Incense
When I was young, and even to this day, my mother smoked out her house with rosemary leaves. She would take three or four barbecue charcoals and place them on the stove, waiting until each charcoal was blood-red. Then she picked up the charcoals with a pair of kitchen tongs, placed them in a silver baking dish, and added a handful of rosemary leaves. She took this very powerful, blinding smoke all around the house. Well, she used to do so before my sister and I introduced her to the charcoal tablet, a much easier and safer way to purify the house, but some habits are hard to break. She still likes the old way better, and when she doesn’t have any charcoal tablets, she goes back to her old ways quite happily.
There is the type of incense that is store-bought, and then there are the types of incense you make yourself. I can honestly say that I use both kinds. I use store-bought incense for its fragrance; for a particular scent on its own—like rose, lavender, or patchouli—I just light it up with the thought in mind of what my needs are, and the incense works rather well along with positive visualization.
Now, the make-it-yourself type of incense is always the best. I believe the more smoke you make, the more energy you put out (maybe this is an inherited trait!), but please don’t trigger the smoke detectors like I’ve done in the past!
Incense smoke is one of the quickest ways to let the universe know your needs, and that’s why I use it for quick fixes in spells on the go. The air element holds your wish in a bubble of smoke and directs it where you want it to go. You only need the actual dry herb (unless otherwise specified), the charcoal tablet in a censer, and your needs. You can burn herbs or coarse resins like frankincense tear drops, myrrh, or dragon’s blood, which are very powerful when working with negative forces.
For the perfect outcome, combine these energies with the days of the week in order to bring, luck, riches, peace, harmony, and love—not to mention the purification effects they produce when you are using them for healing, psychic work, or even to get rid of a negative entity or energy. So, the next time you see an incense stick, remember that it is much more than just an aromatic fragrance!
Smoke on the go
House cleansing: Rosemary
Close all your doors and windows, but leave the front door open. Take this smoke throughout the house, going from the back to the front door. As soon as you finish, you will feel sparkling and new refreshing energies.
Self-cleansing: Frankincense tears
Place your charcoal tablet in its censer with two frankincense tears and then place it on the floor. Stand naked in front of it and let the smoke engulf your body. Feel all the negativity inside of you leaving your body, to be replaced by only good energies.
Protection: Dragon’s blood
Burn dragon’s blood in your censer once a week for the protection of your home.
Peace: Lavender
Lavender leaves on a charcoal tablet will keep your home peaceful, as well as all of those within its walls.
Negative energies: Rue
If you can tolerate the smell of dry rue on top of a hot charcoal tablet, you can tolerate anything—but negative energies hate it, which is why I use it.
Love: Rose petals
Unfortunately, the scent of burning dry rose petals is not as pleasant as you would think, but if you mix them in a mortar and pestle with rosemary leaves, you will have a very tolerable and powerful love smoke that you may want to take to the bathroom with you while you have a bath. As you bathe, think only of the love you wish to have in your life.
Creating good energies: Myrrh
Myrrh is quite pleasant to the nose. Take your censer all around your home in a counterclockwise motion, and as you do, you will create good energies.
Removing an unwanted entity: Thistle
Burn this herb in the area where you believe the entity is and yell out to it three times as the thistle burns: “Get out, get out, get out of my home and life!”
Healing:
Sandalwood and frankincense
Sprinkle sandalwood on top of your charcoal tablet, and then add one tear of frankincense. Meditate on the healing you wish and visualize the smoke going toward the one in need.
Money:
Basil and parsley
Crush together dry parsley and basil and then burn the mixture once a week, using the days of the week and planets; your money needs will be answered.
Good luck:
Nutmeg and cinnamon
From your spice rack at home, mix together half a teaspoon of nutmeg and cinnamon. The combination may smell like the festive season, but the luck it brings will always be in season!
Hex breaking:
Angelica and cloves
Visualize the hex you would like to break. Then place three cooking cloves and a dash of angelica on top of the charcoal. See the hex breaking like a piece of glass on a tile floor. Repeat every day for three days.