The Complete Book of Incence, Oils and Brews

An awesome book or making your own ritual supplies by Scott Cunningham. He tells you the process of making both combustible and non-combustible incense. To make a powdered incense that you burn with charcoal the process is relatively easy. All you have to do is grind up the herbs with a mortar and pestle and you are ready. You throw it on the charcoal and it burns. When making an incense you have to focus on the reason why you are making it. This means selecting the right herbs and focusing on our intent while you are making the incense. Fortunately for novices like me Scott Cunningham has included recipes for a variety of purposes. He also has a table that tells us what the different herbs are meant for.

Before using the incense you are supposed too charge it. Light a candle appropriate to the the purpose you want it for. Then hold the mixture in your hands and visualize yourself with a lot of money or falling in love with someone. Then tense your muscles from the feet up. and say by the sun and the moon I charge you to...feel free to make up your own words. To fit the situation.

Oils are also described. You will have to buy your own essential oils because to make them would bee very costly. To make your own ritual oil start off with base of an oil like safflower oil, sunflower oil,Coconut, Apricot Kernel oil, Jojoba, Almond, Hazelnut and Grape seed. You will need about 1/8 of a cup after that add in drops of essential oil to flavor it.

After a description of oils Mr. Cunningham decide to describe how to make ointments. There are several methods to making an ointment. The first is the shortening method. Take four parts vegetable shortening and heat it up and then add one part of your herbal mixture. Once the scent has permeated strain it through a cheese cloth in to a container. The next is the beeswax method. Put one fourth a cup of beeswax into a double boiler and add 1/4 cup of one of the above mentioned oils. Once melted remove from heat and when it begins to thicken then you can add your essential oils.

The author also describes how to do ink and tincture. Tincture basically involve soak herb in ethyl alcohol not rubbing alcohol. For this one would soak the herb and then strain into a container. Can be used much like an oil would.

This is a great book loaded with great information. In the back there is a substantial bibliography for further reference. Scott Cunningham culls his knowledge from a variety of sources. Anything by Scott Cunningham is a must read.