There is something undeniably mystical about incense smoke curling in the air, swirling in harmony with invisible forces of Nature, before dissolving into the ether.
In modern times we have come to value incense just for its fragrance, to passively scent the room, or create a peaceful atmosphere. We have been burning incense for thousands of years in temples and ritual spaces. In the ancient world, incense burning was a much more active ritual - carried out as an offering to the gods and spirits and to send messages beyond the veil into the divine realm.
Magical practitioners understand that effective magic relies on a deep knowledge of herbs and aromatics. The ability to connect with deities and communicate our intentions in the spirit realm is greatly aided by our use of herbs and specially crafted incense formulas.
The way you burn incense, the ingredients you use, the timing and the intention, all profoundly increase its power and your magical efficacy.
Why Loose Incense is Different to Commercial Sticks and Cones
Unlike the neatly packaged incense sticks that are sold wholesale and bought in shops, loose incense is crafted with purpose with specific spells and intentions in mind. It is an intentionally blended of herbs, barks, resins and essential oils, with each ingredient chosen specially for its energetic signature.
We burn loose incense to sanctify a ritual space, and to purify and shift the energy; also to send our prayers and intentions into the spirit realm, to commune with spirit, to evoke the virtues we want to draw down, and filling the air with magical power and presence.
When prepared and burned properly, loose incense is a potent element of any magical practice, aligning your spirit with divine energies and spirits.
How to Burn Loose Incense
The key to effectively burning incense in ritual is conscientious and informed preparation, and intentional use. Its worth taking the time to profile each ingredient for its correspondences and trialing and testing your formulas to make sure your resulting recipes and blends are harmonious and resonant.
Quick step-by-step guidance:
Using Charcoal Discs:
Light a piece of charcoal with tongs and allow it to catch light and sparkle red, before placing it in a heatproof dish, such as a brass or a cast iron resin burner.
Sprinkle a small pinch of your blend to produce rich and sacred smoke.
Set Your Intention:
As the smoke rises, speak your desires, chant, drum, or visualise your spell working.
The Best Times to Burn Incense
Timing is everything in magic, and where and when you choose to burn your incense will make all the difference to your spells. You can enhance your spells by aligning your burning rituals with lunar and solar cycles, seasonal transitions (Sabbats), and also the planetary hours and days.
A short guide to some ritual timings
Waning Moon: Release, banish, clear stagnant energy, endings, closure, shadow work.
Waxing Moon: Attract, grow emotionally, open paths, intuition, insight, increase psychic power, build momentum.
Rising Sun: New beginnings, vitality, ambition, motivation, manifestation, initiation, action, physical energy, prosperity.
Setting Sun: Release, surrender, letting go, completion, rest, reflection, dissolving obstacles, preparing for renewal.
Planetary Days:
Sun’s Day (Sunday)
Strength, vitality, leadership, personal power, success, illumination, divine connection, healing, confidence.
Moon’s Day (Monday)
Intuition, emotions, dreams, psychic ability, feminine energy, water magic, reflection, subconscious work.
Mars’ Day (Tuesday)
Courage, passion, protection, battle magic, energy, motivation, breaking obstacles, strength.
Mercury’s Day (Wednesday)
Communication, intellect, wisdom, travel, messages, divination, creativity, commerce, learning.
Jupiter’s Day (Thursday)
Expansion, success, abundance, wisdom, luck, spiritual insight, prosperity, justice.
Venus’ Day (Friday)
Love, beauty, relationships, attraction, pleasure, self-care, harmony, fertility, art, creativity.
Saturn’s Day (Saturday)
Wisdom, endings, protection, banishing, discipline, karma, structure, ancestral connection, grounding.
Each planetary day carries its own distinct energy, making it a powerful factor with which to align your spell work and incense burning rituals. Simply follow the same correspondence guide for working with planetary hours. By choosing the right moment, you will amplify the energy of your incense and spells.
Bringing the Sacred Back to Incense Rituals
Incense burning is a mystical, sacred practice that deepens our connection with the divine and ancient ritual traditions.
By selecting ingredients and choosing blends purposefully, aligning these with your intentions, and timing your rituals with Nature's auspicious rhythms and cycles, you can transform a simple act into a potent magical ritual.
Check out my YouTube video, where I dive deeper into the true magic of loose incense, guiding you through how to use it effectively in your ritual practice. 🔥 Watch it here!