incense workshop

8/18/2019 Incense Workshop

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The Wizard’s Weekend Course Manual © Marcus Katz 2007

Incense Workshop

Thank you for attending the Wizard’s Weekend and I hope you enjoyed ourbrief foray into incense-making. The sense of scent is an important ritualelement, and surprisingly easy to develop through creating magical incense.The reading list, links and ideas below should provide you a useful starting-offpoint and sources of materials and supplies to explore this fascinating world.

Reading List

History of Incense

The Complete Incense Book, by Susanne Fischer-Rizzi – a beautiful book,

arranged geographically, covering the sources of incense and ingredientsfrom Mesopotamia to Japan. Now OOP, and expensive to get second-handthrough Amazon, (£36!) but if you go to www.abe.com and search, you’ll finda couple of US bookshops selling a second-hand copy for only $25 (£12) +postage. Ask them if they ship to UK and you have an absolute bargain!

Incense: Rituals, Mystery, Lore, by Gina Hyams – a pretty little book, nice butnot essential, gives some good ideas about using incense whilst meditating,writing your journal and marking rites of passage.

Specialist Knowledge

Sacred Luxuries, by Lise Manniche – on fragrance, aromatherapy andcosmetics in Ancient Egypt, a well-researched book, although covers morethan incense and concentrates obviously on Ancient Egypt. However, has thebest ten pages anywhere on Kyphi, the most ancient and enigmatic incenseand my personal favourite!

The Book of Incense, by Kiyoko Morita – on Japanese incense.

Includes some examples ofwonderful Kumikoh, incensegames, ideal for parties, whereguests try to learn to listen toincense and identify it. Myfavourite game is Shirakawa-koh, or the Border-Station, wherethere’s no real winner, everyonegets to go on a “journey”, and ifyou don’t identify many incenses,you are merely “travel garments”whereas if you get all correct,

you are considered to have“crossed the border”.

Learn to Live a Magickal Life! http://www.farawaycentre.com

http://www.abe.com/

http://www.abe.com/




Crafting

Incense: Crafting and Use of Magickal Scents, by Carl F. Neal – absolutelyessential guide to making cones, sticks, and loose incense. Good recipes andpractical advice. Also covers the use of extruders to make sticks that don’t

require splints.

Wylundt’s Book of Incense, by Wylundt (Steven R. Smith) – packed full ofrecipes and components. Not entirely faultless, but a great compendium.

The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews, by Scott Cunningham –usually given as the beginners bible, and suitable as such. Some recipes aresimplified and easier than the more complex originals.

Burnt Offerings, by Pete Travis – available from Pan’s Pantry (see links) asmall pamphlet that has excellent information and particularly knowledgeableinsight on the use of incense and ingredients in grimoire magic and spells.






Incense Types

A nice way of giving incense as a gift is as a rope,usually with a good sandalwood base and

wrapped in thin twisted paper. This incense ropepictured is Indian and sacred to Laxmi, HinduGoddess of Fortune. They should be hung onsomething with a tray or dish underneath to catch

e ash.

and muchore available through Essence of the Ages:

ttp://www.essenceoftheages.com

th Both the holder ($4), incense rope,m h

such as Byakudan-Kooubunboku being popular across the whole ofapan.

e from Alchemy Works: http://www.alchemy-

Essence of the Ages also sell excellent bundles of high grade Japaneseincense, which has a far more subtle aroma than the generally heavier Indianblends. There are many very ancient family traditions in incense making, withnamesJ There are also grimoire-type incense recipes which tend tobe similar to Church incense, being heavy in Frankincense.

These are good for heavy-duty ritual or Kabbalistic andangel work. My personal favourite blend of Abramelinincense camworks.com

nal esoteric incense ingredients,seeds, herbs and blends.They stock many traditio




Truly Magickal Incense

A truly magickal incense maker is Katlyn at Mermade Magickal Arts. Sheproduces combinations of unusual cones (they are flat triangles, making them

difficult to prop up, but excellent to burn and you don’t need to burn much asthey are brilliant ingredients), short sticks and loose incense. I have alsopurchased Japanese silver-coated charcoal blocks from Mermade.

