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all the information. Good stuff. The "MAGIC" of Scent The use of incense and perfume oils is almost as old as man. One could fill endless pages dedicated to their ancient usage in Magic and Religion, but to what avail? Let us concentrate rather on the 'HOW' and 'WHY' . The formulation of an incense or perfume is not only an Art but a Craft and Science as well. We find endless so-called Magical attributions and legendary virtues, but, in facHi, you got to this page, you are paying attention. Checkout t, there is no 'Magic' involved. Science, yes. Magic, no. This is not to say that certain oils and incenses are not used 'Magically', but they are used for the effects which they generate, and these effects are the result of a scientific blending of ingredients. This science has hitherto been restricted to Priests and Adepts of various religious and Magical Orders, for like any other 'force' it can be dangerous in the wrong hands. We are not speaking here of the mundane Art of Perfumery which caters to the masses and offers instant allure in a bottle, but rather the Arcane Science of Psycho-Sensory Response. 'Occult' oils and incenses work on the Subconscious as well as the Conscious Mind and illicit specific responses in accord with their specific formulae. It is a well known and scientifically proven fact that we all respond consciously and unconsciously to Sound, Color, and Scent. It has been further proven that not only do we respond but can also be conditioned and healed by these vibrations. We shall not deal herein with Sound or Color but exclusively with Scent. Let us establish the simple fact that certain scents stimulate a sexual response, others soothe the nerves, some stimulate the Psychic Centers, while still others cover the full range of human emotions. Whatever the scent, the fact remains, we do respond either consciously or subconsciously, and herein lies the 'Science', the 'Art' of formulating a particular blend for a specific purpose based on the known Psycho-Sensory Response of each ingredient. Some scents we respond to on a Conscious level, that is to say that we are aware of our reaction, but when the blend works on the Subconscious level we are not consciously aware of our response. A perfume or incense will generally smell 'good', and of this we are 'aware', but the subliminal response to the scent is not always 'consciously' recorded. For instance, a perfume may smell 'good' at the first whiff, but not until considerably later will the person realize that their tensions have eased and their headache disappeared. Some perfumes illicit an immediate response while others tend to have a 'delayed reaction' as it were. Those incenses and perfumes formulated to stimulate the passions are usually quite potent and illicit an almost immediate response, while those that work on the Chakras such as healing, psychic, and spiritual tend to be more subtle in their effects. In consideration of this we then come to understand the Why and How of this most ancient Science which has survived time and is still employed today. |
I must caution the reader, however, not to
expect to find these virtues in the average 'occult' incense or perfume. Most of the
occult incenses and perfumes are mass produced by large manufacturing firms and the only
'Magic' they contain is in their name. With few exceptions, the commercial occult blends
are cut with either alcohol, solvent, chalk, or sawdust, and this alone negates any
potency they might originally have had. There are a FEW genuine 'occult' perfumers around,
but they are hard to find. A good rule of thumb to follow when buying an occult incense or
oil is to check to see if they are pure, uncut, and contain only 'natural' ingredients.
"See Know your Incense." I will say, however, that with regard to the commercial
blends a person's belief in their legendary 'virtues', is a 'magical power' in itself.
Strong belief in the 'magical' potency of an incense or oil does help, and it is this
'belief' that accounts for the moderate success of the commercial blends. The true
'occult' incense or oil does not require belief in its virtues to have an effect as it
operates on a 'Psycho-Sensory Response' factor. In other words, it works independent of
your belief by stimulating the Sub-conscious rather than just the Conscious Mind. I have included a section following this page called "Know your Incense". It is intended to give you a working knowledge of what incense is, how to look at it and know something about its quality. Copyright (c) 1982, 1987, 1996, 1999, 2005 "The Alchymist's Shelf" Part III-2 |
