Incense

[SalixIncendium]

Incense has a long history of use in religious and spiritual practices for varying purposes such as ritual, prayer, purification, and magic. There are some contemporary Pagan practices in which certain incenses have very specific correspondences.

Conversely, some burn incense because they like the way it smells, while other burn it to mask other odors.

Do you burn incense? Do you use stick, cone, resin? Do you make your own incense? For what purpose, religious or secular, do you burn incense? Do you have a preference in aroma? What is your favorite?



As for me, while I grew up in the Catholic Church, where resin was burned in mass, usually frankincense, I began using incense in my personal spiritual practices many years ago as a trigger to shift from a mundane mindset to a spiritual one. While I no longer need it as a trigger, I still burn it out of habit when I meditate, and I usually burn sandalwood during meditation. Another habit I have is to burn white sage (not technically an incense) whenever I clean the house. I've used sage in the past for purification. Nowadays, I suppose its kind of like an old comfy blanket one keeps around to get that cozy feeling.

While I used to burn my own blends of resins and herbs on charcoal discs, nowadays, I use stick incense almost exclusively.

I don't have one favorite aroma. It varies from day to day among nag champa, patchouli, and sandalwood.

 

[Jainarayan]

Do you burn incense? Do you use stick, cone, resin? Do you make your own incense? For what purpose, religious or secular, do you burn incense? Do you have a preference in aroma? What is your favorite?

1. Yes.
2. Sticks.
3. No.
4. Religious, but sometimes just to cleanse the atmosphere.
5. I can't smell anything, so it doesn't matter. I use it for the gods.

There's a short prayer I use when I offer it...

om sri krishnaya namaha
vaṇaspati rasotpanno gandhāḍhyo gandha uttamaḥ |
āghreyaḥ sarva devānāṃ dhūpo’yaṃ pratigṛhyatāṃ ||

Reverence to Lord Krishna.
O Lord please accept this incense, which is agreeable to all the devas.
It provides the best of all aromas, being endowed with the fragrance produced from the sap of the forest.

 

[Salvador]

I burn incense after my wife uses the bathroom. I use apple cinnamon incense sticks. Hence, I can rightfully sing my cinnamon girl to my beloved wife.

 

[Vinayaka]

Do you burn incense? Do you use stick, cone, resin? Do you make your own incense? For what purpose, religious or secular, do you burn incense? Do you have a preference in aroma? What is your favorite?

I use it to beseech gods, as an offering. It's a stick, waved in 3 clockwise circles in front of murthies as part of puja, while chanting particular Vedic slokas. The belief is that God, and devas can smell it from their world. So it attracts their presence, a definite religious use. I use fragrances that are common in Hindu temples of my sect. It also works to cause deja-vu for this shared experience.

Outside of that, it's rarely used in this house.

 

[Cooky]

Incense has a long history of use in religious and spiritual practices for varying purposes such as ritual, prayer, purification, and magic. There are some contemporary Pagan practices in which certain incenses have very specific correspondences.

Conversely, some burn incense because they like the way it smells, while other burn it to mask other odors.

Do you burn incense? Do you use stick, cone, resin? Do you make your own incense? For what purpose, religious or secular, do you burn incense? Do you have a preference in aroma? What is your favorite?



As for me, while I grew up in the Catholic Church, where resin was burned in mass, usually frankincense, I began using incense in my personal spiritual practices many years ago as a trigger to shift from a mundane mindset to a spiritual one. While I no longer need it as a trigger, I still burn it out of habit when I meditate, and I usually burn sandalwood during meditation. Another habit I have is to burn white sage (not technically an incense) whenever I clean the house. I've used sage in the past for purification. Nowadays, I suppose its kind of like an old comfy blanket one keeps around to get that cozy feeling.

While I used to burn my own blends of resins and herbs on charcoal discs, nowadays, I use stick incense almost exclusively.

I don't have one favorite aroma. It varies from day to day among nag champa, patchouli, and sandalwood.

What a great idea! I'm planning on moving into a new home in a few months, and plan on growing fragrant Jasmine vines on my patio. I'll have to incorporate burning some good incense out there as well, for the fragrance.

