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Incense And The Spirit World: All You Need to Know Before You Burn It

This year 2021 marks 10 years since the inception of this blog. I wrote a post in May celebrating this milestone and thanking all of you who read, comment, share and contact me, but I was told by spirit not to post it. I am always obedient to spirit, so I did as I was told. Later they told me why.

This blog has been a saving grace for me, and I continued to write when dictated to, even though I never knew anyone was ever reading it. I have healed a lot since I began blogging about my life, and I have grown extremely with every post and discussions with you all. I know Embracing Spirituality has also played a major role in the spiritual development of many others who have discovered it.

Today’s post is about incense, its metaphysics and its benefits. There are so many things in the world to aid mankind, but they are often not taught about in the correct way and many people who use it are often unaware of the depths of what they are partaking of. In spirituality, the use of incense is very important as ritual, whether you are of the Christian or Catholic religion, Occult, or otherwise, incense is always ritualistically important.

What Does Incense Do?

Many people burn incense for many different reasons, but whatever the reason, the result is always the same.

Burning incense of any kind is a bridge between the human world and the spirit world.

There are many seemingly everyday things that Spirit will immediately react to, such as alcohol, fire, water, music, fragrance, drums, rice water, blood, oracles, to name a few. The burning of incense creates a link that brings the human closer to contact with Divinity. Whenever humans partake of any of these “spiritual links”, there are invisible spiritual doors, portals/vortexes, that will open, and almost instantaneously Forces will respond or react to the shift in vibration, whether or not this was your intention.

This is why it is important to know what vibrations radiate forth from certain types of incense before you decide on burning it, because each varying vibration will attract different types of spirits, and some carry a higher frequency of vibration that is not easily handled by most humans.

In every culture you will find incense burning. The Chinese burns it to honor their ancestors at their shrines. In Asian temples they are found burning everywhere, even in my own country, Jamaica, no one dare move into a new house before “burning it out” to remove negative energies. When certain spiritual practitioners give baths, they will pass an incense burner around the client or around the bath that is prepared. At times there are certain rituals done with incense alone where it is specifically passed in a certain way around the spiritually afflicted with the intention to remove whatever is blocking the persons way or causing them general malaise.

In my own personal work, I use incense daily for as long as I can remember. When I was being taught by my non-physical elders, the mysteries of incense was one of my lessons. I can only share what I am permitted to on the world wide web, but the depth of what I know will be reserved to be passed down or handed over to worthy students who may happen to find me along their life’s journey.

Now, as soon as light (fire) is used to activate the incense, two things will occur:

  1. Smoke arises
  2. Smoke and fire bring forth fragrance

These are very important actions because the fire, smoke, color, and fragrance acts individually and collectively as a spiritual message and door opener. Everything about the incense, including the color of the smoke, color of the incense itself, the direction the smoke blows, and the odor that comes forth are all a spiritual language. What they communicate is unknown to the unconscious human who sees only a burning stick or resin with a pleasant aroma, but to the knowledgeable, a message is being conveyed and he should know the result to expect.

All things that we see and know here in this reality we call Earth are but a manifestation of Spirit. However, the sleeping mind is limited and can not conceive what the invisible realm has or even how it functions, so when the invisible world materializes into this world, it materializes into a lower, denser form of itself. If it looks like a Lion in the realm of spirit, it will materialize here as a cat, or sometimes lesser. This is not an exact example, but I use it for you to understand the lower nature of how humans perceive things when they arrive in physical form from a higher order.

The Smoke

When you light an incense, you never want to see a weak smoke.

The smoke that arises from the incense should be strong or thick, and as it rises it should spread in swirls. What this means as the smoke is swirling is that more and more energies manifesting from the invisible world is gaining access to your environment and whatever it is that you are lighting the incense for, i.e. cleansing, pulling positive energy, meditation, etc. Therefore a weaker smoke means a weak connection to the invisible world. And yes, there is a reason for this, too.

When incense is being burned for whatever reason, the spirit itself manifests as the smoke. If the person who is doing this particular ritual is a knowledgeable elder, the smoke will act as an oracle that this Elder can now read, as it will weave a story about what is occurring at the moment or communicate a message regarding the reason the incense was burned. Now, for clarification, the Elder can see the smoke manifest in this reality as he looks at it, or the message from the smoke will be communicated to him telepathically or through the mind. This is how powerful incense is.

