Friday I decided that my bones needed a good cleansing. One of my pieces was broken necessitating acquiring a replacement which had to cleansed, and I have been doing a lot of readings lately, so I decided to do the entire set. My cleansing process is simple and I let the bones guide me as to what they need so it varies from cleansing to cleansing. I always start by rinsing them with cool water. I usually follow this by wiping them down with Florida water. This time I had an herbal bath mixture that I helped make so I decided to rinse the bones with the herbal bath instead of wiping them with Florida water. Next I made a batch of incense to smoke them in.
Some people are gifted at mixing herbs and oils into intoxicating fragrances. I am not one of them. I like Copal, Frankincense and Myrrh, so most of the incenses I make have one or more of those ingredients as the main scent. They are strong enough to disguise poor scent choices on my part. I add herbs and oils to those resins depending on how I am led by spirit. My bone set has been through a lot lately – heavy usage followed by a spill onto the hardwood floor. My goal was to remove any foreign energy they may have picked up, soothe them from their traumatic spill, and make them attractive to the spirits. With that in mind I chose the following herbs:
- Acacia – good for spiritual work
- Althea – attractive to spirits
- Rue – cleansing
- Hyssop – cleansing
- Boneset – cleansing/healing
- Aloes Wood – cleansing
- Frankincense, Myrrh and Copal
I also added a few drops of oil – an Ancestor Oil and some Lucky Mojo Spirit Guide Oil. I burned the mixture on a charcoal and let the smoke infuse my basket with the bones inside. I swirl them in the basket a few times to make sure they are all exposed to the smoke.
Blended oils can be added to incense to enhance its power and fragrance. Here are some of my favorites from Wolf and Goat, Botanica Mystica and Lucky Mojo
Essential Oils can also be used to enhance incense
I lay a scrap of cloth in my mortar. It makes clean up much easier. The incense before being ground is in the jar.
Grounded incense. I could have continued to grind it finer but I like to have some small chunks of resin left. They seem to burn longer than when they are totally powdered.
I usually make just a small batch. I have made larger batches of incense in the past, but I still ended up adding different herbs each time I used the incense, so now I just make small amounts. I have also made incenses that did not require a charcoal by mixing herbs and oils with self-lighting incense. You can avoid mixing altogether by buying ready mixed incenses suited to your purpose.
Self-lighting incense is inexpensive and you can add your own herbs and oils.
Pre-mixed incense that fits your purpose is the easiest route of all. You can add additional herbs and oils to these as well.
Once they were smoked and the basket lid was smoked they were ready to go. I can feel the difference when I handle them. A white candle burned for them makes a nice finishing touch.
You don’t have to smoke your bones to cleanse them – it is just part of my personal cleansing ritual. I have found that the bones will tell you what they want and need in the way of maintenance if you let them. I provide a different recipe for cleansing incense in my book, but I think it is best to let spirit guide you if you decide to make your own incense. I have a small amount left – enough to do one more cleansing I think. If you have a recipe for incense that you use for your bones, please share it with me if you are so inclined. You will be helping an olfactory challenged bone reader out.
Happy Bone Reading!
Sources:
- Graal of the Unicorn Oil from Wolf and Goat
- Ancestor Oil from Botanica Mystica
- Spirit Guide Oil and Psychic Vision Incense from Lucky Mojo
- Palo Santo Oil from ZOils
- Second Sight Incense from The Mystic Dream