Today I would like to recognize a feature of my life that has too long been ignored by those who don't properly understand me. I have lived in and visited so many countries in my life that I often forget where I've been and where I haven't been. I know, I'm lucky, but I do not take these experiences for granted. They have shaped who I am, and everywhere I have lived and visited has shaped me into the person I am right now. I am who I am because of what I've seen, where I've lived, and the environments I have been immersed in. It is for that reason I keep a pair of Imperial Guardian Lions on my desk at all times, and in some small sense, I believe they work.
For those who are unfamiliar with Guardian Lions, here is a link to what Wikipedia has to say about them. Mine look very familiar to those depicted in the picture beside the article, except they are made of wood and are about eight inches tall instead of nine feet tall. They are also not guarding the forbidden city (an amazing and beautiful place that I am fortunate enough to have visited).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardian_lions
Guardian Lions are fantastic creatures. They were originally designed by the Chinese way back in the days of the Dynasties. They should never be taken lightly, for they are without a doubt the most important species of lion ever to have existed, though in a sense, they are not entirely Lion. They depict, if it can be described as such, a half-lion half-dog creature, which in a sense makes them all-the-more intimidating. They alone possess the ability to keep out bad spirits, and filter in the good ones. They are the guardians of peace and tranquility, keeping balance and happiness for those who have them protect their lives. It is for this reason that the Guardian Lion appears outside almost every building in Hong Kong, and of what I've seen of China, almost every Palace, Temple, and large business one sees along the side of the road. They even guard the entrances to the Great Wall checkpoints.
Each Lion follows one basic rule: The guard on the left will always be female, and the guard on the right will always be male. It is bad luck to ever confuse this (though different cultures will argue that the genders should appear on different sides). The two are different in one main aspect; the female has under her paw a cub and the male has under his paw a sphere. The sphere symbolizes the world's soul, and all its structures. The cub symbolizes the Earth's life and all of its seeds. For this reason, the male will guard your home or business while the female will guard you.
Do not take this lightly. I made the terrible mistake of putting my male and female guards on the wrong sides of my computer, and not 24 hours after they were positioned as such, my computer simply stopped working. I spent days trying to fix it, and simply couldn't figure out what was wrong. No matter what I did, the thing would not turn on. I got frustrated and told the story to my parents, who jokingly said:
"Is the male on the right and the female on the left?"
"No," I said.
"Well, there's you problem," replied my mother.
I then switched the lions around, and pushed the power button to my computer. The screen flickered slightly, and then the computer booted up as if nothing had ever been the matter.
I tell you all this to share a little bit of what I consider my personal culture. If you ever adopt a pair of Guardian Lions, make sure you position them properly. They are not a source to be reckoned with.
For those who are unfamiliar with Guardian Lions, here is a link to what Wikipedia has to say about them. Mine look very familiar to those depicted in the picture beside the article, except they are made of wood and are about eight inches tall instead of nine feet tall. They are also not guarding the forbidden city (an amazing and beautiful place that I am fortunate enough to have visited).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardian_lions
Guardian Lions are fantastic creatures. They were originally designed by the Chinese way back in the days of the Dynasties. They should never be taken lightly, for they are without a doubt the most important species of lion ever to have existed, though in a sense, they are not entirely Lion. They depict, if it can be described as such, a half-lion half-dog creature, which in a sense makes them all-the-more intimidating. They alone possess the ability to keep out bad spirits, and filter in the good ones. They are the guardians of peace and tranquility, keeping balance and happiness for those who have them protect their lives. It is for this reason that the Guardian Lion appears outside almost every building in Hong Kong, and of what I've seen of China, almost every Palace, Temple, and large business one sees along the side of the road. They even guard the entrances to the Great Wall checkpoints.
Each Lion follows one basic rule: The guard on the left will always be female, and the guard on the right will always be male. It is bad luck to ever confuse this (though different cultures will argue that the genders should appear on different sides). The two are different in one main aspect; the female has under her paw a cub and the male has under his paw a sphere. The sphere symbolizes the world's soul, and all its structures. The cub symbolizes the Earth's life and all of its seeds. For this reason, the male will guard your home or business while the female will guard you.
Do not take this lightly. I made the terrible mistake of putting my male and female guards on the wrong sides of my computer, and not 24 hours after they were positioned as such, my computer simply stopped working. I spent days trying to fix it, and simply couldn't figure out what was wrong. No matter what I did, the thing would not turn on. I got frustrated and told the story to my parents, who jokingly said:
"Is the male on the right and the female on the left?"
"No," I said.
"Well, there's you problem," replied my mother.
I then switched the lions around, and pushed the power button to my computer. The screen flickered slightly, and then the computer booted up as if nothing had ever been the matter.
I tell you all this to share a little bit of what I consider my personal culture. If you ever adopt a pair of Guardian Lions, make sure you position them properly. They are not a source to be reckoned with.
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