It's Friday and World Meditation Day. Our community project for today: wear whatever you think fits the theme.
What fragrance did you pick? As always, do chime in with your scent of the day even if you’re not participating in the community project.
I'm in Aftelier Candide because a) it is one of the few fragrances I have with me at the beach, and b) it isn't calming, but it does put me in the right frame of mind for Loving-Kindness meditation.
Reminder: 5/28 will be Summer Vacation Friday...wear a fragrance that reminds you of a favorite vacation, that fits an upcoming vacation, or that would work for a vacation you wish you could take. (If it's winter where you are, adjust accordingly.)
And for those of you who like to plan ahead, see Scent of the day ~ Friday community projects 2021, where I'll try to always have the next five or six weeks mapped out in advance.
Note: top image is Kamakura Buddha [cropped] by John Gillespie at flickr; some rights reserved.
Good morning and TGIF!
I am all zen-ed out in Breath of God. I am feeling (and smelling) good~
Currently drinking a nice warm cup of green tea.
Breath of God- Perfect!
It will be hard to beat.
I really need to try that one.
I love that scent. Great pick! The
This post is dedicated to my mother, a brilliant therapist and researcher.
“The astute hypnotherapist is one who arranges circumstances so as to permit such receptivity to inner experience… We may note that this way of defining therapeutic trance is very similar to the classical use of mediation. The word “mediation” comes drom the Latin meditari, a passive form of the verb that means literally “being moved to the center.” Consciousness remains passive as it is moved to the center (the unconsciousness), where it can achieve wholesomeness: a reunion with contents and tendencies that have been excluded from consciousness.”
Hypnotic Realitys by Milton Erickson, Ernest and Sheila Rossi
Scent of the Day: Hypnose by Lance
So nice, thanks Dilana!
Did I mention my mother is also a great editor? In addition to pointing out the typo in the word “from,” she indicated that I should clarify that the quote is from the book entitled “Hypnotic Realities” by Milton Erickson and the Rossis.
=
I may be falling in love with your mom. Just saying….
Thanks for the link Robin, I’ve saved it to my notes so that I can come back and re-read it.
That image instantly brought to mind one fragrance for me: Tam Dao. It’s my calming go-to.
The heat and humidity has really brought the pollen. My eyes are an itchy mess. Trying my best not to rub them.
Looking forward to the splitmeet tomorrow!
I am a big fan of Sharon Salzberg but have not listened to the meditation on that page.
So sorry about your eyes! Pollen bad here too.
Twins in Tam Dao today!
Everything here has a green haze on it…. pollen! I’ve been sneezing today.
Wearing CdG Jaisalmer for the cp.
Drinking my second cup of plain coffee and looking forward to running some quick errands at lunchtime. The day is cooler, sunny and beautiful. I will enjoy it, before the heat returns tomorrow! ?
Happy Friday! ?
Perfect choice.
Thank you!
House twins, and I think there will be more.
You smell great in Zagorsk! Incense perfumes are very calming and relaxing!
Glad to hear that you were able to take advantage of the nicer weather and get some errands done today.
I will get some groceries tomorrow morning and I will stay home the rest of the weekend. I am trying to avoid the rough heat outside, if possible!
Love the Kamakura Buddha pic. Have visited in rain and sun and is always lovely.
Going with Paris Edimbourg again. I love it. I’m mediating on the pretty good price point.
I have never been but can believe it is always lovely.
For anyone who is not familiar with the statue:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Dtoku-in
I have already worn my meditation scents in my perfume a day project – Chris Rusak Io and Pacifica tibetan Mountain Temple. So today I’m wearing Nicolaï Fig-Tea – it’s warm and sunny, and we are driving to Cleveland to do our first college tour in more than a year – Case Western. Time to narrow the list down!
Enjoy your tour, and you smell fantastic!
How fun! Have a great visit.
I am wearing Samsara. A rather loose interpretation of the CP.
A video for the theme – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92i5m3tV5XY
WARNING: the video is hilarious but NSFW (language!).
Lol.? Love it!
They can’t even!! Excellent.
??
??
Love it! The voice sounds like some who’s trying to keep his voice low and soothing because he did not want his co-workers to hear him (yeah, what happened today in a Zoom call).
