{Reflection – medium )
Image generated by AI -inspired by the perfume aesthetic}
A linguistic -aesthetic reading of Lancôme – Trésor through the hidden root Tzafun and the Greek idea of revealed light
The hidden beauty of Tzafun’ (צָפַן)
The root is made of of the letters Tsade צ Pe פ and Nun final ן
It carries the central idea of hiding , keeping something concealed, but with a nuance of care and reverence not repression . What is worth noticing is that when the letter Nun appears in the beginning or middle of a word it curves gently representing humility and faith. When it is in the end (Nun final) it descends straight downward extending deep below the line , to symbolize the soul’s descend into the hidden realms, humility that reached mystery.
This matters because it tells us that Tzafun is not about hiding beauty but about preparing the heart to encounter it gradually -the same way perfume unfold in layers
Th form Tzafun’ (צָפַן) is the passive participle of that root. It is created out of the root by adding several vowels , it is a verb pattern.[1]
Tzafun is related to the Hebrew idea emet ( truth) according to which truth is not absent but veiled waiting to be revealed by the one who seeks with sincerity.
This means that truth , like scent, does not impose itself – it invites you
Likewise tzafun, is something that is hidden our of reverence, because it is holy. To uncover it you need inner alignment, reverence, sincerity , humility, love. Moreover, timing is important , a gestation period is required . The deep truth is that you don’t uncovering it by intellect
rather the hidden essence decides if it should trust you enough to to open its secrets
It is beautiful…The same way flowers bloom. Have you even witnessed a flower’s actual blooming?
Have you noticed that babies soften when they don’t feel possession attempts on your behalf?
Would you like to know more?
Albert Einstein said ‘There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle’
Archimedes ‘ Mathematics reveal its secrets to those who approach it with pure love’
The numerical value of the word miracle is 9 +1+5 = 15.[2] In this it resonates with the archetypes words pearl , butterfly , grace and the post I have written . It would be interesting to view the parallels yourselves
Let’s get creative…Shall we ? Let’s see tzafun’s essence veiled , presented indirectly via the advertisement of ” Trésor” perfume.
The New Trésor Love Storyat the Louvre Museum By Lancôme
Musuem Louvre Masterpieces secrets
The video introduces us softly to its word though a revelation of the glass pyramid of the Louvre at twilight. It is transparent, reflective and set above an underground entrance , it literally mediates between the hidden and the revealed. The museum itself is under the pyramid, it is concealed. Within it lie the world’s most reverent treasures. You need to descend to have access to thisholy world . It is the world of Mona Lisa, Liberty Leading the People, Venus de Milo , Winged Victory of Samothrake,
let’s pause
What do they have in common? Let’s uncover a Shoresh
They reveal trough through concealment
Monda Lisa and her enigmatic smile
Winged Victory, power trough absence ( no head, arms)
Atmsosphere
If we were to look into the atmosphere of the video there are dim corridors, golden glows, shadows interplays with light, there is an atmosphere of concealment . The light itself reveals only fragments echoing tzafun which hides beauty only to intensify its final revelation , the camera never reveals everything at once.
Grek Myth :Eros and Psyche& Revelation
What is interesting to note that it that the ad glows over the Eros and Psyche kiss scene
Like the leading hotels of the world where culture is distilled, but reinterpreted , the myth of Eros and Psyche itself can be seen through tzafun.
In the myth
Psyche
In the ad Penelope Cruz herself is the embodiment of Psyche. In the actual myth she believes that love must be seen with your actual eyes to be real. Her act of lighting her lamp to see Eros, who has been withheld is the human instinct to desire to expos, harshly what should not be exposed, experienced
at least not yet….
In the actual ad Penelope as a modern Muse, an incarnation of Psyche gets initiated into the mystery of concealment.
Th pre initiation stage is the stage she believes only what she sees
Level 2-initiation is when learns that concealment is the proper form of the sacred~~~
She moves through half lit corridors with poise and an aura of inner alignment not seeking to tear the veil, but willing to dwell within it.
She realises that the most luminous things are the ones that are partially hidden.
And Eros?
In Platonic thought Eros is the desire of the soul to ascend towards higher and higher levels of beauty till you encounter Beauty itself which is Pure , silent.
In the ad itself Eros is not the male figure who appears. It is the force of revelation, the living current that moves between concealment and revelation.
In the myth Eros is both the hidden beloved and the one who awakens Pssyche’s vision.
If you approach the veil too harshly it leads into error. Greeks referred to hybris, which is something similar , the necessity to be humble and not violate the unwritten divine Laws.
Eros teaches Pscyhe to ‘see’ without violating, to ascend but not to dominate, to delve into hidden realms and ascend with subterranean wisdom
In the ad itself He is the golden light that follows her. In his presence corridors become alive, air becomes charged , the woman becomes luminous
Fragnance Notes and Sumbolism
The pefume itself means treasure. In this sense it can mean the sacred hidden which becomes visbile only through reverence. Only when you slow down and cultivate your aesthetic intelligence can you intuit its top, heart, base notes. Only then can it be emotionally resonant and you become to associate it with something , a memory? Something which is precious.
You slow down, you notice the bottle, the perfume . its warm amber -peach -rose gold colour glowing like a liquid at sunset and the second one the amethyst -rose one.
The golden? light revealed
The dark? the hidden light, the nocturnal secret ……………………………………………………….
Closing reflection
Tzafun applies to so many fields, art, mythology, architecture, design, language , perfumes, so many worlds to explore….maybe in the future I will touch upon these themes , so very interesting….
[1] The Shoresh of Refinement – Aman Venice website design
[2] The hidden fragrance of 1+5=6
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Fragrance note:
World :The world of the hidden – patterned vibration the silent geometry beneath appearances
Accord: Hebrew Tzafun- humility, mystery, reverent concealment
Undertones : Greek light ( phos) that reveals by degrees, French nuance -intimacy refined into elegance
Aura: A twilight perfume of warm amber -peach- rose gold shadowed by amethyst. Its revelation is never rushed, it chooses those who seek with sincerity
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