The smoke being the most important for lighting the incense, activates best when prayer is applied while the incense is burning.

For this, I would like you all at any time you wish, to light some incense and pray as you burn it, and watch the difference in the smoke and how it moves as you pray. If you do this experiment, come back with your observations in the comments!

The Fragrance

Not all fragrance/odors from incense are pleasant, and there are reasons for this also. But before I go into this topic, you should know that burning incense is one of the most effective ways of spiritual communication, and it should always be used during any spiritual practices as it is a door opener.

Frankincense and Myrrh are some of the most popular types of incense, especially among the Christianized world. However, it is rarely known among many that these two types of incense have two opposing symbols, and is therefore not to be burned together. One is of Life and the other of Death; one of Light, the other of “darkness”; Frankincense is of Light, balance, restoration, etc.; Myrrh is of Darkness, Death, etc.

But do not be confused by the words “darkness” and “death”, or “light” and “restoration”, because to call forth a particular result, it is the way these symbols are used that is important. Myrrh, in its darker symbolism, is a wonderful banishing agent, but when used wrongly, it will attract the negative Forces rather than banishing them. But when two opposing energies are mixed with the intention of “cleansing” or “banishing”, confusion, instead, is the result.

When it comes to fragrance, all things sweet and smelling good attracts spirits, and, likewise, all things with offensive odors does the same — the difference is in the types of spirits they attract. Frankincense has a particular scent that is perhaps, otherworldly to say the least, and it takes some getting used to. But when you do, the fragrance is attractive and it is excellent in removing negative energies.

However, when incense of any type is being burned and persons around can not stand the odor, there are reasons for their disgust unbeknownst to them. It may seem to be due to their own preference of smells, but it is not they who dislikes the fragrance, but their spirit instead.


Remember that a spiritual message is conveyed when incense is burned, and depending on the message sent forth, it may repel those whose spirits or intentions are contrary to the message.

Thus, a person of pure heart may be repelled by darker odors, and those of a malevolent nature may be immediately repelled by incense of Light. But in any of your observations, always take heed to apply wisdom.

As stated before, fragrance itself carries its own vibration and the scents that come forth are the sensible manifestations of the invisible energy. Everything perceptive about the incense, including the fragrance, are physical manifestations of what the physical eyes can not see.

Incense is more than just sage and Frankincense. Anything from the smoke of meat on the grill, the smoke from a cigar (dark forces), the smoke from marijuana (prophetic forces), burning fire wood (nature forces), and so much more, are all forms of incense burning in the sense that they all attract a particular force, and yield a particular result.

The Fire

Fire is mysterious and it is the activator and “life giver” in all things. Fire in burning incense is what opens the door, and it is also what closes the door, for it is the last to depart when the incense burning is complete.

So the next time you light incense, keep in mind that there is a lot happening in the action that you have just taken, even if you are lighting it to remove the ganja smoke from your environment so your landlord doesn’t smell it.

Incense Burning Tips:

  1. Burning incense in a condenser (incense burner) is always best for purification or ritualistic reasons. Stick incense are okay for ancestral veneration, however if you are venerating your ancestors by celebration, it should be done with an incense burner.
  2. It is also my advice to use a blazing red-hot charcoal, encouraging a stronger smoke, to burn your incense.
  3. If you are using incense for purification of your home or environment, it is always best to start from the back of the house or environment and work your way to the front, leaving the container at the front entrance to finish burning. Never go from front to back if you are trying to banish or dispel negative energies. The opposite is true for attracting positive energies, prosperity, or goodness, then burn the incense from the front of the house towards the back.
  4. Ritualistically incense should be burned constantly to keep a purified space. Every 3 months is good, but every month is preferable. If you do not know what to use, Frankincense is a good start (used alone).
  5. Burning incense can also act as a revelation tool. It is good for those who have difficulty remembering dreams, and also for revealing negative invisible entities in the forms of particular insects, ashes, or other mysterious things that may suddenly appear after burning incense for purification.
  6. NOTE: Know that the results from incense works with many different things here in this reality, such as time, conductor (what the incense is burned in), the prayer, and more. So if you are burning incense for positivity, ensure that everything else in the ritual is aligned with the same intention. Therefore if you are burning incense for calm and peace, it would not make much sense to be clothed in full black or full red, or to be in an argument, or to be having dark thoughts while burning the incense. Because as soon as the fire ignites the incense, doors will open and the result from your ritual is wholly dependent on what the ritual consisted of and the message that you are sending as well.

