The fire. The odor of burning juniper is the sweetest fragrance on the face of the earth, in my honest judgment; I doubt if all the smoking censers of Dante's paradise could equal it. One breath of juniper smoke, like the perfume of sagebrush after rain, evokes in magical catalysis, like certain music, the space and light and clarity and piercing strangeness of the American West. Long may it burn. . Edward Abbey
About This Quote

The fire has become a symbol of life in the American West. This is not only because the West was one of the first places where people began to settle after leaving Europe. It’s also because of how it looks, smells, and tastes. The scent of burning juniper incites a feeling of wildness in people. For many, there is no other smell that evokes the same sense of space and light and clarity and piercing strangeness that one gets from burning juniper.

Source: Desert Solitaire

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