“September 13, 1907 (Friday) . . . never has heather so touched and almost thrilled me as recently, when I found those three twigs in your sweet letter. Since then they have been lying in my Book of Pictures and have permeated it with their strong stern odor, which is really only the scent of autumn earth. How glorious it is, though, that fragrance. Never, it seems to me, can the earth be thus inhaled in a single smell, the ripe earth; in a smell that means no less than the smell of the sea, bitter where it borders on taste, and more than honey- sweet where one feels it must be impinging on the beginnings of tone. Containing depth within it, darkness, the grave almost, and yet again wind too; tar and turpentine and Ceylon tea. Serious and shabby like the smell of a begging friar and yet again resinous and hearty like costly frankincense…”
Reiner Maria Rilke, “Letters on Cezanne,” translated by Jane Bannard Greene and M.D. Herter Norton
symbolreader 
This is beautiful Monika. There’s a sensuality and perceptiveness here that touches one deeply. Rilke’s soul just does this to you. It’s sheer beauty expressed in words, but goes well beyond words. Thank you.
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I loved this. There is no one quite like Rilke for mining and offering quintessence …
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Yes, the ultimate master of sensual experience.
Thank you, Anne.
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this kind of description made me think of an oenophile, describing a wine (which I hear a lot – and chime in, too! – here). thank goodness for the deeply observant who record impressions of the ‘mundane’. scent is SO imbedded in our psyche.
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Thank you for your comment!
Smell is a potent wizard – my favorite sense. https://symbolreader.net/2014/01/04/smell-a-potent-wizard/
Best
Monika
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Nice! Hope you had a blessed Mabon.
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Hi jeff,
I felt nostalgic about the end of the summer but now I am ready to embrace the scents of autumn. Season greetings to you too.
Monika
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Hi Monika. Yeah, this summer was weird for me because I was out of work for a while, then started a new job. Didn’t feel like summer. Autumn is beautiful up here in the mountains. The leaves are already starting to change color. I for one am looking forward to shedding the old to make way for the new.
As always, thanks for all your great posts and for being on the same spiritual page as I am. Cheers!
Jeff
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Same here! Autumn is amazing in the Swiss countryside, where I find myself now.
Thank you for all your writing and comments.
Monika
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Oh gosh, I can only imagine. I would love to visit Switzerland someday. I’ve been to Germany, France, Italy, England, and Scotland. Still, so much of Europe I would love to see.
Enjoy the scenery and thank you for all your inspiring writing.
Jeff
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BTW – this is the graphic novel I was telling you about:
https://stuffjeffreads.wordpress.com/2015/09/25/promethea-book-1-by-alan-moore/
It’s something I think you would love.
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Thanks! Looks really awesome.
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