The Sweet Smell of Nature
Essential oils from all parts of plants and trees; bark, berries, seeds, leaves, and flowers. They all basically work to balance our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, relaxing and bringing harmony and equilibrium, clarity, and awareness. This is why they were and still are, burned in so many temples around the world in the form of incense: myrrh and frankincense from Africa and Western Asia, sage from the Western Hemisphere, and lavender from southern Europe.
The scent of plants on a wet late summer morning; the smell of newly moan grass; the hot, dry, arid herbs on a scorched mountain- these are just a few of the many sweet smells of nature.
Smell is one of the most evocative memory joggers. Not only does it stop you at the time, helping you to extend and savour all that is present, but it also has a beautiful way of reviving memories to sweeten the present. When we remember someone, we very often remember their scent. We smell their individual pheromones (from the Greek pherein meaning “to carry”, and bormon meaning “to excite”). Pleasant odours make us feel happy, while noxious ones can irritate and depress. So whether you like the smell of tar, bergamot essential oil, or the latest chemical perfumes is for you to decide, but the sensation will change your own body chemistry. It does this through a portion of the brain that controls emotional well-being, which is originally triggered by the nerves of the olfactory organ-the nose.
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