Folk Arts in Season: Loose Incense

As we begin our move away from August and roll into September, it's a grand time of year to make the most of all the beautiful flowers and herbs we've been enjoying through the summer months. It’s also the time of year we start preparing for a different season.

Loose incense is a wonderful way to honour what's been and say hello to what is to come by putting offerings to the air through scent. It's simple and profound at the same time.

You can use all manner of flower and herb, most things are safe to burn with the exception of plants that are toxic (if in doubt, do a little research before choosing that plant). An easeful way to approach it is to have a bowl always at the ready to toss flower petals, dried out herbs, and leaves into. Over time, you’ll have multiple layers of beautifully smelling options on hand.

Here's an easy combination to begin with, and likely items you already have on hand (some of these will be in your kitchen spice cupboard)...

Dried Rosemary
Dried Sage
Dried Thyme
Dried Rose Petals

Combine a little of each together (pestle and mortar them if you want to combine them more), but they also work well loosely combined which is a way to let the herbs & flowers decide who gets more 'air time' burning.

Here's how to burn loose incense...

You need:

• A fire proof vessel, like a mini cast iron pot or heavy clay bowl.
• A disc of charcoal (NOT the bbq kind)
• A lighter

How to:

• Hold one edge of the charcoal in hand and light the other side. You’ll notice it starts to sputter and sparkle with dots of embers.
• Drop it in the vessel and give it a few moments to light more fully across its surface.
• Drop a small amount of loose incense into the pot and let it smoke.
• The scent will carry through the air. Let yourself experiment with different combinations.
• Refresh with more incense as needed and close the pot with a lid when you finish. (Be mindful, the vessel will get hot.)