KNOW YOUR INCENSE How are you going to, know your incense? Just what does that mean. There is a lot to know about incenses before you use them. All incenses are not equal. A name is not just a name. What looks the same, may not be the same. What looks different may well be the very same thing. We must take into consideration these items: NAME, COLOR, INGREDIENTS, PREPARATION, FRAGRANCE and TEXTURE. Let's start by looking at one Incense. How about Moon Magic? You can find this name in any occult shop, or book store, or even some boutiques that carry a brand of incense. An aside note here, the rules that we look at will hold true for the most part even for essential oils with the same names. So, how about Moon Magic incense? This is a lunar blend to be used in lunar rites and any aspect of work or offering to the Goddess. It is used in Psychic work and Meditation. From this we know that the incense must be WHITE to be in harmony with the moon. It must be good looking. The fragrance must be pleasant. There are many essential oils that have lunar attributes. In fact, all pleasant smells can be attributed to the moon. So how do we know which is the correct one? In reality for a pure lunar incense it may not make any difference. But we want Moon Magic to be pleasant, relaxing, an aid to meditation and help in psychic work. This will narrow the search to only a few favorable flavors. Most of the time Mimosa oil is used to give Moon Magic its top note, (that is the most dominant fragrance when sniffed but not when it is burned), Mimosa has Venus attributes. We now have a white incense with the fragrance of mimosa. What more do we need? Well being a Moon type incense it should look good so we must keep it a fine powder type, something nice to touch and look at. White powder that smells good may not burn well. We need a primary ingredient to carry the fragrance into the air and to the one doing the work. This ingredient also must be in harmony with the total Incense. This carrier will be the most dominant fragrance when the incense is burned. |
The major carriers are Mastic, Myrrh, Copal,
Frankincense, Storax, Amber, Benzoin, Sandalwood and Dragon's Blood. This is a list
of Fire, Earth, Air, Water, and Spirit Attributes including some Planetary
information for your use in understanding a little bit more about Incenses. Copyright (c) 1982, 1987, 1996, 1999, 2005 "The Alchymist's Shelf" Part III-4 |
This list is for some of the ingredients used in
incense. All ingredients will fit some where into this list of attributes. Note that some
of these ingredients are not major carriers but the attribute list would incomplete
without them. This list can go on, add to it for your own information. Also true here as
in all occult matters, there may be more than one set of attributes for the same set of
information. The information given here is a set that has been used by the Qabalists, the Wiccans as well as the Alchemists. This information works in incenses for ritual work. Now we can add some Sandalwood to our Moon Magic incense for the Mercury aspect, also lets add some fine or small grain Frankincense to give solar energy and commitment to the smoke. We now come to one of the very important points in blending incenses or oils for ritual work. We must consider the Major Planetary aspects at the time of blending. Moon Magic has some planetary ingredients, these may not be in bad aspect to the moon while this blend is being created. The Sun, Venus and Mercury must be in good aspect to the Moon and each other or even the best intentions may not be realized for the user. How do you know the incense you want to use has been created properly? Well, if you do it yourself you will know. The other choice you have is to look at the incense, does it look correct? How does it small? How does it feel? Is the packaging reasonable for the price being charged. Who made it? Do they know what it is they have made and are selling? Do they know for what purpose the product is to be used? If all these questions are answered to your satisfaction the incense will work for you. Copyright (c) 1982, 1987, 1996, 1999, 2005 "The Alchymist's Shelf" Part III-5 Here is a list of some qualifications for you to use in making your judgment. |
Incense Name
Ab Ra |
Color
Rose |
Primary Ingredient
Frankincense-Mastic
|
Copyright (c) 1982, 1987, 1996, 1999, 2005 "The Alchymist's Shelf" Part III-7 |
INCENSE |
AB RA
An ancient Egyptian blend sacred to the Solar God. It is burned as an offering in Solar Rites, but it may also be burned for blessings and protection. ABTINA ADORATION ANUBIS APHRODESIA ARI SENTHER ASHERAU ASTARTE AUM Copyright (c) 1982, 1987, 1996, 1999, 2005 "The Alchymist's Shelf" Part III-8 |
BAST
Incense An ancient Egyptian blend sacred to the Cat Goddess of Creativity and pleasure. This is an excellent incense for actors, writers, artists, and musicians. BENZOIN BUDDHA BYZANTIUM CERNUNNOS A special blend of flowers and herbs that evokes a forest note. It is used as an evokational incense in the rites of Cerrunnos. CIRCE CONSECRATION DAMBALAH A Voodoo blend for use in the rites of Dambalah, but it may also be used as an aid in raising the Serpent Fire. DIVINATION Copyright (c) 1982, 1987, 1996, 1999 "The Alchymist's Shelf" Part III-9. |
