Magical Herbalism by Scott Cunningham

Author:Scott Cunningham
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: herb, herbal, herbalism, garden, gardening, magical herbs, herb gardening, plants, nature, natural, natural magick, natural magick, cunningham, earthday40
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
Published: 2013-04-22T04:00:00+00:00

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11

Incenses

Sweetly scented smoke, spiraling upward to the stars, Sun, and Moon, is an almost universal feature of magical altars. It is linked with magic and religion as far back as can be traced. The earliest Witches and magicians threw fragrant herbs and woods onto fires or glowing embers to release their scents. In later times, cauldrons and censers contained these charcoal blocks, and the ritualistic burning of incense became an established part of magical and religious practice.

The power of incense lies in its vibrations and scent. Be warned, however, that many herbs smell vastly different when they are being burned or fumed than in their natural states. In most mixtures, it is not the scent that is important but the vibrational rate it emits while being smoldered on the charcoal in the censer.

Incense is used today to cleanse and purify magical tools and working areas, to raise vibrational rates and summon energies, to banish and exorcise evil entities and influences, to concentrate and contain power, and to build up an atmosphere attuned to the type of ritual to be performed.

Incense is available commercially from many herb stores, religious supply outlets, and occult shops. The most powerful and effective incense, however, is that which you concoct yourself. Store-bought incense works, of course, but not as well as homemade.

The basic form of the incense used in magic is the granulated, or raw form. This is also the most compli-cated to work with. Cone, stick, or block incense is complete in and of itself, but the granulated or powdered form must be smoldered on glowing charcoal blocks within a censer or some other device capable of holding red-hot coals.

This can be a very showy part of a ritual, with the use of censers, clouds of scented smoke, and a good deal of symbolic carrying or swinging of the censer.

As an aid to magic, incense ought to be prepared with care and serious intent, observing proper days and phases of the Moon for best results. The ingredients are easily purchased from the usual sources, either in your town or by mail.

Your mortar and pestle will come in handy in their manufacture, for many gums and woods have to be ground to a fine powder, and the final blend will need to be mixed together.

Though many of the herbs are available in preground form, it is best to grind them yourself, if you have the time. The repetitive action of the pestle moving within the mortar, and the time involved in silently (or invokingly) mixing up these age-old incenses increases their power. Use your own judgment when purchasing ingredients whether to buy preground or not.

When actually mixing up the incense, enchant it by saying a little rune stating the ultimate use of the scent. For instance, for an incense of purification, say some thing like, “Purify, purify, evil thou shalt deny,” or simply state, over and over again, the basic use of the incense.

Following are a few recipes themselves. These, together with the others described

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