On Good and Evil

[doomsday_disco]

Of the good in you I can speak, but not of the evil.

For what is evil but good tortured by its own hunger and thirst?

Verily when good is hungry it seeks food even in dark caves, and when it thirsts it drinks even of dead waters.

You are good when you are one with yourself.

Yet when you are not one with yourself you are not evil.

For a divided house is not a den of thieves; it is only a divided house.

And a ship without rudder may wander aimlessly among perilous isles yet sink not to the bottom. You are good when you strive to give of yourself.

Yet you are not evil when you seek gain for yourself.

For when you strive for gain you are but a root that clings to the earth and sucks at her breast.

Surely the fruit cannot say to the root, “Be like me, ripe and full and ever giving of your abundance.”

For to the fruit giving is a need, as receiving is a need to the root.

 

You are good when you are fully awake in your speech,

Yet you are not evil when you sleep while your tongue staggers without purpose.

And even stumbling speech may strengthen a weak tongue.

You are good when you walk to your goal firmly and with bold steps.

Yet you are not evil when you go thither limping. Even those who limp go not backward.

But you who are strong and swift, see that you do not limp before the lame, deeming it kindness.

 

You are good in countless ways, and you are not evil when you are not good,

You are only loitering and sluggard.

Pity that the stags cannot teach swiftness to the turtles.

In your longing for your giant self lies your goodness: and that longing is in all of you.

But in some of you that longing is a torrent rushing with might to the sea, carrying the secrets of the hillsides and the songs of the forest.

And in others it is a flat stream that loses itself in angles and bends and lingers before it reaches the shore.

But let not him who longs much say to him who longs little, “Wherefore are you slow and halting?”

For the truly good ask not the naked, “Where is your garment?” nor the houseless, “What has befallen your house?”

 

What has befallen your house? Myrrh resin, beeswax, black fig, cypress smoke, and vetiver.

[SmellsPrettyGood2Me]

An immediately positive impression as soon as I caught the first whiff!

 

Lightly sweet (maybe slightly honeyed) liquid wax and a surprisingly jammy fig in the bottle with no smoke but a hint of some powdery resins deep underneath. First dab brings that beeswax out front and center and it warms up quite nicely on the skin. This must be the "Good" part of the equation? Honestly, it's quite cozy! About 10 minutes in the vetiver starts to creep out more and more, taking the scent the slightest touch deeper and darker. Still no smoke, but maybe there is a bit of cypress brightness intermingled in there? The myrrh and fig (which almost seems a bit stewed) are a terrific combination that are anchoring this in pleasant territory. Jammy, with a creamy resinousness that is beautiful to wear. 

 

At around the two hour mark, things take a turn. The beeswax has lost a lot of it's liquidity, cooling and hardening. Something gnarled, woody, and earthy emerges and starts fighting with the fig for supremacy. The powdery myrrh has completely vanished. What happened here?? Has the "Evil" come out to play? I'm desperately and deeply huffing, looking for that lovely sweetness that  seems to be fading by the moment. By hour 3, all I can smell is something resembling an ash pile, and then it's gone.

 

I'm not sure if this transition was intentional, or if my skin chemistry just ruined the scent the longer it had hold of it. I would wear the bliss of the first two hours often if somehow I could hang onto it! This is a perfect candidate for a scent locket trial as it is truly stunning to start off. I hope others are able to enjoy the journey more fully on themselves. 

 

Edited 8 hours ago by SmellsPrettyGood2Me