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"Incense has always been a sacred offering
A carrier of prayers
Calming the mind , inspiring the heart and
Healing the body
Incense is an ancient and transformative art form.
Take the time to experience the alchemy of incense...
From the living creations of earth and water
Transformed by fire
Released into air
To inspire the spirit…"
Thank you…
If you are here reading this it means that you have the desire to experience natural incense and the art of releasing its full fragrance.
Nothing else is quite the same…
If you are new to burning Mermade incense of any type, read this article, it will help you use and appreciate fine natural aromatic resins, oils and precious woods as incense.
To properly release the true aroma of sacred woods and resins is an art and meditation, Yes incense can be tossed upon a hot charcoal and billows of scented smoke will arise to a wondrous effect. This is how much the world uses resins incense. But the smoke from this form of burning limits the experience of a great deal of the essential oils and properties of aromatics. Especially precious woods such as sandalwood and aloeswood.
With Mermade Incense Cakes and Resin blends there are several ways to heat the incense and let the true beauty come forth and bless your home, altar or community.
Here are methods and tools we suggest from our personal experience and research throughout the years. Please note we do not fully cover the traditional Japanese methods, which are excellent. There are many wonderful sites online to explore the Japanese way of “Ko”.
Kodo, Preparing the Censer
For a quick guide to burning incense we also recommend visiting the site
Incense Making.com
To begin, you need a Censer or Incense Burner.
Censers
A censer is the container in which incense is safely burned. It can be anything from a ceramic pot or dish , a sea shell , to an ornate work of art. There are certain requirements for the proper censer. It should have a wide opening at the top to allow circulation; it should be made of fire resistant material and should have an aesthetically pleasing appearance. brass, bronze, stone or ceramic are usually used.
It is recommended to place some sand or ash (this is usually rice husk ash) in the bottom of the censer. This will do two things , it will absorb the intense heat of the charcoal and protect the censer and the surface upon which it rests and also allow air under the charcoal to let it burn well. This sand or ash will also act as way of holding stick incense. Earth, salt, mineral sand, tiny shells or volcanic sand may also be used for this purpose. It is nice to use some kind of sacred earth such as sand from a favorite beach or desert location.
Seashell Sand and White Ash are available from Mermade
Candle Burner
Ceremonial Censer
We import a special brass censer with a wooden handle that is highly recommended for ritual use and Smudging . It can be held and carried around while doing blessings with a smudge fan, purifications or any type of ceremonial work
A Candle Burner is beautiful and gentle way of heating resin incense. When used with foils instead of the stone bowl the incense reaches a higher heat and burns well, the foils also make it easy to clean. It s soft glow enhances the atmosphere as its heat releases the fragrance of the incense. These are also used for Essential Oil diffusers. Be sure the flame is about 4" from the incense.
Electric Incense Heater
We recommend the use of these burners over any other method for releasing the true scent of Ancient Temples incense with less smoke
Electric burners are by far the best and most efficient way of burning fine incense. Now we are able at last to offer them at very good price.
It is an investment you will never regret. They burn cleanly and consistently, and can be adjusted to the perfect temperature to heat the incense, and allow it to give forth its true essence, while not burning it up completely or too quickly. They have a light on the front to let you know when the censer is on and a good size removable bowl to hold the incense.
If you enjoy incense in your home or temple and want to receive its full benefit, invest in an electric burner, you will not be sorry.
Using an Electric Incense Heater
The Electric Burner is very simple and effective. Press a single layer of foil (see the FOILS we offer for this purpose)into the metal bowl. Mermade carries beautiful colored squares of foil for this purpose; a package is included when you purchase the Burner. Place incense woods or resins onto the foil.
Place the Burner in a safe place away from children. Plug it in and turn the temperature dial to the desired level, the red light shows that the power is on.
Let the incense remain on the hot surface of the bowl until it has released all it
fragance or has turned dark. Woods and resins may vary but since the temperature is controlled it will not burn up or flame. We highly Recommend that you do not turn the heat too high!
Most Mermade ancient Temple blends should be heated at a dial setting of 10 - 30. Also preheating the unit helps, you can preheat, place the incense and then turn it off or down to a very low temperature.
Do not re-use the foil. Dispose of it with the incense residue when the burner cools or remove it with server sticks provided or a pair of tongs or pinchers. Use a fresh foil with each use.
