A Natural Perfumers Journal

The ecstasy of love is not very far removed from religious ardor and fragrant wreaths of smoke in sacred rituals often help us to bridge the gap between the two. Since the Dark Ages, places of worship have been infused with various fragrances from odorous woods, balms and various essences intended to call upon the favor of the gods with their subtle fragrances. Cypress and cedarwood were burned in the temples of Mesopotamia, while the smell of incense and rancid butter hangs in Tibetan monasteries. In India, the air in sacred places is thick with the scent of the sandalwood from which the holy statues are carved, and the lotus flower unfolds its fragrant petals at Buddha's feet. Rose and musk essences are enshrined in the heart of mosques, while aromatic, peppery basil haunts Orthodox places of worship. Incense, whose purpose, according to Michel de Montaigne, was "to delight, arouse and purify the senses in order to make us more fit for contemplation," clouds the n