I subscribe to Native American beliefs, despite not being born as one. I attend sweat lodge as much as most self-professed Christians attend church. I go to pow-wows and other 'religious' gatherings which map to church bake-sales in many ways.

And like other faiths that have a non-standard naming nomenclature, what some would call my 'nickname' solidified in those circles. I call it my 'chosen name' or in more technical terms it would be called my 'religious name' by some of a scholarly calling.

I am Wolf with Wings. Pleased to meet you.

I can, have, and will accept checks to that name; sign that name to legal documents and expect them to bear full legal weight; etc.

Most phone calls ask for me by that name, unless they're a solicitor working from very outdated cold-call name lists in which case I often hang up on them. It's turned into a form of real-life spam filter. I've had the same primary cell phone number for over 10 years now, despite moving thousands of miles.

As a result, my 'name' that I use among friends, co-workers, and family is Wolf with Wings. It shortens conveniently for online use by losing the middle word as a username on many sites, for my personal 'vanity' domain, phone number, etc. On sites that require a middle name, I will include the 'with' in fact, or just the W.

My name I answer the phone at my job is Wolf. I have people call in asking to speak with me by that name regularly after only working there for a few months now. My e-mail address at work is based on that as well.

This bleeds over even further but separately to the 'persona' I have of myself that I get character art drawn of, etc. With a totem animal of wolf, and a spirit guide of the owl, this is what I mentally envision myself as, and what drives me to improve in my life. And what I turn to for support... for questions I have in life beyond that which science can currently explain. And for much of my moral code. A 'spirit self' in effect and practice.

So if you came here wondering why I use a name so disparate from that which the IRS files me under currently, this is why. Wolf is what I am aligned with, providing me strength and belief in the strength of friends to sustain me in the dark times of life. The silent wings and great vision of Owl guide me, helping me learn as I go.

Some would find conflict w/ my heavy involvement with computers, and IT as a whole, thinking that all Native Americans must be like the common view of the Amish; ludites. Yet there are no issues with using the best technology as far as I see. Historically, they would greedily adopt firearms and other tools as they became available, integrating that which worked for them individually and as a whole.

Others would question why I would subscribe with a fragmented belief structure so denigrated in the US, where I've been born and raised. To them I ask why not follow the beliefs that truly call to you?

I may not memorize or quote 'scripture' as some that walk a lesser path, I subscribe to both the proverb that "actions speak louder than words" as well as "the pen is mightier than the sword" so while I write my thoughts down to explain myself, I choose to act as an example rather than push others to act in my stead. If I am not willing to follow through beyond speaking, what good are all my words?

What is so wrong with respecting all the smaller and greater creatures in your life? All the wonders of this great Mother Earth? Under the view of this amazing Father Sky? It's populous enough for me to have found, and to believe in with my heart and spirit.