Thanks for the great idea!

 

[Father Heathen]

I love nag champa. The aroma brings back memories of some crazy times.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Incense has a long history of use in religious and spiritual practices for varying purposes such as ritual, prayer, purification, and magic. There are some contemporary Pagan practices in which certain incenses have very specific correspondences.

Conversely, some burn incense because they like the way it smells, while other burn it to mask other odors.

Do you burn incense? Do you use stick, cone, resin? Do you make your own incense? For what purpose, religious or secular, do you burn incense? Do you have a preference in aroma? What is your favorite?



As for me, while I grew up in the Catholic Church, where resin was burned in mass, usually frankincense, I began using incense in my personal spiritual practices many years ago as a trigger to shift from a mundane mindset to a spiritual one. While I no longer need it as a trigger, I still burn it out of habit when I meditate, and I usually burn sandalwood during meditation. Another habit I have is to burn white sage (not technically an incense) whenever I clean the house. I've used sage in the past for purification. Nowadays, I suppose its kind of like an old comfy blanket one keeps around to get that cozy feeling.

While I used to burn my own blends of resins and herbs on charcoal discs, nowadays, I use stick incense almost exclusively.

I don't have one favorite aroma. It varies from day to day among nag champa, patchouli, and sandalwood.

I used to use vanilla insense when I talk with my deceased grandmother. Its started than candles given I rent. Now, I use flat candles in a flat covered candle holder so if it falls, it would need a good nudge. It's next to my aunt's urn. I dont go there religious like I used to. It's been a year and two months so I'm at the threshold to learn from death. Light candles and insense gets me in the mind for it. Even briefly.

 

[shunyadragon]

I avoid incense, and open the windows.

 

[Vinayaka]

I avoid incense, and open the windows.

Sounds like my father. 'That stinkin' stuff'' . He declared the taste of a herbal teas being 'like slough water'. In retrospect, I should have asked him when he'd tasted slough water.

Smells, like the tastes of food, are personal. I can't stand some of the heavier brands of incense either.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I avoid incense, and open the windows.

Clearly, you don't live in Cleveland.

 

[shunyadragon]

Clearly, you don't live in Cleveland.

Howard the Duck taught me to avoid Cleveland.

My windows are not nailed and glued shut.

 

[shunyadragon]

Sounds like my father. 'That stinkin' stuff'' . He declared the taste of a herbal teas being 'like slough water'. In retrospect, I should have asked him when he'd tasted slough water.

Smells, like the tastes of food, are personal. I can't stand some of the heavier brands of incense either.

Actually I love herbal teas.

 

[Katja]

I almost always use sticks-- Japanese, or sometimes Tibetan. Sometimes for meditation, and sometimes just for the scent. Not always as often as I'd like, because I have a cat and I'm not sure if it's healthy for him (I know essential oils are dangerous for cats, which means I don't get to really use essential oils either, unfortunately, and I'm not sure if burning incense might release essential oils or similar into the air, along with the smoke). I've also lit it at Buddhist temples.

I have many different types... I like sandalwood, but also aloeswood, lavender, cedar, pine, cinnamon, frankincense, etc.

I like nag champa, but I don't know what's in it and not fond of the incense with the "punk" stick, so I put a box of it in my sock drawer instead.

I would like to like resin incense, and I do have some, but I almost never use it because it's such a pain to burn (and puts out more smoke than sticks, and I'm always afraid of setting off the smoke detector). Using charcoal has that added extra step, and using makko requires constant participation in the process (when usually I want to light it and let it go).

 

[crossfire]

I'm not that big on actually burning incense. (Too much smoke.) However, I built an incense stove from a tealight kettle warmer, where I heat resins in an empty tealight candle over a lit tealight candle. The more gentle warming lets you experience the different levels of fragrance over a longer period of time--you can get 8 hours of fragrance from resins that would only last a few minutes if you burned them over charcoal discs--with no stinky charcoal smoke to get in the way!

