Magical Uses of Incense

There are many uses for incense, here are some for you to consider. Whilst carrying out the actions remember to keep the thoughts and intentions on the result you are aiming for. You may also wish to verbalise your intention as you carry out the actions.

Ritual and Ceremonial Use

When casting a ritual circle, incense is a necessary part of the ritual. It can be used to purify the participants of the ritual and the ritual space. It is used to invoke the element of Air which is one of the quarters of the circle and it can be used to strengthen the work carried out inside the circle. This can all be done using the same disc of charcoal (as it will be usable for at least half an hour), you just scrape the ash off the disc (use an old spoon kept for this purpose) and then add the next incense as you need it. Remember to have a dish that has room to scrape the ash into!

Incense can also be burnt as an offering or to give thanks which can be done at any time as a short gratitude ceremony that needs nothing more than some incense and a few moments of attention and intent.

To purify a person. To remove negativity from someone or before ritual work. For this smoke is wafted on and around the person using the hand or a feather from the front, starting at the feet, up the body over the head and down the back to the feet. You can, with practise and very carefully do this yourself.

To purify an item. Before charging it for a ritual purpose or to remove another person’s influence from it the item is passed through the smoke.

To purify a place. For clearing negative energies or removing the energies of previous occupants when moving into a new home or business premises. you would walk around each room in an anti clockwise direction, making sure that the smoke goes into each corner and cupboard.

To clear a room before carrying out a ritual or ceremony you would carry out the same action as above with the intention of moving the energy out of the everyday vibrations ready for the higher energies you wish to raise.

You can also clear a space after a negative experience has taken place, or a visitor has brought the energy down and left a heavy feeling behind.

To charge a person, item or place to energise for a specific purpose, either in a ritual or as part of a spell. You would normally charge an item after you have purified it, and imprinting it in alignment with the purpose you are aiming for. If you are charging a space, or raising the energy in that space your would walk around in a clockwise direction

The actions I have shown in purifying are the same ones that you would use in charging. The differences between purifying and charging are in the incense that you choose, your intention and the direction you would move around in a space..

Using Incense becomes a trigger to achieving a required state of mind. If you choose and always use the same incense for a task like meditating or healing, then the mind recognises it as the beginning of a task and the smell becomes the key to switch into the required state of mind.