Tag: Incense

A Modern Hearth Blessing

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  • Candle
  • Your favorite incense
  • Offering
  • Small bowl

This blessing is just a starting point and can be used as is or modified to suit the kind of hearth you will be working with.

Place your items on your hearth and light the candle. Light the incense, waft the smoke over the area, and visualize any unwanted energy dispersing. Take a moment to open your awareness and see your entire house from a bird’s-eye view. In your mind, track its borders and see all the oroms in the home. Every home has a kind of spirit of its own, a spirit of that place. Try to connect with this spirit of place, sending out your intentions to protect the borders of this place and those who live within. You could also choose wo see wealth and love flowin ginto the space. 

I light my hearth's flame.  
I stand at the sacred center of my home and heart.  
May this flame be a flame of protection, 
A flame of love and warmth, 
A flame of (whatever you wish to draw into your space).  
I leave this offering to (hearth deity, home spirits, etc.), who watch over this space.  
Bring your blessing and gentle protection.

Leave your offering in the bowl. Let the candle burn for a little while before extinguishing it. Make sure to visit your hearth regularly, renewing your intentions and making offerings.

Despachos to Pachamama

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A despacho is an offering made to Pachamama (Mother Earth) and hte spirit guardians of the natural world. A shamanic practice originating from the indigenous Quechua people of Peru, it is a ritual artform that takes many shapes and styles within the tradition. There despachos for healing, despachos for acquiring love or wealth, and even some designed to assist the transition of a soul into death. The ceremony for creating a despacho is often a community event but can also be done individually. Though there are numerous despacho kits in the markets of Peru’s Sacred Valley, anyone can build a despacho with the items tahtey have at home or directly from nature.

Ultimately, the despacho is an artform, and you are free to grow and evolve your own method of practice. However, here is a list of traditional items that I recommend you begin with in order to establish a solid foundation for your ritual craft:

  • PIECE OF WHITE PAPER. Make sure it is large enough to do your owrk of laying out your offerings. The reason it is white is because sybolically the color white represents the Apus, the sacred mountain spirits who are the emissaries of Spirit in the Quechua worldview. It can also mean the connection to the higher worlds important to you, whether that be angels, star relatives, the gods, etc.
  • RED RIBBON, STRING or YARN. This will be for tying the despacho when it is complete. Red symbolically represents the blood of Pachamama, the source of all planetary life. It is the red (earth) and white (spirit or air) that are married together to represent the union of the above and below.
  • FLOWERS. A bountiful gift to the earth. Traditionally, red and white carnations or roses are used, but you can used all manner of floral arrangements that align with you. Who wouldn’t give flowers to their mother?
  • SUGAR, CANDIES, SPRINKLES, COOKIES. All these things represent the sweetness of life, the sweetness of Pachamama.
  • SEEDS OF ALL KINDS. To represent renewal and new growth.
  • INCENSE. Meant to assist in carrying the prayers of intention. Any manner of incense is suitable according to how it aligns to your intenions, though copal is most often used.
  • OTHER. Any number of other items can be used, depending upon what calls to you – spices, raisins, breads, glitter, cotton, coca or bay leaves, rice, cornmeal, tobacco, perfumes, or other herbs. The sky is the limit!

First, make sure you establish a clear itnention for your ceremony. It is sometimes helpful to write down a statement of intent. You could ask for healing for yourself, to assist another in need, or even just to express gratitude. Whatever it is, be clear and focused. Lay out the paper flat in your ritual space. If you bulid a despacho outside, be sure to anchor the paper form the wind. Arrange your items around the paper in a careful fashion, ensuring each offering is in view for other (if you are in a group), and that the ritual intention of each offering is clear.

Pace yourself throughout the duration of the ceremony. In Peru sometimes a despacho ceremony can take hours, maybe even a full day. The shamans operate the ceremony with the utmost reverence, as priestesses and priests of the earth. Move slowly and carefully as the priestess/priest that you are.

