Magical Incenses and Oils

Incense - perfumes burned to release fragrant smoke, has been used all over the world from ancient times to the present day. This book shows you how to make magical incenses and oils, how to choose suitable ingredients and how to use those incenses and oils to the best effect.  

Rising smoke has always been associated with prayer rising to the Gods, whether from the domestic hearth, the Pagan altar, the Druid’s needfire or the Catholic church’s incense burner. In ancient Egyptian temples priests formulated and used aromatics like cedarwood, frankincense, myrrh, juniper and caraway in their rites. One legendary blend was Kyphi, made from sixteen different essences, which would be breathed in by the priests and pharaohs during meditation. The Roman historian Plutarch wrote of it:

 "The smell of this perfume penetrates your body by the nose. It makes you feel well and relaxed, the mind floats and you find yourself in a dreamy state of happiness, as if listening to beautiful music."

 Everyone knows that witches and magicians use incenses during rituals- powerful perfumes that somehow help the magic. Ask many of these witches and magicians why they use incenses or how they work and they would be hard put to explain. Ask them why they use the ingredients they do, or how those ingredients are decided, they might mumble about following some recipes or charts of correspondences.

  In this book I want to show you how to make magical incenses and oils, how to choose suitable ingredients and how to use those incenses and oils, but first of all, I want you to be clear why you are going to all the trouble.

 Incenses and oils work on several levels:

 The first level is the effect it has on the mood of the magician. Any aromatherapist will tell you that perfumes affect the emotions. They may be stimulating or calming, soothing or invigorating, raise or depress the spirits. In magical terms, this has been developed into such a fine art that the aromatherapy idea of either stimulating or relaxing is, by comparison, crude in the extreme.

 On a secondary level, a perfume may have certain associations for the person who experiences it. There is a famous story of the philosopher Proust who smelled the baking of madeleine cakes and it powerfully brought back to him all the experiences and emotions of his childhood.  If you associate certain perfumes with a ritual setting, it can induce the mood required and concentrate the mind on the task in hand. If you condition yourself to associate different perfumes with different rituals or deities this will act as a subconscious short cut.

 Thirdly, on a more profound level, is the effect of the vibration of the perfume. When something vibrates at a certain frequency, any object near it will begin to vibrate with the same frequency, a principle used in both healing and in magic. Each plant, like every crystal or stone, has a particular vibration. When we use plants for incense making we really mean using the combined vibrational force of the chosen plants rather than their medicinal qualities, or their perfumes. When we use an incense or oil it is for the purpose of changing the vibration of the atmosphere to the level needed for a specific magical operation, not because it has a 'nice smell'. .

CHAPTER TWO extract

TYPES OF INCENSE

There are many types of incense available in shops, from the joss sticks and cones you can buy in supermarkets to the loose incense obtained from occult shops which is burned on charcoal or thrown straight onto the ritual bonfire.

 However, there are several reasons why it is better to make your own incenses for magical purposes. Commercial joss and cones are made with a compound base and often synthetic mineral-derived oils, and have no magical value. Commercially prepared incenses are usually just made to look attractive and smell nice- even if you buy them from an occult shop. A careful examination of the contents will often reveal inexplicable ingredients, besides which, they are made in bulk at any old time. Make your own and you will be sure that they contain the correct ingredients and are blended in the proper manner at the right magically empowering time.

 THE INGREDIENTS

As explained in the last chapter, every plant has its own magical vibration which is utilised in incenses, and we will be looking at this in the next chapter. When it comes to blending incenses, plants can be used in many forms. Traditional Craft incenses are composed largely of flowers and herbs [leaves and stems], but incenses that contain resins, essential oils and aesthetically pleasing shapes like star anise have become popular in recent years. Any herbs, flowers, berries or barks used should be dried. Lets look at some types of plant matter you might include in an incense:

 Resins

Resins such as frankincense, myrrh, copal, benzoin, acacia and pine improve the burning quality, the perfume and the keeping quality of an incense. Resins should be crushed into small pieces, but not powdered.

 Essential Oils

For a real boost to the strength of an incense’s perfume add a few drops of essential oil. Please note that any oil you add to an incense must be 100% non-diluted essential oil. Synthetic and mineral oils smell foul when they are burning, often reminiscent of burning plastic or rubber tyres, and have absolutely no magical value, or at least, non we can predict, since we do not know what is in them. [For more information on essential oils see the section on Magical Oils.]

 Woods and Barks

Wood improves the bulk and burning quality of an incense. Some, like cedar, are also highly fragrant. Woods are usually added in the form of shavings or bark chips. These need to be quite small if you want them to blend in well with the other ingredients. Woods and barks that might be added include willow, cinnamon, oak, apple, pine, cedar, ash, alder and birch.

