The Herbal Alchemist’s Handbook: A Complete Guide to Magickal Herbs and How to Use Them - Karen Harrison 2020
Magickal Incense
Practicum: The Creation, Composition, and Blending of alchemical Herbal Formulas
The use of Incense is as old as mankind. It has been used in religious and Magickal practices in every culture around the world. Incense has always been associated with Magick, and for good reason. Although Magickal practitioners have known for centuries that herbs, flowers, resins, and oils carry with them their own vibrations that attract sympathetic events and/or people, science has finally confirmed through studies over the last thirty years that this “folklore” is true. It has been established that the scents of specific herbs and oils stimulate a predictable response in the brain receptors—whether it be sexual, meditative, aggressive, or relaxing.
The smell of Ritual Incense as it burns works directly on the sub-conscious mind, helping the Magickian to focus on the work at hand and direct the energies. In addition, as it is inhaled, the scented smoke is directly, physically connected to the brain through the nose, immediately stimulating the brain synapses. Burning Incense represents the Elements Fire and Air. The smoke can be used to send the Magickal energy forth via visualization and focus, or write the desire on a small piece of parchment and then burn it in the thurible (Incense burner) along with the Incense.
A good Ritual Incense should be composed of natural, nonsynthetic ingredients—herbs, flowers, resins, and essential oils. These natural ingredients' energies should be sympathetic (attracting) to those you wish to raise during a ritual. For example, if a ritual for psychic development is to be performed, then an Incense composed of a combination of Lunar herbs, oils, and resins should be used—such as white sandalwood, cucumber, and water lily—because the Moon rules the psychic realms and the subconscious mind. A success Incense would be made from Sun herbs, the Planet of success and personal power, or perhaps a combination of Sun and Jupiter ingredients since Jupiter is the Planet of authority and expansion.
The ability to compose an Incense that will stimulate the desired response is both an art and a science. You must be familiar with the Planetary symbology and meaning of each herb or oil, the Planetary affinities of the ingredients you plan to use, and the phases of the Moon so that you can take advantage of the Lunar tides as part of the energy or power of your Incense. Learning all these correspondences and then being able to apply them confidently takes many years of study and practice. But your study is very satisfying when you can apply it to make a special Ritual Incense that fits every aspect of your rite perfectly.
Natural, loose Incense, which is burnt on Incense charcoal, is a combination of dried herbs, flowers, gum resins, and essential oils. The essential oils and gum resins are the ingredients that give the Incense most of its scent; the dried herbs and flowers provide an attractive base and additional energy/Planetary vitality. You can use root parts in your Incense, but remember: root parts are quite dense and often have a very acrid smell when burnt. They must be kibbled into very small pieces, or they will just sit there on your charcoal, smoldering unpleasantly. These natural ingredients may be obtained at your local health food store, at your favorite local occult shop, or through a mail order supplier.
The composition of Incense is not difficult and can be done with a minimum of equipment and space. All that is required is a mortar and pestle to crush and mix the ingredients and, of course, the herbs, flowers, gums, and oils. A mortar and pestle can be found at your pharmacy, health food store, or local occult supply. Some modern-day Incense makers use food processors or blenders to cut up and mix the ingredients for their Incense, but I don't think this is a good idea. Part of the creation of your Incense is the energy and focus you put into it as you mix it in your mortar. Simply pressing a button doesn't have the same psychological and focused energy effect. If a food processor is used, the resins will still need to be mixed in by hand, as the heat raised by the whirring blades of the machine can heat and melt the resins sufficiently to gum up the blades and potentially burn out the motor—and it can't be much fun to try to clean up those blades afterward.
Since you will be burning the Incense, it is also necessary to understand the physiological effects of the ingredients you are using. You want to be sure that you won't be breathing in something that you are allergic to or an herb that has some toxic qualities. Always be sure to consult a medicinal herbal as you create your formulas so that you know all your ingredients can be safely ingested. Even if an herb is ingestible, you will still also want to consider the possible physical effects—cayenne, for example, should not be burned because it will sting your eyes and irritate your throat and nose.
