How to Burn Powder Incense
Incense has been used for millennia for a number of reasons, especially for spiritual purposes by all faith groups. Prayer and meditation are enhanced in an environment where incense is burning. Incense comes in stick, resin and powder form. The powders are derived from herbs and various types of wood. This type of incense burn fairly quickly. Burning powdered incense is relatively easy to do --- all you need is a stable platform and charcoal.
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Things You'll Need
- Bowl, shell, urn, cauldron or plate for burning
- Charcoal rounds intended for burning incense
- Powdered incense
- Matches or lighter
Instructions
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Gather your items together. Arrange a single round of charcoal onto the center of the bowl, plate, shell or urn. If you want to burn large amounts of powder, consider using another round or two, depending on the size of the bowl or shell. Allow about 2 to 3 inches around each piece of charcoal to give room for ashes to accumulate and to prevent any ashes falling off the container.
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Light the charcoal. At first it may make small sparks and a sputtering sound, but then the charcoal piece will gradually begin to turn white. Rarely will it flame up, and if it does the flames tend to burn out almost immediately. Although the incense will burn on a piece of charcoal that is partially lit, it will burn more effectively once the entire charcoal piece has caught fully. This usually only takes a couple minutes.
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Sprinkle a pinch or two of incense powder over the charcoal. It will begin to ignite, thus creating the desired smoke and releasing the scent.
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Add more incense powder as desired. When the charcoal has peaked, additional powder added to the small but growing mound may burn faster. The more powder added, the more smoke and scent. If you are in a small space, it could become a bit overpowering. Ventilate as needed.
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When you are ready to finish the burning, allow the last of the powder to burn out. Wait until the charcoal and ashes stops smoking and have cooled before handling the plate or urn.
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Tips & Warnings
If you keep a bowl or shell for burning powder incense, let the ash mound up over time. Then, for a quick start, you can sprinkle fresh incense powder on top of the mound and simply light the incense directly, using a match or lighter.
If you have a fireplace, you can pull out a small piece of burning wood to use instead of charcoal.
You can also just toss some of the powder into the fire in your fireplace. Some people will use a palmful of the powder. The incense will burn less rapidly if you keep away it from the center or hottest area.
Use all safety precautions when dealing with fire, flames and incense.
Never leave burning items unattended.
Burning incense is done to create smoke and aroma. Many people prefer doing this in enclosed spaces, but if the amount of smoke or scent causes any discomfort, you can exit the area, open a window or take the shell or bowl and empty the contents into a bowl of cold water to stop the burning and its effects.
References
Resources
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