LOL. Imagine trying to record a video like that during a Zoom call.
ZOMG! Thank you SO very much for posting that today Glannys. I needed it.
I am glad you found it useful.
Surprisingly, it does help to reduce stress.
Wearing CdG Kyoto for the CP. Incense smells so good to me in summer heat, and it feels like late July here right now ??
Kyoto is so good! Suddenly feels like late July here too!?
Twins!
You smell great!
Great choice!
Late July here, too! Kyoto is a favorite of mine, too, but only in the winter.
Also in the roasty-toasty club today! ?
I’m wearing Ancient Resins body oil. Close enough.
I love that body oil, it’s spectacular for hair also.
You smell wonderful. Perfect for the theme!
SOTD is Arielle Shoshana Sunday. Summery and comforting.
You smell amazing!
Happy Friday everyone! WOOT! My SOTD is Zen, by Shiseido (vintage) with a spritz of Incense Pure by SSS to add depth.
Two espressos in, time for the Stair Master express.
Current read: Farmacology: Total Health from the Ground Up by Dr. Daphine Miller, M.D.
I had not thought of that, although I have a bottle of the vintage Cologne. Good idea
I love the fizzy top notes. It’s such a pretty scent.
I’m in Dzongkha or whatever the spelling is – not an overly original pick for today’s CP, I suppose, but should certainly do the trick.
Happy Friday to all!
Good choice! You smell great!
I went super literal again in Clinique Peace and Jasmine. It doesn’t last long, so I brought a sample of Bvlgari Eau The Vert for a midday pick-me-up!
We’re having actual friends over for tacos and margaritas this evening—real people in our home! Better days are coming.
Tea for two! Am already in the blue tea…
Love the bleu! You smell great!
Yay for friends and tacos!
Woke up in Courtesan this morning and was sorry to wash it off in the shower. Hotter than hell here right now. I am debating on either Chamade or Kyoto today for work.
Oh, Chamade is a great choice for the CP.
I didn’t know what the CP was but my SOTD is rather contemplative. I’m in DelRae’s Mythique.
You do smell great austenfan.
I’m in CdG Kyoto, which along with today’s picture will have me thinking of Japan. The Kamakura Buddha was so lovely!
You smell great too! I love Kyoto.
I am definitely not the meditating type but when I think of meditation I think of incense, so I am wearing Demeter Incense — soft, a little smoky, a little wood, not *hugely* incensey but extremely pleasant.
I like that one.
I was not the meditating type either. But I finally got stressed enough that started meditating anyway.
Happy Friday! What a week of weather for NYC and the weekend looks just as good. Summer heat – love it!
SOTD: Prodigieux Le Parfum by Nuxe
It is gorgeous here too!
Went with Zagorsk today. Calm and green. The boyfriend got his first vaccine shot today, so yay!!!
You smell fantastic! Zagorsk is my favorite of the CdG incenses. Congrats for the shot!
Yay!!
Hooray for the shot!!
Congrats to your boyfriend for Shot #1!
Hello NST!
Wearing L’Ombre Dans L’Eau, because the thought of watching shadows rippling in and across the water seems very meditative to me. I imagine this fragrance as being perfect near a small stream/brook/canal, with trees on the banks overhanging the water, and just sitting there still and peaceful for a while.
Totally off topic, but is anyone here in southern Michigan (near Dearborn) and want to meet up (outside, masked, etc.)? I will be in Dearborn for work from the 23rd to 28th.
Oh perfect…that matches yesterday’s image!
I was going to go with Jaisalmer, my “calm and meditative” favorite, but for some reason I ultimately decided on Palisander, from the CdG Red Series. My very large decant has gone off a bit in the top, but 5 minutes in, all seems to be well.
Sending peaceful and serene thoughts to all of you.
Hi Lisa!
What’s your favorite incense CdG?
And, being a very close perfume twin, I’m so hoping you are hosting a split ? No pressure, ?
You smell great Lisa D.
Hermes Eau de Neroli Dobre for me today. It was mentioned a couple of times this week so why not again? ?
Of course I meant Neroli Dore
Perfect!
Going with birdlike for my meditative perfume… Hummingbird on my left arm, and Nightingale on my right.
