Incense Recipes Part 1

(1) "LOCK" INCENSE

3 Parts Frankincense
2 Parts Juniper berries
1 part Vetivert
1/2 part Cumin

To guard your home from thieves: During the day smolder this mixture in a censer before the front door, then move it to each opening in the house (doors, windows, cellars, etc.) through which thieves may enter. Visualize it's smoke forming an invisible but impenetrable barrier. Move in a clockwise circle throughout your home, replenishing the incense as necessary.

Repeat monthly at the time of the Full Moon, if possible, or, use as needed. This is designed to "lock" your home against unwanted intruders - but don't forget to bolt the doors as well.

(2) ABRAMELIN INCENSE

2 Parts Myrrh
1 Part Wood Aloe
A few drops Cinnamon Oil

Burn to contact spirits during  rituals or as a simple consecration incense to sanctify the altar or magickal tools.

(3) AIR INCENSE

4 Parts Benzoin
2 Parts Gum Mastic
1 Part lavender
1 Pinch Wormwood
1 Pinch Mistletoe

Burn to invoke the powers of the element of Air, or to increase intellectual powers; to obtain travel; for communication, study & concentration, or to end drug addiction. Smolder during divinatory rituals.

(4) ALTAR INCENSE

3 Parts Frankincense
2 Parts Myrrh
1 Part Cinnamon

Burn as a general incense on the altar to purify the area.

(5) APHRODITE INCENSE

1 Part Cinnamon
1 Part Cedar
a few drops Cypress Oil

Burn during rituals designed to attract love.

(6) APOLLO INCENSE

4 Parts Frankincense
2 Parts Myrrh
2 Parts Cinnamon
1 Part Bay

Burn during divination & healing rituals.

(7) ATTRACTION INCENSE

Woodbase 32 oz.
Olibanum 16 oz
Sandalwood 8 oz
Myrrh 4 oz
Cinnamon 8 oz
Orris Root 4 oz
Saltpeter 2 oz.
Blue Herbal Dye

(8) ATTUNEMENT TO SPIRIT WORLD

1/4 tsp ground Sandalwood
Or - 1/2 tsp Sandalwood chips
1/4 tsp Balm of Gilead
1/8 tsp Sage

(9) AUTUMN or MABON

2 parts white sage (Native American type, not culinary sage!)
1 part patchouli
1 part dried oak leaf
1 part lavender
A pinch of copal if desired

(10) BELTANE INCENSE

3 Parts Frankincense
2 Parts Sandalwood
1 Part Woodruff
1 Part Rose petals
a few drops Jasmine oil
a few drops neroli Oil

Burn during Wiccan rituals on Beltane or May Day for fortune "favors" to attune with the changing of the seasons.

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Incenses and Their Uses

Incenses and Their Uses

Blue Berry - Burn to keep unwanted influences away from your home and property

Blue Roses- Specially crafted to honour the Goddess in all her aspects

Carnations - A sweet floral scent traditionally used for healing

Cherry - Sacred to Venus, this blend will attract and stimulate love

Cinnamon - Use to gain wealth and success

Coconut - Burn for protection and purification

Copal - Sacred to the Mayan and Aztecs, this blend is suitable for honouring the Gods

Frangiapani- Burn to brighten your home with friendship and love

Frankincense - Draw upon the energy of the sun to create sacred space, consecrate objects, and stimulate positive vibrations

Honeysuckle - Burn for good health, luck, and psychic power

Jasmine - For luck in general, especially in matters relating to love

Lotus - For inner peace and outer harmony, to aid in meditation and open the mind's eye

Musk - Burn for courage and vitality, or to highten sensual passion

Myrrh - An ancient incense for protection, healing, purification and spirituality

Passionflower - For peace of mind, this sweet scent will soothe troubles and aid in sleep

Patchouli Patchouli - An earthy scent used in money and attraction spells

Pine - Burn for strength, and to reverse negative energies

Rose - For love magick, and to return calm energies to the home

Sandalwood - A delicious all purpose scent used to heal and protect, also for purification

Spice - A fiery scent to be charged for any magick

Spirit - Raise your personal vibration, attract spirit guides and honour your personal deity

Strawberry - For love, luck and friendship

Tangerine - A solar aroma used to attract prosperity

Temple - A devotional incense for the altar during ritual

Vanilla - Stimulate amorous appetites and enhance memory

INCENSE - Information on how to make

INCENSE - Information on how to make


I have two books on the subject of making incense, one of which is useful and
the other of which is occasionally amusing.  The books are:

The useful one: Smith, Steven R.  _Wylundt's Book of Incense_, York Beach, ME:
Samuel Weiser, Inc. 1989, 300 pp.

