New batch of incense finally finished that I started last summer.
I make my own incense to use and sell in my shop. While I usually gather plants, berries and resins for this specific purpose, it is also a good use for the bits of plant material left over from other uses. It is respectful of the plant to use all the parts you have gathered and not waste anything. I use both wild and garden herbs, flowers, bark, resin, leaves and stalks. I use pine, fir, spruce, cedar, bark, cones, leaves and resin. I use flowers such as yarrow, lavender, rose and clover. I add crushed berries such as saskatoons, mahonia, juniper or elderberry as well as honey and mead for binding.
Making my own incense 2 or 3 times per year is intensely satisfying and a spiritual way to honour the land. It is also a great alternative to buying incense and resins from countries on the other side of the world that are often from endangered species or exploited sources. While I do have a few from other places I have visited, namely Glastonbury, I use them only for very special occasions. I was inspired by the Glastonbury incenses from Star Child (they use local ingredients) and the scent takes me right back to the Red Spring. I've now created new scent memories with my own blends used for special ceremonies and rituals right here.
Incense sticks being set out to dry in the outskirts of Hanoi, Vietnam.
“Incense plays an important role in Vietnamese life. It is considered as a sacred bridge to connect the visible life of human beings and the world of heaven, earth, and gods.”
(Photo by Vietsui: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_pictures#/media/File:Incense_in_Vietnam.jpg)