Light & Shadows of Chalandor

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Using Noncombustible Incense

Light a self-igniting charcoal block and place it in a censer. Once the block is glowing and saltpeter within it has stopped sparkling, sprinkle a half-teaspoon or so of the incense on the block. use a small spoon if you wish. It will immediately begin to burn, and in doing so, release fragrant smoke.*

Remember: Use just a small amount of incense at first. When the smoke begins to thin out, add more. If you dump on a spoonful of incense it will probably extinguish the charcoal block, so use small amounts. Incenses containing large amounts of resins and gums (frankincense, myrrh and so on) burn longer than those mainly composed of woods and leaves.

Don't knock off the ask that forms on top of the charcoal unless the incense starts to smell foul. In such a case, scrape off the burning incense and the ask with a spoon and add a fresh batch. Frankincense does tend to smell odd after smoldering for some time.

Incense can be burned as part of a magical ritual, to honor higher forces, or as a direct act of magic, such as to clear a house of negativity and to smooth peaceful vibrations throughout it.

*There's a difference between burning and smoldering; though I use such terms as "burn this incense" several times in this book, I really mean "smolder."

Noncombustible Incense

Be sure you have all necessary ingredients. If you lack any, decide on substitutions.

Each ingredient must be finely ground, preferable to a powder, using either a mortar and pestle or an electric grinder. Some resins won't powder easily, but with practice you'll find the right touch. When I first worked with herbs I couldn't powder frankincense. It kept on gumming to the sides of the mortar and to the tip of the pestle. After a while I stopped fighting it (and cursing it, I'll admit-not a good thing to do with herbs used in incense) and got into the flow of the work. The frankincense came out just fine.

When all is ready, fix your imnd on the incense's goal-protection, love, health. In a large wooden or ceramic bowl, mix the resins and gums together with your hands. While mingling these fragrant substances, also mix their energies. Visualize your personal power-vibrating with your magical goal-exiting ou hands and entering the incense. It is this taht makes homemade incense more effective than its commercial counterparts.

Next, mix in all the powdered leaves, barks, flowers and roots. As you mix, continue to visualize or concentrate on the incense's goal.

Now add any oils or liquids (wine, honey, etc.) that are included in the recipe. Just a few drops are usually suffiecient. On the subject of oils: If there's a sufficient amount of dry ingredients in the recipe, you can substitute an oil for an herb you lack. Simply ensure that the oil is an essential oil, for synthetics smell like burning plasic when smoldered.

Once all has been thoroughly mixed, add any powdered gemstones or others power boosters. A few-not many-of the recipes in this book call for a pinch of powdered stone.

To produce this, simply take a small stone of the required type and pound it in a metal mortar and pestle (or simply smash it with a powder and add no more than the scantest pinch to the incense.

One general power-boostin "stone" is amber. A pinch of this fossilized resin added to any mixture will increase its effectiveness, but this can be rather expensive.

The incense is now fully compounded. Empower the incense and it is done. Store in a tightly capped jar. Label carefully, including the name of the incense and date of composition. It is ready for use when needed.

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