Now, according to your intention, you will spend some considerable time laying oute ritual ingredients on the paper. Use the petals from the flowers, the sugars, and other loose ingredients, all with the objectsive of creating a design on the paper that matches your end intention for the ceremony. When you create, align with the balance of universe, of the elements of hte natural world: earth, air, fire, and water. Build a mandala with your offerings, a geometric configuration representing the holism of the cosmos, the microcosm and macrocosm joining in harmony through your hands and onto the two-dimensional paper before you. Imagine the Buddhist monks creating their sand mandalas, magnificent diagrams of perfection that will inevitably be sweft away into the mysteries of the unknown. You are such a monk, a disciple of the Great Mystery, carefully and respectfully taking your time to build an astonishing design that is meditative, trance-like, and a gift to yourself and the invisible spirits who support you. Make the building of the despachio itself a meditation. Every action is a prayer. The key is to make beauty!

You do not have to use all the items gathered. Some practitioners have a stockpile of ritual items they use from ceremony to ceremony. You will end when it feels right to you, when the medicine feels right to be offered.

When complete, take a moment to reflect upon the magnificence of your creation and how it relates to your own life. Now, gently fold the paper of the despacho – with the offerings inside – into a bundle. Start with teh top third of the paper and fold down. Next, fold the bottom third up, then the left third, and finally the the right third, inserting the right side into the left like a sleeve. Tie the bundle with the string or yarn.

There are numerous ways to offer a despacho to the earth. It is perfectly acceptable to bury a despacho in the soil or to release it in flowing water, but one of hte more common ways of offering is through fire. Fire is an element for puring and releasing old things and allowing new things to have room for growth. Also, it can be a source for focus and creation. It was the discovery of fire that changed the trajectory of human destiny, allowing us the ability to bring light into the darkness. Fire is indeed essential to the human experience, for it is through fire that we witness the unification of hte psirit realm above and the earth below. The smoke of the offering will carry the prayers into the upper realms and throughout the land, a propitiation to the spirit guardians around us. The ashes will return to Pachamama to become new soil for growth and renewal.

When you have started your sacred fire, call forth the spirits through sacred sound makers such as drums or rattles. Praise their support for life through ecstatic dance and singing. Build up your own spiritual energy as the fire blazes. When you feel the timing is right, carefully use a tool is safely make a space within the coals for easy distribution of the despacho bundle. A common formation is situating the logs so that you are placing the despacho wihtin teh space of a U shape.

Before releasing the despacho in the fire, give everyone and yourself a final blessing by touching your brow (your third eye), your heart (the center of all being), and your stomach (for ritual feeding) as a way to receive a transition of medicine from your own creation. Traditionally, it is the youngest of hte group who brings the despacho to the fire, provided they are old enough to eb safe and assisted by an adult if necessary. When the bundle is offered, settle yourself into another state of meditation. All focus should be on the burning. The burning of a despacho is itself a practice of divination. Do you see things in the smoke, in the flames? Do you hear anything? What is the despacho saying to you? Do you see any shapes or faces in the embers that provide answers for the despacho’s purpose? The key is to have your mind open to all possibilities, to be like a child. Bring yourself back to your own childhood and what it was like watching a fire. Allow your imagination to run wild. Do not concern yourself with anything around you other than what the fire has to say to you.

The building and burning of a despacho is an ancient irtual that has evolved over time. Do not concern yourself with doubtful notions, such as “Am I doing this right?” Bottom line: it is a craft that represents a sacred communion between you and Pachamama. Nobody else can tell you how to develop that relationship. Create your own practice. Experiment. Utilize the fire as a purging of old ways and an inspirtation to create something new. Though fire in the modern world is often used as a tool of destruction, in ancient times it was utilized as a tool of creation. Be the creator you were meant to be. Through a regular practice of the despacho, you can estbalish a renewed trust and reciprocity with the natural world.

