BURNING AROMATICS
Ancient cultures record the regular use of incense with balsams and resins forming the basic ingredients with perhaps the most lavish examples being Babylon, Egypt and China. The most easily procured substances were found in the trees, barks, roots and resins and many trees provided suitable material whilst forests remained pristine. In addition the rich supplies of gums from the Middle East and increasing trade from many other countries provided perfumes and aromatic in popular demand.
Perfumes and incense were highly developed in classical times. The Romans, through Nero’s infamous behaviour, allowed extravagant uses of perfumes in demonstrations of almost unimaginable decadence.
As incense ingredients became better known in Europe, incense was widely adopted by the Christian church. It quickly replaced the earlier devotional offering of pagans to their many gods to now satisfy what was understood as the specific directions in the Bible. In religious worship in all churches, censing was relied upon as an integral part of the ritual as it proved helpful in inducing a devotional mood amongst congregations.
In Asia and India, the use of incense is an ancient tradition in the life of the people. It has become an important art in blending natural floral perfumes with sandalwood and sometimes a substance from ambergris and the highly prized musk from the musk deer. Because of the associated cruel methods, animal sources are now outlawed.
It has several benefits and practical purposes beyond religious purposes. It not only can be used to disguise unpleasant odours, but to help create a pleasant general atmosphere and more specifically, in helping an individual soothe stressful mental and emotional states.
For these reasons incense continues to increase in popular domestic use, particularly amongst those who practise meditation. It has found its way to become commonplace for perfumes and aromatics to feature in the life and homes of us all.
However, with greater awareness of the earth’s decline in natural resources, there is every likelihood that we will have to use restraint in our casual use of incense in the future and reserve our precious aromatics solely for spiritual purposes.