The amusing one (which will probably be easier to find, alas):
Cunningham, Scott.  _The Magic of Incense, Oils & Brews_, St. Paul, MN:
Llewellyn Publications, 1986, 165 pp.

There are two kinds of incense: that which will burn by itself, and that which
won't.  The self-burning kind is the stuff formed into cones, sticks, and so
forth.  Non-self-burning incense is easy: mix up whatever herbs please you and
drop it on a hot coal.  You can buy self-igniting charcoal which was made to be
used with incense at either occult shops or ecclesiastical supply shops.  This
charcoal has saltpeter mixed in it, so that when you hold a match to it, the
saltpeter burns and provides enough of a start for the charcoal to catch.  You
get a line of sparks marching across the coal.  I think it's really neat, but
then I'm a bit of a pyromaniac.  Put the coal in a heatproof dish and drop herbs
on it.  The coals usually burn for about an hour.  You can get large clouds of
smoke this way.  On the other hand, the charcoal is both messy and dangerous.
It really does get hot.  I am very careful to put it in something that will
contain both the fire and the heat.  The best solution I've found so far is a
good-sized stone ashtray with a trivet underneath.

Self-burning incense is tricky.  I've had reasonable success with the recipes in
Smith, but not with creating my own recipes.  Do not follow Cunningham's
instructions for making self-burning incense.  He has no clue what he's talking
about.  Use his recipes that please you, and ignore his techniques.

From this point on, unless I say otherwise, I'm referring to self-burning
incense.  Incense requires the following ingredients:

- Aromatic substance: the stink-pretty.  This can be whatever you want.

- Base: a neutral or pleasant smelling substance that burns easily. Fine sawdust
is easy to get and cheap.  Sandalwood works beautifully, but costs more.
- Potassium Nitrate: aka saltpeter.  To make sure it burns.

- Binder: glue, to hold it together.  Smith has a list of necessary features,
such as 'must not revert to powder when dry'.  Gum tragacanth is best.

- Liquid: to make the binder become sticky.  Usually water.

One of the tricks to incense is getting the correct amount of  saltpeter.  Like
I said above, I haven't figured out this one, so I do it by the book.  The other
trick is to get all the ingredients evenly mixed together.  Here's the secret to
doing this: mix the binder in with the base and aromatics, and dissolve the
saltpeter in the liquid. This is why I tell you not to follow Cunningham's
methods.  He tells you to do exactly the opposite (saltpeter with dry
ingredients, binder with liquid).  I tried it his way before I found Smith, and
it Does Not Work.

I strongly recommend Scott Cunningham's Incenses, Oils and Brews from Llewellyn
Publications. Scott has recipes for a wide variety of incenses for various
purposes. Most of these are for powder incenses to be used with charcoal but I
believe he also talks about how to make cones.  I prefer using charcoal myself,
as you don't need to  include any binders or other extraneous ingredients in the
incense. Good luck! Making your own incense is very rewarding and the end
product tends to have better energy than store-bought.

If you prefer making your own cone or stick incense, I suggest using gum
tragacanth, which can be obtained from most herb suppliers.

Start with a tablespoon of the gum and a large (12 ounces) glass of  water. Add
a bit at a time until it is a stiff, paste-like consistency. Add to this your
powdered herbs and/or oils. Remember that your oils will have a stronger odor,
so adjust accordingly.

For stick incense, get some joss sticks from an incense store and simply dip
them in the mixture.

To create cones, make the mixture thicker and shape by hand.

