Episode 50: Incense Oils and Perfumes

In this episode, the hosts dive into the science of smell & the odiferous side of the occult Why is incense such a popular offering? Does an oil's odour reflect its properties? And what on earth does a saint smell like?! This episode features four case studies across different traditions to explore the seemingly-ubiquitous - but surprisingly diverse - role of fragrance in the occult. You can also expect to hear about science of smell & how odour can interplay with cognition. smell ya later x REFERENCES - Brief summary: the science of smell! // Sell, C. S. (2006). On the unpredictability of odor. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 45(38), 6254-6261. - Amazing book on the chemistry behind perfumery // Pybus, D. H., & Sell, C. S. (Eds.). (1999). The chemistry of fragrances (Vol. 17). Royal Society of Chemistry. - Olfaction and memory - how odour interplays with PTSD & emotion // Vermetten, E., & Bremner, J. D. (2003). Olfaction as a traumatic reminder in posttraumatic stress disorder: case reports and review. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 64(2), 202-207. && Zald, D. H., & Pardo, J. V. (1997). && Emotion, olfaction, and the human amygdala: amygdala activation during aversive olfactory stimulation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 94(8), 4119-4124. - Tapputi, one of the world's first chemists (and perfume makers)! // https://arkeonews.net/the-3200-year-old-perfume-of-tapputi-the-first-female-perfumer-in-history-came-to-life-again/ - Odour in antiquity // https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/bitstream/handle/10871/17556/GrantG.pdf - The role of scents in traditional Chinese religion // Habkirk, S., & Chang, H. (2017). Scents, community, and incense in traditional Chinese religion. Material Religion, 13(2), 156-174. - Osmogenesia & sensing the saints Saucier, C. (2010). // The sweet sound of sanctity: sensing St Lambert. The Senses and Society, 5(1), 10-27. && Harvey, S. A. (1998). St Ephrem on the scent of salvation. The journal of theological studies, 49(1), 109-128. - Amusing paper on 'oilers' with a lot in there about MLMs // Kieffer, K. G. (2021). Smelling Things: Essential Oils and Essentialism in Contemporary American Spirituality. Religion and American Culture, 31(3), 297-331.