Frankincense is made from plants of the special cistus family. A large number of these plants are brought from the Mediterranean, where herbs and flowers are very common. You can get incense mixture from ordinary cedar, spruce or pine resin, but the extraction process will be somewhat complicated, because natural turpentine must be removed from the resin. The peculiarity of the imported material is its pleasant sweet smell, incense made from resins has a tart aroma, after which there is often a bitter taste in the mouth.

The "magical" properties of incense are quite understandable - incense contains the same substances as hashish. Tetrahydrocannabiol acts on the brain to increase the production of serotonin.

Frankincense from the resin of the boswellia tree is considered to be the highest quality and rare - it is a dew incense, which is isolated from the Lebanese cedar. Most often it is delivered in the form of hardened resins, chopped into small blocks. The bars were ground by the monks into powder, usually white or pink, after which they were packed in bags and diluted with oils to the desired consistency. Frankincense was allowed to rest for about a couple of hours.

Smoking incense

Since ancient times, burning incense has been considered a form of reverence and making a special sacrifice to a higher being, God. Thus, from time immemorial, people have tried to appease higher powers, to raise prayer and gratitude to heaven.

Frankincense is at the very origins of ancient Christianity, and the ancient Egyptians even mixed it with special oils and used it as a kind of medicine. Today, incense is isolated from the resin of cedar trees and larch, and aromatherapy is also widely used.

According to ancient Christian beliefs, a small bag of incense, tied to a cross, was able to ward off evil spirits and protect a person from an evil spirit, it was from here that "runs like the devil from incense."

Fight against evil spirits

Church incense was considered the main product for identifying and sorcerers, ground to powder and added to the drink, it led evil spirits into a state of disorientation and allowed Christians to pinpoint dangerous and suspicious individuals. The rituals of "hysteria", or in translation into modern language, the expulsion of the devil, were also accompanied by the burning of the same church incense and the expulsion of the evil spirit from the patient through the crack of the necessarily ajar door.

In Russia, incense was used to carry out the so-called "plowing", when furrows were fumigated for reading to exclude pestilence and all kinds of misfortunes on the harvest. It was in ancient times that respiratory diseases, in particular tuberculosis, were treated; incense was also placed at the bedside of people suffering from severe pain.

There were even special incense books, in which all expenses for church incense were recorded, churches, monasteries and all their inhabitants were scrupulously listed, to whom valuable incense was given for use.

The smell of incense is considered a symbol of the higher, divine world, which is a serious force in opposition to the devilish, lower worlds. Being a powerful way of communication and laymen when performing the rite of worship and reading prayers, the censer with incense pleasantly smoking in it remains a deeply revered religious tradition today.

Anna's article is actually a collection of interesting information and opinions regarding one of the most ancient substances used for incense - incense.

Incense

Frankincense is obtained from an aromatic resin secreted by plants of the Cistus family (Cistus) found in the Mediterranean.

The smoking of incense and incense is the most ancient form of sacrifice to God. Long before the formation of the Old Testament rituals, almost all developed cultures of the ancient world used incense with incense resins and mixtures of these resins with fragrant herbs and branches of special trees as a peaceful sacrifice to God trying to win His mercy.

Incense was placed on hot coals, and their smoke went under the dome of the temple or into the sky, carrying away with the aroma of incense all the requests of a person, tears, prayers and gratitude to God.

In the illustration - frankincense, Greek, monastic in retail packaging of 50 g.

As the simplest and most natural form of sacrifice, incense was organically included in the New Testament worship. In addition to the well-known healing properties of incense, as well as its use in the East to welcome guests, incense burning also has a deep symbolic meaning.

The history of the appearance of incense

Frankincense is one of the most ancient incense. In the Bible, it is gold, frankincense and myrrh that are described as the gifts of the Magi to Jesus.

And entering the house, they saw the Child with Mary, His Mother, and falling down, they worshiped Him;
and opening their treasures, they brought him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
(Matthew 2:11)

In the Bible, a substance called "pure Lebanon" is incense in the modern sense. From the origins of Christianity, the composition for incense was four-component, where incense was one of the equal constituent parts. Over time, what they used to burn incense in the Christian church began to be called in one word - incense. So this name has become unifying for a large group of various substances and complex compositions.

