February 2026
Man, is this shit heavy or what? February has been, so far, confirmation of our wildest, most debauched and unbelievable ‘conspiracy theories’ come to life. Evil is real, and we’re witnessing the door to hell cracking wide open. Who needs the devil when soulless, mentally unfit people fill that slot so well? It’s been a rough week for all of us, I suspect, yet I feel this could be a phoenix moment for us as well. From this knowledge will come action. This isn’t what I wanted to write about this week, but I felt it had to be mentioned so y’all didn’t think I was living in an apolitical la-la land of denial and ‘try this for grounding in these difficult times’ platitudes. No amount of incense, harvesting, connection, and spiritually elevating rituals should distract us from the urgency and gravity of what’s happening in this country right now.
But even as we face these horrible, terrifying truths about certain people, I still find myself gravitating toward small acts of grounding — I still catch myself yearning to walk to the creek at the end of the block and pick more poplar buds than I need because it helps to steady me (besides, I can always give away what I don’t really need). This helps me process what’s happening and try to come up with solutions for how to move forward. So while I don’t want to throw up my hands in despair and do nothing, I do believe there is personal value in finding ways to anchor ourselves within the chaos. This is what makes us soulful people — the reals and not the fakes.
I’ve been telling myself the past week that the daily ritual burning of a test batch of camphor wood and post-distillate frankincense resin incense cones I made was to help with the cold bug that has swept through the household, when really it’s to help calm my nerves. I find that after inhaling the air in the room where the incense is burned, I can better reckon with the flood of horrid news pouring over us right now. I feel less scattered and panicked and more determined than ever to rise above, find ways to make change, and no longer be fooled by these evil creatures walking our blessed earth.
So that’s it. That’s all I’ve got for you this week.
I want add that I would truly look forward to a Justine interview.. peaceOut!
I find scents, and especially resins, really help soften the rough edges and allow for respites of calm and being grounded. Something I've been wanting to do this spring, though I haven't started it yet, is to reach out to some fellow perfumers/scent lovers/ and makers of incense (which I don't do), to see if (in this case) you would be interested in doing an interview with me on Zoom. I haven't decided if this would ideally be part of a live "Magic of Scent" Zoom Circle (though finding a good time for everyone might be hard since our time zones are all over the place) , or as a recorded zoom interview. If you're interested in something like that, let me know. Meanwhile, you are not alone . . .