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What Was That Smell? A Scent with No Source
- A Broad Perspective
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
It came from nowhere.
Soft, sweet, and strangely familiar, a scent like cherry blossoms mixed with the smell of those fizzy cola bottle gummies is the best way I can think to describe the scent.
One moment I was asleep, and then I was floating in that hazy place between sleep and waking.
The next, I was bathed in a smell so aromatic and inviting it pulled me fully into consciousness.
There was no candle burning.
No diffuser.
No open window.
Nothing that could explain it.
Just the unmistakable presence of something joyful, luminous, and kind.
In this post, I explore the experience of a mysterious scent with no source, the ancient connection between fragrance and intuition, olfactory visitations across spiritual traditions, the science behind hypnagogic scents, the lesser-known intuitive sense of clairalience, and the symbolic role of roses as messengers of the unseen.
Introduction
I felt so good and alive, and I somehow could attribute that to the smell?
I tried to 'follow it' to inhale deeper, to capture it… But with every sniff, it faded like a song played backwards into silence.
Then it was gone.
No trace.
Also no confusion.
No rush of memories.
Only wonder and awe.
AND an incessant desire to get up and do a deep dive.
I am all too familiar with that important "pay attention to this pull" that I've attuned to over the years...and so, here I am, here we are.
The experience didn’t feel frightening or strange; it felt intentional.
Like someone or something had gently placed flowers beneath my nose with the intention for me to notice.
The Power of Scent: The Most Ancient Messenger
Of all the senses, scent is the one that slips past the gatekeeper of logic.
It travels directly to the limbic system, the seat of memory, emotion, and instinct.
That’s why one whiff of cinnamon can pull you back to your grandmother’s kitchen, or a familiar perfume can open a doorway to a love long past. It's why we practice aromatherapy because it is proven and effective.
But what happens when the scent has no source?
No candle, no soap, no logical reason, only the unmistakable fragrance of something...sacred?
Throughout history, mystics and seekers have called these experiences olfactory visitations, scents sent as messengers, often carrying the presence or reassurance of the divine.
In Christianity, it’s called the “odor of sanctity,” a heavenly fragrance that accompanies moments of grace or the presence of saints.
In Eastern traditions, sweet aromas often signal benevolent energies or ascended beings.
In Sufi mysticism, fragrance is the perfume of the soul in ecstasy.
And in countless personal stories across cultures, roses appear as the signature scent of angels, guides, and moments of awakening.
Perhaps scent is chosen because it’s intimate; you cannot observe it from afar.
You must breathe it in.
It becomes part of you, even if only for a moment.
The Sentients: Our Five Portals of Awareness
We walk through life with five sacred portals: sight, sound, touch, taste, and scent, each a doorway into deeper knowing.
But scent… scent is the quiet poet.
The invisible thread between worlds.
It can ground us to the earth or lift us toward heaven.
If you’ve ever been pulled awake by a fragrance that feels like love itself, consider: What if this is one of your sentients awakening?
A reminder that reality is layered, and sometimes, the soul gets a whiff of what lies beyond.
Between Science and Spirit
Science might call it a hypnagogic phenomenon, a sensory experience in the liminal state between sleep and waking, when the brain’s dream imagery can still spill into waking awareness.
But what if that liminal space is also a spiritual threshold?
A place where veils thin, and messages slip through not as words, but as sensation, the language of the soul?
Perhaps scent is not memory at all… but presence.
Scent as a Spiritual Gift
In the realm of spiritual sensitivity, scent is more than memory; it’s a messenger.
Some mystics call this gift clairalience, or “clear smelling,” which is the ability to sense fragrances that have no physical source.
These scents often carry meaning: a rose to signal love or divine presence, a familiar perfume to suggest an ancestor nearby, or a gentle sweetness to announce peace or protection.
Like the other 'CLAIRS' (intuitive senses)...
clairVOYANCE (clear seeing)
clairAUDIENCE (clear hearing)
clairSENTIENCE (clear feeling)
clairCOGNIZANCE (clear knowing)
Keep an eye out for a future post diving more into these and how they can impact your day-to-day experiences. Please subscribe to stay updated.
CLAIRALIENCE is a way the soul perceives subtle realms.
It speaks in aroma, bypassing thought and going straight to the heart.
You don’t have to chase it or train for it.
Often, it arrives as a gift, spontaneous and unmistakable, to remind you that your spirit is awake, and the unseen is closer than you think.
Maybe that's what it was?
When Science Joins the Story
Modern medicine acknowledges a range of olfactory phenomena, from scents linked to strong memories to brief sensory experiences during transitions of consciousness.
Neurologists sometimes call these phantosmia or olfactory hallucinations, which can arise from sinus issues, migraines, stress, or even shifts in brain chemistry during sleep states.
In the hypnagogic and hypnopompic states, those delicate moments as we fall asleep or wake, the brain is highly creative, blending dream imagery with sensory impressions.
During these liminal phases, a scent might emerge as a symbolic messenger from your subconscious or, as some believe, as a sign from the unseen.
Doctors recommend paying attention if such experiences become frequent, unpleasant, or accompanied by confusion, as persistent phantom smells can sometimes signal neurological or sinus conditions worth checking.
But if, like me, this was a one-time, pleasant, and peaceful occurrence, a fragrance that stirred calm, joy, and curiosity, it may simply be a moment of experience and mystery, inviting in an awareness of the many complex layers of being human.
The Rose as a Messenger (and a lead-in to our next topic)
Across centuries, roses have carried profound symbolism, love, rebirth, and divine grace.
Kings built gardens of them.
Mystics wrote poems about them.
They adorned altars, crowned brides, and yes, even circled the head of Christ, whose crown of thorns was said to have once borne roses.
The rose speaks a universal language of devotion, beauty, and transcendence.
And many believe its fragrance carries a higher vibration, harmonizing the heart and reminding us of our own divinity.
So perhaps when a scent appears unexpectedly, especially one as soft and fragrant as rose or cherry blossom, it isn’t random.
It’s a whiff from the unseen.
The Invitation
If this ever happens to you, don’t dismiss it simply as imagination.
Instead, ask, "What was I dreaming of?"
What emotion rose in me when I smelled it?
What message could it carry for this season of my life?
You may not get an answer right away. Or a clear one at all...
But like cologne lingering on a pillow, true meaning reveals itself over time...
And sometimes, mystery simply is the message.
A Trail Toward the Next Discovery
What if scent isn’t just symbolic… but energetic?
What if every fragrance carries a frequency, and roses, with their long history of sacred symbolism, hum at a higher vibration that can shift how we feel, think, and heal?
What if I tell you it's true!
We'll explore it more in the upcoming blog: Vibrations—Disturb the Equilibrium.
We will dive into how frequency, energy, and resonance really do tune the vast symphony of our being.
Sometimes the unseen doesn’t speak; it simply lingers, like a great blog post OR a fragrance you can’t forget.
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