And the Lord said to Moses: Take for yourself some fragrant substances: stuckti, onikha, halvana, fragrant and pure Lebanon, half in all,
and make of them by the art of making a suit a smoking composition, worn out, clean, holy,
and interpret it finely, and lay it before the [ark] of revelation in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will reveal myself to you: it will be a great shrine to you;
do not make incense, made according to this composition, for yourselves: it shall be holy to you for the Lord;
(Ex. 30: 34-38)

The ancient Egyptians often mixed frankincense with cinnamon oil and rubbed in this mixture to relieve pain in the limbs, and also included frankincense in anti-aging masks, and the Chinese considered it to be an effective remedy for scrofula and leprosy (leprosy). By the way, in the composition of the now known drug "arthro-active" there is an extract of natural incense. Those. the knowledge of the ancient Egyptians about the treatment of joints was not in vain ...

In the CIS countries, real incense is not used very actively. Basically, it is now made from the resin of coniferous trees - spruce, cedar, larch, but in European countries the question has already been raised about the possibility of imposing restrictions on children attending religious ceremonies with active incense burning due to suspicion of pro-carcinogenic effect... Frankincense is currently used in perfumery and aromatherapy (mainly in the form of an essential oil).

Frankincense (Olibanum) is made up of the resin of many types of trees. At high temperatures, the resin decomposes, and biocatalysts are released, which cause an increase in the sensitivity of both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. It is believed that inhaling incense smoke facilitates the expansion of consciousness. This fact was already known to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who used incense for sacrificial fumigations in their temples, including the temples of the Oracles. The Orthodox and Catholic Churches, as well as magicians and sorcerers of all cults, have used and are using incense for thousands of years for rituals and consecrations.

Incense and censing in the Russian tradition

In one of the first places in the fight against evil spirits, folk wisdom among Russians puts incense. This is reflected in folklore, proverbs: "Afraid as the devil of incense." Or: "He runs like the devil from incense", "You can't smoke his incense", "Holy spirit, incense smelled", "Frankincense is on devils, and prison is on thieves", "Frankincense is on the collar, and the devil is on the neck" (that is, on the neck is put on "incense" so the Russians called a bag of incense worn on the neck, it was believed that it protects against misfortunes and evil spirits. Usually this bag was hung to the body cross.)

In the everyday dictionary, Russians have enough words associated with incense, and devices for its storage and use, for example, a vessel for storing incense was called "incense". The "incense burner" was also widespread, which was placed in front of icons, usually made of copper in the form of a ball, with a cross on top. Such information can be found in the "Dictionary of the Russian language" compiled by V. Dahl. True, Dahl is a little mistaken in defining incense as the resin of Juniperus turifera, and this is known as juniper.

In general, at the time of Dahl in Russia there was no clarity in the botanical definition of the origin of incense, for example, A. Starchevsky's Encyclopedic Dictionary published in St. Petersburg in 1853 from the chapter "Incense" sends the reader to the chapter "Balsam" and there, among the natural balms, mentions: "galbanum, myrrh, garbage, dew incense, styrax." On this, traces of real incense are simply lost here. Thirty years later, in the encyclopedic dictionary "Pomegranate" incense is defined correctly, it is the resin produced by wood Boswellia... By the way, I wrote this article about incense for the dictionary - Fr. Pavel Florensky.

In the Middle Ages, "Frankincense books" were known in Russia; they included the costs of incense and vestments, which were released from the state order to various Moscow and nonresident churches, as well as to the sovereign and tsarina. The main interest is where, to which monasteries and churches incense and vestments were sent, as well as information about the persons who appeared in the order to receive these things. These books belong to the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich and are kept in the archives of the Moscow Armory.

Since incense was used in the church, it was also used among the people, sometimes with a somewhat pagan tinge or even magical. For example, in the Sarapovsky district of the Vyatka province in the 19th century, there was such a way of identifying sorcerers. It was necessary to take the "forty-dinner incense," that is, which lay on the throne during the Forty-Mouth, grind it into powder and add it to wine or beer. Then it was necessary to give the suspicious person a drink, after which he (if he was a sorcerer) began to walk around the hut from one corner to another, and at the same time could not go out the door. To do this, he needed to be given ordinary water to drink, only then he could leave the house, but at the same time such a sorcerer allegedly lost all his magical power.

