Nightrunner404 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 17, 2024 8:55 pm
Yeah I would like to explore it a bit further eventually and see if I can find some better quality oils, the ones I found on amazon were the ones I had issue with.

I used to make my own beard oil so I have thought of making my own diffusion blends by just using a carrier oil like almond oil or similar and letting it infuse with things like black pepper etc. Probably low on fragrance but would be at least the actual item infused vs synthetic fragrance.

That being said, there is something nice about good incense and the sort of campfire comfort the smokiness can bring along with it.

I've been finding that stuff is becoming more hit and miss on amazon these days. It's frustrating that you can't necessarily trust that you are getting the quality item you are paying for.

Oh right, so something similar to when you stick chillies in olive oil and leave it to infuse for a few months. I imagine that would be low on fragrance but perhaps a more versatile medium in the long run?

I couldn't agree more with you there.

Umbra_Arcana wrote: ↑Sun Feb 18, 2024 1:10 am

Lewk wrote: ↑Sat Feb 17, 2024 10:32 pm
It reminds of me of when I was a Catholic altar boy, lighting the sparking charcoal in the thurible then adding a spoonful of frankincense & myrrh, before swinging it left and right, dispersing the smoke around us as we processed out into the church. I like the feel of that fragrance still.

I find the same, I was raised as Roman Catholic (and turned my back on catholicism a long time ago), though I was never an altar server I was in the choir. My sister was an altar server though.

I have fond memories of when we would plot pranks on one of the priests in the parish. This priest was 'unsavoury' thought it was difficult to prove and the pranks were fully warranted in our opinion. The favourite regular prank was during midnight mass, on Xmas eve. My sister was responsible for 'swinging the handbag' as she put it so prior to mass starting she add finely ground down lavender and chamomile would to the jar of resins used during service. Said priest would then struggle to not yawn during the service, grow steadily more tired and then not try and 'fraternise' with the younger altar servers after mass.

It's a curious thing how different scents bring different memories to mind.

Yes, scents really do.

We seem to share a couple of commonalities: I was also in the church choir for a while.

Lewk wrote: ↑Mon Feb 19, 2024 4:52 am
We seem to share a couple of commonalities: I was also in the church choir for a while.

So it seems. I never cease to be surprised at how many people come to more eclectic paths after being brought up within the catholic church.

Umbra_Arcana wrote: ↑Mon Feb 19, 2024 7:12 pm

Lewk wrote: ↑Mon Feb 19, 2024 4:52 am
We seem to share a couple of commonalities: I was also in the church choir for a while.

So it seems. I never cease to be surprised at how many people come to more eclectic paths after being brought up within the catholic church.

I came from pentecostal/baptist/protestant kind of upbringing. Started realizing I didn't feel what everyone around me felt in highschool. Saw a ton of corruption in churches during my college years. Just kind of existed in my 20s and now in my 30s gone down a more open minded view of spirituality. Its been a interesting ride.

Interestingly incense was never used in any of those kind of churches. I only ever remember smelling frankincense once because it was in the christmas stuff.

Nightrunner404 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 19, 2024 7:30 pm I came from Pentecostal/baptist/protestant kind of upbringing. Started realizing I didn't feel what everyone around me felt in highschool. Saw a ton of corruption in churches during my college years. Just kind of existed in my 20s and now in my 30s gone down a more open minded view of spirituality. Its been a interesting ride.

Interestingly incense was never used in any of those kind of churches. I only ever remember smelling frankincense once because it was in the christmas stuff.

I know what you mean there, about not feeling what those around you felt. I spent a lot of my childhood in a Church of England (it was almost secular to be fair) boarding school and then got put into a roman catholic sixth form college within walking distance of home. It was my mother's last-ditch effort to stop me moving towards a pagan path and scrub out the queerness. Oh boy that was an awkward and weird feeling two years and it definitely didn't work, much to her chagrin.

