Abramelin incense

Note: Since the commercial extinction of Lignum Aloes, one of the key ingredients of my Abramelin incense, this recipe is being reformulated. Thanks for your patience.

Abramelin incense is a traditional ceremonial magic incense for use in ritual work such as described in the writings of Abramelin the Mage. This formula is made of all resins and spices according to Scott Cunningham's recipe, which is a standard. Because of the Wood Aloes it contains, Abramelin incense bubbles on the charcoal, so it looks very dramatic for a ceremonial ritual.

Like Abramelin oil, Abramelin incense is strong and passionate, and intended to arouse the energies of both Male and Female. Use it as a general Temple working incense and for any Thelemic, Ceremonial, or Hermetic tradition workings or rituals. Abramelin incense is powerfully solar in nature, and so I grind it on Sundays. It also partakes of the element of Water, so I choose Sundays in the Waxing Moon closest to the Full Moon. This very simple formula is used to raise the magickal and spiritual vibrations of the working area and the practitioner. It is truly all-purpose, and can be used to cleanse, potentiate, aid in manifestation, or to help summon spirits depending on the Will of the Magician.

Natural Magick incenses are composed of high quality resins, herbs, and sometimes essential oils. They are ritually hand ground on appropriate days of the week for Planetary influences and on the best day of the Moon's cycle for Lunar powers. Unlike most powder incenses, I use no "base" or filler to alter or dilute the powers of the active ingredients.

These incenses are made to be burned on incense charcoals. Light the charcoal with match or lighter, set it in a flameproof incense burner or on a brick, rock or bowl of sand, pebbles, or salt. Allow the charcoal to light completely and then sprinkle on a pinch the incense. Add more pinches as desired. See below for more detailed instructions.

How to burn incense & resins:

Natural Magick Shop incenses are ground in a mortar from resins, woods, herbs and spices. They have nothing in them which burns on its own, hence the need for a self-burning charcoal.

First you need something safe to burn your incense in. The charcoals used to burn resins get very hot. Use a burner made for resin incense, with a metal screen, a cast iron cauldron, or you can use a glass or ceramic bowl IF you put a layer of sand, marbles, aquarium pebbles or rocks to insulate glass or ceramic from the heat of the charcoal.

I often break the charcoals in half because they burn for nearly an hour. Light the charcoal with a lighter or match, and when it starts to spark, put it in the burner.

It is best to let the whole charcoal begin to glow before adding any incense. Then sprinkle on the incense as desired, a little bit at a time. If you add too much or cover the charcoal completely, you might put out the charcoal. Also, most natural resin incenses smell better when burned in small amounts at a time.

Keep away from kids and pets. Let the charcoal burn down completely, and make sure it's all ash before throwing out because it could set trash on fire. Advice from experience!

I don't clean the burner after every use. When there is a collection of ash in the burner, pour contents into strainer over the sink and rinse with water. Let dry, and put rocks back in burner. (If you use sand you'll just have to dump the whole mess and use fresh sand).

Store unused charcoal in a zip-lock bag or in a jar, because they won't burn well if they collect humidity from the air.

Enjoy!