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For more than five thousand years, people have burned aromatic 11 ^
substances in order to commune with the divine and to infuse their
lives with fragrant serenity and sensual pleasure. Incense is the
perfume that flowers, herbs, gums, and resins exhale when burned in
celebration or as an offering to a deity. The word incense derives from
the Latin incensum, which means "to set on fire." The word also means
"to arouse passion or emotion."
Mandy Aftel writes in Essence and Alchemy that "to be immersed in a
scent world, even temporarily, is to shift your consciousness and to
awaken to the moment more fully." You can burn incense to help
strengthen your spiritual practice, to ease your troubles in a decadent
aromatic bath, to spark creativity, to promote good luck, or to kindle
desire. Its sweet smoke can enhance everyday activities, such as doing
chores around the house, reading books, or listening to music. Incense
can be used like subtle background music, lending a mysterious air to a
cocktail party or helping to banish mosquitoes at an outdoor barbecue.
The heightened sense of awareness that incense inspires can also help
us celebrate the major milestones in our lives -the births of children,
marriage ceremonies, and memorials for loved ones
E-Book Content
I ncense ltuals
I
Like
a
fragrant road
incense
has
the
carrying with
it
map
power
for the soul,
transport,
to
everything from woodsy
traces of Tibetan cedar to the
scent of Japanese plum.
warm, sweet
Its
ephemeral
fragrance inspires peacefulness, creativity,
good health — and even good
luck.
practical suggestions to help
you incor-
With
porate the myriad benefits of incense into your
life, Incense is
the fascinating history
your passport
and lore of
sensuous tribute to nature
to
this
itself.
incense has burned in
For centuries,
temples, gardens, mosques, and shrines,
enhancing everything from to
romance
to
spirituality
health and well-being.
Drawing on folklore and wisdom from the cultures of Japan, India, the Pacific,
and the Americas,
Incense
brings the
richness of past traditions to the here
and now. Discover how incense can bring energy,
focus,
world. Take
a
or relaxation to your
meditation session to new
heights of creativity with the invigorating spiciness of clove, or revel in a hint of
sensuous sandalwood accompanying
a
steamy bath. You'll also learn about the flowers,
herbs,
and
oils
that
go into
incense and the accessories available to
help you
further
enjoy healing and
restorative rituals. Incense to
is
an invitation
engage the senses and unlock the mind.
Incense
Incense RITUALS # MYSTERY # LORE
by
G
I
Photographs by
N A
H
YA M
S
SUSIE CUSHNER
0*0 CHRONICLE BOOKS San Franci sco
Text copyright
©
2004 by Gina Hyams.
©
Photographs copyright 2001 (page All rights
47),
1997 (pages
2002 (page
reserved.
No
61),
13,
50,
and
82),
2000 (page
part of this book
may
be reproduced
in
written