The silver foil is to place on top of the charcoal so that when you place theloose incense on the foil, it heats it up rather than combusts it from directcontact with the charcoal. You may wish to experiment – cut a small piece ofthe foil and ensure you can place the loose incense on it without it falling off.

Katlyn’s site is:

http://www.mermadearts.com

Tell her you were sent by Marcus at the Far Away

Centre! Her packaging is gorgeous, by the way – the jar containing the Mermaid incense had tiny seashellsin it!


http://www.mermadearts.com/






Basic Ingredients & Making Incense

If at all possible, rather than charcoal blocks full of salt-peter, find Shoyeido blocks, which are smaller, easier to light and more evenly-burning, as well asbeing free of the bitter bonfire smell that salt-peter blocks emit when first lit.

These are stocked by Mother’s Hearth and the smaller blocks are good whenyou are trying out recipes, as you don’t waste too much material and the blockburns for a shorter time, allowing you to try your blend without having to waitanother hour for a larger charcoal block to finish burning.

Eventually you can experiment with burning over a heat source usingaluminium or similar or burning Japanese-style in ashes.

To create your own cones andsticks, rather than loose incense,

purchase the binding agentsLaha or Dar (also Makko), whichcombine with water and yourpowdered ingredients to create adough (pictured), which you thenroll into sticks or form into cones,and slowly dry over a few weeks.

Carl Neal’s book contains theinstructions for creating yourincense using this method, as dothe instructions from Vicki withher kits from Mother’s Hearth.

Simple Incense Making Kits

If you want to try making incense in cones andsticks, you can also buy simple kits from Vicky atMother’s Hearth:

http://www.makeincense.com

These include small bags where the basic ingredient is mixed with bindingagents so you just add water to the powder, make a dough and roll your sticksor make your cones.


http://www.makeincense.com/






Addi tional Methods of Burning

Electric Heaters

If you really get into incense, you can get an electric heater from Mermade (inthe US) or from Incense Man (in the UK):

http://www.incense-man.co.uk/ http://www.incense-man.co.uk/holders28.html

This allows you to set a steady heat, use a foil, and the incense melts andreleases its incense without too much smoke, rather than directly combustingon top of burning charcoal.

Japanese Ash Burning

Another simple yet elegant method of burning powdered dry incense is in ash – a particularly Japanese method and great for playing Kumikoh games, asyou only need burn a small pinch of incense, then rake the ashes ready forthe next incense in the game.

You require a bowl, ash (usually seaweed ash) or Makko, and a small wooden‘tamper’ to create the hollow in the ash in which the incense is placed. Theseare sold by Essence of the Ages.


http://www.incense-man.co.uk/


http://www.incense-man.co.uk/holders28.html








Addi tional Links

Mother’s Hearth (US): http://www.makeincense.com/

Originally created by Carl Neal, now run by Vicki Bloom, who also organises aregular incense exchange through the Yahoo group below. Sells kits and refillpouches, as well as ingredients, books & tools.

Incense Group on Yahoo: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/incense_exchange/

Several hundred members, a range of Newbies to Experts. Valuable archiveof information worth searching previous posts. Also run regular “swaps” forincense-makers to exchange their creations and offer feedback.

Pan’s Pantry (UK): http://www.panspantry.co.uk

Informed UK-based supplier, also stock rarer items like Mandrake andWormwood. They also do historical trading at faires and the like.

Alchemy Works (US): www.alchemy-works.com

Excellent site for explaining the various correspondences to herbs and resins,particularly the planetary and elemental correspondences. Also sells a widevariety of herb ingredients and seeds to grow your own.

Soma Luna (US) www.somaluna.com

Nice site with other altar objects and candles, etc. Also do an excellentnewsletter and photographs of customers altars on their site!



http://groups.yahoo.com/group/incense_exchange/


http://www.panspantry.co.uk/


http://www.alchemy-works.com/


http://www.somaluna.com/







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