All About Incense/recipes included

July 31, 2006

About Incense

Incense has always been used in metaphysics to induce the sense of smell when working magick, meditating, etc. It's also widely used to energize or just to infuse an area with your favorite scent.Different herbs have separate qualities used in magick. When you put different herbs together with the same correspondence to go towards the same goal, you have a potential incense to bring something new into your life or honor deity. Of course, some herbs are not going to be too pleasant together, so it may take some experimentation to decide which mixture suits you. Herbs also don't have to be mixed to make an incense. You may just wish to use one herb to aid you in a certain working. I will also include some recipes for incense in this section as well. If there is any incense you would like to see here that you don't, please let me know!"When the incense is smoldered in a ritual setting it undergoes a transformation. The vibrations, no longer trapped in their physical form, are released into the environment. Their energies, mixing with those of the magician, speed out to effect the changes necessary to the manifestation of the magical goal." - Scott Cunningham's "Incense, Oils and Brews"

How to Make and Use Incense

I will stick to making noncombustible incense for it is the easiest to make and the most widely used. Noncombustible incense is sprinkled onto burning charcoal blocks to release its fragrance, whereas combustible incense contains potassium nitrate (saltpeter) and is burned in the form of bricks, sticks, cones, etc.Make sure you have all the necessary ingredients to start off. If you don't have a certain herb, don't worry. Don't think you have to have a certain herb or the whole project is a failure; that's not true. You don't have to have any specific recipe for something to work for you. That's why it's always a good idea to experiment yourself and not go strictly by a certain recipe because only you know what works best for you.Now, finely ground each ingredient using a mortar and pestle or an electric grinder. Mortar and pestles are great but you always must check the quality of them and some things can be really hard to grind until you get it down. One of the first mortar and pestles I used to have ended up soaking up half the herb whenever I grinded it so always be careful what kind you get. Large wooden or ceramic bowls are always the best, also for mixing the ingredients later on. Personally, I'm in love with the electric grinder.Once all the ingredients are ground, fix your mind on your goal. Mix the ingredients together with your hands as you visualize the goal in your mind and let it be directed in the incense as you make it. If you are using any oils or liquids in the incense, always use them last. Just a few drops are all that's needed. Oils can also be used for any herb you lack. As you mix the oil with the herbs, continue visualizing your goal as before. When you are done with the incense, you may empower it, which I will also talk about later. And then store it in a tightly capped jar and be sure to label it, including the name of the incense and possibly even the date of composition, moon phase, or anything else you'd like to add. Always be sure to burn the incense in a censer. When you are ready to use the incense, simply place a charcoal block (which you can get from any occult store, I get mine from a bookstore), light the charcoal block and sprinkle your incense onto it. Always be sure to use small amounts or you may extinguish the charcoal block.

Recipies

Altar Incense3 parts Frankincense2 parts Myrrh1 part CinnamonAstral Projection Incense3 parts Sandalwood3 parts Benzoin1 part Mugwort1 part Dittany of CreteDivination Incense2 parts Sandalwood1 part Orange peel1 part Mace1 part CinnamonFull Moon Ritual Incense3 parts Frankincense1 part SandalwoodHealing Incense1 part Rosemary1 part Juniper berriesLove Incense2 parts Dragon's Blood1 part Orris1/2 part Cinnamon1/2 part Rose petalsa few drops Musk oila few drops Patchouli oilMeditation Incense1 part Gum Acacia (or Gum Arabic)1 part SandalwoodProphetic Dream Incensed2 parts Sandalwood1 part BuchuProtection Incense2 parts Frankincense1 part Sandalwood1/2 part RosemaryRelaxation IncenseRosemaryLavenderThymeStudy Incense2 parts Gum Mastic1 part Rosemary