Fresh pine-scented incense sticks, hand-rolled in India, fill this decorative box. Packed separately beside them is a piece of clear quartz, the colourless, see-through form of quartz.
Once thought to be ice
The word crystal comes from the Greek krystallos, meaning ice. Pliny the Elder, the Roman naturalist, described clear quartz as ice frozen so hard that it would never melt.
People who work with crystals call it the master stone. It is said to be the stone of clear thinking and to strengthen the stones placed beside it. If you already keep a few crystals, clear quartz sits happily among them.
Pine in the living room
The sticks have a fresh, resinous pine scent. If you love the smell of a Christmas tree or a walk in the woods, you will enjoy this one. In Advent it is nice to light one before the tree comes into the house.
Pine stays green through winter, so tradition links it with renewal and endurance. It suits the first days of the new year too.
Burning it and placing the stone
Many people put clear quartz on a windowsill where the light shines through it. You can also set it beside your incense holder, and it stays with you after the sticks are gone. It is a hard stone, so you can rinse it with water if it gets dusty.
Burn the incense in a heat-resistant holder on a stable surface, away from anything that can catch fire. After lighting, blow out the flame so the tip just glows, and stay nearby while it smokes. Air the room afterwards and keep the smoke away from children and pets. A half-burned stick can be relit later.