Incense Magic
SACRED SMOKE
There is something very, very special about the aromatic smoke that comes from incense that is used with intention. It is said that the smoke that rises from incense carries your intentions, prayers and wishes all the way into the upper world, where the spirits of this realm will receive them. The word incense comes from Old French encens (noun), and encenser (verb), and from religious Latin incensum, all of which means ‘something burned’ and from non-religious Latin, incendere ‘to set on fire’.
In some cultures, it is thought that incense calms the mind, purifies, blesses, and consecrates space, objects and your energy. Incense can also be used to cast powerful magical spells, or to amplify and strengthen your intention in ceremony and ritual. Once I discovered the joy of crafting my own incense blends for ritual and magic, I was forever hooked—and I know that you will be, too.
Coiled, stick, loose, powdered and coned, the sacred use of incense is a very, very old practice which has found its way into many of the world’s major, modern religions:
Buddhist Tao and Shinto ceremonies incorporate incense, which is used to purify their surroundings, to call forth gods and spirits and to honor their ancestors.
Once considered so sacred, incense—and specifically Ketoret incense, was used only during worship by the ancient Jewish people until the destruction of their temple. The recipe for this incense is forbidden to produce until the temple is rebuilt, but there is a special blessing for ‘pleasant smells’ recited at the end of the Sabbath, to remind the people of Ketoret, and the holiness of scent.
With its roots in ancient Judaism, Christianity adopted the Jewish use of incense in worship and ceremony, and considers the smoke to be a symbol of the faithful’s prayers rising to heaven.
Performed as a daily ritual in the Hindu tradition, incense is used as an offering to The Divine by circling the sticks three times in a clockwise direction, then holding the sticks in between the hands at the center of the forehead in prayer, which is the place of the ‘third’ or inner eye.
Pagan, and Wiccan rituals use incense to primarily symbolize the elemental aspect of air, but it can also be used to represent all four elements; air, earth, fire and water, as the smoke moves through and is like the air, the incense is set on fire, the ingredients come from plants, which grow in the earth, and shaped incense, such as cones, is often formed using water.
A FRAGRANT HISTORY
From the moment that the first twig fell into the first fire, and the first trails of aromatic smoke began to rise, our love for incense began—and has continued on until today. Over the centuries, both simple and elaborate recipes for ritual, ceremony, prayer and meditation have been created.
Our sense of smell is the oldest of our senses, having developed early on as a way to sense other animals, mating opportunities, danger, food and weather. The inhalation of fragrance directly affects the brain and other systems of the body, as it can alter blood pressure, pulse and mood, as well as create calmness, tranquility and a sense of peaceful well-being. The moment that you inhale a scent, its molecules go up into your nose and, each scent molecule fits like a puzzle piece into a specific receptor in the cells that lines the olfactory membrane.
Of all the five senses; taste, touch, hear, see, and smell—only our sense of smell is directly connected to the limbic system of the brain, which is where the emotions of fear, anxiety, depression, anger, and joy, etc., are all generated. Our other senses of touch, taste, hearing, and sight, are linked to the thalamus, which is like a switchboard, passing stimuli on to other parts of the brain. A particular scent can evoke powerful memories, emotions, feelings and responses before our conscious mind is ever aware of them.
The practice of burning aromatic plant materials for healing, meditation, pleasure, spirituality and divination has its roots in early shamanism, which as we have learned, is the practice of achieving altered states of consciousness to meet with beings in the spirit world for healing, balance and wholeness. Indigenous shamans have been using leaves, grass, resins, flowers and other plants to burn as incense during ritual events for thousands of years.
Acknowledging that everything has a soul, a spirit and energy, and that plants are sacred, holy beings with consciousness, the shaman ‘smudges’ or fans the smoke of burning herbs or incense around a person to heal and cleanse them, restore their physical, mental, and emotional balance, and also to protect them against them any negative energies. Shamans also use the smoke from burning plant materials as an offering to the spirits and to the spirit realm.
Incense use can be found in almost every culture throughout history, but it was the ancient Egyptians, and the ancient Hebrew people who were the first masters of blending plant, resin and aromatic oils to manufacture incense for ritual, spiritual and religious use. Recipes for ancient Egyptian Kyphi, which is intoxicating scented, and has a mildly altering effect upon the psyche, has been found written as hieroglyphs upon the crumbling temple walls of sacred sites.
Later on in history, it was the Chinese who perfected stick incense, the Japanese who brought incense making to the level of a fine art, and in India, The Middle East and Africa, the high demand of certain aromatic resins, such as Frankincense and Myrrh, caused the value of some these incense materials to become more precious than gold.
Types of Incense
Powdered, or ground
Loose Stick, or dipped
Coil
Wet, or formed Incense
MATERIALS
Gum
Resin
Wood
Bark
Herb
Spice
Flower
Fruit
Incense can be used for:
Spellwork
Ritual
To Raise Energy
Adjust Energy
To Induce Trance
For Clarity, Focus, And Calmness
For Astral Projection
For Lucid Dreaming
Meditation
To Purify Space
To Cleanse Space—And Auric Energy
To Work with The Elements Of Air And Fire
FORMULA, SUPPLIES, TIPS & SAFETY
Basic Incense Formula
Three Parts Wood, Root And/Or Bark
Two Parts Resin
Two To Three Parts Leaf
One To Two Parts Flower
A Bit of Spice
OTHER SUPPLIES
Mixing Bowls
Paper Towels
Glass Spray Bottle With Alcohol
Small Electric Coffee Or Herb Grinder
Mortar And Pestle
Incense bowl, censer or shell
Clean burning charcoal, such as Japanese bamboo charcoal
Incense tongs to hold the charcoal while lightin
Lighter
Sea Salt, sand or incense ash to place the charcoal on, while burning in the bowl
SAFETY
Always use caution when handling incense charcoal, and incense, as fire is an unpredictable element to work with.
Charcoal can burn at up to 1500 degrees F, use a burner that can handle this heat.
Place charcoal upon incense ash, sand or sea salt to absorb and diffuse heat.
Place your incense burner on a heat resistant surface.
Burn incense away from drapes, lampshades, and other flammable object.
Keep incense away from open windows, drafty areas and objects that can be blown around.
Do not burn incense inside small, closed spaces such as closets.
Do not hang anything above burning incense.
Keep incense—burning and unlit out of reach of children and pets. Burn incense in a well-ventilated area.
Never leave burning incense unattended.
Be 100% sure that all incense materials are completely extinguished before discarding.
Be aware that charcoal can stay hot for hours, long after the incense is finished burning. Hot ash can ignite flammable items, such as paper in a wastebasket, so dispose of charcoal ash carefully, either in a bowl of water, then into the sink or wastebasket, or into the earth once it has been completely extinguished.
For stick incense: break off the glowing tip, discard in water or dip the tip in water.
For censer use: turn the stick upside down, then bury the burning end in the sand or ash.
For coil incense: carefully break off the lit end, then discard in water.
To dispose of the charcoal, use tweezers or metal incense tongs to mash up all the burning embers. Discard in water before placing in wastebasket.
If you have health concerns, check with your doctor regarding the ingredients you plan to use to see if there are contraindications.
If you're pregnant or nursing: consult a physician before burning incense.
Do not burn incense while under the influence of alcohol, or other recreational drug substances.
Do not drive after using certain incense, especially those that have a mildly altering effect, such as mugwort, lotus, and such.
Do not take incense internally.
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© 2023 Renée Starr | You may not reproduce this without permission. For cheerful permissions, please contact the author here.
Image Credit: David Brooke Martin / Unsplash
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