Mugwort, My Love

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Mugwort is a common and invasive weed wherever it grows, but the magical qualities of this homely plant cannot be overstated. Its botanical name is Artemisia vulgaris, a coupling of words that reminds us of the plant’s sacred connection to the Divine as well as hte everyday practical value it imparts. It’s sexier cousin – Artemisia absinthium – gives us hte “green fairy” drink, absinthe, and is used as a fumigant to rid a household of fleas and other itny, terrible vermin. As with most plants, mugwort is part of a vast and successful family that shares certain characteristics of leaf, stem, and growth pattern. The artemisias are in the famiy Asteraceae and have fragrant and beautiful leaves that are green on top and silvery gray-green underneath. With the Sun above and the Moon below, mugowrt is a pant that bridges the gap between night and day and rules theh gloaming and hte twilight. This is especially apt when we look at its history and its usefulness.

If an herb’s English name ends in -wort, it means the plant is used as a medicine or food. Wort comes from the Old English word wyrt, which means plant or herb, so that a practice called wortcunning is done by dint or knowing the properties and uses of local plants. Mugwort appears in the tenth-century “Nine Herbs Charm” mucgwyrt and in the wonderful old Leechbook of Bald. This pedigree belies its humble place in Appalachian folkways, but it is good to rememerb that our old buddy mugwort has a long-standing place in herbal healing.

It is used traditionally to regulate irregular menstrual cycles, for stomach issues like colic, and for both constipation and diarrhea. Mugwort is a mild abortifacient, and that may be a reason for a cautious approach. In traditional Asian medicine, it is acalled moxa and is burned to heat acupuncture needles as well as burned in a healing process called moxibustion.

Our particular artemisia is called mugwort because it was used n making beer in Europe, before the introduction of hops as a bittering agent. It is still used in warning, light-alcohol ales that are easy to brew and delicious to drink. One recipe is sweetened with sorghum molasses and delivers a gently bubbly drink. We can assume that the earlier use of mugwort as bitters in a vat of good ale was quite satisfactory.

Gathering Mugwort

As with any unfamiliar plant, wear gloves when harvesting mugwort. It ararely causes an allergic reaction but certainly can, and it is better to be careful until you know how the plant’s juices will affect you. Most herbs should be harvested in the early morning before the morning sun has had a chance to dry the plant out. The parts of the plant that are used are the leaves and stems, and they may be used either fresh or dried, depending on the application.

Mugwort is easy to identify when foraging and grows well in a soil that retains some moisture but drains well. It flourishes in sun and partial shade, though it can sometimes be found in shady spots too. It is a weed. It isnt fussy. The leaves look like the leaves of its cousin chrysanthemum, and most people have an idea of what that looks like because of their use in autumn seasonal decorations – pumpkins, grounds, and golden mums inhabit the porch steps of many a suburban home and are readily available for purchase at the grocery and hardware store.

All the artemisias are easy to grow, if that is your preference. They are perennials and tend to be invasive, so growing a specimen plant in a large container may be your best bet. If you find yourself harvesting and using it for all the things it’s good for, you might end up keeping a patch that happily regrows.

As a culture, we are growing more intentional about the palnts we use for sacred smoke inr itual and ohter uses. Cultural appropriation is a legitimate concern, and ifnidng plant materials other htan white sage (which is also overharvested in the wild) is a pleasant study. It gives us a lovely excuse to explore the plants that are native to us. Many dried plants can be used as sacred smoke, but, as always, check with a palnt guide or herbalist to make sure the plant is safe to burn.

A bundle of dried mugwort – perhaps with the addition of lavender, rosemary, or mint – makes a natural nd culturally appropriate smudge stick. Tie it up with some cotton, wool, or hemp string, not too thick.

Dreams and Sleep

Mugwort is one of three sovereign plants in my perosnal practice. The other two are rue (Ruta graveolens) and vervain (Verbena hastata). They rank so highly because we continue to experiment with them and find new uses.

