Women are called many things. Whether you are male or female you can most likely hear that train of words already going down the track. And these days, young woman allow themselves to be called derogatory names and think it’s cool. To each their own, but repetitive words heard over and over make deep impressions in the mind.

I am not a woman who regularly gets called demeaning names, but I have been called a few of them in my life. They never felt good. Even the good names are mostly cute rather than empowering. Names such as babe, honey or personal nick names like Dee or Telly are fuzzy and cuddly, but where are the names for a woman’s upliftment?

I found out when I was at the mall last spring buying essential oils from a cart in the central isle between the larger commercial stores. This was a small vendor, but with a nice set-up of high quality oils and Incenses. I felt I was near to the ancient East. I was so glad to have found an oil merchant here locally I hoped he carried those hard-to-find scents. The man at the cart asked me if he could help me with anything. “Yes. Do you have frankincense, amber and myrrh?”
He said yes to all three and spoke to my husband, “This is a woman who knows what she wants. I love that.”

I paid for my order and took my oils, now in a fancy white and gold bag from the cart with no business name. He bowed slightly, left hand on his heart and said, “Thank you, Queen.”

Wow, was that a delightful shock. I wasn’t sure what to say in return. Your welcome is all I could muster, but the moment lingered with me for days. It was more powerful than, ‘Namaste’ that so many spiritual people say to each other, which means “I bow to the divinity in you.” In the past I had some friends who called the women around them, ‘Empress’. This is a powerful acknowledgement as well, but they were my friends. This was a stranger. It came out of nowhere and it was a man opening the door to greater female empowerment.

Have you ever been called something other than your name that struck you profoundly positive? If you are a woman, what do you think about being called Queen, or Empress? If you are a man, how do you feel about lifting women up with more powerful nicknames? How about for yourself? What are some new names we could address men with that make them feel royal and noble of character and respect?