The Sun is the emperor of the planets – he is the grand high power of the 7 planets and his areas of influence are varied and exalted. The Sun and its associated entities are called on for all manner of things including, but not limited to: dignity, promotion, self-betterment, prophecy, visibility and invisibility, and the suppression of pride and arrogance. Call on the powers of the Sun to be well received and looked upon kindly by others, especially those in a better position than yourself. The sun can help you gain respect from others as well as respect for yourself, and it can help you achieve authority over those around you. It can also inspire ambition and forward momentum towards your goals.
Agrippa’s recipe:
“We make a suffumigation for the Sun in this manner, viz. of saffron, ambergris, musk, lignum-aloes, lignum-balsam, the fruit of the laurel, cloves, myrrh, and frankincense, all of them being bruised, and mixed in such a proportion as may make a sweet odor, must be incorporated with the brain of an eagle, or the blood of a white cock, after the manner of pills or trochists”
So, to summarize, Agrippa’s solar incense consists of:
Saffron – Crocus sativus – The common culinary herb, whilst a small amount can be pricey, it will last you for a long time.
Ambergris – A substance produced by sperm whales, Ambergris now illegal in many parts of the world, and when it can be found it is prohibitively expensive, with small amounts of several grams selling for upwards of £300.00. Synthetic blends of excellent quality are now available, however.
Musk – Traditionally extracted from the glands of the male musk deer, this product is now incredibly hard to get hold of due to the musk deer’s endangered species status. High quality synthetics are available.
Lingum Aloes – Also called Oud or Agarwood, this fragrant wood can sell for incredibly large sums of money; however, small amounts can be purchased for reasonable prices online.
Lignum Balsam – Allegedly Commiphora Opobalsamum/Gileadensis, this ingredient seems to possess multiple modern classifications – various sources claim that it is balm of Gilead; however, the liquid/resinous nature of a balsam would imply that it is not the buds which are commonly sold by esoteric suppliers. Rather I would suggest that it is the resin exuded from Agarwood (Lignum Aloes.) According to various sources, in current times Lignum Balsam and Lignum Aloes are considered to be the same thing. I am unsure if this is what Agrippa meant, due to the inclusions of both in the same recipe, however using one and/or the other should be acceptable.
Fruit of the Laurel – Laurus nobilis – The shiny black fruit from the bay laurel.
Cloves – Common culinary ingredient.
Myrrh – Commiphora myrrha – Commonly available resin from the Commiphora myrrha.
Frankincense – Bosweillia spp – commonly available resin exuded from the Boswellia family.
The brain of an eagle or the blood of a white cockrel – self explanatory.
This is one of the more difficult recipes to recreate, not only because Ambergris, Musk and eagle brains are illegal in most parts of the world, but also because of the expense of most of the ingredients. The fact that these ingredients are in a recipe for the ruling planet in our group is most apt, as the experience reflects the lofty nature of the solar spirits; however, this is not immensely helpful to many modern practitioners.
It is worth noting here that the incense is “after the manner of pills” – this is a traditional way of making incense, where the ingredients are ground fine and mixed with a liquid component and then shaped into lozenges or pills to be placed on the charcoal. This type of incense is very pleasing to burn and makes storage easier.
Following is my own recipe for Sol incense, which is comprised of more easily available ingredients and instructions for blending.
2 parts Frankincense – Boswellia spp.
2 parts Copal – Any of various aromatic tree resins from south America; use a variety of golden colour to reflect the solar nature of the incense.
2 parts Sandarac – Tetraclinis articulate – A golden resin available online and at esoteric suppliers.
½ part Bay leaves – Laurus nobilis – Available from most supermarkets.
A pinch of Cockerel feathers – Self explanatory.
A pinch of marigold petals – Calendula officianalis.
Enough myrrh retinoid/ essential oil to coat the above ingredients lightly.
N.B – for added symbolic/planetary value make this incense on a Sunday during an hour of the Sun.