DRAGON'S BLOOD This is an incense of Purification and Exorcism, but it may also be used to 'clear' a house or apartment of the previous tenant's vibes. DRIVE & BIND DRUILANACH EGYPTIAN RITUAL ENOCHIAN EVOHE FIRE of AZRAEL FRANKINCENSE GITANA GOD FIRE Copyright (c) 1982, 1987, 1996, 1999 "The Alchymist's Shelf" Part III-10 |
GOLDEN AURA This is a special blend for prosperity and success. It is highly magnetic. GOLDEN
DAWN HEALING HANDS HEKA HETAP HET-HARA HEX BANE HI ALTAR HORUS Copyright (c) 1982, 1987, 1996, 1999 "The Alchymist's Shelf" Part III-11 |
ISIS An ancient Egyptian blend sacred to the Goddess Isis. It can be used in all rites wherein the Great Mother is invoked or petitioned. JOHN THE CONQUEROR KAFIR DREAM KORE KUNDALINI MAA-ISA MAGICK CIRCLE MASTIC MEDITATION Copyright (c) 1982, 1987, 1996, 1999, 2005 "The Alchymist's Shelf" Part III-12 |
MEN THU An ancient Egyptian blend for Uncrossing. It breaks hexes and wards off evil. MERI
MERI-ISA MIDDLE PILLAR MINOEAN MOON MAGIC MYSTIC RITES MYRRH NEB-TET Copyright (c) 1982, 1987, 1996, 1999, 2005 "The Alchymist's Shelf" Part III-13 |
NEFERTITI An ancient Egyptian blend that is extremely sensual and magnetic. It is an excellent aid in all rites involving love and attraction. NIRVANA NUIT OFFERATORY ORACLE OSIRIS PAN PAPYRUS PSYCHON Copyright (c) 1982, 1987, 1996, 1999,2005 "The Alchymist's Shelf" Part III-14 |
PURIFICATION An extremely powerful blend for use in purification exorcism and clearing. QABAL SANCTUM REGNUM SAU SEKHMET SEM SHAMAN SHEN-TET SHEN UR SPECIAL BLEND Copyright (c) 1982, 1987, 1996, 1999, 2005 "The Alchymist's Shelf" Part III-15 |
SORTES SACRAE A very special Craft blend for use at Sabbats, Esbats, and all Circle gatherings. Highly spiritual. STAR OF THE SEA TETRAGRAMMATON THOTH TIBETAN WHITE LIGHT WICCA Copyright (c) 1982, 1987, 1996, 1999, 2005 "The Alchymist's Shelf" Part III-16 |
Zodiac Essences | |
This fragrance is for the ARIES native (Mar. 21
- Apr 19). This fragrance is for the TAURUS native (Apr. 20 - May 19). This fragrance is for the GEMINI native (May 20 - June 18). This fragrance is for the CANCER native (June 19 - July 23). This fragrance is for the LEO native (July 24 - Aug. 22). This fragrance is for the VIRGO native (Aug. 23 - Sept. 21). This fragrance is for the LIBRA native (Sept. 22 - Oct. 21). This fragrance is for the SCORPIO native (Oct. 22 - Nov. 20). This fragrance is for the SAGITTARIUS native (Nov. 21 - Dec. 20). This fragrance is for the CAPRICORN native (Dec. 21 - Jan. 19). This fragrance is for the AQUARIUS native (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18). Copyright (c) 1982, 1987, 1996, 1999, 2005 "The Alchymist's Shelf"
Part III-18 |
EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SELF-IGNITING CHARCOAL BUT DIDN'T KNOW WHO TO ASK. |
1. Always use a container, such as an incense burner or ash tray, because sparks will jump around while burning incense. 2. Always put some sand in the burner under the charcoal, because the charcoal gets very hot and will break glass or ruin your table top if using a metal burner. You don't have to worry about ashes in the sand, these charcoals are pure and cause no side smells in your incense burning. Just mix the old ashes into the sand. 3. You may break the charcoal in halves or thirds or what ever size you wish to use. 4. If the charcoal is crumbled up into powder, it will not burn reliably. 5. After you ignite your charcoal piece with a match, set it on the sand and let it finish heating clear through, about two minutes. This burns out all the smells that are not incense, and also allows the charcoal to burn longer. 6. Your charcoal can be pushed down into the sand and it will burn ok. If you put a lid on the burner, air can not get to the charcoal and it will go out. 7. The fragrance of the incense is in the air long (hours) after the smoke is gone. If you use a little charcoal and a little incense, the smoke will last about five minutes. Then you may put more incense on the charcoal at that time, if you wish. If you are meditating there is no need to stop and add incense. The fragrance is designed to last. Your nose will get used to the fragrance, so you can't tell how strong the scent actually is. Experiment, light a small amount of incense, set it in a room and go away for a half hour or so, then return and smell the room. If it isn't strong enough for you try a little more incense and charcoal. 8. The best way to use your incense and self-igniting charcoal is to try it. 9. NEVER USE THE BARBECUE CHARCOAL, LIKE FROM THE GROCERY STORE THE SMOKE IS VERY POISONOUS IN A CLOSED AREA, AND IT SMELLS BAD. Russ - The Alchymist's Shelf Copyright (c) 1982, 1987, 1996, 1999, 2005 "The Alchymist's Shelf" Part III-20 |