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- Incense -
Incense
has the power to transport us as well as add fragrance to the
air. Initially, people
used incense as herbal medicine to treat many diseases. Incense may be: part of one’s spiritual practice, used to
create a mood, and/or to have a pleasant smell. For some, the smoke
from incense is considered to carry their prayers - “breath of
prayer made visible”. The Catholic, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, and
other faiths all use it regularly in their ceremonies and devotions.
It is an indispensable aid in meditation practice; it calms the mind
and centers the energy. For others, it sets the tone for romance. For others still, it may be the way to mask the smell of
something as mundane as the cat box. Incense comes in many forms from many sources. HB carries resin, powder, cone, coil, stick, loose botanicals, and smudge. Incense made in India, Japan, and North and South America. Each has a distinctive character. Natural products from the Americas like white sage, hyssop, rosemary, chamomile, rose buds, lavender buds, sweetgrass, and more. Resins include Dragon's Blood, White Mayan Copal, Benzoin, Frankincense and Myrrh. Wild
Berry
brand incense is pungent (strong smelling) incense. It consists of a
wooden stick heavily dipped in essential oils. These are sold in
packages of 3,10 or 100. Sometimes it has to be relit because of the
oil content. From India: The most popular incense in the world - Nag Champa. Nag Champa is floral and exotic wooden stick incense sold in packages of 15, 40, 100 grams and 250 grams. Each stick burns about 1 hour. Precious Chandan, and Spiritual Guide are wooden stick incense. In cones, HB has Sandalwood, Nag Champa & an occasional Wild Berry scent. . Various resins from around the world- Benzoin, Frankincense, Sweet Myrrh, Jerusalem, and Mayan White Copal, etc. Some are fragrant as is others need the heat to loose their aroma. Tibetan incense produced in India - Tara Prayer and Tara Healing. Tibetan incense tends to be earthy & somewhat medicinal. You can even grind the Tibetan incense & add it to massage oil or lotion! For an out-of-this-world experience literally, we have Moldavite incense. (We also have Moldavite bath salts and Mineral Oil). From
Japan: come sticks that are rolled entirely without a wooden
stick. These are subtle wonderful fragrances. Burn time varies with incense length, diameter and formulation from say 20-30 minutes to a few hours. So a short narrow stick burns in less time than a long narrow stick, but a wide short stick might burn longer than both. Burning safety - Resin, powder, and wood chip incense is burned using a charcoal tablet which can burn through some containers. (I’ve seen sand begin to turn to glass from the heat of incense charcoal!) Wooden stick incense and other incense sticks can be placed in sand, earth, ash, or holders like censors, banana boats or offering bowls made for incense burning. Cones and coils require some sort of burner for safety and full burn. Smudge, particularly in bundles, can smolder so stubbing it out or stirring like the campfire is good for safety if you haven't broken up the bundle. Incense can add fragrance even unlit. Many customers say they love to buy books here because they smell so good! I've even had people call back to ask what scent I was using on the shopping bag! Click the Shop HB symbol on any page to enter the shop portion of this site. MAY YOU ALWAYS ENJOY GOOD SCENTS ! |
