Incense composition and use is an art form in itself.
Basically, an incense is any combination of plant materials, perhaps combined with essential oils and a base, which are mixed together and burned or smouldered on charcoal.
(This type of incense is known as “raw” or “granular.” It is usually used in magic, rather than the stick or cone forms.)
In magical use, incense is burned for its vibrations alone as a kind of spell, while visualizing.
But it can also be used as a background while performing other types of magic.
In composing your own incense formulae remember that “more” is not always better.
Any recipe requiring over nine substances is probably too complicated.
Simply choose a few plants appropriate to your need.
For a love incense, for instance, I might choose lemon balm, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla.
The herbs are reduced to powder form with the mortar and pestle and then enchanted.
The resultant mixture is ready for use.
To use incense, ignite a charcoal block and place in a heat-proof container.
An incense burner is fine, as is a dish half-filled with salt or sand.
Sprinkle a small amount of incense on the glowing charcoal every few minutes during your spell.
Remember, however, that many sweetly-scented plants smell quite differently when burning, so don’t be surprised if your incense isn’t pleasant.
The important factors here are the vibrations and not the scents.