In truth, I probably should stick to birds of a feather when I have them flock together—but maybe these will blend better as they dry down (fly down?).
It is hours later, so hope that worked?
I found Nightingale just too relentlessly sweet, but did like Hummingbird.
That’s so interesting. I found Hummingbird too sweet (almost right but just not on me), but I love the interplay of the sweet top notes in Nightingale with the soapy 70s/80s vibe of the patchouli and moss combo.
SL Encens Lavande is my meditation day scent.
Yesterday we attempted to drive to Tofino on the west coast, but the road was closed and we got skunked. However, we did have the excitement of passing a black bear on the side of the road calmly munching berries. We stopped and took a photo. He was not bothered, completely ignored us. But we had a thrill!
What a treat! I’ve always wanted to see a bear (at a safe distance). Glad there was a silver lining to the trip.
A bear, how exciting!
Jealoussssss of your bear sighting. That would buoy me for days.
Oh, I love Tofino. We used to go there in the summer when I was a kid.
I hope you can get there soon!
I hope that your skunking was a figurative one and not a literal one! But how cool that you saw a for real, live bear! ?
Sorry you didn’t make it to your destination! But how cool to see a bear!
Happy Friday!
In De Bachmakov and feeling grateful for the beauty of the scent and so much more.
Yep, it is gorgeous!
Kyoto felt like the perfect match for the CP theme, but I wasn’t in the mood for it this morning and went with Safran Troublant instead. Chilly and windy here today after a freak rain shower yesterday, a garden-withering 90-degree hot spell a week or so ago, and a garden-killing freeze a week or so before that. Sometimes spring feels like a salad dressing that refuses to emulsify!
LOVE your comment about Spring refusing to emulsify! It made me smile.
You smell amazing!
Neela Vermeire’s Ashoka day for me!!!!
Beautiful, it took me a while to appreciate it. But I think it is a stunning perfume and very easy to wear
Glad You came to like it!! It is excquisite. But it makes my every other perfume smell… Less than.
I put on some vanilla mush and topped it with Vanira Moorea. It’s sure to work, and the perfect combination for anywhere in the tropics. I’m taking vacation to Popka in August.
I am just so excited today because I finally got some nicely earned CP points with Ashoka!! Every single time I wear Ashoka it keeps reminding me why I think it is my most favorite perfume and why “investing” in Neela Vermeires is the most justified. I have a sample of Mohur on the way and cannot wait.
“Investing” is a very good way of looking at it
I love Ashoka, have you tried Trayee? I think I like it even more than Ashoka.
Feeling Hermes today, so dipped into the samples jar on my desk and went with Galop. I love how Hermes does leather. I suppose it is their wheelhouse, lol.
You smell great!
Trying Dusita Cavatina today. A nicely done very green lily of the valley but, I think lucasai may have said something similar, I am just not that into lily of the valley perfumes. I like sniffing real LOTV but somehow in perfume it often seems a bit cloying no matter how lovely the composition.
Thanks for so many well wishes for my sister yesterday…much appreciated.
I feel that way about gardenia — I love the flower, but in perfume it tends to gag me (with the exception of Cuir de Gardenia, le sigh…)
I missed yesterday but just wanted to add good wishes and send healing vibes to your sis!
Wearing Visa today, from the generous Aurora. It’s gorgeous.
No CP points for me, but I’m enjoying reading about all the incense fragrances mentioned. I really want to explore more of the CdG incense series, I only know Avignon. And I’ve almost blind-bought Kyoto so many times!! But I think I will be sensible and get samples of some of them first.
I can send you a couple samples from the line. Email me at Gillian dot Money in the land of gee male. But spell my first name with a J and my last with two Os instead of one.
That’s so nice of you Vee. I just emailed you, hope I got it right!
you smell delicious for sure, and you are very welcome.
It smells especially great today. I’m picking up some hint of mint! It’s the first time in awhile where I’ve not been tempted to spritz on something else in the afternoon.
I’m wearing Assam of India today. Tea can foster meditation, can’t it? I think the bottle might be evaporating, the level is below the first row of elephants and I haven’t worn it that much, only about 15 times.
Like lots of people, I have a glass of water next to the bed. This morning I walked in the room and saw Bertie Wooster drinking out of it…who knew we were sharing it?!
