Recently at Tanglewood, we heard Yo-Yo Ma and Arooj Aftab perform John Tavener’s Mahámátar, a global invocation to the eternal feminine. From our place on the lawn, eating sweet summer cherries, we listened as Arooj’s voice and Yo-Yo’s cello wove the mantra between them.

Throughout the piece, the mantra returned again and again, each repetition gathering weight and meaning. The chimes seemed to mark time—each strike resolving one passage and opening the next. The sound recalled bells ringing high in the tower of my alma mater, signifying the beginning of a new semester.

September brings its own sense of beginning. Perhaps we never entirely lose that back-to-school feeling: the impulse to take stock, choose a direction, recommit to something, or learn something new.

Committing or recommitting to a habit can be as simple as deciding what deserves our attention and making time for it.

We created Dwell Drops as an aromatic way to define time. A few drops added to steamy water release botanical scent into the air, giving shape to the time we set aside and signaling that we are entering it with purpose—whether to study, rest, create, or mark the beginning or close of the day.

Darcy and I often use Dwell Drops when we practice our instruments. Like the recurring phrases of the Mahámátar mantra, practice asks us to return again and again—to listen, repeat, and refine. Repetition builds competence; competence builds confidence; and confidence encourages us to continue. The aroma marks the start of that dedicated time, helping us move from distraction into focused attention and, eventually, creative flow. Over time, the scent becomes linked with that state: a familiar cue to return to the work. There is always something we want to learn.

As September begins, what would you like to return to — or begin?