Incense Magick Read Online Free Page B

valuable incense traditions that are more widely practiced than one might at first think. Remember that Europeans first visited the Americas in part in search for a shorter route to India for its rare spices, fabrics, and other goods for trade. I imagine none of the early explorers paid much attention to the aromatic treasures all around them in the Americas.
    North America
    North America has its own native incense traditions that, much to our good fortune, were not destroyed by Europeans’ attempts to “civilize” the Native Americans through forced cultural changes, theft, disease, deceit, and the offering of “salvation.” Wonderful North American aromatics such as sweet grass, white sage, desert sage, piñon, western cedar, and more are still available. The modern Neopagan and New Age cleansing practice of “smudge bundling” is the direct legacy of Native American incense traditions. Any who have performed cleansing with a sage bundle know firsthand the incredible power in that herb and the wisdom of the Native Americans who first put it to use.
    Central and South America
    The Latinized nations of the Americas also have proud incense traditions whose origins are lost in the mists of time. From Aztecs to Mayans to Olmecs, the pre-Columbian civilizations had powerful incense customs and botanicals. Damiana, copal, tonka beans, palo santo, and more come to use from these regions. Incan priests would mix aromatics with blood, some taken directly from the scrotum, and burn the incense mixture while asking the gods for guidance.
    I had the great privilege of touring a pre-Columbian exhibition a few years ago. Although all of the information and artifacts were amazing to view, I was naturally drawn to a display of ritual tools. While the energies of the artifacts made it clear that they were from different origins and separated by many years in their use, the display was still nearly overwhelming. In particular I was drawn to the ancient censers. It was very moving to stand inches from a censer that was once used in rituals that guided an empire. It was begging to be used again, so it was difficult to keep my hands to myself! However, I didn’t think the curators would share my enthusiasm to burn some palo santo and copal in their archeological treasure.

    Clearly this chapter is not intended to be a comprehensive history of incense use in the world—that alone would fill one or more books. Instead I want to introduce the sweeping worldwide inclusion of incense into life. It is easy to look at a single culture as the progenitor of incense, but in reality, incense has been a part of many societies on every settled continent. I hope that reading this information will encourage you to read more about the topic. You will find several interesting books in the bibliography to guide you in this discovery.
    Synthetic versus Natural Incense
    There is an important distinction between two basic ways of making incense: synthetic and natural. Synthetic incense is made using artificial scents (often petroleum by-products) that are laboratory versions of natural ingredients. On the other hand, we have incense made using only natural products. There are a few brands of commercial incense that are combinations of natural and synthetic, but those are very rare. Although both types of incense have their uses, it is critical to understand the differences between them.
    Synthetic Incense
    This is by far the most common type of commercial incense sold in the world. Even in Japan—the country best known for high-quality incense—synthetic incense is the type most frequently used. Synthetic incense can come in any form. Cones, sticks, coils, and even loose incense are commonly scented with synthetic fragrance oils.
    Most synthetic incense shares certain drawbacks. First, some brands of synthetic incense are simply waste wood powder that is combined with a binder (a type of glue) with the resulting sticks or