Incense has been used for centuries to perfume the environment. Like any scent, specific incense can evoke our emotions.
In magical use, incense is burned for its vibrations alone as a kind of spell, while visualizing. But it can also be used as a background while performing other types of magic.
In the dark arts, we use incense to invite specific Demons (or ancient Gods) into our space. Incense is a beautiful offering, especially if it is desirable to the Demon you are welcoming into your space.
Purpose of Burning Incense
Below is a list of some of the most commonly used incense in magic, and the reason why you would use that specific scent:
ACACIA:
Burned with sandalwood to stimulate the psychic powers.
AFRICAN VIOLET:
Burned for protection and to promote spirituality within the home.
ALLSPICE:
Burned to attract both good luck and money.
ALOES:
Burned to attract good fortune, love, spiritual vibrations, and strength.
ALTHEA:
Burned for protection and to stimulate the psychic powers.
AMBER:
Burned for love, comfort, happiness and healing.
AMBERGRIS:
Burn for dreams and as an aphrodisiac.
ANGELICA:
Burn for protection, harmony, integration, insight and understanding, stability and meditation.
ANISE SEEDS:
Burned as a meditation and emotional balance incense.
BASIL:
Burned to exorcise and protect against evil entities such as demons and unfriendly ghosts, and to attract fidelity, love, good luck, sympathy, and wealth. This is also an excellent incense to use when performing love divinations. Also burn for concentration, assertiveness, decisiveness, trust, integrity, enthusiasm, mental clarity, cheerfulness, confidence and courage.
BAY:
Burned to facilitate the psychic powers, and to induce prophectic dream-visions.
BAYBERRY:
Burned mainly to attract money and also burned for protection, happiness and control.
BENZOIN:
Burned for purification, astral projection, clearing negative energy, emotional balance, easing sadness, depression, weariness, grief, anger, anxiety and to attract prosperity.
BERGAMOT:
Burn for money, prosperity, uplifting of spirits, joy, protection, concentration, alertness, confidence, balance, strength, courage, motivation and assertiveness.
BISTORT:
Burned often with frankincense as a powerful incense to aid divination.
BRACKEN:
Burned in outdoor fires to magickally produce rain.
CARDAMOM:
Burn for mental clarity, concentration, confidence, courage, enthusiasm and motivation.
CARNATION:
Burn for protection, strength, healing, love and lust.
CEDAR:
Burned for purification, to stimulate or strengthen the psychic powers, attract love, prevent nightmares, and heal various ailments, including head colds.
CEDARWOOD:
Burn for healing, purification, protection, money, balance, grounding, clarity, insight and wisdom.
CHAMOMILE:
Burn for harmony, peace, calm, spiritual and inner peace.
CINNAMON:
Burned for protection and to attract money, wealth, prosperity, business success, stimulate or strengthen the psychic powers, and aid in healing. Also burned for stimulation, strength and lust.
CITRON:
Burned in rituals to aid healing and also to stregthen the psychic powers.
CITRONELLA:
Burn for cleansing, warding off, healing and exorcism.
CLOVE:
Burned to dispel negativity, purify sacred and magickal spaces, attract money, and stop or prevent the spread of gossip. Also burn for pain relief, intellectual stimulation, business success, wealth, prosperity, divination, exorcism, protection, easing fears, improving memory and focus.
COCONUT:
Burned for protection.
COPAL:
Burned for purification, uplifting spirits, protection, exorcism, spirituality and to attract love.
CYPRESS:
Burn for strength, comfort, healing, eases anxiety, stress, self-assurance, confidence, physical vitality, willpower and concentration.
DAMIANA:
Burned to facilitate psychic visions.
DITTANY OF CRETE:
Burned to conjure spirits and to aid in divination, astral projection, especially when mixed with equal parts of benzoin, sandalwood, and vanilla.
DRAGON’S BLOOD:
Burned to dispel negativity, exorcise evil supernatural entities, courage, purification, to attract love, and restore male potency. Many Witches also burn dragon’s blood for protection when spell casting and invoking. When added to other incenses, dragon’s blood makes their magickal powers all the stronger.
ELECAMPANE:
Burned to strengthen the clairvoyant powers and scrying abilities-divination by gazing.
EUCALYPTUS:
Burn for healing, purification and protection.
FERN:
Burned in outdoor fires to magickally produce rain. Also used to exorcise evil supernatural entities.
FRANKINCENSE:
Burned to dispel negativity, spirituality, purify magickal spaces, consecration, protect against evil, exorcism, aid meditation, astral strength, induce psychic visions, courage, protection, attract good luck, and honor Pagan deities.
FUMITORY:
Burned to exorcise demons, poltergeists, and evil supernatural entities.
GALANGAL:
Burned to break the curses cast by sorcerers.
GARDENIA:
Burn for peace, love and healing.
GINGER:
Burn for wealth, lust, love and magical power.
GINSENG ROOT:
Burned to keep wicked spirits at bay, and for protection against all forms of evil.