Too cute about your cat, and agree on tea wholeheartedly.
Ohhhh Assam of India. I saw it online and almost blind-bought it. For the name and for the elephants on the bottle!!
It’s a great warm weather scent. Black tea with a big squirt of lemon in the opening.
I went with Forest Lungs today because I thought it fit the CP well and I have a sample I have been wanting to try for my forest&juniper hunt. At first it reminded me of MMM Soul of the Forest, but a few hours into the dry down, it reminds me more of Mississippi Medicine at about 50% of the intensity. For a scent that claims to chemically mimic forest air, it leans heavily toward wood and vetiver; I was expecting more greenery to balance it. Not a finalist for my F&J, but if anyone is looking for a toned down Mississippi Medicine, I can recommend this.
And I have been very curious about that one too. Thanks for Your report on that one – if it doesn’t smell very green then too bad for me
Our weather quickly switched this week from cool early spring to very warm mid-summer. Just in time for open windows, and just in time for my lilacs to finally burst into bloom (best ever in years!) only to have competition from my neighbors’ LOTV blooming just outside a window on the opposite side of my house from the lilacs. Heavenly bliss! Although it was really not necessary to wear any fragrance this week because the natural scents filled my home, I couldn’t resist alternating my favorite lilac and LOTV fragrances each day, great fun! And, to add to our bird-watching enjoyment this morning from our little deck, the black locust trees on the periphery of our yard had also burst into bloom overnight, their branches literally hanging heavy laden with their fragrant white blossoms, just a short distance from our lilacs. Almost too much natural beauty for one morning!
But I wanted to join today’s cp, so I put aside my lilac/LOTV scents (for just 1 day!) and chose Pacifica Tibetan Mountain Temple for World Meditation Day, a favorite fragrance I enjoy wearing for yoga and tai chi classes. And, to continue in the spirit of Meditation Day, here’s something interesting my yoga teacher shared with us this morning. She referenced a book written by a monk (sorry, did not catch the name of the book nor its author) in which the author taught monks in training how to center themselves prior to meditation with a practice that slowly focuses on the five senses:
Notice, and to yourself, slowly name
5 things you can see, then
4 things you can hear, then
3 things you can feel, then
2 things you can smell, then
1 thing you can taste.
I plan on practicing this during the week ahead whenever I feel especially stressed or scattered and will see if it works! Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend ahead with a centered and calm week to follow!
My honeysuckle blossomed for the last two weeks and I kept the windows nearby opened as much as possible. Now my jasmine is in bloom but the wind is so strong that I’m missing out on it. I’m glad you got to enjoy your spring blossomings!
I love the scent of real honeysuckle; one of my neighbors has the fragrant bushes in bloom and I love walking past their house. I have a potted Jasmine I just put out on our deck today, can’t wait for the heat and humidity to work its magic and bring forth the blossoms. It’s right outside our bedroom and lulls us to sleep with its intoxicating scent. ?
I love this centering w/ the senses exercise and will try it…thank you for sharing, Laila!
Wore Ancient Resins to bed last night, and for the CP today went with Tam Dao with a sprinkling of Kyoto over the top. It’s a nice, soothing, very peaceful combo.
Very late reply but seems to me this trifecta wins the cp!
Hi everyone,
Phew, I’m so glad it’s Friday and I’m off today through Sunday! I’m trying to be zen in Harmonist Royal Earth (thanks again, Hajusuuri!). It does smell a little incensy. I like it!
It has gotten hot here all of a sudden, and I should finally bring out my summer clothes and put away the winter ones. Maybe later this afternoon.
Another beautiful autumn morning, we’ve had the most amazing run of settled weather (apart from Monday, when I got very wet walking to work!).
I will join others in the CdG brigade, Ouarzazate is my favourite from the series, closely followed by most of the others. I didn’t get on with Zagorsk when I tried it a few years ago, but that probably just means it’s time to try it again.
My beloved’s nephew just graduated from university, so we are meeting him and his family for brunch in a couple of hours. I’m very much looking forward to that.
Congratulations to your nephew. I hope you all have a very enjoyable family time!
Congrats to your beloved’s nephew!
