by Carl F. Neal
Combinations
The most fun and exciting form of chain burning is combining these various techniques. The basic concept is simple: one piece of burning incense can ignite another. Once you have experimented a little with that simple idea, your only limit is your own imagination. I hope by this point in reading you already have many applications for these techniques in your own incense burning practices and rituals. What follows is merely a few suggestions on how you can combine these techniques. I have been using these methods for years, so most of these ideas are based on my own experimentation.
When combining various techniques, keep a few basic principles in mind. First, it is easiest to use a large burning area to ignite a small one. For example, it is much easier to ignite a joss stick from the base of a cone than to ignite a wide cone from a joss stick. Both can be done, but the large surface area of the burning base of a cone makes igniting other incense fairly simple.
Next, keep in mind that it is easier to light incense at the end rather than in the center. Thin incense (be it joss stick, masala stick, or even an incense trail) can be lit at any point on its length, but large incense cylinders, dhoops, and cones are far less likely to ignite in the middle. The reason is that heat has to penetrate the entire thickness of the incense in order to light. When you light incense at its end, the heat can easily reach the entire thickness of the incense, but lighting it along its length means all of the heat must penetrate from one side.
Not all incense burns at the same temperature. Different incense ingredients burn at different temperatures. Incense that contains clove or saltpeter, for example, will burn hotter (and therefore faster) than incense without those ingredients. Thus it is easier to ignite other incense from hot-burning types than from cooler-burning types. If you are using incense that burns very slowly, it may not be a good choice to ignite other incense. You might want to put it at the end of your chain rather than at the start or the middle.
Incense will usually burn when buried under ash, but it is harder to smell. The deeper the incense is buried, the less the scent will reach the air. Sometimes this is advantageous since you might use a small piece of joss stick buried deep under ash to connect two sections of an incense chain. The incense will burn, but it will not give off scent or discolor the ash above it if placed deep enough in the ash. That can be used to great effect, as your chain will appear to be finished burning only to then, seemingly without any intervention, ignite a new chain or a new section of the first chain. This can be a wonderful sleight of hand.
Keeping these simple tips in mind, you can create seemingly complex trails. The only real complicating factors, of course, are the length of the chain and the number of difficult transitions (such as igniting a cone from a masala stick). One combination that I really like to use is a chain of joss stick (set out as described earlier) ignited by an upright cone. The joss sticks can be overlapped as desired on an ash bed, then a cone is inserted into the ash so that it either overlaps or is firmly pressed against the end of the first stick. The advantage to this approach is that an upright cone is very easy to light in place, whereas a joss stick on its side can be a little tricky to get started. The cone generates a lot of heat and will ignite a joss stick easily. This type of arrangement is great to use if you want to set up your chain well in advance of its use. If you wanted to create a chain for a ritual that is to take place hours later, this arrangement will sit patiently waiting to be lit and will generally work flawlessly when called upon.
A sample combination chain.
Another great combination for an incense chain is to use an upright cone to ignite an incense trail. That trail can then be used to ignite a variety of joss sticks placed along its path. I like to think of the cone as a volcano, the trail as a river, and the joss sticks as streams. Never forget that burning too many pieces of incense at once can cause a scent overload as well as plumes of smoke, so plan these chains carefully. Place each item far enough down the trail from the previous item that you won’t have multiple “streams” burning at once.
Chaining Rituals
Using chain burning for rituals adds a whole new dimension to spells, celebrations, and even just to chanting. As with all incense, chains can be used for timing as well as for scent and the creation of a magickal atmosphere. As with all of my rituals, what follows are merely my general suggestions and approaches to certain rituals. Please modify them to fit with your specific path or tradition and personalize them to make them your very own.
Fall Equinox
The autumnal equinox, sometimes referred to as Mabon, is an important time for many Pagans and followers of Earth-based religions. An equinox is a time when Earth is in perfect balance between night and day. It also marks the transition from summer to autumn. This is a widely celebrated holiday and a perfect time to use your newfound skills in making incense chains. This simple ritual uses a very basic incense chain, so it is a great choice for anyone to incorporate into a personal or group ritual to celebrate this change of seasons.
Select two incense blends. I always prefer to use the same form for both blends. You can choose self-burning powder, sticks (joss or masala), or cones. Powder or joss sticks work best, but any of these forms are acceptable. You could even use dhoop or incense cylinders, but I would strongly recommend making them the first scent or using the same form for both scents. It is easy to light a joss stick from a cone or cylinder but much tougher to reverse them.
Select one incense blend that represents summer and a second that represents fall. You should really make the selection based on your own concepts of what constitutes a summer or fall incense blend, but you can also consult the correspondence charts near the end of this book or a variety of other sources if you need some suggestions. Once you have made your selections, lay out the chain in your censer.
