Lucky Mojo Forum

[Sharona22]

This is just an incense related question and I am sure it is not a common one. I am very sensitive to the smoke from burning incense to the point where it is horrible. is it just as good to burn the same scent in an essential oil and how do you do so? what about herbal scents?

[Bri]

Hi Sharona,

Well you can choose not to burn incense at all, that is perfectly reasonable and most spells can be performed without the incense.

You can also burn essential oils by getting an oil diffuser and the scent of essential oil that you want--if you are burning oils for root work I suggest you get a book about the different uses of herbs in hoodoo, like the one cat has written--Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic, so that you can figure out correspondences and what oils are appropriate for what conditions.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by herbal scents--are you talking about soaps, shower gels, lotions, etc? Those can be incorporated as well into your magical work.

Good luck,
Bri

[catherineyronwode]

Many people, either for reasons of scent-sensitivity, asthma, lung diseases, smoke detection devices in the home, or considerations of personal aesthetics, cannot, or prefer not to, burn incense -- so you are not alone.

What to do about this is not as straightforward as you think. Suffumigation wih incense is not just about burning (fire) -- it is also about wafting (air). Therefore, if i were unable to endure burning incense, i would not choose to substitute the burning of essential oils as you suggested (and which i also happen to consider a true waste of art). Rather, i would substitute spraying the space with an aqueous solution of scented oils or drippping the oils onto simmering water to perfume the room.

In the same way that incense burning is not just about fire but also incorporates air, so is spritzing or spraying with an aqueous solution of scent or dropping the scent into simmering water not just about liquids, but is also about air. Using any of these methods, you perfume the air, and it is that wafting of scented air within the ritual space that is really the desired outcome. Do you see what i mean?

These techniques are nothing new, by the way. I have old catalogues going back to the 1920s in which "liquid incense" for various conjure purposes were sold with exactly the same instructions for use which i have just described to you.

Good luck.

[EcleckticMama]

On top of what's been said, I have found for myself that the artificial petrochemical stuff used to make cheaply scented sawdust joss stick incense produces extremely irritating smoke to me, while natural products don't. burning straight fragrant herbs or better cone incenses does not irritate me. High quality incense made with good resins and herbs may not cause such issues for you, so you might want to go ahead and try the ones that come with your spell kit, since Lucky Mojo uses real ingredients --but maybe in a more open area or even outdoors to make sure the smoke doesn't linger inside if it is a problem.

Occasionally during a cold or allergy flare-up any smoke at all is irritating, so the use of hydrosols is a great idea for those times. Thanks for asking the question.

[Bri]

What to do about this is not as straightforward as you think. Suffumigation wih incense is not just about burning (fire) -- it is also about wafting (air). Therefore, if i were unable to endure burning incense, i would not chose to substitute the burning of essential oils as you suggested (and which i also happen to consider a true waste of art). Rather, i would substitute spraying the space with an aqueous solution of scented oils or drippping the oils onto simmering water to perfume the room.

This was helpful. When I "burn" essential oils that is what I do--I have a diffuser which I fill with water, I set a candle underneath and add just a few drops of oil to the water, so that as it heats up the oil is released. This was actually taught to me by an allergy/asthma specialist who suggested I burn a little eucalyptus oil when ill.

There are a lot of sprays on the market, some I'm sure are better than others, but most that I have found use alchohol and chemical propellants which affect both me and my birds negatively. cat--or anyone else, do you know of any sprays that don't have all the extra added chemicals--just the oils in a liquid suspension? I like my lucky mojo incenses--they work well and I have never had problems, but if there was a good company that made sprays it would be great to know about it. I have played with making my own and have had varying results.

Bri

[catherineyronwode]

Hi, Bri --

The oil-on-water diffusers you describe work very well.

As far as sprays go, i also cannot stand the chemical propellents so i make my own, just shaking up the temporary emulsion of scented oil and water (sometimes with an addition of scented alcohol-based perfume as well, such as a dash of Hoyt's Cologne, for instance) and then spritzing it around with a plant mister. The remainder that stays in the mister will settle out in between uses, but i don't mind that in the least. In fact, the shake-up time is a good time for me to state my petitions or prayers.

[Bri]

The remainder that stays in the mister will settle out in between uses, but i don't mind that in the least. In fact, the shake-up time is a good time for me to state my petitions or prayers.

Hey! I like that a lot--petitioning while you shake it up, nice

[Sharona22]

I like the spritzing and aqueos idea and even the oil on water diffuser.Where is the best place to get more info on these and Cat which of all these is the best,when I said herbal scents I meant the scents that are the same sa the herbs which come in loose form. any and all new info is appreciated. by the way is any of this sold at luckymolo

[tisha]

a food grade emusifier will intergrate the oil and water in a spray.
not that it is nessasary, but my clients like a homoginized product....