by Carl F. Neal
For example, if I was doing a ritual for friends who needed energy, I might light a different joss stick for each person in turn. If one stick burned longer than I anticipated, I will devote extra time to sending energy to that person. I would also be likely to investigate the person’s situation more closely to see if I could do more to help or if their need was greater than previously known.
Rituals
The ritual use of incense sticks is practically unlimited. There are a few circumstances where masala sticks might be a better choice than joss sticks. Even so, I feel that if you only use one form of incense, the joss stick is a great choice. In any event, the two types are essentially interchangeable for many ritual uses. As with all the rituals that I write, please modify the following to suit your own path and needs.
Reflections
This ritual is intended as a meditation or reflective ritual. You will need at least one stick of incense (joss or masala, it does not matter) and an appropriate censer. Although it is ideal to focus your mind on a single topic, this could be a useful ritual for dealing with multiple issues that concern you. Select scents based on your personal associations with the scents. Select one scent for each topic of concern or interest that you plan for this meditation. As was discussed earlier in this book, your personal associations with scent “trump” all traditional uses or any “magickal association” listed in any book (including this one). Scent is very personal in how it impacts our minds and our bodies, so select scents that you feel are appropriate. Only if you have not formed any associations with the topic(s) for your reflection should you look to outside sources for appropriate associations.
For example, if you are reflecting on your family, you would want a scent that brings family to mind. You can use unpleasant scents, but I find the process far smoother if you use pleasant scents. If your family spends a lot of time camping, perhaps pine or another woodsy scent would be a good choice. If your family is like mine, you may have strong associations between family and the kitchen. Cinnamon, basil, or another cooking herb incense could work best. (This ritual is not well suited to the use of loose herbs, but with a carefully prepared censer, a skilled incense user could perform this ritual that way.)
If your reasons for reflection have no scent associated with them, select one scent for each topic you plan to reflect upon. Incense with a high aloeswood content is a good choice. Aloeswood has been used as a part of mediation for generations. Although not a formal study, David Oller has done preliminary research that indicates that aloeswood helps to create a deeper meditative state. There are a variety of Japanese incense companies that produce excellent aloeswood incense. Buddhist monks have used this type of incense to create very deep meditative states, so it is a great choice for those new to meditation or reflection.
Take a moment or two to clear your mind. That is the real purpose of meditation, so if you plan to use the time strictly for meditation, the entire process will be spent “silencing the mind.” If you plan to use the ritual for reflection, these few quiet moments will help you prepare for the work to come. As with most rituals, it is best to select a time when you can be alone in relative peace. Close the door, turn off your phone, and create the most peaceful atmosphere possible.
If you normally work within a magick circle, you can begin by casting your circle as you normally do. After completing any other magickal work that you may have to do, you can begin. First, sit before your altar in a comfortable position. Although most people sit on the floor or ground, you can use a chair if you’d like. It is important to be comfortable to minimize the amount of distraction caused by your body. Just make certain that you do not get so comfortable that you lose focus or fall asleep!
Place your censer or ash catcher in the center of the altar. Lay out each stick of incense you have chosen for the ritual. If you are using only a single stick, lay it near the center of your altar in front of the censer. If you plan to use more than one incense stick, a censer filled with ash or sand might be the best choice. It is best to use a censer that will accommodate all of your incense sticks, but if you are using a single stick holder you can exchange the incense sticks when the new one is lit.
Hold the first stick of incense in both hands for a moment. As you look at it, bring the topic of your first reflection to the forefront of your mind. Light the stick and gently insert it into the censer. If you have lighted candles present on your altar, you can light the incense from an appropriate candle, otherwise you can light it any way you prefer. I personally do not like to use matches to light incense (because of the sulfur smell they create), but if you are comfortable using a match, feel free to do so. Once the flame is out and the incense has begun to glow, take a slow, deep breath and close your eyes. Focus your mind on the topic for your reflection. Even when I have specific areas I want to consider for the topic, I find it is best to first just let the topic hang in your mind. If you are reflecting on taking care of your debts, for example, I would begin by simply reflecting on money in general. Something as simple as picturing your wallet or a $100 bill can be a good focal point.
From there, allow your mind to turn from the simple to the more complex as you allow your mind to “run free” when considering your debt. Open your eyes and use the glowing tip of the incense as a focal point for your eyes. You do not need to stare at it (although that might be a good starting place). Let your eyes fall on it and then relax your body. Allow your eyes to do the same. You might retain your focus or even let the focus go. This gaze is simply a way to give your eyes a point in space. Generally I pay little to no attention to the visual input I receive from my eyes when I am in a reflective state. That is one of the uses for the incense. Vision is relaxed, but the sense of smell is often the new physical focal point.
