The many benefits of frankincense and how it has been used throughout the centuries
The practice of burning incense and heating aromatic oils began many centuries ago in our past. Almost all major religions used incense in their sacred ceremonies or rituals and many still do. When used in rituals, smoking incense is placed in an “incense” attached to a chain and then swung up and out by the user to direct the scented smoke from the incense where it is intended. Pagans also used incense in their rituals prior to major religions. Even today, the Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Jewish religions use incense regularly in some of their rituals. It was believed (and still is believed) that prayer becomes more effective when incense is burned while the prayer is being performed.
Today, people use incense in their homes to create the desired atmosphere. It is a popular argument that different fragrances set different moods and are helpful in alleviating various emotional problems.
They burn incense to cleanse the environment, calm and reduce tension and stress and even fear.
Some other reasons to burn incense are to revitalize and renew energy and help insomnia.
There are those who believe that there may even be a healing aspect to burning incense.
So what does a newbie need to know what to look for when shopping for an incense burner?
First. An incense burner can be plain or ornate, but it’s important to use the right burner for the type of incense you’ll be burning, especially for safety. Choosing a good cone burner is very important as anything that is used to burn cones, cylinders or spaghetti sticks must be able to withstand the heat. One word of caution, never burn cones on wood.
There is a great deal of information on this topic on the Internet; just ‘google’ incense.
In fact, while researching for this article, I was so intrigued by the idea of using frankincense to help reduce stress and anxiety and the possible relaxing atmosphere it could create in my home, that I’m seriously considering trying it. out by myself!