What Does The Bible Say About Burning Sage?

What does the Bible say about burning of incense?

Prayer is an incense offering – When we pray, we are burning incense. Just as the priests in the Bible burned incense on the altar of prayer, we too are burning incense when we pray. Prayer is an offering of our hearts and minds to God. It is a sweet-smelling fragrance that rises up to Him and pleases Him.

• In Psalm 141:2, we see that burning incense is an act of worship.
• Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” This verse tells us that our prayers are like burning incense before God when we pray.
• He hears our prayers, and they are pleasing to Him.

Friends, let us never forget the power of prayer!

Who is a sage in the Bible?

The problem partly has to do with what is meant by ‘the sage.’ In its wider context, it refers to wise people, namely a wise man or wise woman.

What religion uses sage?

White sage, which is sacred to a number of Native American tribes in the southwest United States, has been adopted by both some contemporary Pagans and New Age practitioners for purification rites, As Emily McFarlan Miller reported in a recent Religion News Service article, this is resulting in overharvesting and shortages of the plant, making it harder for Native Americans to find enough for their sacred ceremonies.

• In her groundbreaking book ” Purity and Danger,” anthropologist Mary Douglas illustrates how purity and its maintenance are central to religion.
• It is a way to keep danger at bay as well as provide a way to separate the sacred from the mundane.
• As a sociologist of religion who has studied contemporary Paganism for more than 30 years, I am aware of how important both contact with the spirit world and purification are in this religion.

Contemporary Paganism is a set of religions that base their practice on what is known about pre-Christian religions in Europe, mixed with literature, science fiction and personal inspiration. Within these religions nature is viewed as sacred, to be celebrated and protected.

The celebration of nature takes several forms, the most common being a series of rituals that commemorate the changing seasons. Cleansing is a way to provide a safe place to interact with the spirit world, which is always part of Pagan rituals. Purification can be done using a number of substances, including salt, rosemary and sometimes white sage.

When purification includes the use of sage, it raises the issue of appropriation, as it has traditionally been used by Native Americans in their rituals.

Do Christians burn incense?

Christianity – The Catholic tradition employs incense in worship, contained within a thurible, Orthodox deacons preparing incense for a Cross Procession in Novosibirsk, Russia. Incense has been employed in worship by Christians since antiquity, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church /Eastern Catholic Church, Orthodox Christian churches, Lutheran Churches, Old Catholic / Liberal Catholic Churches and some Anglican Churches.

• Incense is being increasingly used among some other Christian groups as well; for example, the Book of Worship of The United Methodist Church calls for incense in the Evening Praise and Prayer service.
• The practice is rooted in the earlier traditions of Judaism in the time of the Second Jewish Temple,

The smoke of burning incense is interpreted by both the Western Catholic and Eastern Christian churches as a symbol of the prayer of the faithful rising to heaven. This symbolism is seen in Psalm 141 (140), verse 2: “Let my prayer be directed as incense in thy sight: the lifting up of my hands, as evening sacrifice.” Incense is often used as part of a purification ritual.

1. In the Revelation of John, incense symbolises the prayers of the saints in heaven – the “golden bowl full of incense” are “the prayers of the saints ” ( Revelation 5:8, cf.
2. Revelation 8:3 ) which infuse upwards towards the altar of God,
3. A thurible, a type of censer, is used to contain incense as it is burned.

A server called a thurifer, sometimes assisted by a “boat bearer” who carries the receptacle for the incense, approaches the person conducting the service with the thurible charged with burning bricks of red-hot charcoal. Incense, in the form of pebbly grains or powder, is taken from what is called a “boat”, and usually blessed with a prayer and spooned onto the coals. Sacristy Painting showing a thurifer holding a thurible with burning incense, Anglo-Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd (Rosemont, Pennsylvania) Incense may be used in Christian worship at the celebration of the Eucharist, at solemn celebrations of the Divine Office, in particular at Solemn Vespers, at Solemn Evensong, at funerals, benediction and exposition of the Eucharist, the consecration of a church or altar and at other services.

• In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglo-Catholic, and Old Catholic/Liberal Catholic churches, incense is used at virtually every service.
• Aside from being burnt, grains of blessed incense are placed in the Paschal candle, and were formerly placed in the sepulchre of consecrated altars, though this is no longer obligatory or even mentioned in the liturgical books.

Many formulations of incense are currently used, often with frankincense, benzoin, myrrh, styrax, copal or other aromatics.

What incense did Jesus use?

What did Jesus do with his gold, frankincense and myrrh – surely very valuable gifts that would have set him up for life? What did Jesus do with his gold, frankincense and myrrh – surely very valuable gifts that would have set him up for life?

THERE ARE two traditions. The first, referred to in the carol ‘We Three Kings’, interprets the gifts as symbolising three aspects of Christ’s future life: gold representing kingship, frankincense (worship) and myrrh (death and mourning). An alternative tradition holds that Mary and Joseph used the gold to pay for the stable, the frankincense to perfume it and the myrrh as an ointment for the new-born baby. Since, to Christians, Christ represents the meeting-point of the mystical and mundane, the ‘Word made flesh’, there’s no reason why these traditions should be taken as contradictory.

David Cottis, London SW15.

: What did Jesus do with his gold, frankincense and myrrh – surely very valuable gifts that would have set him up for life?

What does burning incense mean in Christianity?

Q. Would you explain why the priest uses incense at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and other ceremonies? A. The use of incense goes far back in time. The reference books tell us that incense was in common use in Near East countries, burnt for its perfume.

• Are they suggesting incense was an ancient kind of air freshener? From a secular use it passed into religious service.
• Pagans employed it in worship of their gods.
• According to one source, at a fete in honor of Baal the Babylonians burned 1,000 talents of frankincense.
• Incense also played a part in honor given to kings and the Roman emperor.

And among the gifts of the Magi was frankincense—a gift worthy of a king. Illustrations of altars of incense can be found in the St. Joseph edition of the New American Bible, Already in the Book of Exodus there is reference to incense. In Chapter 30, Moses is told to make an altar of acacia wood for the burning of incense and Aaron is to burn incense morning and evening.

• Also, in Exodus 30:34-38 Moses is given a formula for incense to be used solely in the worship of Yahweh.
• It is to be made of equal parts of storax, onycha, galbanum and frankincense, blended and ground into fine dust.
• The incense is to be placed before the Commandments in the meeting tent.
• Elsewhere in the Old Testament incense was often burnt in connection with the burnt offerings of animals.

The sweet smell of incense and its rising smoke gave it a kind of natural symbolism. It became the image of something pleasing to God. The rising smoke came to symbolize a person’s or people’s prayers rising up to God. So in Psalm 141 we have the plea, “Let my prayer come like incense before you.” Early Christians also found symbolic meaning in the use of incense.

