If you think that incense is just a throw-back to the sixties, look again. Today's incense goes further and reaches deeper. Incense - the ancient scents made from spices, fruits, herbs, and resins - brings together peoples and cultures from around the world. It also provides an inviting way to connect with the spiritual and bring fragrance into the home. The scents of the past can still be found in classic incense, such as patchouli, rose, myrrh, sandalwood, frankincense, and jasmine. Modern fragrances can be whimsical, including cherry, watermelon, and strawberry. The choices are endless; the applications wildly diverse.

At its core, incense is a tool to evoke peace and tranquility. THE ESSENCE OF INCENSE asks: How can we apply the ritual of incense burning to deepen our own spirituality? How can we infuse our homes and our lives so that we are able to pause, to observe the importance of quiet time shared with our own spiritual force? How can we use incense to give us more personal peace and calm? How can the aromatherapeutic effects of incense add to our lives?

THE ESSENCE OF INCENSE includes inspiring suggestions for using incense in every room of the home - creativity scents in the study for journal writing, relaxation scents for lounging in the bath, sensual scents to set the mood in the bedroom. Sidebars throughout offer practical advice and unique applications for incense.

Find Balance in Your Life, Your Home, and Yourself with Incense Aromatherapy

At its core, incense is a tool to help you detach from busyness and external demands. Bring this sense of spiritual peace and tranquility into your own home. Incense can evoke different atmospheres in rooms and spaces as diverse as the bedroom, the bathroom, the study, the porch, or the garden. Place unopened packages of lavender or jasmine incense sticks in your closet or bureau drawers to gently scent to contents. Light a stick of lemon incense while bathing to awaken body and spirit. Or place a combination of crushed dried sage leaves and sage incense underneath your doormat so that the cleansing, purifying scent of sage will waft in whenever anyone enters your home.

Full of practical information, inspirational photographs, and enjoyable and relaxing exercises, The Essence of Incense will help you use an age-old practice to create a tranquil space in today's hectic world.

Diana Rosen has a special interest in the traditions of world cultures and practices that enhance spirituality in everyday life. Her previous books include The Book of Green Tea, Chai, Steeped in Tea, and Taking Time for Tea. She is also the editor of Tea Talk, a newsletter on the pleasure of tea.

the many moods of incense (2)

getting started with incense (14)

welcoming scents for the home (26)

creating harmony in the home and heart (34)

midday break for revitalizing and de-stressing (42)

scents for celebrating love (50)

pleasurable scents for the bath (56)

take a zen vacation with afternoon tea (64)

enjoying incense in the garden (72)

storytelling around the fire (80)

incense for inspiring the creative muse (88)

koh-doh: the japanese way of incense (98)

fragrance to mark time mindfully (108)

appendix: how to make incense (118)

resources (121)

index (122)