Aromatherapy and the Mind - Julia Lawless

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Oy, Vammala, 1989, p.91.

      The fire is laid, the fire shines;

      The incense is laid on the fire, the incense shines.

      Your perfume comes to me, O Incense;

      May my perfume come to you, O Incense.

      Your perfume comes to me, you Gods;

      May my perfume come to you, you Gods.

      May I be with you, you Gods;

      May you be with me, you Gods …

      The term ‘incense’ has been used in a variety of different ways throughout history. In its widest sense, it refers to a material which emits fragrant fumes by burning or vaporization. Often it indicates ‘smoke’, but it also implies ‘odour’. In ancient times incense was either composed of a single aromatic substance, notably frankincense, or was compounded of a variety of essential oils, gums, resins and spices. These were usually thrown on a fire in the form of a powder or granules, sprinkled on lighted charcoal to be offered upon an incense altar, or put inside an incense burner or censer, which could be held in the hand. Alternatively, the incense material was mixed with vegetable oils and possibly other ingredients such as honey, wax or fat and shaped into balls or cones which melted when exposed to heat, or applied to a person or the image of a deity directly in the form of an ‘unguent’ or oily perfume. In ancient times, there was in fact little distinction between incense and perfume. Indeed, the word ‘perfume’ is derived from the Latin per fumen, meaning ‘to smoke’. Any real difference between the two only developed, at least with regard to ingredients, as late as the fourteenth century in the West with the discovery of new alcoholic extraction techniques.

      COMMUNICATION WITH THE DIVINE

      Aromatics have been used as offerings and as a means of communication with the divine from time immemorial. The archaeological records and remains which have survived over thousands of years inform us that all the early civilizations used incense for worship, and that the burning of aromatic plants and oils played a central role in their cultures, especially with regard to their religious customs.

      The earliest recorded use of incense comes from ancient China, though few details of the actual rites have survived. It is probable that the Hindus absorbed the cult of incense from the Chinese and opened up the first trading routes to the incense lands of Arabia as well as to Egypt around 3600 BC.

      The Sumerians and Babylonians burned incense as a means of purification and to please their gods, while to the Hebrews the smoke of incense veiled the presence of the deity in the holy tabernacle. The early Persians used incense in their worship, as depicted on the monuments at Persepolis, and Muslims still frequently offer incense in the shrines of their saints today. The Greeks and Romans, especially the latter, were lavish in their use of incense and frankincense is still used in the Roman Catholic Church in the West. The Native Americans used fumigation as part of their ritual practices, as did many other indigenous races, such as the Australian aborigines. Even in early America, the Mayas of Mexico burned balls of copal incense for their gods and used perfume as an integral part of their grotesque practice of human sacrifice:

      EGYPTIAN PRACTICES

      The ancient Egyptians were renowned for their knowledge and expertise regarding aromatics, and the use of incense in Egypt goes back to prehistoric times. It was from Egypt and the Mesopotamian basin in the Near East that the earliest tangible evidence in the form of aromatic remnants and cult objects have emerged. Resin balls have been found in several predynastic tombs and resinous materials continue to occur among the grave treasures of dynastic times. Balls of incense were discovered in Tutankhamun’s tomb.

      Already at the time of the Old Kingdom (2686–2181 BC) the preparation and specific purposes of incense had been established. The ingredients and manufacture of various scents have been preserved on temple walls, together with directions for their use. The recipe for ‘Kyphi’, for example, is shown on the inner temple walls at Edfu, within the sacred precinct of the temple priests. This precious perfume and incense was made from a mixture of over 16 aromatic substances including juniper, cardamom, calamus, cyperus (a fragrant grass), mastic, saffron, acacia, henna, cinnamon, peppermint and myrrh, blended into a paste containing over 25 per cent resin, then shaped into pellets to be burned on specific occasions.

      Indeed, incense was indispensable for all aspects of ancient Egyptian ritual practice, notably for the elaborate ceremonies surrounding death. During the funeral rites of a dead king, incense and aromatics were not only used to protect the physical corpse from decay and to disguise the stench of putrefaction, but also to confer the transformation from the human state to that of a divinity. In The Book of the Dead, incense is called for in many rites to purify and protect the soul in the after-life, and to ensure a safe passage.

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