Incense Pellets - Dried Fruit & Honey Method

Kyphi Incense was used in ancient Egypt for religious and medical purposes.

All recipes for kyphi mention wine, honey and raisins.

Other identifiable ingredients include: cinnamon and cassia bark,the aromatic rhizomes of cyperus and sweet flag,cedar,juniper berry, andresins and gums such as frankincense, myrrh, benzoin resin, labdanum, and mastic.

You can learn more about Kyphi or Kapet Incense HERE.

The recipes listed at the above link are probably more closer to how the Egyptians made theirs than what I do, therefore I admit that my incense may not be *truly* Kyphi at all. So it's only right to title my blog *Dried Fruit & Honey Method* and not Kyphi. However my usage of wine, honey and raisins (or dried fruit) in my incense making stemmed from the knowing of the Ancient Egyptian method, I just didn't have all the ingredients at the time to make it exactly as the recipe stated. >.br/>

Okay, now the *how to's*

I'm being real lazy this morning and don't feel like writing this all out, however I will share this link that describes three methods of making it with honey, making it with dried fruit and honey and a soft resin method. I recommend this site for anyone interested in making their own incense. So please do browse around.

http://incensemaking.com/incense-pellets.htm

I have not tried the honey method just yet, but have plans to at some point. Neither the soft resins either. I can only speak about my experiences with the dried fruit and honey method for right now.

This process may seem a bit tedious to some. I mean why go through all the extra steps, when you can just grind some herbs and resins together and burn them on a charcoal disc? Well, it's just my preference; elimating salt-petre and charcoal in my incense burning. Plus the *extra's* like the soaking the fruit/raisins in wine, the honey, the mixing and the kneading, really opens it to an infinite number of possibilities, incorporating more energy...or harnessing a specific energy, especially if the incense is used for ritual or spell work.

Examples:

- You can match the properites of the dried fruit into the desire of the incense.

- You can leave the soaking dried fruit in wine in the moonlight or sunlight.

- You don't even have to use red wine, but any type of wine, liqueur, hydrosol and/or essential oil.

- You can empower some honey for a specific purpose into the incense.

- You can even incorporate numerology, or use the moon phases to how long the soaking or dried mix sits.

Sometimes, I just love the wait, as I use the moon phases and daily correspondences as my guide to make what when. I feel the waiting process builds up my energy awaiting for just that right time.

In no way I am saying that tedious or the more ingredients is better. It is just to say this method for me, has many possibilities to work with. Anyways, above all it smells absolutely wonderful and it only gets better with age! I personally think smell is important, however I know some may disagree, depending on what purpose the incense is for...etc..etc.

To avoid some mishaps with ingredients that do not smell *all that nice* together and to also save on my precious ingredients. A medium setting on the stove top, with a small tsp. of the dried incense mix placed in a bit of aluminium foil has helped me tremendously with making my own personal incense mixes. 

I leave here with some pics I took of my first batch.

Pic on left:  Far left is the soaking raisins.  

To the right my dried mix of herbs, resins and woods.

Right pic:  Are the pellets complete after kneading and shaping.  The size was a bit larger than pea size. The dried mix does not need to be finely ground.

Here is a video on how to make Incense pellets with honey or a sticky resin.

(excuse any misspellings..in a rush..)