I love the sense of smell. Somehow, it seems to be more intimately connected to memory than the other senses. Apparently there's even research showing that the smell of cut grass reduces stress, likely because it elicits childhood nostalgia. Yet, paradoxically, it seems harder to vividly remember a smell at will than, say, a sound or a sight. There is something ephemeral yet eternal about the sense of smell.
When you think about it, this makes perfect sense (no pun intended). Smell was arguably our first ever sensation, for our very life was born (and reborn) when God breathed His Spirit into our nostrils. Even now, we can't live without inhaling, without inspiring - without smelling. And it is no wonder, I think, that virtually all of my favourite smells pertain to the earth or 'earthiness' in general (see below). Since we were formed from the earth, it is plausible that the earth was the first thing we ever smelled. If smell was our first ever sensation, and the earth was our first ever smell, then the smell of the earth was our first ever experience, our first ever memory.
Smell is therefore more than a sense, more than a sensation; somehow it embodies our union with life, the universe, and everything. Indeed, smells can even evoke memories that we never knew we had. For example, one of the reasons I moved next to the sea is because I love the smell - it reminds me of the time when the earth was without form and void, when the inscrutable chaos that holds everything together was all there was. I didn't grow up by the sea; but my Father did, so it's in my genes, in my Genesis.
Over time, I've compiled a list of my favourite smells. These are not necessarily the smells that I consider to be the most interesting; for example, I find the smell of petroleum utterly fascinating, but in a purely analytical, rather than sentimental, way. Conversely, there are a myriad of smells which I find lovely, but not sufficiently profound; I would place vanilla, lavender, and several other 'scented-candle' fragrances in this category, for instance.
Finally, I'd note that I could have equally compiled a list of my least-favourite smells, i.e. smells that I most hate. But, other than a few possible surprises, such as fried bacon and Axe body-spray, such a list would be disappointingly unremarkable, not to mention needlessly unpleasant.
So, here they are - my favourite smells, ranked in order of favouriteness. (I will of course add to the list as I encounter new and forgotten smells.) For each smell, I've also added a list of Biblical word associations (to which I also reverse the right to add).
1) The earth before it rains; the earth while it rains; the earth after it rains. Associations: out of the dust; the early and the latter; Highways to Zion.
2) The cool, damp smell at the end of a hot summer day; the cool, damp smell of the forest. Associations: it was good; the shadow of the Almighty; we are indeed His offspring.
3) Coffee; cardamom; cocoa. Associations: blessed are those; the earth is the Lord's; see how He loved him.
4) Chopped wood; burning wood; burnt wood. Associations: dwelt among us; I will be with you; God will provide.
5) Freshly cut grass; freshly baked anything. Associations: all things new; I shall not want; the healing of the nations.
6) The sea. Associations: in the beginning; deep calls to deep; You are there.
The Bible equates breath with spirit - the very ruach of God, the very pneuma by which all things live and move and have their being. Insofar as smell is related to breath, it is therefore essentially spiritual. But then, at the end of the day, I suppose everything is.
When you think about it, this makes perfect sense (no pun intended). Smell was arguably our first ever sensation, for our very life was born (and reborn) when God breathed His Spirit into our nostrils. Even now, we can't live without inhaling, without inspiring - without smelling. And it is no wonder, I think, that virtually all of my favourite smells pertain to the earth or 'earthiness' in general (see below). Since we were formed from the earth, it is plausible that the earth was the first thing we ever smelled. If smell was our first ever sensation, and the earth was our first ever smell, then the smell of the earth was our first ever experience, our first ever memory.
Smell is therefore more than a sense, more than a sensation; somehow it embodies our union with life, the universe, and everything. Indeed, smells can even evoke memories that we never knew we had. For example, one of the reasons I moved next to the sea is because I love the smell - it reminds me of the time when the earth was without form and void, when the inscrutable chaos that holds everything together was all there was. I didn't grow up by the sea; but my Father did, so it's in my genes, in my Genesis.
Over time, I've compiled a list of my favourite smells. These are not necessarily the smells that I consider to be the most interesting; for example, I find the smell of petroleum utterly fascinating, but in a purely analytical, rather than sentimental, way. Conversely, there are a myriad of smells which I find lovely, but not sufficiently profound; I would place vanilla, lavender, and several other 'scented-candle' fragrances in this category, for instance.
Finally, I'd note that I could have equally compiled a list of my least-favourite smells, i.e. smells that I most hate. But, other than a few possible surprises, such as fried bacon and Axe body-spray, such a list would be disappointingly unremarkable, not to mention needlessly unpleasant.
So, here they are - my favourite smells, ranked in order of favouriteness. (I will of course add to the list as I encounter new and forgotten smells.) For each smell, I've also added a list of Biblical word associations (to which I also reverse the right to add).
1) The earth before it rains; the earth while it rains; the earth after it rains. Associations: out of the dust; the early and the latter; Highways to Zion.
2) The cool, damp smell at the end of a hot summer day; the cool, damp smell of the forest. Associations: it was good; the shadow of the Almighty; we are indeed His offspring.
3) Coffee; cardamom; cocoa. Associations: blessed are those; the earth is the Lord's; see how He loved him.
4) Chopped wood; burning wood; burnt wood. Associations: dwelt among us; I will be with you; God will provide.
5) Freshly cut grass; freshly baked anything. Associations: all things new; I shall not want; the healing of the nations.
6) The sea. Associations: in the beginning; deep calls to deep; You are there.
The Bible equates breath with spirit - the very ruach of God, the very pneuma by which all things live and move and have their being. Insofar as smell is related to breath, it is therefore essentially spiritual. But then, at the end of the day, I suppose everything is.