In Russia, they did not do without incense in the treatment of so-called "hysteria", that is, a special kind of mental illness or demonic possession, in which a person suffering from this ailment shouts out various incoherences or imitates the cries of animals. If the seizure was strong and the patient could not move, then they brought him into the hut and began to smoke incense from three sides, so that the side open to the door was free and the devil could leave the patient and go out into the street. It was believed that since a demon attacks a person from the inside, then only incense can penetrate there and drive him out of the possessed one.

In the Oryol region, incense was used for these purposes, collected from twelve churches and boiled with water in a cast iron twelve times in the morning. Then this broth was poured into a damask, after which the patient was allowed to drink.

Frankincense is also the main means during the "plowing" rite, which is very important for the Russian village.

The illustration shows the execution of the plowing rite. Photo of the beginning of the 19th century.

The ceremony is performed in order to protect the village from pestilence, that is, epidemics that threaten both livestock and people. For its commission, as a rule, girls and widows gather and, at night, harnessed to a plow, plow a furrow around the village. In the Sudogsky district of the Vladimir province, the rite of "plowing" is carried out under the Spirits of the day, while they sing "May God rise again" at all intersections of the roads leading to the village, a cross is carried out with a plow, and incense is laid in specially dug holes. Here we are obviously faced with ancient pagan cleansing rituals that the people are sweetly trying to disguise as something churchly.

In the Orthodox Church, before the liturgy, a sexton lights a censer, and then a priest or deacon censes them during the service. This is how the "censing" is described in the "Liturgical Statutes of the Orthodox Church." published in Moscow in 1902: “The priest accepts the prepared censer and puts incense in it, and secretly reads the censer prayer.

We bring the smoke of incense to You, O Christ our God, as the aroma of a spiritual scent, having received it into Your Altar, which is above all heavens, bestowed upon us the grace of Your Most Holy Spirit "- so translated into Russian, the prayer sounds, which any Orthodox priest must read before each censing in the church. Then the deacon takes a lighted candle; the priest censes near the throne on its four sides, the altar and the entire altar; the deacon accompanies him during the incense.

When the censing of the altar is over, the latter passes through the royal gates and, turning his face to the throne, proclaims: "Rise. Lord, bless." The priest, standing in front of the altar and making incense, utters the initial exclamation: "Glory to the holy and consubstantial ..." and to the singing from the choir: "Bless my soul ..." The priest leaves the altar and, accompanied by the deacon, censes local icons, the entire church , clergy, and people.

According to the ancient Russian tradition, the priest, while censing the people with the help of a special metal censer on chains, quietly says: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you", and the laity mentally answer: "The same Spirit helps us all the days of our life (ie our life)".

Here we see how important the Church of Christ attaches to censing, as a symbol of the power of the Holy Spirit that revives us and constantly helps us, One of the Hypostases of the Holy Trinity. At the end of the censing, the royal gates will certainly be closed.

It is interesting that even now the pious priest does not kindle coal in the censer with a match, but uses a candle for this ... From other sources it is known that if you have to light a match in the church, then the smoke from it is released into the window, since the smell of sulfur traditionally opposes the smell of incense and symbolizes the lower worlds.

About the quality of incense and not only

For a Russian person, those symbols and actions that remind of the constant and invisible presence of God in our life are dear. Here and further in this subchapter - the opinion of Hegumen Silouan.

The roads of allusion to the sacred history of the salvation of mankind from slavery to their mistakes and vices, from slavery to the devil. There is nothing unimportant in any temple. Only the most important and necessary for the transformation of the soul is brought into an Orthodox church, performed and pronounced in it.

Therefore, it is natural for a Christian to use the very best of what mankind has worked out for worship. Including the best types of architecture, music, textiles, metals, incense.

"Why is there so much gold in the churches of Christians who preach about non-acquisitiveness, simplicity and humility?"

If among our parishioners there were only completely indigent people, the poverty of the decoration of the temples could still be understood. But if our priests and parishioners allow themselves expensive clothes, cars, household items in everyday life (which in itself is neither good nor bad), then the poverty of the temple would only testify to the readiness of these people to spend money only on vanity, denouncing hypocrisy. If the best is only in our homes, and not in our churches, then this is evidence of the weakness of our faith.