To move the burner while it is hot hold by the handle.
Resin Incense Burner
We also offer a special censer just for charcoal use. It is a brass vessel with a screen over the top where a charcoal disk can rest. this lets the air surround the coal and burn uniformly. the incense residue then easy to remove for it falls into the vessel.
Incense Foils
Foils should be used with the electric censer to keep the bowl clean as well as with charcoal tablets– these we provide with all censers and with all our resin incense. The foils are beautiful as well, 3”x3” squares with silver on one side and gold on the other. Incense can be wrapped in the foils ready for individual ceremonial use or small amounts given as gifts or sacred offerings.
These foils can also be used with charcoal to keep the incense from burning too quickly.
Using Foil with Charcoal
Incense substances are delicate. Though you may place the incense directly on the lit charcoal and enjoy the scent, it is advisable to use something to lessen the heat and allow the heart of scent to be released rather than burned. They can be shaped into a “boat “ like form to hold loose incense, folder or torn into a smaller square to allow more air to move around the coal.
Charcoals
Charcoal provides the magickal presence of natural fire, which lends the scented altar apart of its power and beauty. It also allows the mobility of the censer for ceremonial use and rites of smudging and purification. (See CEREMONIAL USE OF INCENSE)
Natural fragrant substances should be burned on special incense charcoal tablets or disks. The heat releases their beauty and aromatic properties.
For indoor (or outdoor) use we offer the silver coated Japanese Charcoal, which contains no chemicals or additives. It is made from bamboo and burns very cleanly with no unpleasant odor. The silvered coating helps shield the incense from direct contact with the lit coal.
The Golden Charcoal we offer is very good quality, clean burning and very fast to light. It is great for outdoor use or in ceremony when you need have it heat quickly or light in a breeze. It does contain self-igniting elements and therefore best lit outdoors if possible. We have found that the scent of the self-igniting charcoal can be avoided by simply stepping outside for a moment to light it (it is very quick to ignite) or just go into bathroom or room with a fan to light it before bringing it to the space where it will be used for incense.
To light any type of charcoal it is recommended that you keep a candle by your censer. Hold the tablet with pinchers, chopsticks or carefully with your fingers, over the candle flame until the edge begins to glow. The Golden type will emit sparks as they ignite. Then place the charcoal onto the ash or sand in the prepared censer. Before applying any incense or foil, wait until the tablet is red hot and covered with white ash.
Have patience …this is very important, for if you place the incense or foil on it too soon the tablet may be extinguished. It usually takes about 5-7 minutes or more for the charcoal to light fully.
After it is fully ignited, you may place the incense in the censer on top of or touching the side of the live coal. We like to place one piece of incense on top and one leaning against the the side of the charcoal. Be sure to store your charcoal in an airtight container, tin foil, or plastic bag when not in use. Moisture in the air can make the charcoal difficult to light.
Burning Nature Spirits Incense
Nature Spirits Incense contains only what Earth has created... It is an Eastern cone style incense, which needs no Charcoal or Heater
Each blend contains the traditional resins - the natural wood binder “Laha” from Nepal and woods and herbs and spices, these are then enhanced with pure essential oils.
It is truly a labor of love...
We could never mass produce or marketed it wholesale. This is our offering to you, a sacred art to bring inspiration to the ceremonies of your life.
When burning this incense place a tip of the triangle in a censer filled with rice ash or sand and light the top point. Let it burn for a while before gently blowing out the flame.
since Nature Spirits have a high resin and essential oil content you may have to light it again half way through. You may also place the Triangle between two small stones, shells or crystals that act like a holder .
There is no waste with this type of incense...
If the triangle does not burn up completely, you can relight it or save the small pieces and crush them back into a powder. Then add a bit of water and essential oil, or hydrosol to form a clay-like paste which can be reformed into a cone and burned again!
Take time to experience this incense, let burn for a few minutes then smell the essence of the blend, it lingers and is felt long after the smoke clears. .
May it enhance your sense of the sacred ...
Please let us know what you think about natural incense, it is very different from the the usual fragrance sticks and cones. The ingredients are much more costly , does 100% natural make a difference to you and the energy of your spiritual work?
Remember, Fine incense is appreciated by the scent and atmosphere it leaves behind.
Never judge incense only while while it is burning... |
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