Well that's something new I've learned today. I thought the use of frankincense and myrrh was commonplace within all facets of Christianity.

@Nightrunner404 I wanted to go into more detail with wax melts, but I was on my phone at that time (I'm on a computer now), so I didn't.
I like wax melts, a lot! Same with the simmering oils, as I think I'm going to get into them more. Al though, scooping up some candle wax and putting it onto a wax melter works well too.

I will take your advice regarding silicone trays. Usually I pop the glass or ceramic trays into the freezer, freeze 'em for a couple of hours, then the wax'll pop off with a knife, or just some pressure using my fingers. The silicone tray sounds like a more convenient idea! Thanks!

@Umbra_Arcana Yes, it is indeed a LOT of incense! I have more candles than incense though.
I was burning some today, and I kept my windows open so the smoke wouldn't effect my Birbies <(Birdies) however I think I might have to keep them in the bathroom while I have incense on. OR, maybe putting them in their cage, and covering them with a blanket. I love my Spookies, however I also need to keep my Birbies health at a top priority too. So, I need to figure something out in the meantime, while I still have incense sticks/cones left.

I have to do that too-dump many of my candles. I have too many! I'm also on that "no more candles until I use the ones I already have" level too! :

By budget tealights, do you mean Dollar Tree or Family Dollar? I remember the first time my Sorrow Angel Friend asked me for candles. We were in Dollar Tree-back when everything was still just $1-and I told Her that She was deserving of a better quality candle. Candles and incense in shoppes like those are very cheap for a reason. Not a good one, but that's just my 2 cents.

Fair enough. Everyone has a preference. One of the downsides of using wax melts is waste. What usage does that wax have once the scent is gone? Right? I guess it's possible to turn them into an actual candle, but to me that defeats the purpose of using wax melts, because (at least for me) I think electric wax melters are a safer alternative to candles. On the other hand, I have wax stuck in the fibres of my carpet from adding too much to one of my electric plug-in melters.

I would LOVE to make my own gum based incense sticks for Them! Back in 2019 I took a trip upstate, and in one of the book shoppes I found a How-to book on making incense! I don't recall if the book offered instructions on how to make gum-based incense.
However, as for gum-based incense itself, I really like those! I bought a pack from Whole Foods about 10/11 years ago, only used them for meditation, and they were the BEST! Sadly Whole Foods by me hasn't stocked them since 2015. I will look online, and when I find them I'll post it on here!

Your title was very catchy indeed!

VanNocturne wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 10:52 pm Fair enough. Everyone has a preference. One of the downsides of using wax melts is waste. What usage does that wax have once the scent is gone? Right? I guess it's possible to turn them into an actual candle, but to me that defeats the purpose of using wax melts, because (at least for me) I think electric wax melters are a safer alternative to candles. On the other hand, I have wax stuck in the fibres of my carpet from adding too much to one of my electric plug-in melters.

I have never tried it but I bet you could just add more essential oil to used wax melts. Since really they are just essential oil and wax made into cubes lol. I think the wax just helps the oils burn off slower than warming oil alone, or least that has been my experience.

One day when I get a beehive I want to make my own candles for things, and of course plenty of mead with that honey!

Nightrunner404 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 10:59 pm

VanNocturne wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 10:52 pm Fair enough. Everyone has a preference. One of the downsides of using wax melts is waste. What usage does that wax have once the scent is gone? Right? I guess it's possible to turn them into an actual candle, but to me that defeats the purpose of using wax melts, because (at least for me) I think electric wax melters are a safer alternative to candles. On the other hand, I have wax stuck in the fibres of my carpet from adding too much to one of my electric plug-in melters.

I have never tried it but I bet you could just add more essential oil to used wax melts. Since really they are just essential oil and wax made into cubes lol. I think the wax just helps the oils burn off slower than warming oil alone, or least that has been my experience.

One day when I get a beehive I want to make my own candles for things, and of course plenty of mead with that honey!

