Temple: Daoist

[sarada]

I am very grateful for a chance to try this blend. I was brought up in a household of Taoism (Daoism) and Buddhism, where we had a little meditation alcove and a yoga mat. While it is not my official religion (I don't have one, really), the Tao Te Ching and meditation are things that I always come back to and find comfort and solace in. It is profoundly emotional for me to be able to use an oil in meditation that is specially formulated with that in mind.

 

Since those experiences are very subjective though I will just describe my impression of the scent and a little of my experience with it. The initial scent evokes a very strong memory. It reminds me of what my mother would burn while she was meditating when I was little. That's the smell, alright. I never knew what it was at the time, but here it is -- slightly woody, with a hint of a sort of candlewax smell to it. I feel pretty confident in speculating that ylang ylang and sandalwood are components here. The ylang ylang I'm pretty sure of because it's such a recognizable smell and although I have an unfortunate habit of associating it with a sort of chemical scent it is milder in this blend and softened by what I think might be sandalwood. It's one of the woods, anyway. There's a slight hint of that scent that makes me think of a recently-extinguished candle in Cathedral.

 

As for how it makes me feel, I have been sniffing this throughout the day to center myself and feel calm as I tackle a number of stressful things. I dabbed it onto my forehead (third eye area) and immediately feel centered and drawn to it. I come to it and think of being a small child on a yoga mat with incense burning. I will treasure this and share it with my mom, and hope that I can get a bottle some day.

[wickedgoddess]

Origins - from the TAL circular swap

 

Wet - at first, I wonder about this, because it smells like a sex potion. Very sexy, possibly civet, almost definitely musk.

 

Dry- as it dries, it becomes woody. Wow, lots of throw on this baby. After an hour the civet/musk note is still very strong. There's wood underneath it, but it's hard to get a handle on it. Not cedar, maybe it's rosewood? I smell sandalwood too. After four hours, this is still going strong, wihich is amazing on my chemistry. I know this is for ritual use, as opposed to personal use, but this is a lovely smelling blend nonetheless.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 4 (scent only).

Edited July 29, 2005 by wickedgoddess

[yeahbutnobut]

Temple: Daoist

 

Courtesy of the TAL circular swap.

In the imp: not sure what to make of this…a clear, not sweet, resinous scent, maybe a bit of wood?

Wet on skin: I think there's frankincense here? Something resinous and bright, that's for sure. And something woody, possibly sandalwood.

Dry on skin: mmm, this is nice. This is a clear, bright, resin scent, with a smoky feel, and some woods. I'm not sure but I'm thinking frankincense, sandalwood, maybe some cedar, and even a bit of candle smoke? Yup, definitely candle smoke in here! It's smoky and resinous, clearing yet dark, and I get a feel of polished wood from this. It has an oriental feel, like a scent that would be wafted through an Asian temple, a meditative scent, contemplative, sacred.

After a while: the candle smoke scent gets stronger, with the wood-resin scent remaining consistent. This is a dry, smoky incense fragrance.

Verdict: another interesting and wonderfully evocative temple blend. When I wear this, my mind is transported to a distant mountain temple, somewhere in Tibet perhaps, where monks meditate peacefully whilst incense and candles burn in the quiet contemplative atmosphere. This is a meditative, calming scent, which is clear and resinous and also smoky. It has the aroma of burning incense, resins and fragrant woods burning gently, and a scent of candle smoke. This is a lovely scent, it makes me feel grounded and introspective, and I think this would make a wonderful room fragrance, especially for meditation.

[helarctos]

Temple Daoist smells to me very grounding and grounded, a bouquet of wood and earth.

 

(Disclaimer: This review was written in a circular swap, so I did not use the oil for ritual purposes. I can only report here on its scent. I believe this is valuable information so people know if they will find the oil physically/aesthetically uncomfortable when they use it for its intended purpose, BUT I do not believe TAL oils should be used as simple perfume. )

[grrrlennyl]

at first: earthy incense.

on: very, very dark and smooth.

half an hour later: this is definitely conducive to meditation. it has an earthy incense scent that is very nice.

