Burning incense
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The most elegant holder: A cup with sand |
Incense sticks Burning incense is where it's all about. But
we will have to do this with a certain amount of care. There are people who
put an incense stick in a plant-pot and stick it in the earth. Personally I
would never do such a thing because I think it witnesses of a lack of decorum
and does harm to the intentions with which you were burning the incense after
all. Most people burn incense with a certain spiritual intention, they are
busy with something 'higher', and the incense is an affirmation of that.
Putting an incense stick in the plant pot is a little the same as lighting a
candle and melting it fixed to the tablesurface. A nice cup or holder is no
superfluous luxury and contributes towards the goal for which you are using.
The most elegant holder is a container with sand. You can just take playing
sand, sand from the beach, stonegrit, whatever. Chinese people sometimes put
flower or salt in their holder as symbolic thanks for their wealth. |
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Light the incense with a candle, a match or a
lighter. Some incense need a little more time to ignite so I have a preference
for a candle. After you have lighted your stick, let it burn for a short
while until you can see a glowing point forming. Blow it out and put your
stick straight up in the sand. If necessary you can put your stick reversed
in the sand so that it extinguishes and that you can go further later on.
Another advantage of a container with sand is that you have absolute freedom
to choose -for example- a nice piece of ceramic. From time to time you have
to clean the sand and you can easily do this with a small sieve. The fallen
ashes you can mix through the sand, back to the source. There are all kinds of holders for sale that
are particularly suitable for bamboo sticks and that you can burn
horizontally. This lowers the burning time of a stick, on the other hand such
holders may be a little less fuss. It is impossible to use Tibetan sticks in
such holders. |
Holder for sticks with bamboo core |
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Loose incense Needed : • A
fire proof cup, pot, or incense vessel. You can have them in all sizes. Take
into account that this container can get pretty hot, which might be
impractical during for instance a ceremony. • A
pincer to hold your coal during ignition. Some people do this with bare hands
but that might be dangerous. • A metal spatula to scrape your coal clean or
to scoop some incense on the hot coals. • Some
sand. With this you fill your container. Sand easily absorbs and radiates the
heat. You can use the sand to extinguish. Instead of sand you can also use
small stones. • Self-igniting
coals; not the same as barbecue coals, they are a little hollow so that they
behave as a container, which makes them very practical. Some brands are perfumed
so decide whether you want that. Of coarse it is very nice to take coals from
a self-made fire. Take extra care of safety then. It is also possible to make
self-igniting coals, check the recipes. •Fire
and a tealight; because we have to keep a self-igniting coal in a flame for a
while, a small candle like a tealight is more practical. Lighters can get
terribly hot. • A
panholder in the neighbourhood, just in case you have to lift a hot vessel.
In the example I use a panholder because I'm working on a wooden underground. |
Needed for loose incense |
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Use: • Preparation
: Choose a spot where you are going to burn your loose incense and scan for
possible fire hazards. Also take care to have sufficient ventilation. Fill
the cup with sand or stones and take care that the filling stays a little
under the edge because the coals have to be put on it, and plus our incense.
Put everything you need within reach. Light your small candle. • Burn
: take a self-igniting coal with your pincers and keep a small edge in the
flame of the candle. Hold like that until it starts to sizzle. Now hold the
coal above your cup and wait until the sizzling stops. The edge then looks
glowing hotl. Put the coal in the sand. When it is completely glowing you can
put on your incense. Take care not te put on too much, otherwise we will get
a lot of smoke. You'll be amazed how fast you can let a room get 'blue of the
smoke'. So really add little by little. Remember that the nose can be
overstimulated after which you can't smell a thing. Scrape off an incense
filling when it doesn't give off scent any more. When you don't do this
stench can arise. Only after this put on a new filling. • Closing
off : When you are ready you can extinguish everything by scooping some sand
on the coal. Let it stand like that until the sand has cooled down. With a
metal sieve you can clean the sand now to have it ready for a next time. The
tar-like residu of Frankincense you can collect to make mascara from (Old
Egyptian habit !). |
ignite |
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let the sizzling finish |
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let get glowing hot |
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extinguish |
smell |
incense on it |
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Especially the Japanese have invented all
kinds of ways to burn loose incense and to enjoy the aroma. A nice invention
is the use of stoveglass (mica) as a platform to burn incense on, instead of
directly on a coal. The platform is somewhat above the glowing coals then and
you need to figure out a handy construction for this, but it is certainly
elegant. I have not yet come across special burners with mica but is
certainly an improvement compared to directly on glowing coals. See the links
for Japanes systems for loose incense. Ethereal oil You'll need a special burner for this. The
principle is a container under which you can put a small candle. When you buy
such a thing take into account the ease with which you can clean such a
thing, ethereal oil gives often sticky residues. Choose a stable underground
and a safe spot. Now fill the container with cold water and light the candle
under it. Now put a few drops of ethereal oil in the water. When the water
starts to warm up, the aroma will spead through the air. |