It’s now official!  I’ve paid the fees, posted the notices, had the hearings, jumped through the hoops… Shariff Moore Abdullah is now “official”!

Now comes the fun part: propagating that change through all of the places where “one-F” now exists.  Not sure how long that’s going to take… could be up to six months!  

I will leave this explanation article available, for those who want to refer to it…

Part One: From Sharif to Shariff… Numerology and the extra “F”

(If you have no interest in numerology… you can skip this part.)

What’s in a name?  Actually, a lot of numbers!

When I changed my name many years ago, I had many choices in how to spell “Sharif”.  Although I was aware of numerology, I didn’t make my decision based on it.

Perhaps I should have!

I noticed that many of my international friends spelled my name with an extra “F”.  I always meant to see what would happen if I added the extra letter.

I finally got around to it a few weeks ago, after a few decades.

Basically: the extra “F” changes my overall name from a “5” to an “11”.  A very “spiritual” number!  (My last name was already a “22”, another spiritual number.)  If you care to look at the changes, see “Life Path 5 (one “F”)“; “Life Path 11 (two “FF”)“; and “Life Path 22 (last name only)”.

It’s a small change, that may have significant ramifications.  We’ll see!

(And, if you think that numerology is a bunch of baloney… well, write the extra “F” anyway!  Indulge me!)

Part Two:  From “Mujahid” to “Moore”: Reconnecting with my Ancestors

Like many of my time, a name change in the Sixties meant distancing ourselves from our families of origin. It was a convenient way for us to let go of our oppressive past.

But, we also let go of a very valuable baby in that bathwater.  Our past is rooted in our DNA… and in our names.  Part of our past history is shameful and oppressive.  Other parts are glorious.  The overwhelming majority of it is… Ordinary.  But “us”.  The stuff that makes us unique.

If our names are rich in family history, we inherit the vibration of that history.  If our names have religious/spiritual significance, that becomes our vibration.  (And, if our names are just a jumble of meaningless sounds strung together — we get that, too.)

So… I’m changing my middle name to “Moore”, my mother’s maiden name, and my link to the generations of my family.  The link has always been there, rooted in my DNA.  Now, I am consciously (re)acknowledging it.  This sets me in the life path of my illustrious grandfather, blues legend Bill Moore (pictured above, with my grandmother, Gwendolyn Gordon Moore, with the first of their seven children).  Here is a photo of Gwendolyn’s parents: the Reverend Daniel Gordon (right) and his wife, Maria (and a cousin).  They are my link to America’s slave past.

Also: letting go of “Mujahid” may mean less scrutiny when I’m coming back into my own country!  The overly-simplistic TSA folks seem to think that “Mujahid” is synonymous with “Terrorist/Bomber” — which it isn’t.

Part Three:  Is it Official?

The short answer:  YES.  Your name is anything you choose it to be. This is my choice.

The longer answer: YES!  As of 9:15 am on 20 March, 2015, I have a court-recognized name change!  Yay!  (The government cannot “change” your name. What the government does is RECOGNIZE and CERTIFY that you have indeed changed your name.)

Peace,

Shariff