Whenever we do anything spiritual, lighting a candle, burning incense, prayers, etc. these actions assist in your elevation and spiritual ascension. But performing even simple rituals incorrectly can have the opposite effect, and block one’s way or cause destruction in some form. Apply wisdom before partaking in anything ritualistic, so that you avoid wondering why arguments keep happening, or illnesses, or stagnation, bad news, disappointments, or financial lacking, etc. Despite the “cleansing” you have been doing. Although life must be balanced, many errors are made of our own ignorance, and where they can be avoided, they should be.

We are all here for our spiritual growth through experiences, learn well and teach from what you have learned.

Love and Light!

Obara Meji

PS: For people who light stick incense or any incense for intimacy or just for pleasant scents, or for any reasons other than spiritual reasons, know that all that is written here still applies to the action, regardless if your intentions are spiritual or purely for your own enjoyment.

PPS: The ashes from incense are also very useful and powerful! But we will explore that another time…

“The growth of one’s spirituality may seem very slow, but it can be hastened with the addition of patience.”

Franz Hartmann

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Justin
Blogger
Justin
2 months ago

Much respect you and the knowledge and stories you share . There’s many our ancestors faced and endured for decades. For example slavery Staying true and understanding your roots and culture is so hard these days , everything is white washed blackballed etc . With much dignity it is important in understanding ourselves and culture after years of having stuff forced upon us . With pride we have to stay true.

Last edited 2 months ago by Justin
foreverstudent
Blogger
foreverstudent
2 years ago

I always burned incense, but I did not know all of this was taking place. Wow. Thank you for this education. Big help. I just liked the smell of the incense. Now I know how powerful it is.

Selam
Blogger
Selam
2 years ago

Come to think of it, I have a friend of Indian origin whose home I used to visit quite frequently. Every time I walked in, I always ALWAYS sneezed, and not just once. A series of sneezes that would leave me drained of my energy. Strange because it’s never happened anywhere else, not in my home too and I do use incense a lot. I wonder why that used to happen. Since early this year, I stopped visiting their home and I feel at peace.

felicitous
2 years ago

THANK YOU MA

mike
2 years ago

Obara, I remember some years ago burning Palo Santo was all the rage. Can you tell me if it is a suitable replacement for Frankincense?

mike
2 years ago
Reply to  mike

“PPS: The ashes from incense are also very useful and powerful! But we will explore that another time… ”

Is that for the use of making black salt? I believe that is the name but correct me if I am wrong.

Queen
2 years ago
Reply to  mike

Thank u ma for knowledge

kariamu
Blogger
kariamu
2 years ago

thank you for this post, the information is valuable and easy to read. i would burn incense in my room and even appreciate the way the smoke spirals up but didn’t realize that it could be read. it’s even interesting to know the color can have an effect on the message given. i haven’t burned incense in a while because my sisters always complain about the thick smokey smell. i will start back because i wanna see how my thoughts and words effect the smoke. 🙂

Lincoln
Blogger
Lincoln
2 years ago

I Burn Frankincense Resin on charcoal every Monday throughout my house- I start off at my altar then walk from upstair back rooms to downstairs front rooms and finish off with it at my front door outside or in my kitchen (center of house)
I buy 2-5 lbs of Frankincense and It lasts for a very long time

Blessed love

Last edited 2 years ago by Lincoln
Lucy
2 years ago

Thank you so much ma’am for this wonderful knowledge shared. I am new to your blog and I am grateful that I was led here today. I am ‘new’ to spirituality and I have been burning Bay leaf recently but I never knew there is much more to it until I read this post (I am assuming it falls under burning incense even though I didn’t know that at the time). I will pay particular attention to the smoke but most importantly, I will take heed to know and do the right things when carrying out any spiritual work. I… Read more »