Naturally, for the ancient rite of burning incense, that is, the burning of aromatic resin as a sign of sacrifice and worship of God, the best materials are used. But what does "as much as possible" mean, and how to determine which grades of incense are "best"?

Of course, in many ways, "worst is best" is a matter of human taste. Someone likes a floral scent, someone is viscous, harsh, balsamic, someone prefers the natural aroma of fragrant resins.

The main thing here is different. Are we really ready to find the best (and usually quite expensive) incense for incense, or are we just content with cheap and affordable?

Indeed, just as there are fakes in painting and music, so there are unfairly made varieties of incense.

For example, many church jokes include the low quality of modern everyday incense made from rosin with the addition of unnaturally pungent aromas, as they used to say, "waste of the perfume industry" and nicknamed "death to flies and all old women" by unknown church witches.

Indeed, when using this incense, the short initial fragrance is replaced by an acrid and irritating stench of the mucous membrane of the nose and larynx, fumes, accompanied by strong smoke. Singers' throats catch, people are tormented, forced to inhale a dubious "fragrance".

Although this is not the worst thing. One of my acquaintances, the archimandrite, talked about the first years of his ministry, and among other things, he told about how at his first parish, in the early nineties, the priest who preceded him, saving church money on incense, "censed" ... with finely chopped stubs of paraffin wax candles! Needless to say, people were suffocating from such a stench even in that big rural church, and the youth were even afraid to look into the church ?! However, such an egregious case of a greedy priest's neglect of his pastoral duties did not remain without an explicit punishment from God - a few years later, this unscrupulous abbot, still quite a young man, died of a complex form of cancer and was never able to "enjoy" the "saved" money ...

Maybe these types of incense and "censing" that should not be sacrificed to God, and prevents people from praying quietly, make them dizzy and nauseous, together with the fumes from cheap candles and bad lamp oil "drives" them out of the temple? ..

The easiest and most natural way out is to go to the coniferous forest and collect resin. Spruce, pine, cedar. But there is a catch. It is necessary to remove the turpentine from it, which gives an unpleasant overtones in the smell when burning incense. Therefore, it is necessary to either withstand the resin for several years, waiting for the turpentine to disappear, or cook it, clean it from impurities. But you have to know how to do it. If the resin is digested, then it loses a significant part of its original pleasant smell, and becomes close in aroma to rosin. Those who have been soldering can imagine how burning rosin smells. This fragrance can hardly be called the best of the scents offered as a sacrifice to God.

Wanting to improve the aroma of resin, the Russian people from ancient times began to mix in it with aromatic herbs and other aromas, for example anise (incense with aniseed aroma was found during the excavation of the Tithe Church in Kiev). And this already requires a complex technological process and well-known art - if you just throw rose petals into pine resin, you will not get a fragrance when burning incense.

Before the revolution in Russia, they knew how to cook incense, centuries of experience affected. In some parishes, these amazing examples of the pre-revolutionary art of incense-making are still preserved in the collections of priests. Beautiful, large ingots from dark brown and ocher to greenish and lilac, they surprise with their fragrance, conveying the fresh sweetness of the Russian forest, garden, honey, and herbs. At the same time, they are not at all like perfume or any other secular perfumery, but only remind of the unearthly sweetness of Paradise ...

Unfortunately, the Russian Church, having gone through the hard times of revolutionary upheavals and years of godless power, has lost many unique technologies, and the recipes for making high-quality incense from natural Russian ingredients have also gone into oblivion. And even if craftsmen-incense have survived somewhere in Russia, then almost nothing is known about them and it is almost impossible to get their incense.

Until the 70s, quite decent Russian incense was still made in the patriarchal workshops, but later it also changed for the worse. The recipe is often changed by the Sofra masters, they even began to make a rather good likeness of Greek incense from Malaysian incense and resins (varieties "Patriarch", "Bishop"), but they have not yet been able to achieve either the old or the Athonite (see below) quality.

Attempts to cook good incense, however, are being made to this day by craftsmen in monasteries in the Urals and in some other places. Quite good incense of different varieties (especially "Oakmoss", "Eastern", "Golden", "Nikolsky", "Rose") is made by the rector of the Moscow church of St. vmch. Irina. But all the components included in its products are imported, and the smoke of incense, its "aftertaste", is rather unpleasant.