In the Book of Revelation, for instance, John has a vision of heaven and a kind of heavenly liturgy where the 24 elders worship the lamb that was slain. The elders hold harps and gold bowls filled with incense, “which are the prayers of the holy ones” (5:8). In Revelation 8:3-4 an angel holding a gold censer is given a great quantity of incense to offer and the smoke of the incense goes up before God with prayers.

So, among Christians today, incense has ritual and symbolic meaning. Its sweet aroma symbolizes something pleasing and acceptable being offered to God. Burning incense is also a sign of reverence and dedication. Incensing the body at a funeral Mass is a sign of reverence for the body that was once the temple of God.

In a more solemn liturgy, incensing the Book of Gospels indicates reverence for the word of God and Christ himself who is the Word Incarnate. Incensing the altar shows respect for Christ whom the altar represents and his sacrifice made present upon the altar. Incensing the Easter candle is, again, a sign of reverence for Christ who is the light of the world.

Incensing the Blessed Sacrament at Benediction is a sign of adoration and worship given to Christ, truly present upon the altar. It becomes a sign of our prayers rising to heaven.

What does sage mean in God?

Faith Column: Sage, elder and wisdom-keeper Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom. But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the almighty that gives him understanding. (Job 32) Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom. But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the almighty that gives him understanding.

• Job 32) Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom.
• But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the almighty that gives him understanding.
• Job 32) By definition the sage is considered a mentor in spiritual and philosophical topics who is renowned for profound wisdom.
• Wisdom is accumulated knowledge or erudition of enlightenment.

The sage is thought to have wisdom that comes with age and experience or the wisdom-keeper in some societies. An elder is the older one in a family or group of individuals. Also, an elder can be either man or woman who express eldership with a spiritual journey leading them to intellectual, emotional, physical and spiritual balance.

1. Age doesn’t always mean one will automatically be a sage.
2. It becomes a matter of a person who celebrates life and energizes others with his/her passion, one who can accurately assess his/her strengths and skill because they know their limitations and boundaries.
3. An elder is often a wise man, a sage.
4. The wisdom-keeper is normally thought to the older person of a family, tribe, or community with many years of accumulated experiences.

All three are not without their faults but carry themselves well despite being human. All three will operate from their heart, their centers. Becoming an elder or sage in the broad perspective of life is one who is operating out of the second half of their life where life is not about competition but fostering consensus; stewardship instead of exploitation; spiritual expression instead of a lust for power; of mentoring rather than directing.

1. Terry Jones in his book “The Elder Within, The Source Of Mature Masculinity,” said “Eldership is wisdom in an active state utilized on the behalf of others.” Lets look at what it takes to become this person, male or female.
2. I’ll center more on the male in this article because there are too many young men who haven’t been guided into adulthood by a father or older male.

The steps will also work for the female elder/sage as well. What are some of the characteristics of an elder or sage? Before becoming an elder, he has had to make the spiritual journey of life first. Here are five basic touchstones one has to experience to start the early journey into the second stage of life.

First, the older man is a Centered male who is patient, loving and available to others. He has no need for power or control. Community, cooperation and consensus stir these men. The traditional masculine attributes we see today which include competition, patriarchy and emotional control don’t appeal to an Elder/Sage because these processes don’t nurture the soul.

Motivating and invigorating are their assertiveness’s. They aren’t afraid to speak their minds and are generative, meaning they have a live-giving energy others can absorb. I think it is the role of the Elder/Sage as mature adults is to facilitate creativity in the young, not teach the patterns of the past.

These are men who are grounded in the power of here and now. Second characteristic of becoming an early elder/sage is gathering. Here men are willing to listen deeply to each other’s stories. One must be a deep compassionate listener and in order to do so, one has to be a peace with his past, releasing all past hurts and grievances.

He must be able to let go of all the ego needs of the first half of life that one uses to fill the container in early life. He isn’t afraid to be in community other men. Third he learns to be connecting, willing to choose to walk with another man shoulder to shoulder.

He learns to meet communally to be in one-on-one relationships. There are many nuances to connecting, but the purest sense of connecting is the joining. To be really connected is almost as if two separate entities become one — much like a marriage. Of course this kind of connecting between men can be very uncomfortable.

Most of us do not want to be that intimate with another man. It’s a risk and implies doing the even riskier thing of loving another man. A good example of this is between King David and Saul’s son Jonathan. There is a bond between them, not one of homosexuality.

1. It is being able to be open with everyone and the relationship is paramount when furthering the spiritual journey.
2. Fourth characteristic is releasing, a man who is willing to show up and let go of the ways that no longer serve him.
3. Living in the present moment requires the elder to release the past.
4. Sometimes it requires stopping, going back into history, identifying what it may be that stops the elder from moving forward, and make peace with it — going to the fire and putting it out and then moving forward again.

In Ephesians 4:22, it says “Let go of your old way of life, put aside your old self, which gets corrupted by following illusions.” Therefore, making peace with our shadow — stop dragging the baggage around. The fifth and final touchstone is called serving.

The elder/sage are men who learned to honor the earth and serve the whole human community. If the older man lives only for himself, he just lives, the meaning and appreciation of life is not deep internally. The sage learns what Jesus taught his disciples, “I did not come to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20-28).

For the mature elder/sage it is by love for that they really live. He who has Love has God in him, and is in God. I personally think that the first requirement of any society is that its mature adult membership should realize and represent the fact it is they who constitute its life and being, and to establish in the young a system of sentiments that will be appropriate to the society in which he is to live, and on which that society itself must depend for its existence.

1. The elder/sage accepts his role with responsibility and commitment.
2. The elder/sage is not satisfied just being good, it must be transformational to all concerned.
3. They are intertwined with their families and society.
4. If they done their inner work, work and life will have meaning, and they will leave a healthy footprint wherever they go that brings with it healing, reconciliation, forgiveness, peacemaking, generosity, kindness and generatively.

In summing up the spiritual journey of the elder/sage, their greatness stems from their willingness to share their wisdom and help heal, to express their humor and their soulful spirit. They are not gods, but godlike. They are wonderfully human.

In closing I must bring to light another element that the mature older man/woman must remember and I quote Elihu in Job 32 (6-10).”I am young in years, and you are old; that is why I was fearful, not daring to tell you what I know.I though, ‘Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom.’But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged who understand what is right.Therefore I say: Listen to me; I too will tell you what I know.”

A story to be continued another time. God Bless. : Faith Column: Sage, elder and wisdom-keeper

How was Jesus a sage?