Place the summer blend in the censer first. If using self-burning powder, create a channel in the ash to hold the powder. You can create any shape you wish, but try to make a clear mid-point in the shape. I like to make a “V” shape for this ritual. Fill the first half of the shape with the summer powder and the second half with the fall powder. If using other forms, place the summer incense in the censer first. If you use cones, place the cone on its side on the bed of ash.
Next, place the fall incense in the censer. If using sticks, dhoops, or cylinders, overlap the incense so that one end of the fall incense is on top of one end of the summer incense. If you use cones, place the Fall incense so that the thin end of the cone firmly touches the wide end of the summer incense. If you use a combination of forms, make sure that you place the incense so that the summer blend will ignite the fall blend.
Cast your magick circle if you normally work within one. Perform any invocations you prefer before beginning this ritual. Since this is such a simple ritual, you may want to incorporate it into a larger or more elaborate ritual. Although there are times when a simple ritual is the best.
After casting your circle or doing any other ritual work, you can light the incense. Light the summer blend on the end that does not touch the fall blend. As you light the incense, say the following:
Summer’s heat and Summer’s sun
will Autumn’s season now become.
Turn the circle, turn the wheel,
As harvest winds we soon shall feel.
As the summer blend burns, reflect on the summer just passed. Think of the changes in your life and the joys you experienced. You may wish to chant as the incense burns. Here is a nice, simple chant:
Summer sun no longer burns,
once again the wheel turns.
When the summer blend ignites the fall blend, it is symbolic of the moment of Mabon. At that moment, I like to shout or cheer to celebrate the change of seasons. After the fall blend begins to burn, you can change your chant:
Now does pass the Summer’s heat,
prepare we will for
harvest sweet.
When the fall blend has finished burning, you should stir the ash to return all of the incense into one collection of ash, saying:
The wheel has turned, so mote it be.
You can then open your circle or perform any other magick or rituals you have planned.
Quarters Meditation (Chain Incense Version)
This is one of my very favorite rituals of contemplation. While not a true meditation in the sense of attempting to disconnect the self, it is very useful for centering as well as for focusing your mind in preparation of other magickal or ritual work. Although I would typically perform this meditation within a magick circle, that is not a requirement.
I use a large, round censer filled with ash for this meditation. I personally use a very large censer—a ceramic bowl that is about 8 inches in diameter. I realize that you may not have a censer that large or have enough ash to fill it, so you may want to use a round ceramic plate instead. Use a shallow plate, as you only need about ½ inch of ash. Even a single packet of Japanese white ash should be enough to cover a plate of this size with a thin layer. A thicker layer of ash makes the process easier, but it is not mandatory.
Sift your ash if you have not done so recently. If using a plate, carefully sprinkle the ash to create an even, level surface of ash. This usually means using more ash in the center where the plate is the deepest. Begin your chain by creating an incense trail around the outside diameter of your censer. Keep the trail 1 or 2 inches from the side of the censer, but try to make the circle as wide as possible. If your ash is thick enough, use a feather, skewer, pen tip, or toothpick to create a channel in the ash. You can then fill that channel with sandalwood, makko (a type of wood binder that it is also an excellent base material for incense), or other incense powder. If you are using a thin layer of ash, do not create a channel. Instead, create the circle with the incense powder on the surface of the ash. In either case, make the circle thin (no more than 1⁄8 inch wide), but ensure that it is solid with no breaks. Any breaks will cause the chain to go out before it completes burning.
Leave the circle open about 1 inch. If you create a closed circle, it will burn in both directions at the same time. That can be a useful effect, but not for this ritual. Where you choose to leave the circle open is up to you, but I usually leave the gap on the right-hand side just above the two o’clock position.
With your trail in place, select combustible incense to represent each of the four elements and, if you wish, a fifth type to represent yourself or Spirit. You can use joss sticks, cones, masala sticks, or even incense powder to represent the elements and yourself. You will find that joss sticks are the easiest to use, but any of those forms can be included. You could use dhoops or cylinders, but I do not recommend them since they will be difficult to ignite from a thin trail. You could use a thicker trail and then include dhoops or cylinders, but only in very well-ventilated locations (thicker trails = lots of smoke).
When selecting the incense to represent the elements, consider what each element represents to you. That will help you determine which incense to select. You may keep different blends made specifically for each element, and those are an obvious choice for this meditation. If not, you may want to consult the correspondence charts near the end of this book or consult other sources to help you decide which scents would be the most appropriate. Finally, select a scent to represent yourself. Choose a scent that you find exceptionally pleasing and relaxing.
Once you have selected incense for all four elements and yourself (if you choose to include that part of the ritual), carefully connect the incense to the trail. If you are using stick incense to represent any of the elements, break off a section of stick 2 or 3 inches long. If you are using a masala-style stick, also break off any uncoated part of the wooden rod. You can adjust the length of the stick if you feel that the element it represents requires more or less of your attention than the other elements. You can adjust the length of that element’s trail if you choose to use powdered incense, but this is not practical with cones.