1.5 hours later: dusty and incensy.

overall: if i didn't already have some scents that are good for meditation, i'd think of trying to get some of this.

[Penance]

Wow, I can't believe I haven't reviewed this yet...I'm getting forgetful.

 

Origin:

 

Imp from my incense-loving soul sister, the lovely sarada.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I was intrigued by the name of this one and liked the idea behind it, but when I saw sarada's scent I knew I had to have it. I've been needing a good meditation scent (aside from Tushnamatay) and if it smelled wonderful, so much the better.

 

Scent impressions:

 

Oh, beautiful...just...beautiful. It's definitely an incense scent, but with a hint of candle to it, sarada's absolutely right about that. It reminds me of freshly blown out candles mixed with a wonderful blend of incense and a touch of wood. I get the distinct mental impression of a Buddhist temple, which was what I was hoping for.

 

This smells exactly like I'd imagined.

 

Effectiveness:

 

I used this as a perfume before settling down to meditate (I'd also try putting it in a lightbulb ring, but I've only got an imp and don't want to waste any until I can get a bottle or two. The first thing I noticed was that I felt calm even before I sat down. I normally have a bit of a hard time getting into the meditation frame of mind because my brain won't shut down without a struggle (too much stress or something, I suppose), but I felt relaxed even before I got started and found that I fell right into the mindset with no trouble at all this time.

 

Breathing in the scent of Temple: Daoist was like sitting in the middle of a Buddhist temple with my eyes closed, breathing in the scent of incense and wood from the timbers framing the roof. It was so easy to visualize with this on and so easy to relax.

 

The Verdict:

 

This lives up to my imagination's rampant speculation and even goes beyond my expectations, both scent-wise and effectiveness-wise. I'm going to need at least 2 bottles of this once the TAL site has it up for sale.

[Northernminx]

Resin and woodsy, maybe a touch of sandalwood. This was very grounding, warm, soothing, and "earthy" without being dirty. I didn't attempt to use this ritually but did sniff it a bit as I'm not remotely of a Buddhist persuasion.

[emzebel]

Part of the TAL Circular Swap -

Thia is a very strong inscnsy resiny blend. It is lighter than I expected and very pleasant. If I were so inclined, I could easily see using this as a meditation aid.

[Czarina]

When first applied this scent struck me as having an extremely unpleasant top note like nail polish remover.

 

It took about 10 minutes to dissipate.

 

After the first ten mintues, the remaining scent is a pleasant incense, resin, and cedar scent.

 

I am aware that ritual use is different from the use of a product simply as perfume. I personally would not be able to use this scent to invoke meditative states, my original thought when acquiring this decant, because the first ten minutes were so unpleasant to me (this appears to be a totally ideosyncratic reaction on my part since no one else reviewing this scent has noted an acetone topnote). There may be other ritual uses in which the slow start, as it were, is less troubling.

[prettybird]

For those interested in such things, the vial comes in standard TAL packaging (white on navy blue with a purple border), and the oil itself is light brown in color and slightly sticky.

 

I have to say that this is not what I was expecting. I was expecting something more akin to The Apothecary or Sea of Glass, something rather light and herbal.

 

It is somewhat herbal, but also somewhat heavy. It's got sort of a resinous quality to it- I find it very hard to pin down, which seems highly appropriate for a Daoist ritual oil. It's hard to pick out any one note, because it is so harmonious.

 

I've yet to be able to use it in meditation or ritual, but it's very soothing, very serious, and very centering. I did anoint a piece on my shrine with it, and I'm very pleased with its residual scent (is that a term, or did I just make it up?). It's light but present, and not distracting in the least. Overall, I think it's quite appropriate and quite pleasant.

Edited July 22, 2008 by prettybird
Merged with existing review thread --Shollin