He concludes that Jesus may be viewed primarily as a prophetic sage emphasizing instruction, insight, and humor in a vein counter to the dominant culture.

Is incense in the Bible?

In Christianity – The New Testament makes several typological references to incense, including a Christological reference to the coals from the altar of incense taken behind the veil on the Day of Atonement ( Hebrews 9:3–4 ), and a reference to the prayers of believers as incense ( Revelation 5:8 ).

Is white sage holy?

The icon indicates free access to the linked research on JSTOR. In June 2021, Samantha Morales-Johnson posted a thread to her Twitter account about receiving 300 pounds of illegally harvested white sage that had been confiscated by park rangers at the Etiwanda Nature Preserve. Morales-Johnson had no idea how much 300 pounds of sage really was. It was crammed into three duffel bags, and thirty pounds were destroyed after fermenting and cooking in the heat and pressure of the bags. The 300 pounds represented only a fraction of the sage illegally taken from the Etiwanda Preserve each year, but the visual was still staggering. ” Ramona polystachya (White Sage); Mint Family;” Tessie K. Frank Watercolors, gra00006, Gray Herbarium Library, Botany Libraries, Harvard University, White sage ( Salvia apiana, Ramona polystachya) is a highly aromatic, evergreen perennial shrub that has been medicinally and ceremonially significant to Indigenous peoples in California and Mexico for thousands of years.

• It’s a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae) and an integral component of coastal sagebrush in southwestern and Baja California —white sage’s only natural wild habitat.
• White sage has been widely recognized as an important bee food plant.
• Apiary guidebooks began recommending keeping bees near white sage in the mid-19th century; Willis Jepson wrote that a hive would yield about one hundred pounds of white sage honey in a good season, and The Bee-Keeper’s Guide reported that white sage kept bees “roaring with activity” during California summers.

Scientific American reported in 1897 that white sage helped ” supply the bees withsweets,” In La Cría de las Abejas, a copy of which is available at the Dumbarton Oaks Rare Books Library, Mexico’s Ministry of Development instructed beekeepers to establish hives amidst dense white sage populations because the increased productivity could double or triple honey profits.

Various ethnobotanical sources record the Cahuilla Band of Indians, the Chumash, the Kumeyaay, the Mahuna, and other Native nations using white sage as a staple food, a spice, shampoo, deodorant, a cold remedy, cough medicine, and a pain reliever for headaches, rheumatism, and body aches. Leaves were burned on hot coals to fumigate houses after serious illnesses like measles, tuberculosis, and smallpox.

As a ceremonial plant, white sage has even more uses. Kumeyaay girls lie on beds of leaves during coming-of-age ceremonies, Cahuilla hunters used it to prevent bad luck, and many nations present bundles of white sage as gifts and offerings. But the most well-known practice is smudging. Albert John Cook, The Bee-Keeper’s Guide; or, Manual of the Apiary (Chicago: George W. York & Company, 1902): p.407. via BHL White sage’s contemporary popularity begins with federal Indian policy. In 1956, the US government passed Public Law 959, which allowed the Secretary of the Interior to institute vocational training programs for Native people living on or near reservations.

Through these programs, the Bureau of Indian Affairs encouraged Native families to leave reservations and relocate to urban centers like Denver, Chicago, and Los Angeles. As Native communities grew in California’s cities, Indigenous Californians formed relationships with Natives from around the US and introduced them to white sage.

Its similarities to other sacred plants led many Natives to adopt it for their own use. The 1960s and 70s saw the rise of counterculture, hippie, and New Age movements that often adopted non-Christian religious and spiritual practices. Many hippies were fascinated by Native culture and co-opted certain aspects of it, including practices like burning sage. White sage smudge sticks via Wikimedia Commons Enter smudging and the wellness industry’s obsession with white sage. At present, white sage smudge sticks are sold at countless big box and online retailers, Some promise spiritual cleansing that will ” remove all the negative energies and experiences from the room ” that is smudged.

Others offer their customers the ability ” to bring balance and calm into their lives,” One company describes its Smudging Trio as “a beauty routine for the space within and around you.” Many of these listings also use words like “sustainable” and “ethically sourced.” While small-scale sellers often grow their own sage, and some larger-scale commercial farms do exist, most white sage reaches markets through workers who harvest sage and sell it to middlemen, who then provide it wholesale for larger retailers.

Retailers often use the term “wildcrafted” to refer to sage that’s harvested from the “wilds” of white sage’s limited natural habitat. “Wildcrafted” is usually a euphemism for “poached.” Under California Penal Code Section 384a, it’s illegal to harvest plant material on public or on privately owned land without written permission of the owner.

Because there are so few large-scale commercial white sage farms, most white sage in US markets has been illegally taken from private or public land, Indigenous knowledge requires harvesting white sage in a respectful way, usually taking only a few leaves each time. Many Native people refer to white sage as a relative; Heidi Lucero (Acjachemen and Mustun Ohlone) encourages cultivating relationships with plants, reminding us that, “You wouldn’t go and pull your grandmother out by the roots.” In contrast, poachers cut off branches or rip whole plants out of the ground, taking so many that the plants are unable to repopulate.

White sage has become so depleted in other areas that poachers in the US are now targeting nature reserves. These poachers may be marginalized workers themselves; according to the Gabrieleno (Tongva) Band of Mission Indians, poachers are often undocumented workers from Mexico and South America who, when caught, can be fined or deported with no consequences to middlemen or corporate buyers.

Herein lies an irony of white sage commercialization: many Indigenous practitioners say that white sage should never be bought and sold because the energy of the person who harvested the medicine comes with it. If a plant is overharvested in a disrespectful way for the sake of profit, it negates the good energy that comes from smudging.

Commercialization also directly harms Native people who use white sage; it depletes the supply, preventing them from sustainably harvesting it. They have to resort to buying it, perhaps from the same companies putting white sage at risk. Even though its numbers are rapidly declining, white sage isn’t classified as endangered, or even threatened.

1. However, national attention has rapidly turned toward white sage conservation and the ethical problems its commercialization poses.
2. United Plant Savers has placed S.
3. Apiana on its Species At-Risk list, and organizations like the California Native Plant Society are amplifying the voices of Indigenous activists working to protect white sage.

Non-Indigenous Americans are also becoming more aware of the history and ethics associated with white sage smudging thanks to these efforts, and growing conversations about cultural appropriation and conservation mean that mainstream perceptions of white sage and its use are changing.

Is a prophet a sage?

Scholars of the Hebrew Bible used to look at „Prophecy” and „Wisdom” as clearly distinct realms represented by antagonistic and mutually exclusive roles of their central characters: the loyal sage, the pillar of administration, on the one side and the rebellious prophet, criticizing the establishment, on the other.

