Near the beginning of this summer, I was approached by a friend about collaborating on an incense blend. A retreat in Utah was to host an event focusing on various aspects of wellness. I wanted to give the incense a traditional yoga theme, inspired by the sandalwood heavy blends of India, but also incorporating elements of the flora of the American West, especially its forested and mountainous regions.

Copal and their relatives are often the building blocks of my incense blends at the moment. Especially the members of Bursera, one of the most important sources of incense in the Americas. Copal blanco from Mexico was blended with numerous coniferous tree resins including two species of pine from Utah, spruce, and possibly a Pinus originating Copal from Tulum. Small amounts of other ingredients where finally added to sweeten the background of the base. While I do have other ingredients which would have been local to the setting, I decided against them as they have such  heavy, smokey and wintery characteristics.

Halmaddi is an essential ingredient when working with Indian inspired blends, which was further mixed with other exotic exudates. Various herbs and roots bring their green, earthy, herbal qualities without leaving the "burnt leaf" aroma, as their whole forms would. Finished with top-shelf quality propolis...

​Next, various dried woods and fragrant herbs needed to be blended as close to a powder as achievable. Sandalwood, birch, lavender, homegrown sweetgrass and others made up this base. Then the final floral and classic incense notes were mixed into the powder, absorbing the essential oils into the mix. 

Finally, it was time to combine all of the ingredients. Using so many conifer resins, the mix was difficult to work with. Thus needing to be frozen and then blended numerous times to finally create the proper consistency.

After weeks of experimenting, planning, testing, blending, and creating the illustration for the label, the incense is now complete. A small space was left for the names of those attending the class focusing on natural aromatics.

The blend itself was a pleasure to work with. Maybe what I liked most about creating this blend specifically is that it allowed me to work with different scenery, one which was far removed from my current seaside themes. There is a high probability that I will take what I have learned here and transform this into a "coastal meditation" blend for our shop.

Now, off to my next incense project for the 15th Annual SWFL Peace Day Festival!

Matt
August 26, 2022

The Autumn Equinox is one (of two) moments in the year when day and night are of equal length. It marks the beginning of autumn. In the northern hemisphere the Autumn Equinox usually falls on September 22 or 23, and in 2021, it is September 22. Continue reading for some fun ways to celebrate this time of year! Check out our Pinterest board for other related recipes and tutorials.

Crafts & Activities:

• Make a dried fruit garland
• Make a leaf rubbing
• Write a gratitude list
• Make a corn dolly
• Make or buy an autumn wreath to display
• Go on a nature walk and enjoy the changing leaves
• Burn an autumn-themed incense (find a recipe below!)
• Clean your home and decorate for autumn

Decorations and accents:

• Acorns
• Leaves
• Apples
• Corn
• Autumn flowers (such as marigolds and mums)
• Pine cones
• The colors orange, yellow, red, and gold

Food to make and enjoy:

• Bread
• Grains
• Apples
• Squash
• Pumpkin
• Cider
• Corn
• Pies, especially apple pie
• ​Seeds and nuts

Scents:

• Cinnamon
• Clove
• Apple
• Sage
• Oak leaves
• Yarrow
• Pine
• Rosemary
• Sandalwood
• Fern

Autumn Equinox incense recipe:

Ingredients:

• pinyon pine resin or other sticky pine resin
• fallen sycamore leaves or oak leaves
• cinnamon
• rosemary
• storax or honey

​Directions:
Grind dried leaves, cinnamon and rosemary with a mortar and pestle. Press in pine resin. Add small amount of storax and knead until thoroughly mixed. Roll into small balls if desired. Smolder on top of a hot hookah charcoal.