GOTU KOLA:
Burned to aid meditation.
HEATHER:
Burned to conjure beneficial spirits, and to magickally produce rain.
HIBISCUS FLOWERS:
Burned to attract love, lust and also for divination.
HONEYSUCKLE:
Burn to attract money, happiness, friendship and healing.
HOREHOUND:
Burned as an offertory incense to the ancient Egyptian god Horus.
HYACINTH:
Burn for happiness and protection.
JASMINE:
Burned to attract love and money, and also to induce dreams of a prophectic nature, purification, wisdom and astral projection.
JUNIPER:
Burned to stimulate or increase the psychic powers, and also to break curses, exorcism and hexes cast by evil sorcerers. It is also burned for calming, protection and healing.
LAVENDER:
Burned to induce rest and sleep, and to attract love-especially of a man. Also burned for cleansing, healing, happiness and relaxation.
LEMON:
Burn for healing, love and purification.
LEMONGRASS:
Burn for mental clarity.
LILAC:
Burned to stimulate or increase the psychic powers, and to attract harmony into one’s life.
LOTUS:
Burn to elevate mood, protection, spirituality, healing and meditation.
MACE:
Burned to stimulate or increase the psychic powers.
MASTIC:
Burned to conjure beneficial spirits, stimulate or increase the psychic powers, and intensify sexual desires. The magickal powers of other incenses are greatly increased when a bit of mastic is added.
MESQUITE:
The magickal powers of all healing incenses are greatly increased when mesquite is added.
MINT:
Burned to increase sexual desire, exorcise evil supernatural entities, conjure beneficial spirits, and attract money. Mint incense also possesses strong healing vibrations and protective powers.
MUSK:
Burn for an aphrodisiac, prosperity, courage.
MYRRH:
Burned (often with frankincense) for purification, consecration, healing, exorcism, and banishing evil. Myrrh also aids meditation rituals, and was commonly burned on altars in ancient Egypt as an offering to deities Isis and Ra.
NUTMEG:
Burned to aid meditation, stimulate or increase the psychic powers, and to attract prosperity.
OAKMOSS:
Burned for money and attraction.
ORANGE:
Burned for divination, love, luck and money.
PATCHOULI:
Burned to attract money, love, growth, mastery, sensuality and also to promote fertility.
PEPPERMINT:
Burned for energy, mental stimulant, exorcism and healing.
PINE:
Burned for purification, and to banish negative energies, exorcise evil supernatural entities, and attract money, as well as to break hexes and return them to their senders. Also burned for grounding, strength, cleansing and healing.
POPPY SEEDS:
Burned to promote female fertility, and to attract love, good luck, and money.
ROSE:
Burned to increase courage, induce prophetic dreams, house blessing, fertility, healing and to attract love. Rose incense is used in all forms of love enchantment and possesses the strongest love vibration of any magickal incense.
ROSE GERANIUM:
Burned for courage and protection.
ROSEMARY:
Burned to purify, aid in healing, prevent nightmares, preserve youthfulness, dispel depression, attract fairyfolk, and promote restful sleep and pleasant dreams.
RUE:
Burned to help restore health.
SAGE:
Burned for protection against all forms of evil. It is also burned to purify sacred spaces and ritual tools. Plus it is great for promoting wisdom, clarity, attracting money, and aiding in healing the body, mind, and soul.
SAGEBRUSH:
Burned to aid healing, and to banish negative energies and evil supernatural entities.
SANDALWOOD:
Burned to exorcise demons and evil ghosts, conjure beneficial spirits, and promote spiritual awareness. Sandalwood incense is also used by many Witches for protection, astral projection, healing rituals and in wish-magick.
SOLOMON’S SEAL:
Burned mainly as an offertory incense to ancient Pagan deities.
STAR ANISE SEEDS:
Burned to stimulate or increase the psychic powers.
STRAWBERRY:
Burned to attract love and for luck.
SWEETGRASS:
Burned to conjure beneficial spirits prior to spellcasting.
SWEET PEA:
Burned for friendship, love and courage.
THYME:
Burned for the purification of magickal spaces prior to rituals, to aid in healing, and to attract good health.
VANILLA:
Burned to attract love, increase sexual desire, and improve the powers of the mind.
VERVAIN:
Burned to exorcise evil supernatural entities.
VETIVERT:
Burned to break curses, exorcism, for protection against black magick and thieves, money, peace and love.
VIOLET:
Burn for wisdom, luck, love, protection and healing.
WILLOW:
Burned to avert evil, attract love, and promote healing. It is also used by many Witches as an offertory incense for Pagan lunar deities.
WISTERIA:
Burned for protection against all forms of evil.
WORMWOOD:
Burned to stimulate or increase the psychic powers. When mixed with sandalwood and burned at night in a cemetery, wormwood is said to be able to conjure spirits from their graves.
YARROW:
Burned to arrow courage, exorcism.
YLANG-YLANG:
Burned for love, harmony and euphoria.