1. While the influence of wisdom thought on prophetic texts has been a topic in the scholarly debate, the complementary question of the influence of prophetic thought on wisdom texts has rarely been asked.
2. The contributions in this volume look at both questions: They start from the assumption that texts from the Hebrew Bible and the cultures surrounding Ancient Israel all originated from a social stratum of educated scribes, who authored and transmitted these texts.

It then seems plausible that wisdom texts might show similar traces of prophetic influence to those of wisdom thoughts found in prophetic texts. The essays give a multifaceted picture concerning the mutual perception of prophets and sages and thus provide a deeper understanding of both wisdom literature and prophecy.

Why is sage so sacred?

Page 4 – Common sage or salvia officinalis is a smallish evergreen shrub that can be used in a wide range of applications. My favorite way to use common sage is for tea. Sounds crazy, I know, but it is delicious—it’s like drinking sage’s shadow. But when it comes to creating smudge sticks or bundles, white sage (salvia apiana) is most commonly used.

White sage tends to have longer and more narrow leaves that densely populate the stem, more so than other sage varieties, which makes it easier to bundle together. If you’re unfamiliar with the practice or ritual of smudging, it is the burning of sage by itself (or with other plants) to cleanse the energy or spirit.

Lighting a smudge stick creates a spiritually cleansing smoke bath that can purify anything from crystals to spirit. It’s a calling on of the spirits of the plants being burned. Early Origins White sage is native to high desserts, but is most commonly found in California and the mountainous American west.

• And Native Americans were the first on record for using it in a ceremonial or ritual manner.
• For many of these cultures, white sage went by the name “Sacred Sage.” It was used to get rid of any unwanted persisting energies, to ask the spirits for blessings, prosperity, protection and more.
• In many native cultures, plants are more than living things, they have a soul, a spirit, and sage was no different.

Burning sage was a way of communing with the spiritual realm and connecting to the spirit of the plant and the earth. By burning the sage with intention, you are asking the spirit of the sage to lend its cleansing and protective energy into your space, body, energy, etc.

• Symbolism Most native cultures incorporate a fireproof bowl of sorts to catch the smoldering embers.
• Abalone shell is just one of such vessels.
• If you choose to use an abalone shell in your smudging, you are creating a synergistic loop.
• The abalone represents the element of water, the unlit sage represents the element of earth, the smoke, the element of air, and the lit sage, fire.

By connecting all four natural elements, you are inviting harmony and balance into your space and spirit. The smoke is said to both bind to negative energy and spirits to carry them away and carry prayers into the Universe. In addition to a vessel to catch the falling embers, feathers were also a staple in smudging ceremonies and rituals.

Birds were reverenced for their ability to be closer to the heavens, the Most High, as well as their construction. Natives thought that bird feathers helped to comb a person’s energy and aural energies. Waving or combing the smoke was encouraged, but not blowing. It was thought that blowing on the smudge stick or the smoke released any negative energies from the person into the smoke.

Other common plants to smudge with include lavender, mugwort, tobacco, cedar, sweet grass, juniper, and copal. Tobacco, which grows very prolifically in the Americas, was actually considered to be the most sacred by many Native peoples. Each plant has its own merits and purpose, so experiment to see which ones you resonate with most.

Which Bible verse talks about incense?

Exodus 30:8 – And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.

Can I use incense to pray to God?

How incense can improve your prayer life Datu Arellano | Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 – published on 02/06/20 Incense has been part of the Catholic Church’s public liturgy since the very beginning, but can also aid a person’s personal prayer life as well. Many health and wellness experts point to frankincense and its innate ability to heighten our senses during meditation and prayer.

It appears the Creator may have had this intention all along, as numerous religions and spiritualities turn to incense for a more prayerful experience. For example, according to Mary Elizabeth Wakefield, highlighted on, “Frankincense lifts the spirit, thus it is good for meditation, and treating mental distraction or the feeling of being overwhelmed.

It strengthens the immune system, addresses insomnia, irritability, restlessness and supports spiritual freedom and expressiveness. It connects us to our higher selves.” This shouldn’t be surprising, as we are humans and what we do with our body does have a direct impact upon our soul.

• This unity of body and soul allows all of our senses to be engaged in prayer (sight, hearing, taste, sound, touch) and assists our soul in being raised up to God.
• In a particular way, incense possesses deep symbolism in the Christian tradition.
• Nikolaus Gihr details in his book The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass how incense is first of all a symbol of sacrifice.

It symbolizes, first, man’s spirit of sacrifice or his life of sacrifice, for he consumes himself with all his faculties in the fire of love for the honor and service of God, Furthermore, incense is meant to represent our prayers rising to God. Then the odor of incense which arises from the burning grains and ascends in its fragrance, also symbolizes prayer.

1. Prayer is the surrender of the soul to God, the elevation of the mind and spirit to Heaven, the aspiration of the heart toward goods invisible and eternal.
2. If the grains of incense be cast on burning coals, a pleasant odor will arise; if the heart, like unto a glowing coal, is set on fire with the flames of divine love and ardent devotion, then our prayer will free itself from all that is earthly, and will ascend to the Lord as a sweet and precious perfume, that is to say, our prayer will be received with favor and pleasure and will be answered by Him.

When it is blessed by a priest, incense is even believed to drive out evil spirits, As a Sacramental incense is, then, a means to secure the divine protection and blessing. By virtue of the sign of the Cross and the blessing of the Church incense is especially made efficacious for expelling or keeping at a distance Satan from the soul, and for affording us a powerful protection against the deceit and malice, the snares and the attacks of evil spirits. Read more: Read more:

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: How incense can improve your prayer life

What does the Bible say about praying with candles?

Questions About Prayer Episode · 1 Play Episode · 1 Play · 5:13 · Jul 20, 2021 The practice of lighting candles for the dead may or may not have religious connotations. Sometimes, after a tragedy, people hold candlelight vigils or leave lighted candles at the scene of a person’s death.

In these contexts the candles could simply be symbols of the brevity of life or pledges of the living to brighten a dark world. There is nothing wrong with lighting candles for such purposes. However, there are some churches that advise people to light candles for the dead, an action usually accompanied by prayers for the dead.

This practice is clearly contrary to biblical teachings.The Roman Catholic Church teaches that lighting candles for the dead in correlation with prayer prolongs and amplifies the prayer and memorializes the deceased. The teaching behind candles associated with praying for the dead is the Catholic doctrine of purgatory.