Continue your reflection until the incense goes out. Not only might the disappearance of the glowing tip of incense register in your mind, the sudden loss of the strong scent from the incense smoke will also help to bring your mind back to this plane. If you have another topic for your reflection ritual, hold the next stick of incense in your hands and concentrate on the new topic. Then place it into the censer and repeat the process for each topic. This is a rudimentary way to use incense both for timing and as a signal to transition to the next stage of the ritual.
Once the final incense stick has burned out, take a deep breath and rise from your seat. Spread your arms as wide as you can and slowly bring them together in front of you, symbolically gathering all of your thoughts. Raise your head and look straight up, then slowly release your breath. As you do so, visualize all of the thoughts from your reflection and contemplation coalescing into a single white cloud between your hands and then moving into your body. Release your magick circle, if one was cast, and clean your altar.
Spring Equinox
Quarter days (summer and winter solstices plus the spring and autumn equinoxes) are important in most Pagan traditions. The spring equinox is symbolic of rebirth and growth. It is the emergence from the cold days of winter into the warmth of spring. In Japanese traditions, incense is often named for the thoughts and feelings it brings to a user. Therefore you will find a lot of Japanese incense that would be appropriate for this ritual, although any incense you feel is appropriate will work fine. Select one stick for the primary ritual. You can also select several smaller sticks of incense that represent different aspects of spring to you. For example, dogwood, lavender, and dandelion are all often associated with spring and growth.
Select a medium to large censer filled with ash, sand, gravel, or other fireproof materials. If your censer is bowl shaped, you can use as little as 1 inch of material in the bottom. If your censer is shaped more like a cup (such as a Japanese koro), you will need to fill it nearly to the top. Set the censer on a solid surface and very gently shake it by moving it side to side with the bottom firm on the solid surface. This shaking will level the surface with a minimum amount
of compaction. Place the censer in the center of your altar with the incense stick before it. You can even use multiple sticks of incense in this ritual. If you choose to do that, place all the sticks in front of the censer. I would suggest choosing a primary stick for the ritual and making it considerably longer than any of the others. A stick of 4 to 5 inches is a good choice. The smaller sticks should only be about 1 or 2 inches long.
If you normally work within a magick circle, begin by casting the circle and calling upon any deities or other powers as prescribed by your path or tradition. Light the incense stick you have selected (if you selected more than one, light the “primary” stick you chose). Insert the stick into your censer and begin to circle the altar clockwise. As you circle, you may wish to chant:
Sky churn, incense burn,
as the wheel again does turn.
As you circle your altar, focus on the most important aspects of spring arising from winter. This will depend, naturally, on your own perceptions and ideas about the seasons so—as with all good rituals—your own personality and views of life will figure heavily in the process. As you circle the altar and chant, open yourself to the spirits of spring. Feel the life within Nature awakening. Feel the growing length of day warming the soil and the winds stirring the dormant trees back to bud. See the clouds releasing life-giving rains. Circle your altar three times. At the end of the third time around, stop where you began and face your altar.
If you have selected more than one stick of incense for this ritual, light the second stick and lay it flat in the censer (but only lay it flat if you are using ash as your fill material). If you have broken the smaller sticks into 1-inch size, light the second stick carefully from a candle on your altar to avoid burning your fingers and quickly place it in the censer. If you are using a dedicated stick censer (such as an “incense boat”), you will want to have at least two censers: one for the primary stick and another for each of the secondary sticks. Think about the relationship between that blend and the rising of spring. For example, if you choose a small stick of lavender incense, think about how lavender is affected by the coming of spring. Visualize the greening of the foliage and the tiny purple flowers emerging on the stems. As the scent of the lavender penetrates the room and your clothing, feel the presence of the lavender as if it were already in full bloom upon your altar.
After circling your altar once, stop and simply revel in the scent until the second stick of incense has finished burning. Continue this process until all of your small sticks have finished burning. If the large stick is still burning, resume chanting until it has burned completely. When all of the incense is completely burned, stand before your altar and welcome spring. You can do this with silent meditation or, as I prefer to do, with a booming vocal welcome:
Welcome, Springtime!
Your warming winds and longer days
will bring joy to the whole Earth.
You can then continue with any other ritual or meditative work you would like to do, or you can open your circle (if one was cast). After the ritual is complete, clean your censer carefully. If you used masala-style incense sticks, you may wish to store the sticks that were pushed below the surface of your censer. Those sticks can be used later in a campfire or within your cauldron when you need to kindle a small fire. If you used joss sticks, there may be unburned ends below the surface of your censer. You can also save those for later use in a fire, or you could grind them to powder. This type of saved incense powder can be used in many other rituals, and it will be especially potent because of its previous ritual use.
Cones, Cylinders, and Dhoops
As was explained earlier, cones and cylinders share similar burning characteristics and limitations. Although cylinders are more akin to joss sticks in shape, their thickness gives them burning characteristics more like cones. Dhoops are most often made in one of those two forms. One of the problems with these forms is the tendency to go out or to be difficult to light. Normally this is a result of the thickness of the incense. Thinner incense is always easier to burn, but properly made cones and cylinders will work for virtually any purpose.