When you make your Incense, be aware of the Moon Phase, the Planetary affinities of your ingredients, the Planetary Day, and, if you want to be very precise, the Planetary Hour so that all the components of your mixture will enhance your Magickal operation.
When blending your herbs, resins, flowers, and oils, always begin with the herbs and flowers. They don't need to be powdered but should be in small pieces so that your Incense will burn smoothly on your Incense charcoal. Blend the dried herbs and flowers together thoroughly and then begin to add your oils. You will want to have on hand a one-ounce dropper bottle half filled with alcohol for this part of the blending. Using a dropper bottle will allow you to disperse combinations of your oils easily and be precise with the number of drops of oil you use. Before you first begin to distribute the oils into your herbal mixture, draw some of the alcohol into the dropper. Squeeze it back into the bottle and then shake the dropper to rid it of any alcohol that may be clinging to it. Then draw about a half dropper full of your oil and distribute however many drops of the oil you deem appropriate. Follow this procedure between each different oil you use so that you don't contaminate the next oil with the previous one. You don't want your essential oils to end up smelling like each other, especially the stronger-smelling oils such as cinnamon and lavender.
Begin by adding only ten or so drops of each oil and blending each into the mixture thoroughly so that you can slowly develop the scent you like the most. Remember, you can always add more of an oil, but it's impossible to take it out! I would suggest that after adding what you think smells like what you are trying to create, you let the mixture sit for an hour or so. This will allow the materials to interact with each other and let your olfactory sense rest. You can then come back to the blend for one last sniff and add a bit more of anything to finish it up. After you have blended your desired combination of oils into the dry mixture of herbs and flowers, add your resins—frankincense, myrrh, arabic, or whatever. Adding the resins last will keep them from getting sticky. If the resins become sticky, the rest of your herbal ingredients will adhere to them, making your Incense less visually beautiful.
Developing your own formulas is part of the fun of Incense composition. To give you an idea of the possible combinations and to illustrate the process of making Incense, we will use a recipe for Mercury Incense.
Gather together your materials:
mortar and pestle
one part powdered cinnamon
one part lavender flowers
one part finely cut licorice root
cinnamon oil
lavender oil (optional)
one part gum arabic
Incense charcoal
Pour the powdered cinnamon, lavender flowers, and licorice root into your mortar and begin crushing and blending the herbs thoroughly with your pestle. When they are as fine a consistency as possible, add ten drops of the cinnamon oil and mix again. If you like the smell of lavender, you can add ten drops of lavender oil as well. Smell your Incense and see what you think about the strength of the scent. If you would like it to smell stronger, add your essential oil(s) five drops at a time until you are satisfied. After you have the amount of oil you like blended into the mixture, add your gum arabic. Set the mixture aside for at least twelve hours to allow the oils to completely permeate the herbs and to let the scents combine.
You will need Incense charcoal upon which to burn your Incense. Be careful not to completely cover the charcoal with the Incense, or you will smother it and put it out. Once it is smothered, it is no longer usable, and you'll have to start over with a new charcoal. A scant teaspoonful is the perfect amount for one application. You may be doing a ceremony where you will want to apply Incense several times, and this is fine. Your charcoal will smolder for forty-five minutes to an hour, giving you plenty of time. If you plan to use many applications of Incense, you should turn off your smoke alarm, or you will have a very unpleasant interruption to your meditation or ritual. Just remember to turn it back on before you retire for the night or leave the house.
If you prefer a self-igniting Incense that burns without a charcoal, first crush your herbs, oils, and resins into as fine a mixture as possible. Then add two teaspoons of potassium nitrate (also known as salt peter) and distribute it evenly through your Incense. Potassium nitrate will cause your Incense to burn unevenly if not distributed thoroughly throughout the Incense and may spit sparks. For this type of burning, you will need to mix the herbs, flowers, oils, and resins into a very powdered or finely minced form, or it may stop burning. If your Incense is too chunky, it will burn unevenly.
Store your Incense in small glass jars out of the sunlight and away from a heat source (a closet or inside a drawer is perfect) so that it will last for several years. Happy mixing!