 Roots

In some plants, like mandrake, briony, dragon’s blood and galangal, the power of the plant is concentrated in the root. Small chips of dried root may be added to incense, or occasionally roots are available in powder form. Orris root powder will fix the perfume of an incense, and improve its shelf life; it is a particularly valuable addition if you are not including any resins to fix the incense.

 Powdered Spices

Spices like ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, etc are readily available in powdered form. These are easily added to an incense, but be careful- a little goes a long way.

 Dried Berries

 Dried berries make a useful addition to incenses, adding bulk, perfume and sometimes acting as a binding ingredient. The most commonly used berries include juniper, rowan, hawthorn and elder, but dried berries of any type can be used, [though take care that they do not have toxic fumes, like yew]. They are crushed in a mortar with a pestle before they are added to the incense. This releases the oils and the perfume within them.

 Dried Herbs

 Dried herbs usually consist of the stems and leaves of a plant in a shredded or crumbled form. These might include familiar culinary herbs such as basil, sage, rosemary and thyme, or more exotic herbs such as dittany of crete, damiana, and cohosh. They are freely available from herbal suppliers and occult shops.

 Dried Flowers

Dried flowers add colour and attractiveness to the look of an incense, and also perfume and texture. Some flowers keep their colour and perfume better than others in the drying process. Commonly used petals and flowers include rose, sunflower, marigold, jasmine, honeysuckle and clover.

 Seeds and Pods

Seeds and pods such as poppy, cardamom, cloves and star anise make an interesting visual addition to an incense.

 TOOLS NEEDED FOR MAKING INCENSES

 You will need few specialist tools for making incense, but it is worthwhile investing in the following:

 Pestle And Mortar 

These are readily available in kitchen shops, and are relatively inexpensive. They should be made from stone, marble or be ceramic but not metal which will taint the ingredients, as well as earthing any magical charge that you put into the incenses. If you only intend to make a small amount of incense at any one time, just enough for a single ritual or working, then you will not need a large mortar. If you intend to make large batches for the whole coven, you may need something bigger.

 Spoons and Measuring Cups

These should be made from silver, copper or plastic. Again, so as not to earth any magic in the incenses when they have been charged.

 Jars

Glass jars with screw on lids are best for keeping your incenses. Store the finished products in a cool, dark place. Don’t forget to label the jars!

 BLENDING LOOSE INCENSE

Loose incense is probably the easiest type of incense to make, and the most useful kind for magical ritual. The recipes in this book are all for loose incense.

 First of all assemble your ingredients, your pestle and mortar, your mixing spoons and your jars and labels ready for the finished product. 

 All the measurements in this book are by volume, not weight, and I use a spoon to measure out small quantities when I am making a single jar of incense, or a cup for large quantities and big batches. Therefore when the recipe says 3 parts frankincense, ½ part thyme and 1 part myrrh, this means three spoons of frankincense, half a spoon of thyme and 1 spoon of myrrh.

 When using resins and essential oils, these should be combined together first, stirring lightly with the pestle and left to go a little sticky before you add any woods, barks and crushed berries. Next add any herbs and powders and lastly any flowers.

 CHARGING THE INCENSE

As you blend the incense concentrate on the purpose for which the incense will be used, and ‘project’ this into the blend. If you like you can make a whole ritual of the event, perhaps even picking and drying your own herbs, then laying out the tools and ingredients on the altar, lighting a candle and asking the God and Goddess for help:

 “God and Goddess, deign to bless this incense which I would consecrate in your names. Let it obtain the necessary virtues for acts of love and beauty in your honour. Let Blessing Be”.

 The incenses should then be stored in screw topped glass jars.

 BURNING INCENSES

[Each recipe section will explain the specific uses of each type of incense.]

 Loose incense is burned on individual self-igniting charcoal blocks, or thrown directly onto the bonfire.

 To use your incenses, take a self-igniting charcoal block [available from occult and church suppliers] and apply a match to it. It will begin to spark across its surface, and eventually to glow red. Place it on a flame-proof dish with a mat underneath [it will get very hot]. When the charcoal block is glowing, sprinkle a pinch of the incense on top- a little goes a long way. Alternatively, if you are celebrating outdoors and have a bonfire, you can throw much larger quantities of incense directly onto the flames. I have also sprinkled it on the hot plate of my Rayburn, and this smoulders away quite nicely, though it would really mess up a gas or electric hob!

 A useful tip is when a packet of charcoal blocks has been opened they will quickly start to absorb moisture from the air. This makes them difficult to ignite. Pop them in the oven for ten minutes on a low heat to dry them out, and they will light easily.