I have worshiped with many different people in a wide variety of places. For me, worship spaces smell like a combination of furniture polish, candle wax, and a little soap. For some people, the aroma of incense is a powerful reminder of spiritual life.
Spiritual life is more than worshiping together, and it has different smells.
Some people have spiritual lives that smell like flowers, or a specific kind of wine. For others, freshly baked bread is a spiritual aroma. Some explore spiritual truth by taking a deep breath of fresh, clean air.
Others find spiritual depth in the aromas of a well prepared meal, especially for people who are truly hungry. Some spend their spiritual life with the smell of old books, or walks in the woods. Some people have spiritual lives that grow with the aroma of good coffee, or a fine cigar. For some, the smell of a well tuned engine or sweat from hard work brings a spiritual experience.
I know people who come to life spiritually when they smell an autumn day with a hint of woodsmoke. For others, it is the clean, frigid smell of a winter morning.
The spiritual life of some people is too sweet for me. I need aromas I can trust, smooth with a touch of smoky bitterness. My spiritual life is not a comfortable stroll in the rose garden; more of a place to stare into the fire. There is something spiritual about the smell of evergreens for me.
I am spending most of next week in a retreat at New Camaldoli Hermitage, where I am a lay oblate. I can already smell the trees and the fresh ocean breezes.
How does spiritual life smell to you?
What are the aromas you remember, that bring your spiritual life back to you?
[Image by moncho71]
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