What Are Ground Notes Anyway?

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“Ground Notes” – why this title, you might wonder?

First, it came to me because my intent with these weekly word+photo offerings is to give you simple, accessible ways to connect with nature and the grounding effects of that relationship.

Then, I learned that in perfumery “ground notes” means something analogous:

Also called “base notes” these foundational scent elements are rich and heavy, surfacing after the top and middle notes of a fragrance have faded. They create the fragrance’s lasting impression.Think: woody, balsamic, and musky elements which bring depth and longevity to the perfume. [Description and background courtesy of perfume maker Charlotte Tilbury, who I don’t know at all, but will link here for attribution.]

Now perfume also has “heart” (middle) and “top” (head/first) notes – as does nature, of course. We’ll get to those in the coming weeks.

For now, let’s dig into ground notes: the lasting scents and effects of nature relationship that abide through the course of our daily life.

How can we add nature’s “ground notes” into our lives?

This can be literal: Experiencing scents in nature with a lasting, soothing effect.

And, this can be more figurative, though also quite tangible!: Experiencing the grounding effects of being in relationship with nature.

Below I’ll offer 2 mini-practices to get us started — Let me know how they go for you!

Cheers,

Jennifer

Founder, Ordinary Nature

contact@ordinarynature.earth

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Practice #1: Literal Ground Notes!

Take yourself outside. Could be a yard. A park. A patch of landscaping near your office. Or, drop this practice into a transition between activities -- example: as you walk from your car into ___________.

[Can't get outside? Is there a potted plant near you? A rock you can hold in your hand?]

Once outdoors, let your eyes shift into a gentle poise of reception as you slowly scan the landscape around you. Let your nose start to "see" as well!

What thing or being do you notice, that makes you curious, and draws you closer?

For 5 minutes be with that thing or being via your sense of smell -- what does your nose notice? What layers of scent arrive? Which scents linger?

As you smell, notice whether one aroma connects you, through your body, into your feet, to the earth, creating a felt sense of being supported.

Savor. Repeat. Explore. Savor. Repeat. Explore.

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Practice #2: Ground Notes as Life Practice

Ok, this one is an ongoing, cumulative exploration. Let's start with first seeds!

Is there one thing/being/place in nature that allows you to dilate your senses, to relax, to shift into felt presence? Yes? Okay, you'll be with that.

Not yet? No worries. You'll begin by dilating your eyes, your "curiosity aperture," just enough across the next few days to allow in an arrival from nature. Might be a creature. A plant. A tree. A leaf. A patch of grass. There is nothing too "small" or "ordinary" or "basic." A thing or being will present itself/themselves to you.

Next: Visit, and re-visit, this thing or place or being at regular intervals, like you are befriending it -- because you are!

What details would you notice, to get to know this being or place? How would you let the being or the place see you, in return?

That's it. A first seed in cultivating a relationship in nature. Once you try that, with a bit of openness and consistent attention, all the rest will follow.

The shift won't be fast. The ground of relationship may not instantly arise to hold you. But if you stick with it, little by little, the ground always comes.

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