Aroma of Righteousness Post: Ocean Always Smells Like Home

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    In Aroma of Righteousness one idea that really stuck with me is the idea that smell can connect us to something otherworldly. Green uses the example of incense being used to reach God and as a result those people feel closer to God. I'm not a religious individual, when I was forced to go to church as a kid I didn't smell anything and feel connected. But I do think this happens in the real world with much smaller instances, it has the same impact though. I have always lived near water since I live in Rhode Island and as a kid I was constantly surrounded by water. But when I went to college in Virginia it was a shock to me to not smell salt water when I went outside. It's interesting now to think about how I felt so detached from home. When I moved back to Rhode Island I was so happy to hear the sound of the ocean and smell it, even just seeing it I felt so much closer to my home. This to me is a much smaller version of what Green describes when people use incense in worship. I always felt like the smell of the ocean grounded me when I was having a bad day or just needed to feel better. The ocean to me growing up felt like something divine, the fact that an entire ecosystem was just outside my doorstep. I loved going to the pier and seeing the fish and the boats that were puttering around on the water. To me the ocean is something sacred and being able to smell it brings me joy and just a sense of calm. When I would go on a ferry to go to an island my step dad had a house out I'd sit on the outside part to smell the air and watch the water. So I would encourage those reading to think about what smells let you feel connected to something that isn't related to the divine. Does the smell of a favorite food remind you of home? Or stone or plants? I believe anything can be sacred or divine if you believe it is so. I always believed the ocean was divine and the fact there is always a god of water in other pantheons is an interesting thing. If you believe something is divine then see if others believed there was a god attached, it may be a fun rabbit hole to go down!

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