From: Rowan Fairgrove                                          
About ten years ago I was very interested in botanical incenses
and spent alot of time studying and teaching the use of same.  
After a hiatus I am getting back into this and would like some 
feedback on what has been happening out there.                 
                                                               
I will type herein parts of a booklet I published called       
"A Handbook of Botantical Incenses" to give you some idea of   
where my thinking was at that time.  I had generated the schema
as something useful to my own work, it is not something widely 
used.  I would love to hear other schema such as astrological, 
diety correspondences, seasonal, etc.  I may append some of    
those sorts of categories to this if I have the time.          
                                                               
My meaning come mostly from "traditional" sources but in my    
actual teaching and working I place more emphasis on what an   
individual scent does to the worker.  In my beginning classes  
I simply passed around a collection of incenses and had each   
member tell what it meant to them and then we talked about the 
"traditional                                                   
" meaning.  If, for example, the traditional meaning for       
cinnamon is concentration and you smell it and think of        
grandma's pumpkin pie and all you can think about is food,     
it is not going to be appropriate to burn to help you study!   
                                                               
A HANDBOOK OF BOTANICAL INSENSES                               
Introduction:                                                  
...Botanical and other incense are a tool which can be         
tailored to the user's desire.  At their simplest they may     
be used to stimulate the sense of smell and bring enjoyment    
to those nearby, alternatively, they can be a suble            
compilation designed to create a specific ambiance for a       
ritual or magical operation.                                   
                                                               
The following guide contains some botanical (and a few other   
substances) and their uses when burned.  The attributes have   
been derived from a great many sources, both published and     
personal communication, and like most magical properties       
they are most effective when tailored to the individual or     
group using them.  So sit down and burn some and see if they   
work for you.  Try combinations.  I have included some recipes 
which have worked for myself and others in the hopes that you  
will find them useful.  Happy Censing!                         
                                                               
A Scheme of Things:                                            
The botanicals which I will discuss fall into several broad    
categories:                                                    
1)  EVOCATIVE - used to get the attention of divinities or     
    to summon spirits                                          
2)  DIVINATORY - used to foretell the future or to see hidden  
    secrets                                                    
3)  PURIFICATORY - used to purify the purpose of a rite or the 
    action of a given object                                   
4)  ENHANCING - used to intensify the purpose of a rite or the 
    action of a given object                                   
5)  PROTECTIVE - used to shield the user or area from harm     
6)  BANISHING - used to drive out unwanted influences or       
    spirits                                                    
7)  HEALING - used to promote wholeness in mind, body or       
    spirit                                                     
8)  SPELL CASTING - used to promote a purpose, e.g., love,     
    fertility, money, luck, fortune, concentration, etc.       
                                                               
Many botanicals fall into several categories, for example:     
Wormword (Artemesia) can be used 1) to evoke Artemis and call\ 
the dead                                                       
 2) to promote divination                                      
 6) when consecrated to Mars                                   
in banishing                                                   
 6) & 7) it was used to banish the Black Plague                
fleas                                                          
 8) when consecrated to Mars, in works of anger.               
                                                               
                                                               
Some Examples:                                                 
1) Evocative                                                   
Almond                             Lotus                       
Ash                                Mandrake                    
Basil                              Myrrh                       
Bay                                Olive                       
Blessed Thistle                    Patchouli                   
Damiana                            Rowan                       
Dittany of Crete                   Rue                         
Elm                                Thyme                       
Frankincense                       Verbena                     
Henbane                            Vervain, Blue               
Life Everlasting Flowers           Wormwood                    
                                   Yarrow                      
                                                               
2) Divinatory:                                                 
Ash                                Linseed                     
Bay                                Mugwort                     
Cinquefoil                         Rowan                       
Clove                              Thyme                       
Elm                                Wormwood                    
Frankincense                       Yarrow                      
                                                               
3) Purificatory:                                               
Angelica                           Mastic gum                  
Bayberry                           Myrrh                       
Burnet                             Olive                       
Cinnamon                                                       
                                                               
4) Healing                                                     
Balm of Gilead                     Myrrh                       
Lavendar                           Rosemary                    
Life Everlasting                   Wormwood                    
                                                               
4) Enhancing:                                                  
Anise seed                         Lotus                       
Angelica                           Mandrake                    
Celery seed                        Mastic gum                  
Cinnamon                           Mugwort                     
Cinquefoil                         Orris root                  
Cloves                             Peppermint                  
Damiana                            Sandalwood                  
Dragon's Blood                     Styrax                      
Frankincense                       Uva Ursi                    
Henbane                                                        
                                                               
5) Protective:                                                 
Alfalfa                            Juniper wood                
Basil                              Life Everlasting flowers    
Blessed Thistle                    Mastic gum                  
Bay                                Mistletoe                   
Camphor                            Mugwort                     
Cinquefoil                         Orris root                  
Elder                              Rosemary                    
Five Finger Grass                  Rowan                       
Frankincense                       St. John's Wort             
Garlic                             Vervain, Blue               
                                                               
6) Banishing:                                                  
Agrimony                           Lavendar                    
Ash                                Pine                        
Camphor                            Rowan                       
Dragon's Blood                     Vervain, Blue               
Juniper wood                       Wormwood                    
                                                               
8) Spell Casting:                                              
Basil                              Patchouli                   
Bayberry                           Peppermint                  
Bezoin gum                         Rosemary                    
Camphor                            Rowan                       
Cinnamon                           Rue                         
Damiana                            Sandalwood                  
Dragon's Blood                     Tormantil                   
Frankincense                       Uva Ursi                    
Lavendar                           Vervain, Blue               
Lemon peel                         St. John's Wort             
Life Everlasting flowers           Wormwood                    
Mandrake                           Yarrow                      
Mistletoe                          Ylang Ylang                 
Orris Root                                                     

