how do you use incense?

[nrse]

my priest was kind enough to give me some incense....but i am not sure how to get it to burn...i tried just putting a few pieces next to a candle flame but it did not burn...i think i have read or heard that charcoal is needed? how do you use incense at home?
thank you...

[Alveus Lacuna]

Yes you need to light some charcoal and then place the incense to the side of it touching it once the charcoal is fully ignited. If your church has a bookstore then they might sell the charcoal.

[aboveNbeyond]

This video might help
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c3g5ZoXTj4

Also, you can usually find charcoal at a local cigar\tobacco shop. 

[seraphimbear]

www.orthodoxincense.com has everything you need to get started burning incense!  Incense from the US and Mt Athos, charcoal, censers, and other fine items!

[Carl Kraeff (Second Chance)]

Holy Transfiguration Monastery store carries excellent incense and charcoal--albeit somewhat expensive. Here is the description for the charcoal:

"Three Kings brand charcoal is imported from Holland. It is self-lighting, which means the charcoal will fully ignite if brought into contact with a small flame, such as the flame of a candle. Each briquette is silver-dollar size and made to fit most church censers. For home use, these may be broken into smaller sizes. This charcoal is very dependable and will not emit any offensive odor to conflict with the fragrance of incense."
http://www.thehtm.org/catalog/index.php?cPath=38_41&osCsid=84e1395af8d09526d86fd529ecd7ddf6

[seraphimbear]

Orthodox Incense (www.orthodoxincense.com) carries incense from Holy Transfiguration Monastery also, charcoal (discs and powder), and other fine items.  EXCELLENT customer service!

[Seraphim98]

If you have the patience consider not getting self igniting charcoal..use non-self-igniting.  There are Greek and Japanese incense charcoals of high quality that have no chemical admixtures.  Granted the selflighting is convenient…but at times you can smell the acrid subnote of burning saltpeter as the fragrance of the incense thins out.

Desert Fathers Incense (formerly Black Powder Incense) offers some nice selections of traditional Orthodox incense and censers as well. They also offer liturgical scents in cone and stick incense (high quality) forms such as are common in eastern countries.  The cones have a modest burn time and are essentially incense infused charcoal briquettes…light them off, blow them out after a second or two, and they burn on their own.

The stick incense made by Desert Fathers is also incense infused charcoal, except it is rolled on a thin stick and not pressed into a little briquette…so no risk of inferior or suspect materials. It's all premium quality.
 
The stick and cone forms, if you choose to use them, are probably better suited to the home altar rather than the temple where traditional granular or pellet forms are preferred.  

I've not sampled all they have, but in the cone and stick forms I really like the St. Abo, and in traditional granular form I like the Lindisfarne blend.  I believe they have just added a richly scented middle eastern rose in honor of the Theotokos…sorry to sound like a commercial, but I do like their offerings.

[davdfoge]

I have learned a natural way of burning incense, i use the coconut fiber (obtained from dried outer shell of coconut) as an alternative to charcoal. Place the incense powder in it and burn it. It doesn't burn completely and gives a smoke with the fragrance of the incense. This smoke purifies my home and gives me the inner peace.

[Michał Kalina]

Do you have a water pipe?

[Margarita]

…sorry to sound like a commercial, but I do like their offerings.

This is an amazing find!  Thank you for sharing!  It takes me down memory lane, they are next on the list for incense restock!

[davdfoge]

Do you have a water pipe?

No, but what can we do with the Water Pipe?

[Michał Kalina]

Do you have a water pipe?

No, but what can we do with the Water Pipe?

You could use the coal for the pipe to burn the incense. All here does that.


Not to mention the coal is much cheaper in the church stores than in tobacco shops.

[davdfoge]

Thanks Michał, i will definitely try this.

[Studying_Orthodoxy]

What is the purpose of incense in the Orthodox Church?

[HouseOfGod]

What is the purpose of incense in the Orthodox Church?

To signify the rising of our prayers up as incense to God and through the prayers of all the Saints.

[augustin717]

I smoke incense. I put in in my pipe. It cleanses  my nous.

[GabrieltheCelt]

I smoke incense. I put in in my pipe. It cleanses  my nous.

Well, now it's all starting to make sense. 

[Hiwot]

I smoke incense. I put in in my pipe. It cleanses  my nous.

Well, now it's all starting to make sense. 

I have to say I do have a certain affection to this cradle  even when he says the funniest irritating stuff  out there lol

[thetraditionalfrog]

I haven't used incense in some time. Until a few years ago I lived in an apartment, and a few times I had the police come to my door (there was a police office in the apartment building). Apparently they or a neighbor noticed the smell and decided to do a check. I suspect it was to see if I was burning it to cover up smoking marijuana or something of the sort. It was a bit embarrassing, but I can understand as a few tenants in the building had been busted for marijuana in the past few months. Several had also used incense as a cover.

Also, more often then not after a short time it would smell more like something burning than fragrant.

[norm1145]

Did you know you can put the incense in a shallow pan of water, turn the heat on the lowest setting. and you'll get the fragrance with no smoke? That what we do in confined spaces at home... use an old pie pan, it will stain, add water when neccessary - just a small amount...

[Tallitot]

If you use a fireplace, put a little on the logs.

[Father H]

I smoke incense. I put in in my pipe. It cleanses  my nous.

Well, now it's all starting to make sense. 

Don't be too harsh on this one.  Its actually the only time that augustin has every listened to his priest.   The priest was holding incense and started to reprimand augustin for something.  augustin was staring at the incense and not paying attention to what the priest was saying, until the priest said "now stick that in your pipe and smoke it."  The rest is history. 

[WPM]

Incense sticks.

[Knee V]

If you're just looking to see how it smells, all you need to physically make it burn is to put it on a spoon and put that over a candle. But a censor and some charcoal is certainly the better route.

[Arachne]

I use sticks, primarily Fragrant Garden by WonderWorld. I've tried cones, but I find the smell of the remains downright offensive.

I do want to get eventually into burning pellets, like back home, and then I'll be choosing one of these tealight burners.

[WPM]

Do you have a water pipe?

There are head shops and smoke shops where you can get a pipe for smoking tobacco or marijuana.

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