Re: Incense and Oils
I use several brands and don't actually have a favourite, simply because it's not the brand but the purity and essential oil status that matters to me. Sometimes the 'reputable' brands are the ones who jack the prices up, so don't get too caught up in brand names or advertising.
I buy my oils from several places... mostly New Age stores, the supermarket, the chemist, and stalls at the Mind, Body, Spirit Expo we get once a year. Lavender I just get at the supermarket, because it's just as good as any other, at a quarter of the cost. It is also at a dilution that can be used neat and is still appropriate to add to bathes or burners, which makes it convenient. Carrier oils I get from my local Chemist... Almond and Jojoba mostly but they do stock others.
One place I DON'T buy from is the health food store... they often carry aromatherapy oils but are ridiculously overpriced. There's also a company here that does party plan aromatherapy oils, which are again overpriced.
As far as frankincense alternatives... depends on which purpose I have in mind. I generally use a mugwort smudge stick for purifying my space (though it smells like weed lol). That's the purpose most people use frankincense for when it really boils down to it... or at least that's the reason it's been added to most neo-pagan spells and rituals. All the other propertires can be replicated with other oils... protection, banishing, altering consciousness etc etc. If you look at a magickal oil formulary these properties are attributed to lots of oils. And these properties have very little to do with chemical compounds and more to do with correspondences and arbitrary associations anyway.
Basically... what Thalassa said. It depends on the person, their purpose and the oil in question. For most magickal purposes, fragrance oil is sufficient. This is because it's usually the scent and the psychological responses it causes that are required. You don't need the chemical compounds for that. On the other hand I just put Lavender essential oil on my inch ant sting (bastard got me in the shower)... and lavender fragrance would not have had the same effect lol.
Aromatherapy can swing either way, depending on the purposes. You can get a lot of the calming and excitory effects with fragrance (ie synthetic oils), but you wont get many of the actual physiological effects unless you have a strong placebo response. Some aromatherapy also depends on the method of delivery... massage will have an effect with or without oils added in, as will a humidifuer or steam inhalation. This can lead people to think that the synthetic oil they used really worked when actually all it did was smell nice. It's also not safe to use many synthetic fragrances in certain ways... some aren't even supposed to be used in a burner.
So it's highly variable. Generally, if stick incence 'works' for you then you'll find synthetic fragrance will too, because that's all most commercial stick incence is. But I prefer pure essential oil, because I use them medicinally as well as for magical purposes.
Originally posted by Azvanna
View Post
I buy my oils from several places... mostly New Age stores, the supermarket, the chemist, and stalls at the Mind, Body, Spirit Expo we get once a year. Lavender I just get at the supermarket, because it's just as good as any other, at a quarter of the cost. It is also at a dilution that can be used neat and is still appropriate to add to bathes or burners, which makes it convenient. Carrier oils I get from my local Chemist... Almond and Jojoba mostly but they do stock others.
One place I DON'T buy from is the health food store... they often carry aromatherapy oils but are ridiculously overpriced. There's also a company here that does party plan aromatherapy oils, which are again overpriced.
As far as frankincense alternatives... depends on which purpose I have in mind. I generally use a mugwort smudge stick for purifying my space (though it smells like weed lol). That's the purpose most people use frankincense for when it really boils down to it... or at least that's the reason it's been added to most neo-pagan spells and rituals. All the other propertires can be replicated with other oils... protection, banishing, altering consciousness etc etc. If you look at a magickal oil formulary these properties are attributed to lots of oils. And these properties have very little to do with chemical compounds and more to do with correspondences and arbitrary associations anyway.
Originally posted by Azvanna
View Post
Aromatherapy can swing either way, depending on the purposes. You can get a lot of the calming and excitory effects with fragrance (ie synthetic oils), but you wont get many of the actual physiological effects unless you have a strong placebo response. Some aromatherapy also depends on the method of delivery... massage will have an effect with or without oils added in, as will a humidifuer or steam inhalation. This can lead people to think that the synthetic oil they used really worked when actually all it did was smell nice. It's also not safe to use many synthetic fragrances in certain ways... some aren't even supposed to be used in a burner.
So it's highly variable. Generally, if stick incence 'works' for you then you'll find synthetic fragrance will too, because that's all most commercial stick incence is. But I prefer pure essential oil, because I use them medicinally as well as for magical purposes.
Comment