1. The idea is that, after death, some people exist in a state of misery between heaven and hell; Catholics believe that the prayers of people on earth can improve the lot of those in purgatory and speed up their journey toward heaven.
2. However, the doctrine of purgatory is not found in the Bible; rather, it is based on Roman Catholic tradition.The belief that candles hasten our prayers’ journey to heaven, make our prayers more powerful or effective, or add anything to our prayers is superstitious.

Prayer is a conversation with our heavenly Father—a dialogue between two live, conscious, responsive beings who share the same Spirit. No candle can enhance this relationship.There is nothing wrong with candles, per se. A lighted candle can provide beauty and symbolize our testimony in the world.

1. However, candles are inanimate objects, with no power, strength, or mystical or supernatural abilities.
2. Candles will not affect how God answers prayer, and they will certainly not assist in changing the destination of a dead person’s soul.Lighting candles for the dead in order to help the dead to a better place is not biblical.

It is natural to have a desire to pray in times of pain, suffering, and loss for loved ones and friends, but praying for the souls of the dead is of no value. Instead, the focus should be on the grieving friends and family members of the departed, as we offer compassion and practical assistance, showing Christ’s love in tangible ways.Keith believes that we are saved only once (Hebrews 9:12) by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) in the finished work of Jesus Christ at the cross (John 19:30) and we can NOT lose our free (Romans 5:15) God-given Salvation (John 6:39).

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What kind of incense does God like?

Does the Bible say anything about burning incense? – Follow in Jesus’ Path – Artza Community Stuart Wells Sunday, October 24, 2021 Incense was very common in the old testament and even up to today, some denominations still burn incense. Since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the veil of the temple has been removed so it is no longer necessarily to burn incense as explained in Hebrews 9:11-24.

A Christian may still burn incense if he wishes to, but should consider 1 Samuel 15:22, “Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD?” This shows that obedience to God should be our priority as Christians. Johan Slabbert Sunday, February 27, 2022 The Bible contains 24 verses referring to incense.

Not all Christians burn incense, it depends entirely on the branch of Christianity. Catholics typically burn holy incense in church as part of purification rituals by priests. The ingredients of this Holy Incense was handed down to Moses from the hand of GOD and would typically have the following base ingredients: Myrrh, Onycha, Galbanum and Frankincense.

What is holy incense?

Ancient Incense – The first recorded use of incense for worship is from Egypt around 2400 B.C. That’s 400 years before the time of Abraham. Incense was also used in ancient China and plays a part in Buddhist, Shinto and Taoist ceremonies. Hindus have also used incense in worship from ancient times.

1. In the Old Testament, God gave Moses instructions on how to build the tabernacle — the traveling temple of God.
2. The Book of Exodus recounts the instructions to build an altar of incense to stand to the side of the altar of sacrifice (see 30:1-10).
3. When the priest enters the tabernacle each morning and evening to tend the perpetually burning lamps he is also commanded to offer incense.

Just as the oil lamps were to burn constantly in the Temple as a sign of God’s presence, so there was a constant pillar of smoke ascending to heaven from the tabernacle. The pillar of smoke was a sign of God’s constant guiding presence to the people. It hearkened back to the column of smoke that led the people through the wilderness by day and the column of fire that led them during the night.

• God even gives Moses a recipe for making the incense: “Take these aromatic substances: storax, onycha and galbanum, these and pure frankincense in equal parts; and blend them into incense.
• This fragrant power, expertly prepared, is to be salted and so kept pure and sacred.
• Grind some of it into fine dust and put this before the covenant in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you.

This incense shall be treated as most sacred by you” (Ex 30:34-36). The Jewish offering of incense continued throughout the Old Testament period — first in the tabernacle, and then in the Temple in Jerusalem. Incense was also offered as part of the religious ceremonies in the surrounding pagan religions.

1. In fact, most of the references in the Bible to incense are the Old Testament prophets lamenting the fact that too often the Jewish people had forsaken the Lord and chosen to make sacrifices, including the offering of incense to the false gods.
2. Why did people offer incense in the first place? The priests of pagan religions believed that the incense was a “spiritual offering.” The smoke was an intermediary substance between earth and air.

The demons were marked by a sulfurous stench, and the fragrant incense would drive them away; meanwhile, the beneficial gods would be appeased and grant the worshiper protection and prosperity. The New Age practice of “smudging” connects people with the supposedly Native American tradition of using fragrant smoke to purify the atmosphere of an area — driving away negativities and creating a positive mood.

Why is incense holy?

What Incense Symbolizes in Christian Liturgy – The smoke of incense is symbolic of sanctification and purification. It also symbolizes the prayers of the faithful. It is an outward sign of spiritual realities, which is why it has its place in Christian liturgy.

These two purposes reveal a deeper truth: that prayer itself purifies and sanctifies us, making us worthy of worshiping God in heaven for all eternity with the angels and saints. This video shows the world-famous giant thurible from St. James Cathedral (Santiago de Compostela) in Spain. Many Bible commentators show how the Tabernacle in the Old Testament is a pattern of human beings as temples or dwelling places of the Holy Spirit.

Before we can dwell with God in eternity, there is need for our purification and sanctification—the removal of sin. One of the ways this happens is through prayer. This spiritual meaning is evident in the wisdom books of the Old Testament, in which prayer is connected with purification, making our prayer a sweet aroma rising up to God: Let my prayer be counted as incense before thee, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice! —Psalm 141:2 Listen to me, O you holy sons, and bud like a rose growing by a stream of water; send forth fragrance like frankincense, and put forth blossoms like a lily.

What religion burns incense?

2.1. Incense Burning Related Health Issues and Electronic Incense Products – Worshipping Buddhist divine beings through burning incense sticks has been viewed as an important ritualistic practice in Asian nations for centuries, Previous research shows that approximately half of the populations across Southeast Asia burn incense at home as a daily ritual,

1. Buddhists regard incense as “divine odor,” and its smell is meant to evoke the presence of Buddhist divinities.
2. Burning incense sticks works as a sensory way to sanctify the space and offering behaviors with mindfulness and awareness,
3. During the ritual process, an individual waves three or more burned incense sticks overhead while bowing to the divine statues.

