Circle incense

Circle incense is made with nine herbs for casting the magic circle and for general use within the circle. Scott Cunningham gives two recipes for Circle incense, and my version is basically the average of the two.

Circle incense smells very mild and pleasant, so it is a good all-purpose altar incense. Cunningham's choice of herbs for this formula is admirable: together they automatically create a circle with the Elements invoked. We usually think of each ingredient as being one Element or another. But really, everything has all the Elements in it, usually with one or more predominating. Circle incense has an ingredient for Air, another for Fire, and so forth, but there are also ingredients with intermediate properties which unify the Circle. So there is an herb for Air/Fire, Fire/Water, Water/Earth and Earth/Air also included. I think anyone will agree that this blending of the Elements makes for a very rounded, balanced recipe that could be used for any intention. This is one to keep in stock all the time.

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 magick 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!