Making Incenses

"I'm one with the Goddess
and open to Her Wisdom."

8th Day of the 12th Lunar Cycle
Ruled by Kore
Lunar Tree Cycle ~ Ngetal/Reed
Celtic Tree Cycle ~ Ngetal/Reed
Moon Phase: waxing Crescent
Moon rises: 12:15PM EST
Moon sets: 11:10PM EST
Moon in Aquarius v/c 10:35PM EST
Bloeduwedd's Cycle of the Moon
Lunar Meditation: The potency of dreams enacted.
Sun in Sagittarius
Sunrise: 7:14AM EST
Sunset: 4:57PM EST
Solar Question for the Day: "What is the source of your deepest refreshment?"
Samhain (Calan Gaeaf) Quarter of the Year
November 23rd., 2009

    Making Incenses: 

  While incenses can be brought, it can be more meaningful to make your own. Not only can you be completely sure that all the ingredients are the ones you need for your magick, but the actual work of making it becomes a part of your spell. Loose incense is the easiest to create at home. Of course many plants and herbs can be burned on their own, but blended incenses are often far more effective. The main components of incense are resins, such as Copal or Frankincense; woods such as Sandalwood and Pine: and plant materials, such as flowers and leaves. Try to ensure that no more ne third of your mix is resin, otherwise you could find that it generates far too much smoke for comfort. Also ensure the other ingredients are completely dry, for the same reason. When making incense your equipment should be scrupulously clean and dry, to avoid incorporating traces of things which may not be helpful for your magick. Plant ingredients should be relatively fresh, or freshly dried, as they lose their properties over time. A quick guide to this is smell: if it smells musty it is unlikely to be useful. All the indredients should finely ground or chopped, but not reduced to powder, before blending. Incenses should always be kept in a cool, dry and dark place, and for no longer than a few months.

  To burn your incense you will need a fire-proof container and some self-ingniting charcoal. This should always be kept dry, ideally in a container together with a small sachet of silica.
[From: Kate West's "A Real Witches' Year"]

Here are several links to website to give very good instruction in the making of incense along with recipes:

http://www.scents-of-earth.com/makyourownna.html

http://www.making-incense.com/