People who are looking forward to carry out certain religious and spiritual practices, often wonder how to burn frankincense. If you too are thinking about the same, then you can learn to burn frankincense and myrrh from the following article.
You must have seen people burning frankincense and myrrh at many sacred, religious ceremonies as well as during Christmas. They both are dried tree sap and are procured from trees belonging to the genus Boswellia and Commiphora that give us frankincense and myrrh, respectively. The sap is collected from the trees, just like one collects a rubber tree sap. A small cut is made on the bark of the tree and it is allowed to ooze out. The sap oozing out is allowed to dry on the tree itself and then the hardened sap is collected for further use. Frankincense is burned as its smoke has multiple benefits.
How to Burn Frankincense Resin
As we already know, people burn frankincense and myrrh resin during ceremonies, while undergoing aromatherapy and for reducing anxiety. If you have got home some frankincense and myrrh resin, you can burn it easily without much fuss to do. All you need is a seashell, bowl or any other container that will heat up without burning itself. You can even purchase special incense burners available in the market to burn frankincense resin. You will also need some self-igniting charcoal, sand, matches or a lighter. Now, follow the steps below and learn to burn frankincense and myrrh.
Step 1
Take an abalone or seashell or a small bowl or container that is able to transfer heat without getting burned. Fill it with about 1 inch of sand and place it on a non-combustible surface.
Step 2
Hold the charcoal with tongs and burn the outer edges with the flame by using a lighter or a good match stick. Once the charcoal catches sparks and spreads throughout the coal, you can kill the burning flame.
Step 3
Place the burning coal in the center of a dish on the top of the sand filled in the non-combustible bowl. Fan the coal using an old newspaper, plastic hand fan or your hand to keep it burning.
Step 4
Carefully place about 1/4 teaspoon of the frankincense or myrrh resin over the burning coal. Fan the coal to allow it to burn the resin and spread the smoke. If the resin burns out, add a little more till the coal becomes cold.
This is all you need to do when trying to burn frankincense and myrrh. Isn’t it simple? You can even use a heated aluminum foil to burn the frankincense. Do not use any other non-stick pans to burn frankincense. This is because they tend to emit harmful toxic fumes when heated dry. Now, let us have a quick look as to why people burn frankincense and myrrh.
Uses of Frankincense and Myrrh Resin
Frankincense has many useful properties that has made it a popular incense since many ages. It was found that frankincense and myrrh act as antibacterial agents, killing micro-organisms in the air. Thus, frankincense was burned during religious ceremonies that were attended by large number of people. It helped reduce the spread of air-borne infections during these large congregated ceremonies in churches and temples. Arab physicians found out that frankincense healed wounds, relieved toothaches, reduced fever as well as get rid of insects. Thus, burning it in one’s dwelling daily helped clean the area and reduced spread of diseases. It proved to be a natural insecticide and helped keep moths and other parasitic insects away from food. People mixed sandalwood and other sensuous aromatic incense along with frankincense. When burned, it helped create an erotic atmosphere. Apart from these frankincense uses, it is known to have many spiritual effects as well. It is said that frankincense helps one’s spirit to rise towards heaven during a prayer, meditation, etc. It clears the innermost sensitive channels and carries the prayers to heaven.
These were some of the many uses of the aromatic frankincense and myrrh resin. Now, that you have learned how to burn frankincense, you can try it at home. It will help cleanse the air around your home and refresh the atmosphere. Hope you have found the above information useful and helpful to enjoy the pleasant fragrance of frankincense.
