[Stephen Gerringer]

Thank you for this reminder, Elena, that art is sensual, appealing to the senses – which need not be limited to vision and hearing.

However, it hadn’t occurred to me to consider fragrance an artistic medium until I read Tom Robbins’ Jitterbug Perfume (the first novel he published after returning from a tour of Mayan and Mexican cultural sites with Joseph Campbell). On a few occasions in the decades since I’ve had the opportunity to experience immersive settings where scent is as significant as lighting and sound.

Your insights about using fragrance to create a safe space resonates as well. To this day, just walking through Chinatown, the blended aroma of steaming tea and incense can transport me forty years back in time to mornings at the Zen Center, seated on zafu and zabuton, mind empty (more-or-less), feeling one with everything no matter the turmoil of daily life.

I’m curious – are your clients troubled when they seek you out? Is it safe to assume you work in the healing arts (which covers a lot ground – everything from psychology to shamanism)?