The burning incense sticks are then vertically placed into a censer located in front of the statues. To date, incense burning has become an indispensable ritualistic practice for many people who believe in Buddhism. Previous literature suggests that similar rituals of incense burning are also practiced in other major religions, such as Taoism and Hinduism,

In 2003, the Environmental Protection Agency in Taiwan reported that a total of 28.7 metric tons of incense were burned in 92 temples in Kao-Hsiong City, which contributes to approximately 3580 tons of incense consumed per year, Even larger quantities of incenses are burned during religious festivals, such as Buddha’s Birthday,

Moreover, due to the recent rapid development and prevalence of religious tourism in Asian regions, the ever-increasing number of visitors has continually promoted the consumption of incense at temples and other religious sites. Incense smoke has been known to threaten public health since the late 1960s,

1. Conventionally, Buddhist incenses are made from aromatic biotic material that emits fragrant smoke when burned,
2. The incense smoke emitted during the burning process is a complex mixture of gases and particles, which contain a multitude of possible carcinogens, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), carbonyls, aliphatic aldehydes, and benzene,

Recent studies have revealed that a number of adverse health effects, such as risks of childhood brain tumors (odds ratio = 3.3, p = 0.005), asthma ( p = 0.05), dermatitis, hypertension, and other health impacts are related to frequent exposure to incense smoke.

1. For instance, scholars have preliminarily indicated that exposure to carcinogens emitted from incense burning may increase the risk of cancer in temple workers more than control workers.
2. An increased risk of cardiovascular mortality is associated with long-term exposure to incense burning in the indoor environment,

Furthermore, a large number of inferior incenses are revealed using chemical fragrance, such as sawdust, industrial resins, and flavors to reduce costs. Its potential health effects have also raised scholars’ concerns, In this context, relevant studies have investigated various approaches to incense-related health issues, such as smoke emission reduction and ventilation conditions improvement,

• Though recent scholars have studied the public actions of risk behavior reduction (e.g., tobacco control), the individual’s perceptual reaction to incense burning receives little attention, which makes it difficult to determine relevant policies.
• Alternative electronic solutions, such as electronic cigarettes, are introduced and adopted to intervene in health-threatening behaviors.

With fewer health issues, they tend to compensate for people’s psychological needs, Through the usage of electronic simulation of incense burning, people might have similar religious experiences under the condition of retaining the original burning process, setting up a bridge between traditional Buddhism and a healthy life,

1. In this view, various health-friendly electronic incense products have been designed and developed, aiming to replace traditional incense burning at temples and other indoor places,
2. After reviewing most incense products and relevant patents on the market, the current electronic incense products can be divided into three main categories: (1) simply using plastic and ceramic materials to simulate the visual appearance of traditional incense sticks and burners with burning-like electric lights—without any fire, smoke, and aroma—which is the healthiest design solution only involving visual appearance; and (2) in addition to the visual appearance simulation of incense stick and burner (heat-resisting materials, such as ceramics), some electronic incense burners take advantage of electric conduction to emit aroma instead of burning(the aromatic materials used are the same with traditional incense), thus, there is no smoke and particles—the main reason leading to adverse health effects—emitted during this process, a comparison of released smoke between heat-not-burn aroma products and traditional ones has been studied ; and (3) except for the visual appearance simulation of incense stick and burner, using a perfume vaporizer to simulate the burning-like smoke and aroma emitted by traditional incense, such a perfume vaporizer, which uses a heating element to vaporize a solution for provision without burning process and smoke emitting, which is the same technical patent adopted in most electric air diffusers and humidifiers,

The third category is more experiential and relatively health-friendly than the previous two categories. Its health effects are mainly decided by the perfume (or essential plant oils) used (their qualities are controlled by national food and drug administration departments).

Though more and more governments and religious institutions advocate health-promotion behaviors in religious practices, electronic incense products and rituals are still seldom adopted, Similar to other religions, Buddhism welcome scientific discoveries, Also, relevant research has indicated that Buddhists have long embraced the spirit of science,

Buddhism and Buddhists are open-minded to accept scientific principles or technology innovations, For example, “Heart Sincerity Buddha Bless” (“心诚则灵” in Chinese) is a famous Buddhist doctrine, suggesting that sincere worship does not need to care about the ways or tools used,

Therefore, Buddhist doctrines do not refuse technology; instead, they might embrace changes in their practice, It has been suggested that religiosity is the primary reason people feel reluctant to use electronic incense products, since keeping the traditional way of Buddhist rituals is regarded as necessary in shaping religiosity.

Nevertheless, the latest research has argued that technology and science might facilitate religious practices, promote spirituality, and transform concepts of religion and myth, Accordingly, the reason why electronic incense lacks large-scale adoption might not lie in the fact that Buddhism and Buddhists are reluctant to accept new technology in their religious practices,

When did Christians start burning incense?

incense, grains of resins (sometimes mixed with spices) that burn with a fragrant odour, widely used as an oblation. It is commonly sprinkled on lighted charcoal contained in a censer, or thurible. Incense-bearing trees were imported from the Arabian and Somali coasts into ancient Egypt, where incense was prominent in religious ritual—e.g., at the daily liturgy before the cult image of the sun god Amon-Re and in the mortuary rites, when the souls of the dead were thought to ascend to heaven in the flame.

Incense was employed to counteract disagreeable odours and drive away demons and was said both to manifest the presence of the gods (fragrance being a divine attribute) and to gratify them. The Babylonians used it extensively while offering prayer or divining oracles. It was imported into Israel before the Babylonian Exile (586–538 bc ) and was assigned miraculous powers; later, in the 5th century bc, altars were set apart for incense offerings.

Incense no longer has any role in the Jewish liturgy, however. More From Britannica ceremonial object: Incense and other smoke devices Hindus, especially the Śaivas, use incense for ritual and domestic offerings, and so do Buddhists, who burn it at festivals and initiations as well as at daily rites. In China incense was burned during festivals and processions to honour ancestors and household gods, and in Japan it was incorporated into Shintō ritual.

In Greece from the 8th century bc, woods and resins were burned as an oblation and for protection against demons, a practice adopted by the Orphics. In Rome fragrant woods were replaced by imported incense, which became important in public and private sacrifices and in the cult of the emperor. In the 4th century ad the early Christian church began to use incense in eucharistic ceremonial, in which it came to symbolize the ascent of the prayers of the faithful and the merits of the saints.

Until the European Middle Ages its use was more restrained in the West than in the East. After the Reformation incense was employed sporadically in the Church of England until widely restored under the influence of the Oxford Movement in the 19th century.

• Elsewhere in both Eastern and Western Catholic Christendom, its use during divine worship and during processions has been continuous.
• Historically, the chief substances used as incense were such resins as frankincense and myrrh, along with aromatic wood and bark, seeds, roots, and flowers.
• The incense used by the ancient Israelites in their liturgy was a mixture of frankincense, storax, onycha, and galbanum, with salt added as a preservative.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, natural substances began to be supplanted by chemicals used in the perfume industry, and this trend toward the use of synthetic substitutes in incense continues to the present day. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Sheetz,

What does the Bible say about candles?