Benjamin Franklyn Jr.
2 years ago

Thank you ma’am for such a great knowledge. I remembered there was a spiritual work I did in which I was told to use a blazing red-hot charcoal to burn a material in which I can’t mention here. I did the work inside my bedroom in the evening and I wore white clothes and made my bed with pure white bed sheet as instructed and I said some incarnation without leaving my bedroom. The smoke was very strong and it lasted till the morning. When I woke up, the purpose of the ritual wasn’t achieved but unbeknownst to me I… Read more »

Benjamin Franklyn Jr.
2 years ago
Reply to  Obara Meji

Ase, Ase, Ase. All these prayers just for me . I’m definitely extending some to my entire family, especially my mother and my younger sister. Thank you Ma’am for the prayers. I really appreciate. It means a lot to me, especially knowing that you are the first spiritual elder, who is woman, that prayed for me. My experiences can be use to write a powerful spiritual book or even start a blog. I’m glad I could be of little help to whoever read and learn from my experiences. I love to share my experiences, just so my PAST MISTAKES won’t… Read more »

mike
2 years ago

All I can say is wow! This is a very informative post, Obara.

So much technicalities I was not aware of such as burning from the back of the house and moving towards the front. I always just assumed that as long as smoke reached the rooms it didn’t matter the direction.

One question I would like to ask: in terms of purifying a house you’re moving into what time of day is best? I have always heard it’s best to burn at night instead of day. Is that true?

Kay
Kay
2 years ago

Aburo Aboye Ma’am Obara, This post blew me away. I must say that this is one of the most important posts you have ever written in my opinion. It is straight forward and uncomplicated which makes it look like an easy read but i know that this is power packed knowledge you just gave us. So many people burn incense especially for fragrance and this includes me. The time i began to pay attention to my choice of smell was when I read your post concerning sage and I immediately discarded the pack of incense i had that contained sage.… Read more »

omo
Blogger
omo
2 years ago

Wow dis is deep;i v learnt alots from this post today.As a catholic i always burn frankincense wen am praying and i also like the fragrance alot. thank you for making me understand more on incense burning.you also talked abt spirit reacting to rice water pls can we kw alittle abt it pls.thank u always for the wisdom and the teaching.love and light always;we v missed u for awhile now.

Shaki
2 years ago

Asé Oooo Thank you for sharing your knowledge and wisdom

RBH
RBH
2 years ago

Great post (as usual), O! It reminds me of your post about sage. It’s a lot of “you think you know but you have noooo idea” teaching here. Thanks for sharing. A couple readings ago you instructed to me burn incense because my home and altar needed to be smoked out. I didn’t question why (shockingly lol) but it did cause me to pay more attention to the smoke since then and I experience a lot of what you wrote about (especially the effects of praying while lighting) and my dreams that night. Please do advise what to do with… Read more »

Aboyade
2 years ago

Give thx for the info Iya. I will be lighting incense with greater awareness of what is going on from now on. Maybe at some point you can elaborate on interpreting the directions of the smoke. Ire o

Vincent
Blogger
Vincent
2 years ago

So if I may ask, which incense is good for opening doors and how to use them?

My humble request please.

Vincent
Blogger
Vincent
2 years ago
Reply to  Obara Meji

Thanks Ma,

I, will send you private mail then.

Venesa Ann
2 years ago

Hello Obara. I don’t know why my eyes were teary when I started reading this but am grateful for everything that I have learned from this blog.

Intellectual Bhutu
2 years ago

Ore Yeye Ọ̀ṣun Obara Meji! I greet you with love, light and blessings May your path be clear and prosperous May your children bring you joy and abundance May your words be saturated with strong intent a d may manifestation be your constant companion. Your purpose is being served as you connect with source and teach freely. I can remember when I was made to believe that incense was a form of evil As I began to awaken, Spirit began to break down these barriers in simple, yet interesting ways. Many years ago I was in Spanish Town, near the… Read more »

Ifatunmise
2 years ago

Thank you Obara for the lovely and insightful post. You always ensure that your bloggers understand the metaphysics of rituals we would ordinarily have considered as simple. thank you for constantly impacting us with such crucial knowledge. love and light always

Bimpe
Blogger
Bimpe
2 years ago

Wow
This is enlightening. Thank you ma’am
I dreamt and saw myself burning incense and woke up to go through my phone and I saw your post on incense

