10 years ago I visited Japan and I had the chance to take part in Koh-do, the Japanese incense ceremony. A woman taught me how to listen to incense using the special incense materials of sandalwood and aloeswood. The whole ceremony was fascinating. She explained it as Heaven and Earth, using the incense burner and burning the charcoal. The experience felt very déjà vu as if I had had the experience before. I’ve always thought that I lived in the Imperial Court in Japan, you know like in the Tales of Genji. That true feeling of scent nostalgia just hit me like bricks. I thought, wow, I've done this before, or I’ve smelled this before. So, that memory has never left my mind.

But then I had a similar experience when I went to the Middle East. I was in Dubai for 10 days and then I also went to Kuwait. In both of those places, there’s a New City and an Old City. I was fascinated by the Old City where they have the souks, the open markets. In Kuwait, for example, you see that every single shop has these huge altars outside. Altars as tall as me, where they burn the bakhoor. But then you also smell the oud. Every shop has its own scent. So, as you're walking and, as the wind goes through the hallways, the smell is so overwhelming.

Here again, I had a déjà vu memory of maybe being on the road from Morocco to the Continent, on some really ancient Silk Road adventure. It was as if I was experiencing multiple lifetimes at once, including the memory that I had in Japan, of my Imperial life.

That’s never happened to me before. This feeling where I had almost five memories at once exploding in my head. And all those smells together somehow unlocked so many lifetimes for me. It was like a genetic code coming out, and I just truly felt that phrase of heaven on earth and “I must have died and gone to heaven.”

And coupling the smells with the presentation solidified it for me. The souks had the gamut of shops, from the simple, inexpensively packaged incense stores to the high-end, gold packaged stores. I went to stores where it was just so elaborate. Where I felt very much like in Japan. Where everything is packaged beautifully and everything is thoughtful. The high-end stores in both Dubai and Kuwait had that same level of white glove, champagne service. And so to have that kind of elegance with the smell, it just felt very royal.

The collective smells I experienced in all of these places were enveloped in a feeling of grandeur. The experiences all had an element of being big and luminous. There was this feeling of taking a deep breath, and of feeling settled. There was a sense of regalness, not in a bad way, but where things are automatically, magically, taken care of. The experience felt like you were truly being taken care of. Because it didn’t matter if you had money or not, everything felt like it was taken care of and you had no worries. It’s such a good feeling.

In each of these moments, I was very emotional. They treated me as if I was the Queen. They had this reverence, this deep respect, and they gave me space. They took care of me without any awkwardness. What I appreciated was that it was very respectful and everyone there was running around for my attention, to make sure I was comfortable.

If that was something that I could give to everybody, to bestow some experience, it would be that memory of being truly connected with the Divine, but also that graceful regalness that everyone deserves to experience in their lifetime.

It doesn't matter how much money you have, or not. It's this complete reverence, this respect, and a true “I want to make sure you're happy in my shop” attitude. It didn’t matter if I was going to buy anything, they just wanted to share. It was about pride. They wanted to share the best that they had to offer.

I wish I could have this scent memory more often because that feeling is very different, and I don't experience it here in the U.S. So it makes you feel nostalgic. Especially because those smells are from many centuries ago. For me, those smells evoke nostalgia for past grandeur.

If the scent had a sound, what would it be? A baritone voice. Or the deep sounds of a French horn or cello.

If the scent had a color, what would it be? Metallic wood.

If the scent had a texture, what would it be? It's very soft, like suede and cashmere.

If the scent could give you advice, what would it tell you? Don’t give up on the grandeur. Return to the grandeur. If I really think about it, it’s like abundance. There's enough for you, and also enough for everybody else. And that's the feeling that I got in Japan, and also when I went to the Middle East. It doesn't matter if you're poor, or wealthy, everyone gets a certain level of stability.