Burning on Ash
Although the thickness of cones and cylinders can pose a challenge, there are a few strategies that will improve the reliability of these forms of incense. The first is burning on ash. A properly prepared ash bed will trap air that will help these forms of incense burn. Cones and cylinders can be burned upright, but even some of the best-created incense can have trouble burning completely to the end. They tend to leave an eighth of an inch or a little less of unburned incense. Burning on ash will generally allow the incense to burn completely. The tiny bit of air trapped in the ash below the incense makes the difference.
Ash also allows you to burn cones and cylinders lying on their sides. This increases the odds of the incense burning completely. While burning on the side is not mandatory in all cases, if you encounter a blend or brand of cone or cylinder that tends to go out before burning completely, side burning could resolve the problem.
Burning Upside Down
One final strategy to deal with cones that will not burn completely, although it does not apply to cylinders, is to burn the cone upside down. There are two approaches to doing this. One approach is to use a cone holder that will hold the cone upside down. There are commercial holders made of wire that will hold the cone upside down while it burns, but it is easy to make one yourself with stiff wire. It is important to put the wire inside a fireproof censer. Once the cone burns beyond the last loop of wire that holds it in place, the burning incense may drop out of the holder. As long as the wire is mounted inside a fireproof censer, this will not present a hazard.
A second way to burn a cone upside down is to literally flip the cone over and light the wide base. The thin tip of the cone can then be inserted into sand or, better yet, ash. If inserted into sand or another medium, the thin tip of the cone may not burn, but at least the bulk of the cone will burn. If inserted into ash, even the thin tip of the incense may burn.
Rituals
Cones, cylinders, and dhoops can all be used for rituals just as any other form of incense. And just like other forms, they offer their own strengths and weaknesses. Cones, unless they are very large, have a fairly limited burning duration. Cylinders come in many sizes, so the burn duration is a direct relation to both the thickness and length of the cylinder, although the length is what primarily determines how long it burns (width = amount of smoke, length = burning time). Dhoops often have a shorter burn time than other forms of the same size.
Raising Power
This basic process isn’t truly a ritual on its own but rather an important precursor that can be added to most rituals. This is the basis for the Summer Solstice Circle ritual found on page 149. As you know, burning incense releases energy. The energy from all of the aromatics and base materials in your incense are storehouses for natural, magickal energy. This is also a great opportunity to try air mixing (see chapter 6).
Begin by selecting a variety of cones or cylinders. Select one scent for each quarter and then use a fifth scent on your altar. This ritual should be performed in an area with good ventilation. A point of caution: I have talked before about the potential mishaps that incense can cause with smoke detectors and that is particularly true with this ritual. I suggest an open window in the room or an open door to allow for an exchange of air. Smoke detectors in the room where your circle is cast are particularly susceptible, but any in your home could be triggered if you don’t keep the air in motion and at least a minimal amount of ventilation.
Place censers and your incense at all four quarters and on your altar before casting your circle. As you call the quarters, light the incense at that quarter. When you invoke that quarter, make a clear statement that this is an offering for that element (e.g., “Powers of Air, I make this offering to you”). When the circle is complete, light the incense on your
altar. Before you begin any other planned ritual work, draw the energy from the incense and hold it within the circle. The easiest way to accomplish that is by walking around your altar and chanting.
I call all of the elements one by one. I would start with the eastern quarter (air) and make one complete circle around the altar calling that element:
Great Powers of Air, bring your energy
into this circle that it may be released
for the work at hand this night.
Depending on how you practice and the time available for your ritual, you should consider actually doing this three times for each element. Continue to chant as you circle the altar. Your chanting not only helps to raise additional energy, but it is also another way to align the energies from the incense with your planned work. Keep your mind focused at all times on the element you are calling and the goal you hope to achieve.
Once the circle is cast, invoke whatever other powers you plan to call and proceed as you normally would. One thing you may notice, as I have on many occasions, is that the smoke from so many cones of incense will swirl and dance through the room as you circle your altar. Especially as the smoke moves over a lighted candle, I sometimes see gossamer shapes dancing around the flame.
Winter Solstice
While not a true ritual, this practice can be added to any ritual that you do on or around Yule. The beginning of winter is an important event for those of us who celebrate the turning of the wheel. You can draw even more impact from your incense whether you are indoors or out. For this ritual you will need incense cylinders of an appropriate scent. If you are not an incense maker willing to create your own cylinders for this occasion, you can still find commercial incense that will fit the need. There is at least one incense producer (and likely more) that makes incense cylinders that look very much like tiny logs (about 1 inch in diameter). They are made in different “forest” scents and would work well. If you are unable to find large cylinders like this, you can bundle smaller cylinders or even sticks. Tie them tightly with thread. Rather than using one long thread, tie it with multiple threads spaced out slightly. That way the bundle will still remain intact when one thread burns through.