Helder Suffenplan describes how a scent can influence our mood and which fragrances already make use of this knowledge ...
Although we live in a materialistic world, “things” have a surprisingly bad reputation: they are seen as dead and soulless, and inferior to the organic world of plants, animals and humans in every respect. Anyone devoting themselves too enthusiastically to “things” is quickly suspected of being superficial. You might find that somewhat hypocritical considering we all invest a lot of energy in the quest for beautiful and valuable things, and in order to buy them we have to earn that thing called money...
Connecting minds, creating future - Humanity, human family, globa community – in times like the pandemi and the climate crisis, these words don’t describe a wistful utopia but rather our reality in the 21st century. Because really, none of the pending existential challenges faced can be overcome by the population of a country or a cultural group alone ...
Taking inspiration from this quote by Hermann Hesse, I want to see every single moment as a new beginning, as the start of a new story with a happy ending. But in tough times – like during a pandemic – I admit that it’s not always easy to maintain this state of constant joyful anticipation ...
Sigmund Freud saw dreams as puzzling enactments of our subconscious that allow our repressed wishes, anxieties and passions to be brought to life. He also recognised in them all the characteristics of fully fledged psychosis, including mania and hallucinations. Nevertheless, he was convinced that dreams have meaning and considered them to be the “royal road to the unconscious” ...
I received some incense sticks as a souvenir from our neighbour following a trip to Asia. I was eight years old at the time and they seemed infinitely precious to me. They smelt different to anything I’d encountered up until that point, and soon the whole linen cupboard where they were put smelt the same, enchanting and exotic ...