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We're not just a pretty face, but what's in a name? Exploring the core concepts behind Lady and Lion Co. and outlining why you should be a fan.
When Carlos and I sat down to pick a name for our business, we were between two. Lady and Lion Co. was almost, "Blanca and Brown". The reason we didn't go with blanca and brown? Because it immediately addressed our race, even though we wanted it to symbolize yin and yang and we didn't want our business to be about that as much (we do dream of a furniture line with that title though, and it the reason out display is both, unstained wood and brown wood.) I came about the name of Lady and Lion after Carlos and my Zodiac signs. Carlos is a Leo (the lion) and I am a virgo (maiden or lady). However, I thought it was perfect that I have the goal of making an impact in the world and how we navigate our ego, and there were these two fairly defined characters of the ego and the goddess. The lion representing the animal-nature our ego brings to our life--- Survival, trials, beasts. In paradox, the "lady" which is a very different word from "woman" or "female". A lady is a societal term for a proper and prim woman. A lady is to remain pure, to not attract unwanted attention, and to always act in the light of goodness. So while the societal name for "woman" is lady and that does have a bit of ego involved, I wanted to contrast the beast with a god/dess like character, and really highlight our struggle in life with societal conditioning, how we manage our bodies or the ego/beast of our existence, and how we connect with the higher light in ourselve---- Our god self, our universal self, our spirit or soul, however you wish. That's really the brand, and though it may seem like handmade things only, there is a greater purpose I wish to serve with Lady and Lion Co. and here are the 3 big ones:
1.) RECLAIM GIVING AS AN ACT OF GRATITUDE
Giving is rather sad in our consumer culture. When have been conditioned to trade rather than give, so when we give, it's often for our own benefit. We give a child a toy with the expectation that they behave, we give in hopes of leveraging a business relationship, we give to a charity to feel better about our financial gains or to get a tax write off. Zooming out, that's a really toxic definition of giving that involved expectation, which really isn't true giving. Carlos is the first person who has given me love without expectation and it has been an essential center of our relationship, and I just couldn't get over how plagued my life via society had been with their "giving" habits it really opened my eyes. So our giftshop is not only to provide mindfulness tools that inspire your life, but also to teach the world how to give a good gift, without an expectation, and call attention to a habit a lot of Americans have. In mindfulness teachings, gratitude and giving are the ways to change your life. Giving selflessly for another person's benefit, and being grateful even for their existence on this planet is something we have to claim back as a pure act of mindfulness. Even with the services and products we provide. We come from a place of serving our community, not from a place of economical gain. Do we ask for a monetary exchange? Yes. Which doesn't necessarily mean we're giving in full, be we have no expectations of the people we serve to come back, to pitch us to their friends, to make us rich. No! We only wish to survive in this world by way of serving it with our unique skills and experiences.
2.) TEACH THE BASIS OF MINDFULNESS
I truly believe mindfulness changed my life. It's such a buzzword today, which really sucks because it's important and it should be paid attention to. I think in the world we live in today there are so many voices in our heads that aren't ours and we accepted them. Now it's time to get them out and start listening to our own voice. When I first got into mindfulness, I was really frustrated because people would tell me about it and then I would look under the surface of their life and they weren't really practicing it themselves, so I too believed for awhile it was this hypocritical, white-washed trend and it wasn't worth my time. BUT when the student is ready... the information suddenly appeared that I needed to hear in order to take it seriously via Buddhist and Tao teachings, and that's when I really started to dive deep and learn the fundamentals, and feel a strong pull to teach the main concepts of mindfulness. It also ties into the notion of giving. When we give another being our true, undivided presence, we are giving their soul everything in needs to feel seen and heard, and that is the fundamental need of every human being, and the basis of love and compassion. SO to be able to call our awareness to our own moments, and to be mindful of patterns in our life and traumas, and blessings, and virtues, we become a lot happier and are able to expand as humans reaching higher awareness.
3.) AUTHENTICITY
Since I was a little girl I have been told that I make other people feel at ease for being themselves, either through being my own person, or validating them. I believe that is a mission of my life. I want people to feel comfortable in their own skin. Through experiences in my life, I hope to showcase my real and true self and let other people feel permitted to be themselves too. Together we can own our lions, own our ladies, and find a healthy balance between the spiritual and physical.
SO there you have it! Thank you for walking along this journey with me and watching us grow! I'd love to hear more about what you thing and if any of this comes through in our branding or if you're like, "Dang! didn't know about that! Should probably talk about it more." Hit us up on instagram or send us an email! insta: @ladyandlionco email:hello@ladyandlionco.com