Dec 26, 2014

Alchemical Perfume

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.



I love Christmas ads. I know. Commercialism is ruining Christmas and making us forget about the baby Mithras Jesus. But they're festive, nostalgic, and sometimes quite beautiful. Yes, I worked in marketing for long enough that I actually appreciate the artistry of advertising. And the industry rolls out some of its best work at the holidays.

A couple of years ago I noted a perfume ad featuring Julia Roberts that resurfaces every year at this time. It is full of elegant, if not terribly subtle, allusions to Rousseau and the French Enlightenment.

Much of popular entertainment, of late, from movies and television to the Olympics, has me marveling at the imagery. Is the symbolism subconscious or deliberate? I don't know, but it's getting really hard to miss it. 

This new ad from Dior, featuring Charlize Theron, is nothing short of stunning. The past is nothing but a "dream," an illusion. "The future is gold" she says, ascending through an oculus into a "new world."

6 comments:

  1. It is hard to miss it! Alchemical Gold again? :

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n--TEFlviTU

    this song is called "Good Morning"

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  2. This reminded me of something I've read in one of your older articles (http://celestial-reflections.blogspot.com/2011/02/black-swans-overtake-middle-east.html#more):

    "I got this message in my email the other day and was a little amazed at how much it resonated with what I was getting. The old world is passing away and that fabric of light I saw unfolding, or what the Grandmothers refer to here as a "net of light," is the new reality.


    Hold to the light within you, and do this more and more. Hold. Hold to the great Net of Light that is anchoring and supporting the earth. From now on there will be a great deal of shaking. This shaking, rocking and rolling that we mentioned several years ago will become a fact of life. The world as you have known it is shifting. You will hear about it, read about it, and you will experience it in your own life. The time is now. There will be destruction and upheavals of every sort as foundations crumble. All over the globe governments, institutions, and nations will crack. You, however can hold steady and hold to the Net of Light. Taking this action will support the earth and all life on it.

    Listen to our words. At this time there is no 'safe place'. There is no safety but this: turn within to the truth of your being and experience deep peace and security and know that you ARE safe. THIS is your foundation and it is within you. You cannot be moved-not really. The world, as you have known it, is falling apart. Let it. Let it fall while you hold to the light. Call on the Net of Light and let the Net cradle and support you. It will."

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  3. I enjoyed this blog post! Scent is the most subtle of all the sebnses, he most immediate and IMO tied in to our deepest imagination. The advertisemnet must appeal to the emotions and I enjoy the adverts (many on youtube)...Love the follow up comments and the alcemical gold video was gorgeous.

    Love to LV, GA, Elena and all.....may 2015 shake us up in such a good way (and spill the gold dust). Maggie

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  4. Elena, that is amazing! It's a stargate. Paging William Henry!

    You know what else it makes me think of? All that gold vapor... it looks like Doctor Who's regeneration energy.

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