Welcome
I originally intended to call my massage practice Eros, Psyche, and Pan (EPP Massage). This was a lovely name with a great purpose but over time my focus shifted. Not to mention the name didn't have that certain something I was looking for.
While designing my business cards I put a lot of effort into finding just the right name. After an hour of forceful searching Athalassa floated into my head.
Ah - th - ah - lass - ah
A - prefix used in Greek to denote the opposite of or the meaning "from"
Thalassa - the Greek Goddess representing the primordial sea, also the word for Sea
"From the Sea"
When I first started attending the Florida School of Massage, one of the first days of class we compared our bodies to a tidal estuary. There isn't a whole lot of difference. In our warm watery depths we hold a host of living organisms and cells that keep us functioning as a walking, talking ecosystem. We come from the sea, we are the sea, we are the world.
The sea is a powerful element, one that dominates my life. Being from Florida means the ocean is never far from the conversation. Rain, Hurricanes, Humidity, Vacation, Fishing, Boating, Oysters, the list goes on. I was born in St. Petersburg and spent the majority of my summer at the beach. I have never felt more at home than when in water. The serenity, the vastness, and the healing sound of the waves all come to mind when I think of the sea, of Thalassa.
Water represents emotion, psychic ability, and intuition. The vibrations of our minds affect the vibrations of our bodies. It moves within and without. But in it's powerful presence is the possibility for healing, clarity, insight, and calm.
I took on a new name while attending the Florida School of Massage. I go by Branwyn when I am within those walls. Branwen is a Welsh Goddess of the Sea. Her name means White Raven, and she is the sister of Bran the Blessed. She was princess of Britain and given away to the King of Ireland. Many things transpired and she was cruelly treated by her husband. She taught a starling to talk and sent it to her brother so that she be rescued from her plight. Her brother crossed the sea to come to Ireland and a discussion of a truce was had. But it was not to be. A war broke out and only a small group of people were left alive in both lands. Seeing the destruction caused by her strife it is said she died of grief. A stone called Bedd Branwen is said to be her grave stone.
In some traditions she represents a Goddess of Integration, seeing the bigger picture. With my goal to focus on helping people (including myself) recover from trauma, Branwen is a high name to live up to. Integration of body memory, heart ache and joy, and soul feeling is one of the loftiest goals of massage that I can think of. So with a bit of luck, lots of study, and my wonderful massage tools I hope to journey this way in light, love, and beauty.
I look forward to this exploration.
Namaste.
I originally intended to call my massage practice Eros, Psyche, and Pan (EPP Massage). This was a lovely name with a great purpose but over time my focus shifted. Not to mention the name didn't have that certain something I was looking for.
While designing my business cards I put a lot of effort into finding just the right name. After an hour of forceful searching Athalassa floated into my head.
Ah - th - ah - lass - ah
A - prefix used in Greek to denote the opposite of or the meaning "from"
Thalassa - the Greek Goddess representing the primordial sea, also the word for Sea
"From the Sea"
When I first started attending the Florida School of Massage, one of the first days of class we compared our bodies to a tidal estuary. There isn't a whole lot of difference. In our warm watery depths we hold a host of living organisms and cells that keep us functioning as a walking, talking ecosystem. We come from the sea, we are the sea, we are the world.
The sea is a powerful element, one that dominates my life. Being from Florida means the ocean is never far from the conversation. Rain, Hurricanes, Humidity, Vacation, Fishing, Boating, Oysters, the list goes on. I was born in St. Petersburg and spent the majority of my summer at the beach. I have never felt more at home than when in water. The serenity, the vastness, and the healing sound of the waves all come to mind when I think of the sea, of Thalassa.
Water represents emotion, psychic ability, and intuition. The vibrations of our minds affect the vibrations of our bodies. It moves within and without. But in it's powerful presence is the possibility for healing, clarity, insight, and calm.
I took on a new name while attending the Florida School of Massage. I go by Branwyn when I am within those walls. Branwen is a Welsh Goddess of the Sea. Her name means White Raven, and she is the sister of Bran the Blessed. She was princess of Britain and given away to the King of Ireland. Many things transpired and she was cruelly treated by her husband. She taught a starling to talk and sent it to her brother so that she be rescued from her plight. Her brother crossed the sea to come to Ireland and a discussion of a truce was had. But it was not to be. A war broke out and only a small group of people were left alive in both lands. Seeing the destruction caused by her strife it is said she died of grief. A stone called Bedd Branwen is said to be her grave stone.
In some traditions she represents a Goddess of Integration, seeing the bigger picture. With my goal to focus on helping people (including myself) recover from trauma, Branwen is a high name to live up to. Integration of body memory, heart ache and joy, and soul feeling is one of the loftiest goals of massage that I can think of. So with a bit of luck, lots of study, and my wonderful massage tools I hope to journey this way in light, love, and beauty.
I look forward to this exploration.
Namaste.