Commando today. Too upset to wear perfume or eat chocolate.
My Mom’s situation currently is not good at all. The rehab place wanted to discharge her today, but she is nowhere close to how she was before her medical episode. The assisted living facility has a GI bug outbreak, so they won’t let her back anyhow.
Right now, the discharge has been moved to Monday. My brother and I are appealing/contesting (not sure the exact term, can’t remember right now) the would be discharge because we think Mom needs more rehab.
As it stands, even if Mom does improve, her days of living in the Independent Living wing are done.
Oh, I’m so sorry to hear the news about your mom. Sending a big hug ? your way. We went thru this with Mr. Laila’s mom a few years ago, as her capabilities slowly diminished and she wound up in memory care, so I feel for you. ?
Thank you Laila. Hugs gratefully received.
Oh boy. Sounds like my mom’s situation or at least, how Medicare Advantage took advantage of the series of circumstances and tried to move her out of rehab. My suggestion is to keep her where she is and typically you would pay the Medicare rate for a period of time while you appeal the discharge. Let’s talk if it will help. Big hugs.
Thanks. I was hoping that you would see this and weigh in. I will be getting more info on the situation tonight when my brother calls.
IIRC, my Mom’s insurance is paying for the rehab. I don’t think that Medicare has stepped in.
So sorry you are dealing with a difficult situation. Glad you are not alone. at least.
Thank you Aurora.
I’m very sorry to read the news about your mother.
Thanks Gaynor.
I’m so very sorry. Sending you armloads of hugs and spare strength as you deal with these compound difficulties.
Thank you Isabella.
Sending hugs. Keeping you all in my thoughts.
Thanks perfumelover67.
I am also very very sorry for your situation with your Mom. My brother and I went through this recently with our Mom when she was being suddenly discharged from the hospital (without my being notified) and no other place wanted to accept her for complicated reasons, mostly having to do with bureaucratic rules and insurance. It was so very stressful and I just felt like I was at my wits’ end. I hope this will work out for you with her for a reasonable solution.
Thank you Calypso. I don’t know if this is due to insurance, or due to the lack of rehab beds where my Mom is at.
I’m so sorry about your mom, and I hope she continues to get the assistance she needs as long as she needs it. Hugs to you and your brother.
Thanks foxbins.
I’m sorry jalapeno. I hope it gets fixed and she can continue rehab.
Thanks lillyjo.
I’m very late reading tonight. I’m very sorry to hear about your Mom; sending you big hugs!
My sister and I went through this with our Mom last year. I hope you and your brother get her the help she needs.
Aw, I’m so sorry to hear you’re going through this. That is really hard. I hope your mom is able to stay in the rehab facility as long as she needs to.
Sending you bug hugs.
Oh no. I am so late getting to this comment, but sending more sympathy Jalapeno, that is so hard.
Chose Caron Parfum Sacré for its name and its resins, so smooth. It is very myrrh forward, very rich, couldn’t wear it every day as it is quite an experience.
That sounds beautiful.
It’s very opulent and I believe some commenters think it’s too much but not me.
I’ve been a little out of sorts the last few days and haven’t checked in here. Wearing Payton, a DefineMe fragrance from the Sniffa a couple of days ago.
I think I need to eat some veggies, drink a cup of white tea, meditate a little (obviously) and get a couple of nights of solid sleep. That will help my outlook tremendously!
Oh no, sorry you are having the blahs or worse. A good friend of mine is touting the wonders of beet juice for lifting the mood and providing great surges of energy–but I just can’t stomach the stuff! Greens and berries are great because (a) antioxidants and (b) tasty! Hope things pick up!
How do you like that Payton? I haven’t tried it yet.
I didn’t know you were at the Sniffa! I tried Kahana and Sofia Isabel, and they were okay. Kahana was pretty good for a beachy scent, but Sofia was too sweet for me. I like Payton the best so far, but not sure it’s FB worthy. I can see using the oil as a first layer in winter under spicy stuff, though.
Thanks for the beet juice suggestion. HEB has some beet juice options that are blended with turmeric and carrot juice. Maybe that would work for you; I know that’s where I’ll start. ?
I hope you get back to sorts soon. Good sleep can make such a difference.