Keep your mixture covered with a damp cloth, else it turns into a hard, unusable
lump.

The Censer

THE CENSER
                                                                            
Whether you use raw incense, blocks or incense papers, you'll need an incense
burner. The censer can be anything from a gilt, chain equipped, church-type
affair to a bowl of sand or salt. It truly doesn't matter. I know occultists
who've used the bowl-and-salt method for years, long after they could have
afforded to purchase other censers.                         
                                             
Although I have several, perhaps my favorite censer is actually a mortar from
Mexico. It is carved from lava, stands on three legs and is perfect for use as a
censer.                                                         
                                                                  
Your own taste should determine which censer is right for you. If nothing else
is available, use a bowl half-filled with sand or salt  and get on with it The
sand protects the bowl and the surface on which it sits against heat. It also
provides a handy place on which to prop up stick incense.                                                                    

USING COMBUSTIBLE INCENSE                                                    
                                                                           
Simply light it, blow out the flame after the tip is glowing, and set it in the
censer. As it burns visualize your magical goal   manifesting in your life. It's
that simple. You may wish to also burn candles of the appropriate color, perhaps
anointed with a scented oil that is also aligned with your goal.                                                     
                                                                            
Naturally, incense may also be smoldered as a part of a larger ritual.      
                                                                           
USING NON-COMBUSTIBLE INCENSE

Light a self-igniting charcoal block (see below) and place it in a censer. Once
the block is glowing and saltpeter within it has  stopped sparkling, sprinkle a
half-teaspoon or so of the incense on the block. Use a small spoon if you wish.
It will immediately begin to burn, and  in doing so, release fragrant smoke.*                                                    
                                                                           
Remember: Use just a small amount of incense at first. When the smoke begins to
thin out, add more. If you dump on a spoonful of incense it will probably
extinguish the charcoal block, so use small amounts. Incenses containing large
amounts of resins and gums (frankincense, myrrh  and so on) burn longer than
those mainly composed of woods and leaves.             
                                                             
Don't knock off the ash that forms on top of the charcoal unless the incense
starts to smell foul. In such a case, scrape off the burning incense and the ash
with a spoon and add a fresh batch. Frankincense does tend to smell odd after
smoldering for some time.                           
                                           
Incense can be burned as part of a magical ritual, to honor higher forces, or as
a direct act of magic, such as to clear a house of  negativity and to smooth
peaceful vibrations throughout it.                                
                                                                    
* There's a difference between burning and smoldering; though I use such terms
as "burn this incense" several times, I really mean "smolder."                                                    
                                                           
CHARCOAL BLOCKS
                                                                            
These are necessities for burning non-combustible incense. They're available in
a wide range of sizes, from over an inch in diameter (they're usually round) to
about a half-inch size. Most religious and occult supply stores stock them, and
they can be obtained from mail-order suppliers.             
                                                                  
Potassium nitrate is added to these charcoal blocks during their manufacture to
help them ignite. When touched with a lit match, fresh charcoal blocks erupt
into a sparkling fire which quickly spreads across the block. If you wish, hold
the block. It may light easily. If so, quickly place it in the censer to avoid
burning your fingers. Or, light the block in the censer itself, thereby
preventing burns. This is some what harder to do.                                                                         
                                                                            
Unfortunately, some charcoal blocks aren't fresh, have been exposed to moisture,
or haven't been properly saturated with the potassium  nitrate solution and so
don't light well. If this is the case re-light the block until it is evenly
glowing and red. Then pour on the incense.

INCENSE PAPERS RECIPE

INCENSE PAPERS RECIPE
                                                                           
Incense papers are a delightful variation of combustible incense. Here, rather than using charcoal and gum tragacanth, tinctures and paper are the basic ingredients. When finished you'll have produced several strips of  richly scented paper that can be smoldered with a minimum of fuss.          
                                                                     
* To make incense papers, take a piece of white blotter paper and cut it into six-
inch strips about an inch wide.