When I read your reply, I had a "should've had a V8" moment. It's true! I will try this in the near future. You know, another thing I have plenty of-you could say a growing collection of-are those little vials of perfume/cologne samples, specifically from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (BPAL for short). I could just add a sample vial (aka Imp Ear, as they're called) into some old wax instead. I did this with a bath bomb making kit a few years ago, and it worked out fine.

OOoh, that sounds like fun! Bee Keeping AND Spirit Keeping! Bees are very hard workers!

VanNocturne wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 11:10 pm

Nightrunner404 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 10:59 pm

VanNocturne wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 10:52 pm Fair enough. Everyone has a preference. One of the downsides of using wax melts is waste. What usage does that wax have once the scent is gone? Right? I guess it's possible to turn them into an actual candle, but to me that defeats the purpose of using wax melts, because (at least for me) I think electric wax melters are a safer alternative to candles. On the other hand, I have wax stuck in the fibres of my carpet from adding too much to one of my electric plug-in melters.

I have never tried it but I bet you could just add more essential oil to used wax melts. Since really they are just essential oil and wax made into cubes lol. I think the wax just helps the oils burn off slower than warming oil alone, or least that has been my experience.

One day when I get a beehive I want to make my own candles for things, and of course plenty of mead with that honey!

When I read your reply, I had a "should've had a V8" moment. It's true! I will try this in the near future. You know, another thing I have plenty of-you could say a growing collection of-are those little vials of perfume/cologne samples, specifically from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (BPAL for short). I could just add a sample vial (aka Imp Ear, as they're called) into some old wax instead. I did this with a bath bomb making kit a few years ago, and it worked out fine.

OOoh, that sounds like fun! Bee Keeping AND Spirit Keeping! Bees are very hard workers!

Oh yeah I bet those fragrances would work, I would probably say less is more to start until you know how it is warmed lol. Or you may never get the smell out xD.

I feel I am on a bit of druidry path atm. I have filled my property with many spirits looking for homes, many many nature and earth spirits. So I feel like bees is a pretty logical step as I strive to make the land thrive as much with the living as with the spiritual.

Umbra_Arcana wrote: ↑Fri Feb 16, 2024 10:48 pm I make my own grain incenses from scratch on a semi regular basis as part of my faith, but grain incense I mean taking herbs, resins, barks ect. and grinding them down with a mortar and pestle until the resultant mixture consists of material no larger than the size of dry (japonica) rice grains and is then burned in small amounts on a charcoal disc

I have found my spirits take an interest in the process, and when circumstances allow, I burn a little of a blend I make. I can't always do that though, but when I do they enjoy it, even if it's a bit of a dud blend that needs to age a little more before burning so it doesn't stink the place out with a nasty smell. I can burn stick incense more readily during the summer months with a bit of jury rigging a holder on an outside window sill so the wind blows the smoke in but the ash drops to the ground outside. I have noticed that they are not so keen on the premade sticks. I'm thinking it's because there is considerable difference between the energies in something you've made yourself compared to something that's bought premade by a third party.

Do any of your spirits have a preference to the type of incense you burn, be it grain, stick, cone, powder and such? Are there any types that they dislike for any reason?

Props to you for making your own incense! Your friends will definitely like it since you make them with lots of love. I wish I could make my own, but they get used up so fast! Lol. I already used to use incense sticks before I started on this journey, and now I just need a lot more of them.

Even though I only use ready-made sticks, and actually have a big stash of about 700, I still want more. But my friends tell me to slow down and use what I have first.

Ready-made ones aren't bad, it mostly depends on the fragrance/scent. Though, be careful with less expensive ones as they can have extra stuff mixed in, which can be less pleasant. It's not about their energy but the extra byproducts in there.

For the type of incense, it really doesn't matter. You can use sticks, cones, powder, whatever you prefer. Some scents might not be their favorite though. Since I don't know what spirits you have, I won't make any suggestions. It's best to involve them and ask about their preferences since it's for them.