Sunday, June 16, 2013

Incense Powder And The Old Religions That Used It

By Margarita Joseph


There are a lot of different ways to change, enhance, or cover the smells of a room or area. Sure, people can use sprays and other modern methods. But what still remains the best and most complete way to change the smell of a room is with the age old traditional incense powder. There are various types of incense sold around the world and experimenting with them is the best way to see which works best for you.

Many people have been using the sticks in America for a long time. Here in the United States people will sometimes steer away from a cultural tradition if only to appear more assimilated. Not that there is anything wrong with following tradition or doing things the way our ancestors did them. In many ways it can be more fulfilling.

While this might seem strange there are cultures from the other side of the world that thought the exact same things and used the incense for the exact same reasons. There must be something about the way we as humans perceive smoke and the scent it produces. Regardless of the reasons it has remained a belief that people still have today.

Older people who are still practicing their family traditions will use various types to ward off evil spirits and heal their loved ones. Most of what we have in the United States comes from halfway around the world. They still produce much of what we use with old methods that they used generations ago. These older methods really have no place in the large industrialized nations of today but they have still survived and most of what is bought is bought from them, not the large companies.

The people who practice these various religious ceremonies like to use resins and powders instead of the more modernized sticks because they believe them to be more pure and have a stronger connection to the spirit world. The type of connection they need to produce the desired results of whatever it is they are doing at the time.

When using the incense they would get it burning in some sort of canister that would allow them to hold the powder as it burned. They would then use that to move their hand around in effect pushing the smoke everywhere in the room or around the person needing to be healed. These methods were used for years, even generations.

First, just like with any other type you will need a ceramic or metal bowl of some kind. Something that will withstand the heat that is produced. Just as with the crystals you will need a charcoal disk. Now if you prefer not to use a disk you could get the self-igniting powders which will burn on its own once lit.

The incense powder can be placed in the bowl either on top of the charcoal disk of not depending on the type you have. Once prepared you can use your fingers to pres it together into a cone or mountain shape and then light with a match. Once it is lit it will burn for a few moments until it goes out all by itself. No need to blow out the flame. Once it goes out it will begin producing the wonderful scents that you are looking for.




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