* Next, add one and one-half teaspoons potassium nitrate to one half cup very warm water. Stir until the saltpeter is completely dissolved.
* Soak the paper strips in the saltpeter solution until thoroughly saturated. Hang
them up to dry.
* You now have paper versions of the charcoal blocks used to burn incense. The
obstacle in scenting them is to overcome the normal smell of burning paper. For
this reason, heavy fragrances should be used, such as tinctures.  
                                                       
* Tinctures compounded from gums and resins seem to produce the best results. I've tried using true essential oils with incense papers but without much success.                                                                     

* Empower the tincture(s) with your magical need, then pour a few drops of  the
tincture onto one strip of paper. Smear this over the paper and add more drops
until it is completely coated on one side.                       
                                                                           
* Hang the strip up to dry and store in labeled, airtight containers until needed.                                                                      

* To speed drying, turn on the oven to a low temperature, leave the door open, and
place the soaked incense papers on the rack. Remove them when dry.                                                                                                                                                     

* Generally speaking, incense papers should be made with one tincture rather than
mixtures. But, once again, try various formulas until you come up with positive
results.                                                            
                                                                     
* To use incense papers, simply remove one paper and hold it above your censer.
Light one tip with a match, and after it is completely involved in flame,
quickly blow it out. Place the glowing paper in your censer and let it smolder,
visualizing or working your magical ritual.                     
                                                               
* Incense papers should burn slowly and emit a pleasant scent, but again your
results will vary according to the strength of the tincture and the type of
paper used.                                                         
                                                                           
* Plain unscented incense papers can be used in place of charcoal blocks. For this
purpose soak the papers in the potassium nitrate solution and let dry, then set
one alight in the censer. Sprinkle a thin layer of the incense over the paper.
As it burns the paper will also smolder your incense.       
                                                                     
* You may have difficulty in keeping incense paper lit. The secret here is to
allow air to circulate below the papers. You can ensure this by either placing
the paper on some heat-proof object in the censer, or by filling the censer with
salt or sand and thrusting one end of the paper into this, much as you might
with incense sticks. The paper should burn all the way to its end.                                                                    
Incense papers are a simple and enjoyable alternative to normal combustible
incense. Try them!                                                          
                                                                          

RULES OF COMBUSTIBLE INCENSE COMPOSITION

RULES OF COMBUSTIBLE INCENSE COMPOSITION

Here are some guidelines to follow when compounding combustible incense. These
are for use with the Cone Incense Base #2 recipe above. If they aren't followed,
the incense won't properly burn. There's less room for experimentation here than
with non-combustible incenses.                     
                                                           
* First off, never use more than ten percent saltpeter. Ever!               
                                                                           
* Also, keep woods (such as sandalwood, wood aloe, cedar, juniper and pine) and
gum resins (frankincense, myrrh, benzoin, copal) in the proper proportions: at
least twice as much powdered wood as resins. If there's more resinous matter,
the mixture won't burn.                               
                                                                           
* Naturally, depending on the type of incense you're adding to the base, you may
have to juggle some proportions accordingly. Simply ensure that frankincense and
its kin never constitute more than one-third of the final mixture, and all
should be well.                                            
                                                   
* Though this hasn't covered all aspects of combustible incense making (that
could be a book in itself), it should provide you with enough guidelines to make
your own. Experiment, but keep these rules in mind.      

CONE INCENSE BASE #2

CONE INCENSE BASE #2

* 6 parts powdered Sandalwood (or Cedar, Pine, Juniper)
* 2 parts powdered Benzoin (or Frankincense, Myrrh, etc.)
* l part ground Orris root
* 6 drops essential oil (use the oil form of one of the incense ingredients)
* 3 to 5 parts empowered incense mixture

In this recipe, powdered wood is used in place of the charcoal. Use sandalwood
if it's included in the incense recipe. If not, use cedar, pine or juniper,
depending on the type of incense to be made. Try to match the wood base of this
incense to the incense's recipe. If you can't, simply use sandalwood.

Mix the first three ingredients until combined. Add the oil and mix again. Then
add three to five parts of the completed incense to this. Again, this should be
a powder. Weigh and add ten percent potassium nitrate.

Mix, add the gum tragacanth glue, combine again and mold in the methods
described above.