WitchCrafting: Crafts for Witches

Imbolc Incense

Merry meet.

The smell of the ocean. The scent of a forest of pines. The aroma of bacon cooking. Each not only has a unique smell, they also touch us in other ways, eliciting memories and emotions, and shaping perceptions. Our sense of smell is strong, and sometimes unconscious, and it can set the mood. (For the record, dogs do not have a better sense of smell than do humans.) Think of it smells as aromatherapy. All I have to do is smell sage burning and my mind relaxes as my body absorbs its healing and my spirit absorbs it wisdom.

When cleansing a space, setting the mood for a meditation or celebrating a sabbat, consider making incense a part of the ceremony. For centuries, people of many cultures have used mixtures of herbs, berries, bark, flowers, resins and other botanicals to send their prayers up to the gods – by throwing them into a sacred fire as well as by burning them in a censer swung by a priest walking down the aisle of a Catholic church.

While many wonderful blends can be found, it’s easy to make your own. With astrological Imbolc coming on February 3 this year, there is still time.

Everything has its own energy, and you will add your intent while mixing them. All of that is released when it’s burned.

Depending on the source, correspondences list cinnamon, myrrh, vanilla, violet, wisteria, basil and bay as incenses for Imbolc, or they list chamomile, frankincense, jasmine, lavender, myrrh and rosemary. Another source gives basil, camphor, cinnamon, lotus, frankincense, myrrh, basil, jasmine and wisteria. The lists you will find will differ as well.

Sometimes I look for ingredients common to multiple lists – in this case, myrrh is on three while cinnamon, frankincense, basil, jasmine and wisteria are on two of the three lists – but most times I go by what I’m drawn to. When I feel limited by what I have on hand, I remember what Rosenari Roast, a wise herbalist, once told me: “I have found magical blends to have more to do with one’s own personal relationship with the plants than any recipe, formula or dogma. And what one has on hand at a time of need is there with reason, purpose and value.”

The easiest to make is loose incense that is burned on a charcoal disk (a pinch at a time) or tossed into a fire (by the handful).

When using essential oils or resins, combine them first, mashing them together in your mortar with your pestle. When they are gummy, add any berries or bark. Dried herbs and flowers are added next, with powdery items put in last. As you work, focus on your intent, perhaps using a chant or an incantation while blending the ingredients. Store in a tightly sealed jar.

Patti Wigington gives this recipe for Imbolc incense on thoughtco.com, explaining it “evokes the scents of a chilly winter night, with a hint of spring florals.”

2 parts cedar
2 parts frankincense
1 part pine resin
1 part cinnamon
1 part orange peel
1/2 part rose petals

“The Real Witch’s Kitchen” by Kate West offers several recipes, including these:

Imbolc Incense 1
3 parts frankincense
2 parts dragon’s blood
1 part cinnamon
1/2 part red sandalwood
a few drops of red wine

To this mixture add a pinch of the first flower available in your area (dry it first) at the time of Imbolc.

 

Imbolc Incense 2
3 parts cinnamon
2 parts rosemary
1 part frankincense
1 part myrrh
1 part bay
1 part basil

 

Imbolc Incense 5
3 parts frankincense
1 part myrrh
1 part cinnamon
½ part sandalwood
½ part jasmine flowers
3 drops sherry or sweet white wine

Merry part. And merry meet again.

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About the Author:

Lynn Woike was 50 – divorced and living on her own for the first time – before she consciously began practicing as a self taught solitary witch. She draws on an eclectic mix of old ways she has studied – from her Sicilian and Germanic heritage to Zen and astrology, the fae, Buddhism, Celtic, the Kabbalah, Norse and Native American – pulling from each as she is guided. She practices yoga, reads Tarot and uses Reiki. From the time she was little, she has loved stories, making her job as the editor of two monthly newspapers seem less than the work it is because of the stories she gets to tell. She lives with her large white cat, Pyewacket, in central Connecticut. You can follow her boards on Pinterest, and write to her at woikelynn at gmail dot com.