Tag: connection

“Petri Dish Emotions” is a vibrant, collage-like composition that fills the frame, structured around four large circular forms resembling petri dishes or cells. Each circle contains layered spirals and fragments of cut paper—snippets of printed text with phrases such as: “A Wild Love,” “connect,” “research,” “deep time”, and organic shapes—arranged in swirling motions. The background is densely textured with crayon or pastel marks in green, yellow, pink, and blue, creating a sense of energetic movement between the circles. Smaller circular cutouts scatter across the surface, especially in the lower right, adding rhythm and variation. The overall effect is playful yet intricate, evoking microscopic life, growth, and interconnected systems.

“Petri Dish Emotions” & “Eating Emotions” * Art & Poetry * Janina Aza Karpinska

aromatica poetica April 3, 2026

Note from the author to the editor: I had in mind that I might send you “Eating Emotions,” originally published in Magma 85—a schools edition, but reworked since looking at it again. This morning when I lifted my head I noticed a piece of artwork I’d made, Petri Dish Emotions, that held my eye in a way that only made sense later in the day when I saw a short video clip of a TED talk by Brené Brown and …

A photograph of a serene winter landscape at sunset. The sun is low in the sky, casting a warm golden light that illuminates the scene. The foreground is dominated by a field covered with snow and dotted with dry, golden grasses and shrubs that glisten in the sunlight. The middle ground shows a few buildings, possibly homes, nestled at the base of a hill. The hill and the buildings are partially shadowed, creating a contrast with the brightly lit field. In the background, there are rolling hills that fade into the distance, and the sky above is a mix of blue and soft orange hues with some scattered clouds. The overall atmosphere is peaceful and picturesque, with the sun's rays adding a touch of warmth to the cold winter setting. Curtesy Florian Birkmayer, for “The Molecules of Connectedness.”

“The Molecules of Connectedness” * Book Excerpt * Florian Birkmayer, MD

aromatica poetica March 14, 2024

Aromatica Poetica is honored to present “The Molecules of Connectedness,” an excerpt from Essential Oils for Psychedelic Therapy Support: An Introduction to the AromaGnosis Method by Florian Birkmayer MD. Florian gave us one of our first interviews—way back in 2017! That interview details his journey from his first exposure to aromatherapy in childhood and subsequent medical training in psychiatry at Columbia University, to his practice with clients—most of whom suffered from trauma and PTSD, to the creation of AromaGnosis with …