"MEDITATION CHAPTER 2"
SENSE OF SMELL
This will probably be a very short chapter. After all, how
much can you say about smelling. There are good smells, there
are bad smells and a myriad in-between. Of course, all there
really is in reality is smell, the good, bad or indifferent is definitely
a matter of perspective.
There is a very large business being made out of aroma
therapy. This is not something new. Aroma therapy has been
around forever. If you look back into egyptian rites, buddhist
ceremonies or any other ancient religion you will always find the
use of incense. Even in the day of christ two of the gifts that the
wisemen gave were myrrh and frankincense.
There is a multimillion dollar industry concerning perfumes
and products that make anything from our house , to our car,
sneakers.....etc. smell good. You get the point. Now you might
ask what this all has to do with meditation? Smell is one of the
five senses, and as such one that we can use to focus on while
meditating.
For this type of meditation I would suggest that you find
yourself a strong incense that you enjoy smelling. This is as varied
as the person. I would strongly advise against real fruity smelling
incense, such as strawberry or vanilla (which they sell in
abundance at the grocery store) and go more for the earth smells.
The fruity smells are very sweet and heavy and after a time of
smelling them can literally make you feel nauseaus.
The best place to get good incense is either through a
catalogue, or at your nearby metaphysical bookstore. Be careful
to get a good firm stick (the sticks burn easier and you don't have
to keep lighting them, if you buy a good brand) that is thick. The
thicker the stick, the slower it will burn and the more aroma
generally comes out. The skinny stick tend to break easily and
burn too quickly.
This is all I am going to say about the type of incense, other
than to advise you to experiment with different aromas to find
which you like best. Also, when you are finding the aroma you
like best, make sure it is one that puts you in a meditative mood.
Depending on the smell it might get you motivated to run around
the block, rather than rest and meditate.
The best smells are those that cause you to go into a restful
state. We all know what kinds of smells those are. For instance, I
love the smell of pumpkin pie. It makes me feel secure, because it
reminds me of all the holidays that my mother baked a pumpkin
pie. You might like the smell of apple pie, or a myriad of other
smells. The important thing is to find a smell that you won't mind
inhaling for about 20 minutes to an hour.
Personally, for meditation purposes I love the smell of Pachuli
and Sandalwood. I don't particularly care for the smell of real
flowery incense, as I find the odor distracting. Rather than
concentrating on the smell itself, I find myself drifting into
memories that the smell evokes.
For this first meditation you will get into your meditative
position. Have the incense close by so that you will have a strong
smell of the odor, rather than just having it be in the background.
Light the incense, close your eyes and let your nose and lungs fill
with the smell. Concentrate on the smell. Do not allow your mind
to wander. If it does, gently bring it back to the smell. If you find
the smell bringing up other memories, quickly dissolve them and
return to the smelling. Keep your mind as clear as possible.
Concentrate on the smell, but don't allow yourself to form an
opinion about it. When you start to formulate an opinion in
words, stop yourself and go back to the clear state.
VARIATION
For this exercise you are going to do the same things, except
with a smell you don't like. Pick a smell that is strong. Do not
pick one that is going to make you sick, obviously. Pick one that
your nose does not like. Do not pick something that is in any way
going to harm you (for instance don't bring a can of gas in the
room or a can of spray paint and start inhaling).
You might want to pick up a package of limburger cheese
from the store. Perhaps you can't stand the smell of onions or
garlic. You would be surprised at the common odors that we find
distasteful.
The purpose of this meditation is once again to cause your
mind to concentrate. It might be easier to concentrate on the
distasteful smell, as it won't bring up as many pleasant memories.
However, if you start to get bad memories while smelling, do the
same as you did in the first exercise and bring your mind back to
clear each time.
Do not get discouraged when you have to bring your
thoughts under control. This in and of itself is an excellent
exercise and will help you later on.
Sometimes these smells can help you work through old
problems, because they remind you of things that bothered you
and needed to be worked through.
For instance, when my father died he had graveside services.
As immediate family I had to sit in the first row right in front of
the coffin. It was late August and very hot in California. All the
flowers were lined up in front of the coffin and there was a slight
hot breeze which blew the smell of the flowers right into our faces.
It was a very sweet smell that quickly sickened you until you felt
like you couldn't breathe. Ever since then I don't care for the
smell of flowers grouped together. It is alright if it is just roses or
just carnations, but if there is a large group of flowers emitting
that same sickening smell, I find it distasteful.
If there is a smell that you absolutely can't stands, perhaps
you will be able to find a correlation to an event, which will help
you work through the event.
SENSITIVE SMELLING
For this exercise we are going to merely smell what is already
around us, without adding to it or taking away from it. You see,
as with all of our other senses there are fine aspects to what we
experience that does not register with our conscious mind. Most
of the time we are not thinking, but on autopilot, and miss some
(ok let's face it for most it is a lot) of the finer aspects of life.
There are smells that surround us all the time that we don't
even pay attention to simply because they are always there. We
notice strong smells, but the softer more slight smells we miss. For
instance I have always loved the smell of my mother's sheets. I use
the same detergent and wash my clothes the same way, and my
clothes have a very definite smell (which I find very pleasant), but
they don't smell like my mothers' did. Even now that my mother
is no longer living her sheets still have her smell. I can wash them
and the smell lingers. I can't explain it any better than this, it is
just one of those things that is.
What we are going to do with this exercise is start to really
explore our environment. We are going to be doing this with all
five senses, as I am sure you are beginning to see if you read
chapter 1. I don't know if you ever saw land of the giants' or any
of the other movies or television shows that showed people being
about 2 inches tall. Imagine this concept for a moment and
realize how much different your life would be in the very room
you are at if you were only 2 inches tall. Think of all the things
you would see that you aren't seeing now.
Enough of that for now, but I want you to get the idea and
start expanding your mind along these lines. It will help when you
are doing these exercises.
Get in your meditation position and simply start sniffing the
air. Don't take too deep of breaths so that you don't
hyperventiliate. Simply smell the air as you inhale it. You will
find that there are smells that are layered on top of one another.
Separate the layers, identify it and go on. Don't come to any
conclusions or stop to think about what it is and why, just accept
it for what it is and move on. Make sure your eyes are closed and
that you are focusing all of your attention to the exercise.
Do not light incense or spray anything in the room you are
going to be meditating in for this exercise. You want to just pick
up what is already in the room. Many times you will find that the
scents are layered. Take the layers apart, one at a time and
identify each scent.
NATURE MEDITATION
As a final scent meditation I would like for you to take your
nose outside. Find a place in the woods, moutains, lake, stream,
brook, or even your own backyard if you have many different
trees and plants there. If not, go to a park that is full of plant life.
The point is to get in as many smells as possible.
This is a great way to commune with nature and to learn
about all the things you are missing.
There is a difference between walking and driving a car.
When you drive you only see a general overview of life. When
you are walking you notice many different aspects. Things are
more up close and personal when walking. The same is true for
truly looking at all the things around you, especially in nature.
Get comfortable wherever you end up. Close your eyes and
start sniffing the air. Do this by first taking in three deep breaths
and letting them out slowly. Breathe in through your nose and
out through your mouth. Now do the same thing you did in the
other exercise. Start dissecting scents. They will definitely be
layered in nature, especially if you are in the woods or by running
water (I am not talking about a sink here, but a creek or river).
Remember not to draw conclusions or dwell on any one
scent. Smell it, identify it and move on.