Incense and Tarot

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 08 Jun 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

tao51	08 Jun 2005
Do you use incense when you are reading? I have used is with very good results. Sometimes it helps purify the air and the cards. I have favorite fragrances: yellow lotus, Kalachakra, Lumbini, and a Tibetan Herbal incense. I store my cards and incense together. The small pieces of incense that has not burnt makes it of a good size to store in Tatot bags. I am always curious about other people's choice or use of incense.--Tao

light2000	08 Jun 2005
Hi tao. i use incense too. I have a lot and i change of incense sometimes. But there is one that when i have an important reading or dificult (for me) i always use. It´s nag champa. Do yuo know him? If you doent, try to buy one, you should get it at an indian shop.

tao51	08 Jun 2005
I wrote it down. I will have to try it the next time I'm in the import shop.

Annabelle	08 Jun 2005
Ah, I love Nag Champa incense too. But I keep a number of different types and scents on hand. I'm rarely able to burn incense when reading tarot (or at any other time, for that matter) because my significant other has a sneezing fit every time a light an incense stick (of any kind). But when the weather is nice I can go out on the balcony when I feel like lighting incense :) . . .

WhiteRaven	08 Jun 2005
Nag Champa for the most part...sometimes I burn MugWort.... I do go to the local metaphysical store and buy incense for particular phases of the moon.....I've read that if done as a type of ritual...not a literal "ritual"...but something you do before you "read"...it's a type of trigger to your mind...saying..."time to get serious and chill out for a reading"... Not those words exactly...but the principle idea anyway. :)

Citrin	08 Jun 2005
I love incense sticks. :) Currently I prefer essential oils, but I still burn my sticks every now and then. It makes my mind a little calmer (I can be quite ADD at times hehe), so it fits perfectly for tarot. I have some that are just labeled 'Traditional Indian incense', and they're really nice... Another favorite is Pathouli, and Sage is nice too.

light2000	08 Jun 2005
Annabelle4 wrote: Ah, I love Nag Champa incense too. But I keep a number of different types and scents on hand. I'm rarely able to burn incense when reading tarot (or at any other time, for that matter) because my significant other has a sneezing fit every time a light an incense stick (of any kind). But when the weather is nice I can go out on the balcony when I feel like lighting incense :) . . . Hi annabelle!! If the encense make you sneez, why you dont use liquid ones? This have the same smell but is more soft, Nag champa is bad to people who sneeze, because is very strong one.I use a lot to meditate, even whith out meditation the smeel of it put me in the clouds!! I´ve a lot of different ones, i have liquids and sticks and coins of encense. I use it for reading tarot and for meditation. And there are the chinese ones, i think is ophium.After my meditate i always drink a tea. It´s my ritual, i think that everyone haves one... Whithe raven, Mugwort i never heard about it... It´s a plant?Can you explain what is it? Maybe i have this one but the name in portuguese is a litle diferent... Yes i buy encenses to the phase of the moon too.And gor the guardian angel. And i think that you had explain good about the ritual. When i do this is like a clik at my mind: "this one will be a serious one..."

WhiteRaven	08 Jun 2005
light2000 wrote: Whithe raven, Mugwort i never heard about it... It´s a plant?Can you explain what is it? Maybe i have this one but the name in portuguese is a litle diferent... Yes i buy encenses to the phase of the moon too.And gor the guardian angel. And i think that you had explain good about the ritual. When i do this is like a clik at my mind: "this one will be a serious one..." MugWort is an Herb....(Artemisia Vulgaris) I don't know what it would be called in portuguese :confused:

light2000	08 Jun 2005
WhiteRaven wrote: MugWort is an Herb....(Artemisia Vulgaris) I don't know what it would be called in portuguese :confused: Oh yes, i did a research at the internet, here is call erva-de-são-joão. Yes it´s a really good one, i use it a lot. Thaks