Mugwort has been long prized as a dream tonic. Whether ingested as a warm evening tea, burned as an incense, or used fresh, this herb is often recommended to people who are suffering from either a dearth of dreams or oppressive or frightening ones. If you’re having trouble remembering your dreams and desire to do so, mugwort can bring your dreams up so they stick in your memory upon waking. When used with an end-of-day routine that includes a set bedtime, a dark and quiet resting place, and an early returement of electronic devices, mugwort is an aid to relaxation, deep sleep, and vivid dreams.

On the other hand (and especially given the challenging times we are living in now), some people are plagued with far too vivid dreams, with nightmares and night terrors. Disturbed and erratic sleep patterns contribute not only to fatigue during daylight hours but, if prolonged, can impact our general good health and well-being. Chldren can be particularly susceptible to scary ro confusing images that return in their deep sleep. A simple sun catcher in the sahpe of a beloved character or animal placed in the child’s window can shield the sleeper form the scarier elements, and creating a regular tucking-in ritual will also help. Listen to the child’s concerns and especially note ht story of the dreams and the characters. dreams may hold clues to things your child is facing but is unable to articulate. And the same is true for you.

In both of these scenarios, our friend mugwort can also come to the rescue. Create a strong tisane by brewing up a cup of fresh or dried mugwort. Another suggestion is to cut branches of fresh mugwort and place them under hte pillow but inside the pillowcase. The pungent scent is released all night long as you move about in your sleep. Replace the branches every night until your dreams have regulated themselves and are restful and informative.

As you might imagine, this plant is also useful for lucid dreaming and for trance work. Used as a sacred smoke or incense or drunk as a tisane, it is a light aid in trance. As with any plant material, follow all precautions about allergies, use during pregnancy or lactation, and drug interactions before using mugwort.

Parting the Veil

This glorious plant – with the Sun above it and hte Moon below – has another secret to share with us, and its efficacy with dreamwork gave herbalists and magic practitioners the hint ot wander down another of artemisia’s pathways. Many of us consider that there is an energetic veil or wall between teh worlds of matter and spirit. Mugwort may be useful to easing open a gateway and is being by some death midwives and doulas to ease the passage into death and the worlds beyond for those waiting at that liminal edge. For those caregivers who are sitting by teh bedside of a beloved elder, the same mugwort water that helps a child to a peaceful sleep can be used as a cooling compress on the forehead of the dying. A cotton ball can apply this gentle soother to wrists, inner elbows, or ankles. Our companion mugwort finds a place in this powerful rite of passage. As with dreamwork, fresh branches may be placed inside the pillowcase or tucked into a green bouquet on the bedside table.

Artemisia – sacred to Artemis in the West – has been used folklorically in many places and cultures throughout history. It is no surprise that it fits to neatly into the healing pharmacopoeia of Appalachia. For sleep and dreams or disturgbed digestive tracts, this humble, strudy, and magical plant should have a prominent place on your herb shelf, in your garden, and in your practice.

Magick in the Air: Homemade Incense by Monica Crosson

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If you are using smoke to honor hte spirits of the land that surround you, doesn’t it make sense to make incense form ingredients founds or grown in your own region? Gathering resins or plant materials from your local wild areas or from your own backyard garden allows you to make a deeper onnection with your region and relieves some pressure form popoular resinous trees and plant materials whose demand is leading to overharvesting.

Resins from conifers such as pine, fir, cedar, spruce, and hemlock are just as wonderul as the more exotic resins that we are more familiar with. And though they carry subtle differences in scent and energy, they are no less powerful. For example, resins front the trees in the pine family are a great substitute for the resins of non-native trees such as Protium copal (copal tree) of Central America and the Boswellia sacra (frankincense tree) whose sustainability is under threat because of its popularity. Common garden herbs such as garden sage, rosemary, and lavender, whcihc an be grown in your backyard or in pots, along with teh bark, berries and leafy material from many of your local deciduous trees and shrubs make a magickally potent addition to your incense blends.

