Incense Ritual and DIY Incense Blends
The ritual of burning flowers, herbs & plants has been around for centuries. Many religions and groups have used incense and smoke of them burning as part of their spiritual rituals. Each smoke billow carried an intention up toward heaven or the universe, warned evil spirits, welcomed good spirits, or made an offering to God. Native Americans believed in the power of incense as a spiritual tool, carrying your awareness & intentions into the universe around you. They had incense rituals several times a month, according to the seasons and moon cycles.
Now, commercially made incense is all over the place, and you can find incense sticks or cones even at the gas station. When I was in college, Nag Champa incense was my jam. A whole pack was just a couple of dollars and you could really smoke a place out with one stick. I only used it then for smell (or covering up a smell..wink wink), and not really until a few years ago did I attach a ritual with it. And I am hooked now! The kids aren’t even surprised when they see me scooting around the house saging any bad juju away. Or burning palo santo in their rooms. Even some of the neighbor kids understand my incense ritual. :)
I use incense wands regularly, and even will smudge my garden space regularly. We have several incense wands for sale, a few blends, as well as exotic homemade wands that have wildflowers, rose petals, and ocean grass.
See HERE for some of our ritual wands.
Making Your Own Blends
Even though incense is everywhere, I LOVE the meditative art of gathering herbs, drying them, and making a ritual loose incense blend. I think making loose blends is such a personal thing and sends so much love and energy into your intention for burning. Something about the loose blend sitting in a pile with such beauty and color, appeals magic to me. If you can’t grow and dry herbs yourself, there are many places that have dried herbs where you can order and make your own blends.
When we have moon goddess or moon phase gatherings at Liferoot, I usually have several people ask about some of the blends we are burning, and my answer is usually the same… whatever I felt earlier that day is what is in there. :) Now, there are usually some staple herbs that are always burning for certain occasions, like sage, palo santo, and sweetgrass. But really….the sky is the limit when it comes to making your own blends.
Here are a few that I love to make around the holidays, or give as gifts to someone who is new to ritual incense burning. But above all, have fun and put your own intentions and love into it and you can’t go wrong!
Note before we get started: Loose incense is at its best burning on top of a charcoal disk, with sand under the disk (for safely burning, because it distributes the heat) in an incense burner or small dish for incense burning. It is also nice to have a small set of tongs (to handle things without burning your hands), and a long lighter. We do sell these set ups if you need to get started with them, as well as a couple of blends which you can see on our Ritual & Soul page.
Ok now for a couple of my favorite DIY blends! These make great gifts as well, so don’t be shy doing this for people who love a great incense blend. Chances are you know who they are already!
Western Wise Men Blend
This is a wonderful one for the holidays, especially if you celebrate Christmas. The three wise men brought gifts to baby Jesus in the form of frankincense & myrrh. These two are incredibly healing and powerful resins (most people burn the resin, or sap, from the tree) and can invite abundance, peace, and love into the home or sacred space where it is burned. I added a western aspect with sage, because it can bring a powerful cleansing aspect into it as well. :)
For this blend you will need: Frankincense Resin, Myrrh Resin, and Dried Sage (this can be white sage, desert sage, whatever you choose). You will need 1 part frankincense, 1 part myrrh and 2 parts sage. I love using charcoal disks and a ceramic incense burner, as this keeps the incense burning for a long period of time.
Joy, Peace and Abundance Blend
This blend invites joy and abundance into your sacred space. It is wonderful for when you have gathering, or you need positive vibes and energy radiating in an area. It is also helpful for when you know you will be having a debated discussion, talking through something difficult, or have people in your space that are at odds with each other. So sometimes it can be great for family holiday gatherings. ;) This blend also has amazing antiseptic qualities, great for clearing sickness away. You can use fresh herbs, but dried will burn longer. You will need one part of each of these:
Sage~ Is the perfect all-purpose catalyst for almost all incense recipes. Used commonly to heal and protect, also for purification.
Juniper~ Such a wonderful herb just for overall cleansing, good communication, and peace.
Lavender~ Used for Love, Sleep, Protection, Purification, Peace, and Happiness.
Rosemary~ Rosemary is burned as an incense to remove negative energy.
Thyme~ Thyme incense’s benefits include: healing, love, and purification. The ancient Greeks burnt it as incense in their temples, believing it was a source of purification, strength, and courage.
Rose~ Clears out stale and negative energy out of the body, space, and spirit. Invites love and abundance.
Peppermint~ Peppermint possesses strong healing and speaking peace vibes along with protective powers.
Enjoy making and having fun with these blends!