A deep red box, gold details and the word “Frankincense”: this is how HEM’s frankincense incense arrives. The box is about 25 cm long, and the sticks are made in India. You get one box, without a holder.
The scent you may know from church
Frankincense is the resin of the Boswellia tree, gathered in Arabia and north-east Africa. It has been burned in churches for centuries, so many people link it with Mass and with Christmas. According to the Gospel of Matthew, the wise men from the east brought gold, frankincense and myrrh as gifts for the infant Jesus. In Oman, the area known as the Land of Frankincense has been a World Heritage Site since 2000, and frankincense trees still grow there.
HEM’s sticks are frankincense-scented, spicy and woody; you do not get pieces of resin. If you like resin scents, the Dragon’s Blood in this series is worth trying too.
For meditation and prayer
By tradition, frankincense is lit for becoming still, before prayer and meditation. If you sit down for a few minutes each morning or evening, one stick is a good way to mark the start of that time. Burning real frankincense resin takes charcoal and a resin burner; a stick needs only a holder and a match.
Lighting, watching, putting out
Put the stick in a heat-resistant holder, light it, and blow out the flame after a few seconds. It then smoulders slowly. Don’t leave it unattended, and let in some fresh air. Before you go out or fall asleep, press the glowing end into sand or a heat-resistant bowl.