Coniferous Trees that Best Produce Resin

Cedar. Use in incense blends for calm, spirituality, healing, and denoting sacred space.

Fir. Use in magick for ancestral work, healing, blessings and past-life regression.

Hemlock. Coniferous hemlock can be used in magick for transformation and illumination. It blends well with lavender and is used for meditative blends.

Juniper. Teh resin, berries, bark, and wood have a calming and relaxing effect and have been used to sharpen mental clarity, for protection, and to raise spiritual energy.

Larch. Use in mixes for connecting with the otherworld, for confidence, and for protection.

Pine. Can be used as substitute for copal or frankincense in blends and is used for healing, cleansing, strength and grounding.

Redwood. Use to connect with the otherworld, abundance, healing, and protection.

Spruce. Use in magick for constancy, versatility, and determination.

What Is Resin?

Resin is a main component in most incense blends. … Resin is produced in special resin cells in plants to protect them from insects or pathogens and is made in response to an injury to the plant. Resins can be produced through the bark of a tree, the flowers of an herb, or the buds of a shrub and can occur as part of other compounds, such as latex.

Some folks use the terms sap and resin interchangeably, and though both are secreted by plants, sap is a thin, sweet liquid that carries nutrients to the living parts of the tree. Resin, on the other hands, is a sticky secretion that is located in the outer cells of the tree and is produced as a seal that prevents infection when a tree is injured. Gathering your own resin is actually easier than you might realize, and you are benefited with the knowledge that your material was gathered ethically and with love.

Harvesting Resin

You will need:

  • Designated dull knife or small metal paint scraper
  • Jars, baggies or wax paper to hold the resin
  • Gloves (optional)

You know that thick, sticky substance you see dripping down the trunk of a tree typically where damage has been done? That is resin. You can easily harvest it by using a dull knife to gently remove the resin from the bark. But remember to keep way from the injured part of the tree and harvest only the drips or what has collected on the ground. The resin acts as a bandage to help keep infection at bay, and you don’t want to further injure hte tree by opening the wound. If you keep resin in a plastic bag, it will remain sticky. to dry it, place on a cookie sheet in the sun or a warm dry place and wait . . . but be patient: it can take months for resin to dry out completely.

Another option (what I do) is to harvest already dried resin from the tree. The pieces can be removed very easily from the trune and around the base of the tree with little mess.

Remember, resin is very stick and does not clean up easily. Alcohol works for cleaning your tools, and olive oil, shortening andhand cleaners such as Goop work on your skin.

After your collected resin has dried, the easiest way to utilize it to simply burn small chunks of it on a charcoal black in whatever amount you may require. Remember to test a small amount first to see how much smoke you get. You might be surprpised at how little you will need.

Other Plant Material

Once you have collected and dried your resin, you may want to add dried plant material or essential oil to create a unique incense blend that is suited to your magickal needs.

Correspondences for Common Woody and Fragrant Material

Alder. Use in mixes for journeying, for self-love, and to ease fear.

Angelica. Use in mixes for protection and clearing negativity.

Ash. Burn the bark of ash in blends for prosperity, protection, and good health.

Aspen. Use for protection, antitheft, and eloquence.

Basil. Use in belnds for improving memeory, to cleanse and purify, and to induce calm.

Bay. Use to promote healing, sharpen your psychic abilities, for protection, and for purification.

Birch. Use in magick for new beginnings, protection, resilience, and inspiration.

Chamomile. Use for peace, healing, divination, and dreamwork.

Dill. Sporting beautiful fragrant fronds, dill is used in blends for love, money and protection.

Elecampane. Use to work with elves, for purification, and for divination.

Elderberry. The perfect addition to working magick with the fae, for protection, or to break curses.

