Experiencing Fragrance One Spray at a Time
What of the time between sprays? The area that lies beyond the perfume’s guided path from top to dry? As a sprayed fragrance begins to evaporate from the skin, here lies a mysterious space nestled between the cracks. A dreamlike nook perfect for scent meditation. During these intervals, you may engage in periods of scent reflection… looking backwards and forwards, upwards and downwards. Inert. Slowly allowing yourself to retreat towards sense normalcy. Slowly you reach the seams… near the end of your olfactive climb… yet you are hungry for the possibility of endless others that may yet still await. Quietly contemplating, you ask yourself, “Who am I? How did I get here? What does it all mean?”
Here exists a moment of beautiful simplicity. Tacet. Lost in a moment of silence where time continues, but sheltered in an echo of peaceful calm. Here you enjoy free falling, gleefully taking those last few breathes before your feet return to the ground. Here is the way home.
So much of the fragrance experience involves letting go. First, as you enter into a state of immersion, as the scent embraces your skin. Then again, as its wears away and you are forced to say goodbye. Throughout it all, fragrance envelopes not only the body, but also the mind; you physically feel it AND you mentally experience it. It is an incredibly powerful mood influencer: transportive, transcendent, and active. A catalyst for not only excitation, but also inspiration.
The sum of the whole experience, from application to emergence, feels to me like reaching the end of a great novel. I have been somewhere, sometimes even outside of myself, and am now ready for that period of reconciliation. It has triggered an emotional response deep inside me and left me wanting, desperately trying to make sense of it all.
Understanding and acknowledging the unspoken is an integral part of fragrance appreciation. The next time you spray your favorite scent, challenge yourself to just let go. Allow yourself to consciously walk to the fragrant edge and beyond.
Read more about the “madness” of the fragrance experience here…
