our ears.
6. As I heard the name Jasper for the first time, I knew it was his name.
7. I contacted a professional astrologer/numerologist.
8. We chose a name that sounded good to us, matched his essence, and was in alignment with the numbers already predetermined on his astrological chart.

If you're reading this and thinking, ‘Wow, this process sounds like a great idea!’ I need to make it clear that this process is not for everyone, since it comes with its challenges. You’d need to be comfortable making a decision under pressure. At the time of Jasper’s birth, our midwife gave us less than a week to decide on a name.

Another thing that is important to consider is external pressure. Many of our family members were eager for an answer. Imagine having to deal with all this while you're facing postpartum!

And just to comfort you, there's nothing wrong with taking an easier way out, which is choosing a name that speaks to your heart while you're still pregnant and that’s that.

While choosing Jasper's name was relatively simple, choosing a name for our little girl was more of a challenge.

When I was still pregnant with her, the only name I liked was Goya. I LOVE the name Goya. It's strong, direct, unique, gender neutral, and if rearranged, it means Yoga.

I don't remember if I told you, but she was conceived the day I returned from Kundalini Yoga teacher training in Colorado last year. And even more interestingly, she was born on my Yoga mat. So it made perfect sense to call her Goya. However, when I first looked at her, I didn't feel that it matched her sweetness and femininity.

I remember telling Fulvio the night she was born, “She doesn't look like Goya. She's so sweet, so feminine. I don't know what to call her, but I see her more as Bella." And for several days, we tested different names. Unfortunately, the names Fulvio liked, I didn't like, and vice versa.

Bella, Emma (Fulvio's favorite), Olivia and Nina were all options, but to me none of those names sounded like her name. Bella was the closest option, but in our circle of friends, we’ve met a few Isabellas, Annabellas, and other Bellas. We were looking for a name that was more unique to her.

And as the days passed, we got to know her better. The first few days were pure sweetness, but the nuances of her personality started showing up around week two after she was born. That's when we started to get an idea of ​​what we were going to call her.

I remember I was searching on google for the fiftieth time when I saw the name Penelope. Although I already knew that name, for some reason I paused. My daughter's face came to my mind. Something connected inside so I asked Fulvio, “What do you think about the name Penelope?” He replied, “I like it.”

What a relief! We had found a name we both liked. I started calling her Penelope aloud to see how it echoed. We both found it to be melodic and fun.

 🎶Pe-né-lo-peee, Pe-né-lo-peee, Penelope!🎶

Penelope is strong like Goya, but at the same time sweet and feminine. We love Penelope Pitstop and her pink outfit. I also like Penelope's heroic attributes in Homer's Odyssey, and in our circle of friends, we don't know any Penelope.

That's when we decided to ask for professional help. My friend Carol Scaff sent me the contact number of the numerologist Magno. I had already heard about his work, as he is well known in Miami.

We got in touch and he did her numerology as if she was already Penelope Traglio. Guys, Magno was just wonderful! Not only did he do her numerology, he also compared it to my numerology and Fulvio's. It all sounded great so we filed it with the local registry office on the very next day.

The process of choosing her name took exactly eighteen days. It's good that in Brazil you have up to 30 days to register a newborn. At one point I got worried about not finding a name within that period, but it all worked out.

Reflecting on the whole process of naming our children, Jasper and Penelope would have different names if we had decided during pregnancy, and of course that would be fine too.

I just noticed that spending a little time with them, changing their diapers, breastfeeding, smelling them, looking into their eyes, sleeping together… made all the difference in the name we ended up choosing.

I never thought I would have children named Jasper or Penelope. Lol. It was a surprise to us as much as it was for everyone else. Their names found us, we didn’t find them. All we did was to sit tight and not allow anxiety to take over the process. 

Numerology and astrology were just tools that helped me see things that deep down I already felt and knew.

—

About Numerology:

Numerology is an awesome companion to astrology — it helps clarify the sign by providing additional nuance.

Just as your astrology birth chart contains powerful metaphysical insight — the planets and zodiac signs are connected to specific attributes — the teachings of numerology can also offer insight on personality, future events, and even life's greater purpose.

__________________________________

Edited by: Lily Zara