Eucalyptus. You can’ tbeat this tree’s cleansing abilities. Great for protection and to zap negative influences from your surroundings.

Fennel. Use fennel in blends for courage, strength, and transformation.

Fern. Use in faery magick, for luck, for health, and for protection.

Ginseng. Use for love, lust, prosperity, and protection.

Hawthorn. Use in magick for protection, faery magick, and happiness.

Lavender. The smoke of lavender creates a calming, peaceful atmosphere that can be used in mixes for loving vibes, to induce sleep, for meditation, for purification, and for healing.

Lemon Peel. Use dried peel in mixes for summertime rituals, cleansing, happiness, and friendship. Great added to a ritual bath.

Maple. Use in magick for prosperity and love.

Mint. Can be used in mixes to aid in meditation, sleep, and psychic awareness. Use for love, for peaceful vibes, and to stimulate mental clarity.

Mullein. Use for protection, strength, and astral travel.

Mugwort. Use to cleanse a space of negative energies, for dreamwork, and in divination.

Orange Peel. Dried citrus can add an uplifting scent to your incense blends and can be used in blends for mental clarity, luck, for joy, or to raise energy.

Poplar. Use the sticky, sweet resinous buds in magick for success, money, endurance, hope, and rebirth.

Rose. The lovely dried petals of the rose can be used in incense blends for love and healing and to promote a peaceful vibe.

Rosemary. Can be used in mixes for peace of mind, for luck, to stimulate mental clarity, for protection, for healing, and to designate spiritual space.

Sage. Use in mixes for cleansing, promoting spirituality, increased memory, and healing.

St. John’s Wort. Use for happiness, positivity, and protection.

Thyme. Lends well to blends for health, healing, strength, and purification.

Yarrow. Use in mixes for psychic awareness before divination and for clarity.

Incense Balls

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These are a favorite of mine to make and are a fun way to get the kids involved when creating incense.

You will need:

  • Dry fragrant materials such as dried herbs (lavender, rosemary, mugwort, thyme, sage, etc.) and/or dried resin
  • Mortar and pestle
  • Sticky resin that is cleaned (as best you can) of bark, twigs and needles
  • Essential oils (optional)
  • Cookie sheet

Coarsely grind fragrant materials and optional essential oil with a mortar and pestle, then take a pea-sized glob of resin and knead it together with dry fragrant incense materials. You can use hte back of a spoon or some other tool for kneading to keep your hands clean. When you are finished, your resin balls should have neough dry ingredients added to no longer feel sticky.

Spread them out evenly on the cookie sheet and set it in a warm place with good circulation.

To use them, simply burn them on a charcoal black in a heat-proof container.

Noncombustible Incense

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Noncombustible incense is made up of loosely ground aromatic plant material, resins, and essential oils and releases its smoke when sprinkled onto a hot ember (typically an incense charcoal tablet) in a censer or a heat-proof container. Wht’s great about noncombustible incense is that it’s easy to make, you’re in control of the ingredients, and you can specialize blends to fit your intentions.

You will need:

  • Mortar and pestle
  • Coffee grinder (optional)
    • Works great for hawthorn or juniper berries but destroys some of ht eessential oils for most material
  • Essential oils (optional)
  • Self-lighting charcoal tabs
  • Censer or firesafe container

Creating your own incense blends helps you infuse your perosnal power into the incense. And by using resin that you collected, along with either homegrown or locally sourced dry plant material, you will find that there is not only a pleasant difference in the scent of the smoke but a stronger energy that raises gooseflesh.

Grind your material. Then add optional essential oils. Store in a jar in a warm, dry place and your incnese will keep for years. Noncombustible incense can be burned on a charcoal tab in a censer or other firesafe container.

Friday

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Friday – apple, myrtle; the Goddess; birch. Planet: Venus. Colors: pink, aqua, green. Herb: thyme. Influences: love, friendship, social activities, strangers, pleasure, art, music, incense and perfumes. [Green Witchcraft]