Matt.5 Verses 14 to 16 –

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

What is the spiritual effect of burning incense?

L.A. can assign sanctity to anything. But nothing brings clarity like burning incense This story is part of Image issue 12, “Commitment (The Woo Woo Issue),” where we explore why Los Angeles is the land of true believers.,) My studio apartment in West Adams is the closest thing I have to a temple.

There’s an accidental shrine to my 20s on the left side of my desk: A neat stack of unpaid bills, undeveloped rolls of film. That jagged slice of amethyst gifted to me by an ex. A year’s worth of photo booth strips and Polaroids and party fliers. A “magic candle” for creativity from House of Intuition next to an almost empty bottle of Agua de Florida.

I’ve performed exorcisms for past versions of myself here and prayed for new ones. I could assign sanctity to almost anything that happens in this space, but there is one practice in particular that cements it all: At least once a day, a sweet, warm, pungent aroma fills the air, billowing through my windows, finding its way into every crevice.

My daily ritual is burning incense. As a practice, burning incense has been passed down by various cultures throughout history. The purposes have varied between era and region, but its connection to spirituality has been inextricable throughout: from measuring the passage of time in ancient China, to copal resin smoke filling the sweat lodge ceremonies in Indigenous Mexico, to being an integral part of worship and prayer in South Asian traditions.

Some beliefs suggest that the smoke itself can be energetically cleansing, or that when used in meditation, aroma can be a tool to bring us back into ourselves, our senses, our breath. Since I was a teenager, it’s been one of the most tangible ways for me to access spirituality — there’s something special about the lingering smell of burnt perfume it leaves on my hair and clothes, the way in which white smoke curls into itself while burning.

• Burning incense brings things into sharp focus: Once the smoke clears, whatever problem I have — or the person I want to be — becomes clearer too.
• In retrospect, it’s also the ritual itself that’s felt necessary.
• With any ritual — even the ones that don’t seem inherently spiritual, like drinking coffee alone in the morning or taking a walk around my block at night — the magic lies in the action.

I read somewhere that cigarette smokers are just as addicted to the ritual of smoking as they are to the nicotine. I don’t know if this is scientifically true, but the idea resonates with me: There are so few moments left in the world that feel like ours — where we can stretch out time and space.

A ritual serves as a small moment of possibility, where if you will it, your bad thoughts might be absolved; you might emerge new again. “We do rituals every day,” says Marlene Vargas, co-founder of L.A. spiritual institution House of Intuition. “But we don’t do it with intention. If and when we start to really learn ritual through intention, that is where the beauty and the magic lies.” For millennia, incense has served as a portal to this feeling — or a chance at manifesting it.

It’s something that hits the olfactory system strongest, activating an innate knowledge within us: We know this smell, on a cellular level. We know, either directly or ancestrally, that it’s connected with something holy. Today, there are a variety of incense makers and vendors selling organic sticks and powders and coils and blends in elegant scents that evoke leather and eucalyptus, while at most liquor stores, you can still find the synthetic classics, like “Sex on the Beach.” In 2022 L.A., incense is as crucial to our daily routines as it was thousands of years ago.

1. It’s not just about lighting a stick and perfuming your home.
2. It’s about the energy behind it.
3. Through the ritual of burning incense, we invite in hope.
4. The scent meets you out on Crenshaw before you even walk into Taj Mahal Imports, the local outpost for scented body oils, shea butter, Jamaican black castor oil and, yes, rows and rows of handmade incense.

They come in long plastic baggies dripping with a mahogany oil that stains your fingers with their spicy fragrances. Novelty scents have names like “Michelle Obama,” “Dolce & Gabbana,” “Paris Hilton,” “Lick Me,” “Patti LaBelle,” “Cashmere” and “Baby Powder.” Around a dozen wooden sticks come in a $1 bag.

1. Looking at the wall of incense names is like looking into a crystal ball of collective references — from pop culture, from group memories of smells, feelings, aspirations — that were ground up and turned into something to be burned.
2. Similarly, when you duck into Incense Route, a small corner shop at the entrance of the Wholesale Plaza off Los Angeles Street, stacked incense boxes offer chances at love, new clients for your business or a way to block envy from others.

There are the labels that claim they’ll usher in good luck and blessings forever; others promise a festive night or to open your third eye. So much of choosing the right incense lies in what you’re looking to will into existence, or be in communion with. In 2022 L.A., incense is as crucial to our daily routines as it was thousands of years ago. It’s not just about lighting a stick and perfuming your home. It’s about the energy behind it. At House of Intuition, customers come in search of money, love and healing — in that order.

The 10-store chain, which started in Echo Park in 2010, sells all-natural loose incense blends, resins and handmade sticks. Of the blends, there’s Iré Ayé, which mixes patchouli, palo santo, frankincense powder and dragon’s blood, ingredients that together “manifest monetary abundance and encourage a magical rain of riches.” Fe Ocan, a deep red blend of gum arabic, roses, white copal, red sandalwood and amber, “encourages love in all forms.” Iwala “balance both the physical and spiritual body” with gum arabic, sandalwood, lemongrass, orange peel, frankincense and white copal.

Plants are said to hold certain properties themselves, explains Vargas. The resins (fragrant hardened sap from trees) sold at House of Intuition — which include white copal, dragon’s blood, frankincense and myrrh — serve different purposes. “Those are the most traditional incense,” says Vargas.

1. The ones that have been here thousands of years.
2. They have a lot more longevity to them.
3. However, we don’t use them as often because they are sacred tools.” When doing a cleansing ritual at someone’s home, Vargas will use dragon’s blood to either dispel heaviness or bring in love; she uses white copal to invite spirits back in.

Frankincense, the energy of which Vargas likens to a father figure, creates a force field of protection; and myrrh is often seen as a metaphor for Mother Earth because of its grounding effect. Choosing which one to burn is the same as picking up a cash-green incense box that says “Attract money.” “It’s all about the intention,” says Vargas.

1. For my 18th birthday, right before I moved out on my own, my older, cooler cousin — who at the time was back in town from traveling the jungles of Mexico — gave me a gift.
2. Inside the bag was a small metal tray, a roll of charcoal disks and a bag of sticky, golden resin I would later learn was copal.
3. She broke it down to me: how I had to heat the charcoal and burn the copal over it, how it was meant to cleanse my space and stimulate my energy.

There’s a woodsy headiness to copal. It’s not something you can light and forget about — the energy envelops you; the thick, milky smoke becomes inescapable. When my cousin gave me this set of things, she emphasized that I was participating in a sacred ritual with years of history behind it.