JoJo Queen
2 years ago

Hello teacher we have missed you but I am happy you had sometime to heal, you are very strong but we all of our moments of weakness sending lots of love and light your way. I have missed you I hope all is well with the family, I know you must say this lil girl is Annoying loool what when you come across good people it’s hard to let go I have had many teachers in this life time even my children but your one of my favourite blessings teacher. please open back the shop nuh “crys”

JoJo Queen
2 years ago

Hello teacher we have missed you but I am happy you had sometime to heal, you are very strong but we all of our moments of weakness sending lots of love and light your way. I have missed you I hope all is well with the family, I know you must say this lil girl is Annoying loool what when you come across good people it’s hard to let go I have had many teachers in this life time even my children but your one of my favourite blessings teacher. please open back the shop nuh

JoJo Queen
2 years ago

what about people that are under spirit attack which you know they are, but they don’t know and they can’t stand any incense no matter what one it is why is that?

JoJo Queen
2 years ago

This is beautiful, we have missed you me Special❤❤. please open back the shop we need it I have so much to tell you I know you will say this lil girl is Annoying blessings teacher

Jose
2 years ago

Nice hearing from you Sis. I’ve been longing to learn the meaning of burning incense. As always thanks from spreading light.

Gigi
Blogger
Gigi
2 years ago

Ms. Obara, I greatly appreciate and enjoy your post. You mentioned cigars and dark forces. Does that mean smoking a cigar attracts dark forces?

Moonvibrations
Blogger
Moonvibrations
2 years ago

Soooo grateful for this post! Wow!

Tiara
2 years ago

Hey Miss Obara! I love this post. I’ve always wondered about the symbolism of smoke when burning incense. When I light a stick incense on my ancestor altar and pray, the smoke always dances. Sometimes I notice the smoke starts to spiral like a mini tornado towards me as I’m praying. My mind usually tells me “that’s spirit” but then I later convince myself “maybe it’s just the way this particular incense stick/brand was built”. So this is pretty cool information to know. Thank you.

Tiara
2 years ago
Reply to  Obara Meji

Everyone is wonderful. I hope you and yours are doing great as well ^_^

Ifawunmi
Blogger
Ifawunmi
2 years ago

Wow Obara, this reminds me of how you burn incense before we start meditation and also readings.
Now I understand better.
Also what happened at mine the day I burnt a lot of the frankincense you gave to me.
Thank you for your continuing teaching and enlightenment to us.

D’jaunae
Blogger
D’jaunae
2 years ago

Hello Obara,

I sent you an email, please take a look when you have the chance- Thank you.

djaunaescarlett2@gmail.com

Sim
Sim
2 years ago

.

Last edited 2 years ago by Sim
Sim
Sim
2 years ago

Great post Ms. Obara! Hope all is well. This is interesting because- Just before reading this post I was burning stick incense and cleaning my room as I do daily (because I love the scent and energy it gives). However this time I was praying aloud and talking to my ancestors. Not long after, I looked over and was surprised to see that the sticks were finished burning. Seemingly faster than usual. I didn’t pay attention to the smoke but I did notice that the incense bun out quite fast. Next time I will pray and watch the smoke as… Read more »

Beautiful_Ori
2 years ago
Reply to  Obara Meji

Thank you for explaining this!!!

Bbeey
2 years ago

This post is knowledgeful thank you Obara.

Please before I come with my observations can the incense be burn at any hour?

Can African incense be burn along prayers?

Beautiful_Ori
2 years ago

I hope you are doing very well Ms.Obara, thank you for this wonderful post. Strangely enough, minutes before I saw your post, a house caught fire outside far away from mine with big dark clouds in the sky. I thought to myself, I hope that everyone got out safely and that I wished that I knew how to read the smoke! And here you are with this beautiful timely post!!! Every time I burned frankincense at home to cleanse my home of negativity, I and the man I was seeing always got into arguments where I would feel the need… Read more »

Beautiful_Ori
2 years ago
Reply to  Obara MEJI

Yes of course! Thank you very much 🙂

Marj
Blogger
Marj
2 years ago

Welcome Back I never know incense had meaning. My sons burn it to keep the weed sent dot I burn it for the fragrance now I learn. I sometimes burn the opium, the musk, house blessings,salandwood incense U always open my eyes. Thank you

Beautiful_Ori
2 years ago

Yay Ms. Obara you’re back!!!! We missed you!

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