Thanks lillyjo. Yes, and it seems like getting good sleep has gotten harder as I’ve gotten older.
Bummed to hear that you’ve been feeling out of sorts.
I’ll figure it out! Some of it is self inflicted. I hope the situation with your mom’s care gets sorted out. We went through a similar thing with my mom a few years back. It’s so frustrating and scary!
I like Payton the best too although methinks I will skip buying any of the fragrances.
I hope you’re back to normal in no time.
Thank hajusuuri. I did feel like the business owner was kind, and her heart was in the right place.
I decided right away what to save to wear today for the CP: Amouage Opus VIII–because it is the most profound perfume I own. It’s probably the ONLY profound perfume I own. A perfume designed to examine the relationship between reality and illusion? Very meditative! A shape-shifter and a beauty, with high notes of jasmine, frankincense, benzoin, ginger…. it’s light and dark, seductive and difficult, but mostly just very very beautiful. I’m not sure when I decided to bite the bullet and buy a bottle of this but wow, am I ever glad I did. This is one philosophical perfume.
That one is right up your alley! ?
Sampling Vanille Extreme and Vaniglia del Madagascar from the swap meet while meditating on how nice and generous perfume folk are
Apparently our new apartment was vacant for a while so our downstairs neighbor got used to quiet and has already complained to the office twice in less than a week about our walking around and moving the desk chair. Office agrees that we’re just using our apartment in a normal way. Silly person
People!
My coworker had twins recently, and the neighbors complained about the babies crying.
Will you be staying in the apartment long?
Theoretically for a year unless we buy sooner
Ugh. I don’t miss apartment living one bit.
Honestly, I wouldn’t know how to meditate if you paid me. If you want to pay me though, I will learn! Lol.
I went with easy to wear in the heat PdM Cassili. I layered it over Korres Rose body lotion. I smelled like a peach sitting next to a rose bush. ? found my sun!
I was just thinking that I am no good at meditating either.
Curious, with your new phone, can you see this ??
Today I chose You or Someone Like You. It reminds me of the point in a 3-4 hour drive by yourself when you’ve finished singing along to your No Doubt and Sublime cds and just settle in with your real thoughts. Is that meditation? Not sure. But my clearest thinking has always been on long, solo drives.
I envy you. The only thing I think when I’m driving is ” is that other car going to hit me?”
I can never relax when I’m mobile. I can only think I’d I’m sitting. Lol.
I can understand the Zen behind the wheel.
Like lillyjo, I cannot relax while driving. I swear I got temporary carpal tunnel when I gripped the wheel driving 30 miles to another town.
Tam Dao this morning, which set me up for a long zoom meeting at work today.
Re-sampling Cuir Ottoman this evening, and I just splurged on a bottle with the beautyhabit coupon. This stuff is just gorgeous. I didn’t appreciate when I first sniffed it back in the day, but now it is mine!
Good call on buying Cuir Ottoman. Such a great scent
Very late to the party. On the CP with:
SOTD = Maria Candida Gentile Exultat
Such a great incense, violet-iris, woody perfume. MCG is hardly ever brought up here and I can probably count with the fingers in one hand how many times anyone wore an MCG perfume!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CPJldJsBz5v/?utm_medium=copy_link
I also did not get to post my SOTD yesterday – Providence Perfume Company Irisque, topped up with Zoologist Bee to cover World Bee Day!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CPHhTOyBQA-/?utm_medium=copy_link
You had me at “violet-iris” and you smell fabulous!
I love the way that sweet owl is gazing down at the beautiful bottle. Meditative indeed.
Thank you!
I agree MCG is not a hugely worn or discussed brand. I think there was a stretch that a few people were wearing Hanbury and Sideris often. I think my favorite from them is Noir Tropical. If you haven’t tried that one, then you should. I think it’s up your alley – bergamot, vanilla, rum, and almond. I’d also consider small bottles of Barry Lyndon and Rrose Selavy.
I had a bottle of Noir Tropical that I ended up giving away. It was nice for sure but there was something incongruent that I couldn’t place my finger on.
I didn’t wear it yesterday, so no points for me, but my favorite meditative scent is Shiseido’s Zen 2000, sadly discontinued. It was in my regular daily rotation for a few years.