Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived.
Psychologists tell us that the sense of smell is the most powerful and evocative sense we have. In an instant, a smell can bring us back to a forgotten moment or experience from our distant past. Scents stir, awaken and enhance our emotional state. In present time, inhaling the perfect selection of essences can bring us to a euphoric place of joy and well-being. Which essences release stress from your body or psyche, bringing you to a place or moment that provides contentment, relaxation or calm? Which exhilarate, motivate or inspire you? Consider for a moment these common smells: • Freshly brewed coffee • Hot-out-of-the-oven chocolate-chip cookies, apple pie or bread • Rain • Just-laundered clothes • Fresh-cut flowers from the garden • A sprig of rosemary rubbed between your fingertips • Incense • Wood burning in a fireplace on the first cool day of fall • Freshly cut grass on a summer’s day • Pine needles on a forest floor • A salty breeze that tells you you’re near an ocean Next time you encounter one of them, pay attention to your breathing while you inhale these scents. Work with your sense of smell consciously and note how you respond. More often than not, when we encounter a smell that touches us emotionally, we inhale deeply in anticipation of what’s to come, because at an organic and conscious level we know what that end feeling will be. The power of our breath brings us into our core — our chi, energy or prana. Yoga is a great example of this breath energy at work. Each pose requires coordinated breathing for you to maintain a position and gain its full benefit. The deeper the breath, the easier it is to hold the position, the further our muscles are stretched, and the better the workout. Even the meditation techniques in all religions are based on breathing. As our breathing gets fuller and deeper, we then relax and open. We feel lighter. As we inhale and exhale, we reconnect to ourselves and all living beings. It cleanses us of toxins, tension and worry. When introducing new smells to enhance your sacred space, it’s best to work with ones that are as natural as possible, because they will have higher vibrations and create energetic shifts within us and in our environment. Natural smells inspire us in a way that manufactured scents never can, and best of all, they don’t pollute the atmosphere. Their purity helps align us with our inner source. My goal is to inspire you and to provide you with what you will need both inwardly and outwardly to turn your house (apartment, condo or loft) into a home of Sacred Style. You will be challenged to use your senses differently and stretch your own ability to “listen” to what they have to tell you. Each article balances the need for awakening both your own inner connection with the divine and your sacred imagination.
Written by Jill Angelo
Drawing on more than 25 years of experience in business and operations management, her creative passion, her education in marketing and design and her background in both psychology and the mystical arts, Jill took her diverse toolkit into the fast-moving world of spiritual self-help publishing, where she has worked with such authors as Caroline Myss, Marianne Williamson, Andrew Harvey, Mathew Fox and Mona Lisa Schulz. During that time she delved deeply into spiritual studies and practices, traveling extensively to Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. Her fine-tuned abilities and out-of-the-box approach to life have uniquely prepared her for creating sacred spaces for people with wide-ranging interests and budgets.
Learn more at www.jillangelo.com