janstar17	08 Jun 2005
light2000 wrote: Oh yes, i did a research at the internet, here is call erva-de-são-joão. Yes it´s a really good one, i use it a lot. Thaks Wow...erva-de-são-joão looks (and I bet sounds!) so much better than 'mugwort' LOL But i do love the fragrance as incense. I use incense a lot around my cards...probably because I keep my collection in my 'A Room of One's Own' where I like to burn incense. I don't make a point of burning it every time I read though. But I catch wiffs of incense fragrance off the cards whenever I use them. My favorite is nag champa, too!! It is a great 'head cleanser' IMHO I also use a lot of tibetan temple incense...bought several boxes of it years ago in a museum gift shop that were in the clearance basket. I bought them all...the sales person must have thought I ran an opium den or something!!! But at a $1.00 a box it was a wise investment.

light2000	08 Jun 2005
Citrin wrote: I have some that are just labeled 'Traditional Indian incense', and they're really nice... Another favorite is Pathouli, and Sage is nice too. Yes i have pathouli, too. This one is for protection and breaks the bad influence of others and bad energies.For this there are rud(men i hope the name is similar at English??), encense of San Miguel Arcanje, For meditation and read the tarot i use: Nag champa (of course),lavande(the purple erb), frankiencense, chandan,sandalwood ... For hapiness and fun, vetiver, cinnamon. I hope you understand what i said, but if you use and you like is the right one for you.

Citrin	08 Jun 2005
light2000 wrote: For hapiness and fun, vetiver, cinnamon. I feel like yellow oils always make me feel happy. :) Like lemon, orange, and Bergamot.

rachelcat	08 Jun 2005
Mmm, bergamot. I am a non-stop Earl Grey tea drinker. So I guess using bergamot incense/oils might be a bit too much! I use jasmine and vanilla scent, and I just got some oils in those scents. I wonder if my cards would like them?

light2000	08 Jun 2005
Citrin wrote: I feel like yellow oils always make me feel happy. :) Like lemon, orange, and Bergamot. Yes citrin you are right, yellow oils is good to hapiness. The color says all!! It´s good to call money too. But i think that they arent the best to meditate, bergamon is good, but lemon and orange dont. Lemon is good to clean the head of the problems, but makes people a litle silly, so i dont use to read tarot. Orange is very good to hapiness, you are so right, continue use that. Rachelcat: you cant drink all!! There are good ones to drink, others is just to smeel it. But i thinkthat you know that. Jasmine is very good, especialy to clean the mind, and to move away the bad energies. Vannila is good to the harmony of a place.

autumn star	08 Jun 2005
I'm not a big fan of patchouli - it is far too strong :) I like Rose, Jasmine and Vanilla -they are not too invasive - I have a sensitive sense of smell :) Many people like the smell of lavendar but I think that it stinks. I also use an oil burner over the sticks - the smell is much better quality then. I wouldn't do this for every reading that I did just ones that I needed to concentrate one.

Emeraldgirl	09 Jun 2005
I use sandalwood mainly but it all depends on the mood also if I am reading for soemone else if they have allergies or don't like the smell or anything like that.

closrapexa	09 Jun 2005
Emeraldgirl wrote: I use sandalwood mainly but it all depends on the mood also if I am reading for soemone else if they have allergies or don't like the smell or anything like that. Sandalwood is my favorite kind of incense, and I burn it regularly in my room. As for readings, it does make them, if not any better, at least more enjoyable:)

tao51	09 Jun 2005
Sandalwood was one of the earlier fragrances that I used. It promotes a relaxed thoughtful atmosphere. It has a slightly sweet scent.--Tao

Fudugazi	09 Jun 2005
I like sandalwood too. Recently I have experimented visualisation and reading (for myself) with mugwort too (I didn't know its English name either! We call it armoise, or herbe de St Jean, like in Portuguese) and I like it. I have vanilla, vegetable musc incense and some Nepalese sticks made up of a mix that is very powerful so I burn them far away.

The Incense and Tarot thread was originally posted on 08 Jun 2005 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.