Begin with the incense for the element of air. Connect the incense you have selected to the trail at the three o’clock position. You should place the stick or cone so that it connects to the inside of your circular trail and extends directly toward the center of your censer. If you are using stick incense, overlap the stick on the top of the trail so that only the tiniest bit of trail can be seen. Do not completely cover the trail unless you were successful in making an exceptionally thin trail. Do the same if you are using a cone, but be certain to place the cone on its side and connect the thin end of the cone to the trail. Lightly press the stick or cone into the ash, but be careful not to break the trail.
If you choose to use an incense trail to represent any elements, create the trail just as if you were laying down an incense stick. Make a straight trail that connects from the circular trail and extends towards the center of the censer. As you fill the trail, overlap the incense representing the element over the circular trail. Just as with an incense stick, the trail should be 2 or 3 inches long. This length also depends on the size of your censer. If you are using a small censer, you may need to make the sticks or trails even shorter. In no case should any of the incense in the center of the censer overlap any other incense except the incense representing self. The only place two blends should touch is on the outer circular incense trail.
After connecting the incense that represents air, do the same with the incense for fire. Connect this incense to the circular trail at the six o’clock position, also extending toward the center of the censer. Connect the incense representing water at the nine o’clock position and the incense for earth at the twelve o’clock position. Finally, connect the incense that represents you (assuming you include that in this meditation) to the very end of the trail near the break above the three o’clock position. If you choose to only use incense for the four elements and not for yourself, then just leave that area of the censer empty.
With the incense laid out, take a few moments to quiet your mind. If you normally enjoy a ritual bath before working magick or meditating, take the time to do that. Once you feel quieted and prepared, you may cast your magick circle if you choose to do so. When all of your normal casting procedures are complete, light your incense. As this meditation will last for thirty minutes (or more, depending on the size of your censer), it is best to sit down in a comfortable position, but in a place where you can see the censer. Remember that scent will travel on the air, so if your censer is set higher than your nose you might never smell the incense. You may get the best results from placing your censer on the floor.
Light the circular incense trail on the right side of the break you made in the circular incense trail, so that the chain will burn in a clockwise direction. As the chain initially burns, simply focus on the energy of the burning circle. Enjoy its presence around you. As the outer circle burns to the first overlapping incense (at the three o’clock position), the incense you have selected to represent the element of air will ignite and begin burning toward the center of your censer. Once that incense ignites, begin to focus on the element of air. Feel the air where you are sitting. Watch the smoke from the incense drifting around you. Think about this important element as you slowly breathe in and out.
Air is life. We can only live for a few minutes without breathing. Air is also energy—you can feel its power as it moves in and out of your body. Think about all of the ways this element impacts your life and your magick. Continue to focus on the element of air until the incense you have selected to represent it has burned out. As mentioned earlier, you can adjust the amount of time you will focus on any element by shortening or lengthening the incense you select to represent it.
While the incense representing air is burning, the outer circular trail will continue to burn as well. After the incense for air has completed burning, the outer circle will continue to burn clockwise an
d will ignite the incense selected to represent the element of fire. While you wait for the burning circle to come around and light the incense for fire, simply enjoy, once again, the power of the incense in your circle. Once the circle reaches and ignites the fire incense, focus on the element of fire and its meaning in your life and in your magick.
Fire is seen in your censer. Especially in a dimly lit area, you should be able to clearly see both the outer circle of incense and the incense representing fire burning. That thin glowing line that crawls along the length of the incense is a good focal point. Fire is life. The warmth of your body, the heat of the light of the glowing sun, and the fire that cooks our food are all critical to our survival. Think about how fire not only benefits us in practical ways but its importance in your magickal life as well. Fire represents spirit. The fire that burns within you is your drive and your passion. Fire is also energy—without it there would be no life and no magick. Continue to focus on the element of fire until the incense you have selected to represent it has completed burning.
While the incense representing the element of fire burns, the outer circle of incense will continue to burn as well. After the incense representing fire has completed burning, resume simply enjoying the energy of that circle until it ignites the incense you selected to represent water.
When fire meets water, magick is always present. As the incense for water ignites, reflect upon the element of water and its importance to you. Water is life. Without water we cannot live. Just as you cannot live without water, neither can plants, animals, or the world itself. Your body is primarily made of water and you can easily feel it within you. Even in the driest environments, you can close your eyes and imagine rain coming down from the clouds. We can smell water on the wind as storms approach. Also consider how water impacts you spiritually. It is the element of birth and rebirth. Water washes away unwanted energies and cleanses the mind and soul as well as the body. Water nourishes the energy that makes us magickal beings.
