Iphelia’s name is derived from the name Ophelia. Ophelia means to know and to be like a serpent, and is the name of a character from the Shakespearean play Hamlet. Shakespeare’s Ophelia was sensitive and emotionally repressed. She felt torn between the wills of her brother, her father, and her potential husband, Hamlet. She wasn’t able to determine for herself what to do or to set boundaries with those who were imposing on her. The overwhelm of her inner conflict ultimately led to her death. Like Ophelia, Iphelia is deeply sensitive and through the course of her story struggles with boundaries. Iphelia learns to value and celebrate her sensitivity and later to set healthy boundaries with the pushy people in her life.
Iphelia’s story is not a tragedy.
It is a victory.
Iphelia is pronounced I-feel-ya. “I-feel-ya” is a statement meaning to empathize or know the experience of another. When we speak and feel this statement there is the experience of energy extending from our heart toward and around another. In this way her name is an affirmation. Speaking the name inherently sets an intention. It says, “I now allot a portion of my awareness for you. I am aware of your experience.”
