PaganBlogProject2013-Incense

For week 18 of 2013 is the letter I.
Incense really stood out for me. I found out about natural loose incense two years ago when first learning about the craft. It didn't take long before I wanted to try creating my own. I've made an 'autumn forest' blend that I just love burning. They are not as difficult as you would think. A little of this. A bit of that... (we will lead into my recipe later)

First lets start with what you will be burning your incense in? A small cauldron is what I use for mine. A small die cast iron cauldron. Then I have red rock, and I set a self igniting charcoal disc (after lighting it from the bottom) on the red rock. You can also use sand instead of redrock. I bet colored sand would look very pretty!

All of these items can be purchased at witch shops, eclectic stores, e-bay, etsy...
You can get a lot more charcoal discs for your money at e-bay. I like to support witch shops. But when I'm low on money I go to e-bay and try to find the ones with no shipping. *lol*

Witch Shops/Eclectic Stores:
 Pagan Stuff Cheap
Under The New Moon
White Magick Alchemy
13 Moons
Isis Books
Sacred Mists

Now that we have something to burn our fabulous incense in. Let create it!
What kind of incense do we want to create? Shall we craft it under a full moon? The waxing moon? Do you want to create it as a part of your ritual or sabbat celebration? Or just in the middle of the afternoon on a whim? All up to you.

Star with what you know you love and experiment. I write down everything I craft in crafts and spells book. The pages will later be decorated and added to my big B.O.S. (Book of Shadows)

I love frankincense and myrrh. So I knew that I wanted frankincense & myrrh resin in my blend. I wanted a woodsy scent too. So I added a couple drops of pine and woodrose pure essential oils. With my mortar and pestle I grinded herbs such as rosemary, sage, cinnamon stick, dragonsblood. I put my frankincense and myrrh resin in there too. A wonderful woodsy aroma is what I ended up with.

Since I do not know ahead of time what I will end up with, if I will like it or not. I use just very small amounts of each item. Pure essential oils are very strong. So it usually does not take much. Start with 1 drop, and see if you like it. Add more if its not enough for you.  Crafting items is all about experimentation for me.  Your not going to come up with 'Witches Brew' the very first time you mix together some herbs and resins. *lol* But you just might come up with something that you do like a lot. And with practice you will learn more about the herbs and ingredients your using.

Always use clean tools. Clean your tools immediately after using them. Never use the same dropper for more than 1 essential oil. Keep the caps on your essential oils, as they are concentrated and will evaporate very very quickly. I always seal my herbs back up right away too.

What To Store Your New Incense In: I use medicine bottles that I have washed out very well, jars with lids, I have purchased small apothecary bottles for the oils I craft. I mostly use old medicine bottles and draw a pentacle on them so I know they are for magick only. And try to get the medical label off as much as possible.

 

Pagan Blog Project
Pagan Blog Project Week 18 Letter I