 

[GoodbyeDave]

I only use frankincense, and I use it everyday. I use the pure grains and a burner that enables me to use a small pinch at a time: a steel mesh over a night-light. Today is the festival of Hades and Persephone, so there'll be quite a bit burned.

 

[Katja]

Does the non-charcoal warming work well? I don't use resin incense enough to justify the cost of an electric burner, but using charcoal is just something I really don't enjoy (and I imagine my cat and smoke detector would agree). I've used resin incense outside before, but I no longer live somewhere with a balcony, so this is no longer an option. How strong is the smell when done this way? If it's as strong as burning on charcoal, it would quickly overcome my space, so I'm hoping for something gentler and more subtle.

I have one of the screen burners and can probably put a tea light candle inside and then the resin on top (I think. The burner might be too short; I might need to find something taller as the resin may be too close to the flame).

I've also heard of people using essential oil burners that use a tea light-- I also have one of those-- but I'm not sure if that would be *enough* heat. (I saw one video on Youtube where he put vegetable oil in and then let that heat up and put the resin in it. I guess it might work, if I was sure there was no fire risk from the oil. Wish I'd thought of it back when I was putting water in it and putting my essential oils in the water, because putting the oils directly just kind of burned them.)

And then there's my coffee warmer (really one of those candle warmers). Could put resin in some foil on top of that, if it gets hot enough.

(I'm trying really hard not to buy anything additional. Especially since I'm not sure I'm going to buy more resin after I use what I have. But I do want to use what I have.)

 

[Jedster]

Not often but when I do, sticks and sometimes cones.
My very favourites are Jasmine and Sandalwood,which I find intoxicating.
(In the summertime,Jasmine grows in the garden and I just have to open the back door,no incense needed)

 

[crossfire]

Does the non-charcoal warming work well? I don't use resin incense enough to justify the cost of an electric burner, but using charcoal is just something I really don't enjoy (and I imagine my cat and smoke detector would agree). I've used resin incense outside before, but I no longer live somewhere with a balcony, so this is no longer an option. How strong is the smell when done this way? If it's as strong as burning on charcoal, it would quickly overcome my space, so I'm hoping for something gentler and more subtle.

The set-up I have with the tealight warmer works great. Not only does it work with resins, but it also works with sandalwood chips.
I paid about $6 for my cast iron tealight warmer at World Market. It was on sale for half price at the time, but is sold out right now.
Cast Iron Teapot Warmer | World Market

I have one of the screen burners and can probably put a tea light candle inside and then the resin on top (I think. The burner might be too short; I might need to find something taller as the resin may be too close to the flame).

I've heard those work well, but have not tried them myself.

I've also heard of people using essential oil burners that use a tea light-- I also have one of those-- but I'm not sure if that would be *enough* heat. (I saw one video on Youtube where he put vegetable oil in and then let that heat up and put the resin in it. I guess it might work, if I was sure there was no fire risk from the oil. Wish I'd thought of it back when I was putting water in it and putting my essential oils in the water, because putting the oils directly just kind of burned them.)

Benzoin and copal have such a low melting point that they make a huge mess when you use them with the oil. Frankincense and myrrh work ok--it is like making an infused oil in your essential oil burner.

And then there's my coffee warmer (really one of those candle warmers). Could put resin in some foil on top of that, if it gets hot enough.

You could try a spent tealight candle holder instead of the foil, which might get better heat than the foil.

(I'm trying really hard not to buy anything additional. Especially since I'm not sure I'm going to buy more resin after I use what I have. But I do want to use what I have.)

You will go through much less resin if you use a resin incense stove instead of the charcoal method. A couple of chunks will last more than four hours in my set up.

 

[Secret Chief]

Do you burn incense? Do you use stick, cone, resin? Do you make your own incense? For what purpose, religious or secular, do you burn incense? Do you have a preference in aroma? What is your favorite?

Yes. Sticks. No. Incense is utilised on a daily basis, whether formal meditation practice or oh that curry smell is lingering. My preference is for Japanese, but I rarely buy it as it is quite expensive. Mostly I get Wild Berry, an American make.

 

[cataway]

i figured incense was used to cover the bad sent of all the stinking people