A Ritual to Connect with Your Inner Wisdom

One lovely and easy way to be kind to yourself is to connect with your inner wisdom - it’s always there to guide you.  And one way to make that connection is to burn a stick of natural incense.

There is something magical and evocative in the fragrant fumes of burning incense.   I love to watch the beautiful filaments of bluish smoke rising and curling, upwards, like a calling to your inner wisdom, an offering to yourself and to your highest potential.

And I find that incense creates a beautifully calming and positive atmosphere, it sets the mood for meditation, yoga and for just feeling good. I often burn some form of natural incense before I begin to work on a creative project. I feel it creates an environment for focus and clarity, it invites inspiration, and has become a signal of moving from a busy, distracted state of mind to one that is quiet and peaceful, open to inspiration.

If you’re curious to know about incense rituals, from their ancient sources to modern times, and how you can empower your home practice with mystical sacred smoke, have a look at this article, one of my most searched posts: SACRED SMOKE.

And I invite you to include an incense ritual in your daily life.

Here’s how.

If you’ve burned incense before, today see it with new eyes and real curiosity.  Experience it fully, revel in sensorial richness.  Any kind of incense you have will do, but we do recommend an all-natural plant based incense.  When you burn incense you inhale the smoke, and I’m sure you’d rather inhale the soul of plants rather than synthetics and chemicals.

• Light you stick of incense and immerse yourself in the ceremonial aspect of it.  Notice the crackling sound as you strike a wooden match to light your incense, watching it sparkle slightly when touched by the flame. Gently fan the flame to soften it into a smoulder.
• Close your eyes and notice the fragrance of the incense.  What do you notice about  the different notes and aspects of the scent?  How does it make you feel?  Notice if the scent brings up any memories or emotions.
• And then make it a meditation to follow the ever-changing trails and wisps of aromatic smoke as it wafts and spirals upward.  Notice the beauty of it, the shapes it makes, the directions it flows.  Imagine the smoke as the connector, carrying your intentions to the universe.  Like an offering to your higher self and to your highest potential.  
• Stay fully present to this experience for a few minutes, or as long as you like.
• When you’ve finished, think about this… How does this ritual make you feel?  Does it change the energy you feel in your space and in your practice or the way you experience it?  You may want to reflect on any memories or emotions this ritual evoked for you.
• Important safety note:  Please use care and caution when burning any type of incense.  Ensure you use a fire-safe container to hold your incense and to catch any falling ashes.  Never leave burning incense unattended.

DISCOVER THE SUPER-NATURAL INCENSE…HAND-MADE BY TIBETAN BUDDHIST NUNS

One of my Himalayan discoveries is a beautiful, all-natural, hand-crafted incense made by the nuns of the Khachoe Ghakyil Ling nunnery in Kathmandu (the very auspicious name means The Land of Bliss of the Skygoers).  The nunnery, associated with Kopan monastery opened in 1994 and is now home to around 400 nuns, aged between 9 and 70 years old.  The incense they make raises funds for the Tibetan Nuns Project which helps support the daily life and education of ordained Tibetan women in exile.

I visited the nunnery while in Kathmandu and watched the transformation process as the nuns created this lovely incense of the highest quality, using only pure natural ingredients such as high-altitude plants and woods with proven healing properties.  From the mixing, to the extruding, the rolling, measuring, cutting, drying and packaging…it’s all done with love and intention by the kind and compassionate nuns.

We now carry a selection of the beautiful incense they make.  Find it HERE.