1. We’ve done this for ages: watch history go up in smoke.
2. Incense has been burned long before our generation (some of the earliest traces go back to ancient Egypt) and likely will be burned long after us.
3. There’s a comfort in not only practicing a tradition we find meaningful but also passing it down to the people we love, who then find their own meaning in it.

The ritual may change — and has, depending on historical time frame and culture — but the purpose of ritual remains: to anchor us. We do rituals every day, whether we realize it or not, explains Alex Naranjo, the other co-owner of House of Intuition. Something she’s turned into a spiritual practice after a year of difficult losses is her morning shower. Water is the element of emotion, after all.

Naranjo imagines it as not only a physical wash but an emotional one, the heaviness or depression spiraling down the drain. In this space, Naranjo allows herself to cry. The water coming out of the showerhead serves as an example and a metaphor. Releasing allows her to better connect with her mother, whom she recently lost, or her dog Jackson, who died last month.

“It brings me a sense of comfort, like I’m connecting with somebody that I love,” Naranjo says. “It doesn’t have to be this big drawn-out ritual — small things that we do on a day-to-day basis can turn into something meaningful because it’s carried out with intention.” My own incense ritual always has the same beginning and the same objective.

At the center is me, feeling too small in a world so inexplicably big, trying to grasp something that is none of my business (life, existence) and searching for a sense of delusional control. I’ll clean my apartment first — wash the dishes, make my bed, wipe down surfaces, water my plants — and only when I’m done do I scan my options.

The growing collection of scents on my coffee table offers up an accurate snapshot of my subconscious wants and needs: “Money Matrix,” “Anti-Stress,” “Super Hit,” which “helps reduce the negative and increase the positive aspects of all zodiac signs.” I grab one of the long sticks, put the wooden end between my teeth and light it with my lime-green lighter like a joint.

• I take the stick out of my mouth, blow out the flame, place it in the cheap, wooden incense holder I got from Santee Alley and take a deep breath.
• Now I can really begin or end my day.
• My apartment has an arched doorway, which somehow seems symbolic.
• Crossing it feels like crossing into a sacred space — reflection and forgiveness and revelation happen here.

I break myself down and build myself back up here. The leftover smell hits me first: warm ash, charred flowers, sappy trees and sandalwood. It smells like years’ worth of incense that was burned trying to manifest love, happiness and success. “It takes you back to that memory of being in a space of prayer,” Vargas says of incense.

1. It takes you in that sense of sacredness, of when we walked into a space that we believed with holy faith that God existed in.
2. Burning incense makes me think of those moments.” When I light one in here, as the golden rush of evening or morning light beams through the blinds, revealing the swirling streams of smoke dancing toward the ceiling, it feels like seeing some version of the divine.

More stories from Image : L.A. can assign sanctity to anything. But nothing brings clarity like burning incense

What is the spiritual meaning of burning incense?

Meditation – In many religious practices, burning incense is believed to deepen our attention and empower our spiritual focus. The aroma of incense can help you tap in your spiritual connections. It calms the environment and your mind, cleansing the space for inner and outer journeys. It is best used as a premeditation ritual at the beginning of each session.

Why not to burn incense?

Is burning incense linked to respiratory cancers? I read online about a study that linked heavy incense use with cancer. Should people stop burning incense to avoid this risk?” Some studies have found that burning incense indoors increases the levels of chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which have been linked to,

This makes sense – burning any sort of organic material, whether tobacco leaves, coal or an incense stick – produces PAHs. But the mere presence of PAHs does not mean that people have a higher risk of cancer. It comes down to the dose. Does burning incense produce enough of these chemicals to actually affect a person’s cancer risk? The largest study so far, looking at incense use and cancer, tracked the health of 61,000 people in Singapore.

Although the study claimed to show that people who used incense most heavily were almost twice as likely to develop cancer in their airways than those who did not, the results were weak. The differences between the two groups could have been down to chance, or the fact that people who use incense are far more likely to smoke cigarettes than those who did not.

• For the most part, the study’s results showed that incense use did not increase the risk of cancer and, even if it did, the rise in risk would be very small.
• Regardless, anyone wishing to avoid any potential risks could consider burning incense only in situations with good ventilation.
• Remains the biggest cause of and other cancers of the airways.

Tobacco smoke contains loads of PAHs, as well as dozens of other cancer-causing chemicals. And smoking can also worsen the effects of other chemicals. : Is burning incense linked to respiratory cancers?

Can I use incense to pray to God?

How incense can improve your prayer life Datu Arellano | Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 – published on 02/06/20 Incense has been part of the Catholic Church’s public liturgy since the very beginning, but can also aid a person’s personal prayer life as well. Many health and wellness experts point to frankincense and its innate ability to heighten our senses during meditation and prayer.

It appears the Creator may have had this intention all along, as numerous religions and spiritualities turn to incense for a more prayerful experience. For example, according to Mary Elizabeth Wakefield, highlighted on, “Frankincense lifts the spirit, thus it is good for meditation, and treating mental distraction or the feeling of being overwhelmed.

It strengthens the immune system, addresses insomnia, irritability, restlessness and supports spiritual freedom and expressiveness. It connects us to our higher selves.” This shouldn’t be surprising, as we are humans and what we do with our body does have a direct impact upon our soul.

• This unity of body and soul allows all of our senses to be engaged in prayer (sight, hearing, taste, sound, touch) and assists our soul in being raised up to God.
• In a particular way, incense possesses deep symbolism in the Christian tradition.
• Nikolaus Gihr details in his book The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass how incense is first of all a symbol of sacrifice.

It symbolizes, first, man’s spirit of sacrifice or his life of sacrifice, for he consumes himself with all his faculties in the fire of love for the honor and service of God, Furthermore, incense is meant to represent our prayers rising to God. Then the odor of incense which arises from the burning grains and ascends in its fragrance, also symbolizes prayer.

Prayer is the surrender of the soul to God, the elevation of the mind and spirit to Heaven, the aspiration of the heart toward goods invisible and eternal. If the grains of incense be cast on burning coals, a pleasant odor will arise; if the heart, like unto a glowing coal, is set on fire with the flames of divine love and ardent devotion, then our prayer will free itself from all that is earthly, and will ascend to the Lord as a sweet and precious perfume, that is to say, our prayer will be received with favor and pleasure and will be answered by Him.

When it is blessed by a priest, incense is even believed to drive out evil spirits, As a Sacramental incense is, then, a means to secure the divine protection and blessing. By virtue of the sign of the Cross and the blessing of the Church incense is especially made efficacious for expelling or keeping at a distance Satan from the soul, and for affording us a powerful protection against the deceit and malice, the snares and the attacks of evil spirits. Read more: Read more:

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: How incense can improve your prayer life