Incense

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Incense

Incense is a wonderful thing. it makes the room smell nice, it's a deodoriser, and it can keep your younger brother out of the room. Its forms are diverse, from the common stick incense, to the less common cone, then powder incense. Rarely seen is the joss-stick, a stick of pure incense without a wood shaft inside. The scents refresh the soul, clear the mind, and aid in meditation.

The ways to use it are equally diverse. A stick can be put in a little bowl of sand or in the soil of a potted plant, or placed in a beautiful holder or ashcatcher. I prefer an actual holder because they're works of art, and I love blank wooden ashcatchers because I can decorate them myself. Cones can be put on any flat surface or in an interesting little brass thurible. Keep in mind that the incense IS on fire, so the holder may get hot. Powder incense needs a special container, which is usually a thurible or censer. This kind of incense is supposed to produce billowing clouds of smoke which may be useful for consecration, purification, or divination. You may be familiar with this sort of incense from church, often the Catholics. Recall the men swinging the censer from it's chains? One of those is best for this kind of incense because it can then be picked up and swung to spread the smoke. In churches they use frankincense or other fragrances, usually myrrh or sandalwood. You, however, may use any kind you like.

The scent of incense may be matched to whatever you're doing at the time. This is not just for ritual or spells, you know! If you're writing a letter or are doing a painting, an incense for inspiration may be useful. If you're angry, a calming scent is in order.

Here I will provide a list of scents and their uses for the witches and non-witches who read this, for this is a correspondence that is very hard to find. I got this list from Celtic Magic by D.J. Conway. It's a dreadful book, except for the sections on correspondences, and the stone magic section...I don't really reccomend it...although the artwork is wonderful!

Here's the list!

Annointing	Acacia, angelica, carnation, cinquefoil, frankincense, jasmine, lavender, lily of the valley, lotus, myrrh, rose, rosemary, vervain
Balance	Jasmine, orange, rose
Banishing, Releasing	Cedar, clove, cypress, patchouli, rose, rue, violet, betony, elder, fern, mugwort, St. Johnswort, vervain, yarrow
Binding	Apple, cayenne, dragon's blood, cypress, pine, pepper, rowan, wormwood
Blessing, Consecration	Carnation, cypress, frankincense, lotus, rosemary, elder, rue
Changes	Peppermint, dragon's blood, woodruff
Clairvoyance, Divination	Cinnamon, lilac, acacia, laurel, eyebright, honeysuckle, marigold, mugwort, nutmeg, rose, thyme, wormwood, yarrow, dittany of Crete, hazel, moonwort, rowan
Creativity	Honeysuckle, lilac, lotus, rose, vervain, wild cherry, savory
Cursing	Blackthorn, elder, pepper
Determination, Courage	Allspice, musk, rosemary, dragon's blood, mullein
Energy, Power, Strength	Allspice, bay, carnation, cinnamon, cinquefoil, frankincense, lotus, musk, thyme, dragon's blood, verbena, oak, holly
Exorcism	Bay, frankincense, lavender, myrrh, pine, rosemary, vervain, basil, ceadr, fern, mullein, pepper, rue, St. Johnswort, wormwood, yarrow
Good Luck, Fortune, Justice	Cedar, lotus, mint, vervain, violet, nutmeg, bayberry, cinnamon, cinquefoil, honeysuckle, chamomile, jasmine, yellow dock
Happiness, Harmony, Peace	Apple blossom, basil, cedar, cypress, fir, jasmine, lavender, lilac, lotus, orange, patchouli, rose, rosemary, lily of the valley, purple loostrife, valerian, vervain
Healing	Carnation, cinnamon, cinquefoil, clove, lavender, lotus, myrrh, rose, rosemary, sandalwood, apple, laurel, wild cherry, hazel, hops, orange, peppermint, rowan, savory
Inspiration, Wisdom	Cinquefoil, clove, acacia, cypress, fir, hazel, laurel, lily of the valley, oak moss, reed, rosemary, rowan, rue
Love	Apple blossom, birch, cinquefoil, gardenia, honeysuckle, jasmine, musk, rose, vervain, acacia, catnip, elder, fern, heather, juniper, lavender, marigold, marjoram, mistletoe, moonwort, patchouli, savory, vanilla, valerian
Meditation	Acacia, angelica, bay, cinnamon, frankincense, jasmoine, lotus, myrrh, nutmeg, wisteria
New Beginnings	Birch oil
Protection, Defense	Angelica, bay, bayberry, birch, cinnamon, cypress, frankincense, juniper, jasmine, lily of the valley, patchouli, pine, rue, vervain, dragon's blood, fern, feverfew, fir, furze, hawthorn, hazel, heather, holly, marjoram, mistletoe, mugwort, mullein, oak, pepper, rosemary, rowan, St. Johnswort, thistle, wormwood, yarrow, basil, burdock, cinquefoil, club moss, dill
Psychic Centers, Opening	Nutmeg, mimosa, wisteria, lotus, mugwort
Purification, Cleansing	Bay, laurel, frankincense, lavnder, myrrh, pine, rosemary, vervain, basil, betony, burdock, cedar, dragon's blood, elder, feverfew, hyssop, marjoram, oak, peppermint, rue, salt, thyme, valerian, woodruff
Reincarnation	Lilac, sandalwood
Visions	Bay laurel, frankincense, lotus, acacia, dittany of Crete, marigold, mugwort, wormwood
Willpower	Rosemary, St. Johnswort

Choose scents according to your intent, or whatever you would like to smell :P This list was, I believe, intended for making your own incense, but it can easily be used for pre-made incense as well. It's just that some of these scents will be unavailable, which is just as well, because there's others to choose from that ARE available and may be nicer fragrances.

When incense is scarce, there is just enough. When it is plentiful, you cannot have enough.