An unknown manufacturer offers in a church store on Pyatnitskaya in Moscow neat pieces of incense of the Khilandar, Lesnoy, and Gorny varieties with a pleasant, slightly confectionery smell and prolonged burning, however, not offensive.

A very good incense of the Athonite type is made in the Mordovian Sanaksar monastery by the cell attendant of the famous deceased elder schema-abbot Jerome, Hierodeacon Ambrose, and the brethren of the Ryazan skete of the Danilov monastery in Moscow.

A special rarity was the so-called "dew incense", "Lebanon", brought by merchants from southern countries and highly valued. This is the hardened resin of a special Boswellia tree (Latin boswellia), which we often call the Lebanese cedar.

Since ancient times, this resin has been used not only for burning incense, but also added to ointments, balms and other medications. However, the very aroma of an incense "Lebanon" has a strong healing effect in aromatherapy.

This resin - "Lebanon" (olibanum) is still imported to Russia in large quantities and, perhaps, is the best natural incense on Earth. Different sizes of yellow translucent droplets on combustion give a pleasant natural sweet aroma with a clear lemon flavor.

By the way, what was then called "dew incense" is solid, opaque yellow-brown lumps of rare benzoin resin, with a pleasant vanilla aroma, burning very quickly when burned and instantly causing ... a slight spasm of the respiratory tract. Therefore, dew incense is not used in its pure form, but is added to improve the complex aromas.

Olibanum grows mainly in the Arabian Peninsula and northeast Africa and has many varieties. There are resins of different colors and shades of smell, slightly different from each other from a botanical point of view, but significantly different in the product they produce, namely, what is called incense. The Boswellia carteri tree produces "real", "pure" or "Arabian incense". It is customary to add the definition to the rest of the types and varieties of incense: "Indian", "Jerusalem", "African", etc. The next and closest in smell to it is the Boswellia pupurifera tree, growing in Somalia and Ethiopia, gives "Somali" or "African incense" sometimes also called "Abyssinian incense". And finally, the Boswellia Serrata tree growing in India and Persia is the source of "Indian incense".

A lower quality resin is also known - the Indonesian "dammara" (agathis dammara), the Indian "sandaraka". They are very light in structure and resemble transparent glass shards. But when burned in a censer, the pleasant, sour-vanilla smell of this resin is quickly replaced by the smell of burning, so it is not in great demand, and is also often used in incense mixtures.

Now in Moscow you can buy Omani, Somali, Ethiopian incense with a clear coniferous aroma, imported by the Moscow church of St. martyr Irina by order of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

Practically unknown in Russia are the dark resins of South American trees, which do not solidify to the end, with a spicy cinnamon aroma. Only some types of their mixtures - dark brown toluan or Peruvian balsam - can be found in Moscow. However, in its pure form, it is difficult to incense with it, as well as with dew incense - it does not tolerate the intense heat of the incense embers, it quickly burns out, releasing a highly concentrated, almost suffocating vanilla-cinnamon aroma, which delivers pleasant sensations only when it has sufficiently spread throughout the temple.

Among natural resins, it is also necessary to mention myrrh - a dark brown resin, which is rarely used in its pure form (when burned, it resembles plum gum), but is added to complex varieties of incense to improve the overall smell.

Admittedly, the most successful in the production of real incense were the hermit monks of the remote monasteries and cells of the Holy Mount Athos, who over the centuries honed the art of making fragrant incense varieties smelling of woods and gardens, combining manual labor with prayer.

The illustration shows the manufacture of incense by hand in one of the Athos monasteries.

Flavored Greek incense based on Lebanese resin is called in Greek "moschofimiam", from the words "moskhos" - meadow, and "incense" - incense.

The illustration shows a box of incense made in the Athos Vatopedi monastery.

The experience of the elders turned out to be so successful that in the overwhelming majority of cases incense makers follow the Athonite path and thus prepare incense not only in many monasteries in Greece, but throughout the world.

The illustration shows a box of incense made in the Athos Khilandar monastery, which is called Belozerka in the Russian manner.

Unfortunately, today, both in Greece and in Russia, there are often fakes of Athos incense, whose multi-colored lumps in bright packaging, the production of which is occupied by factories with not incense smoking, foul-mouthed and unbelieving employees, have very little in common with the original.

Fake incense, by the way, is an ancient art, it appeared along with the appearance of incense - as one of the most valuable and expensive incense.

First of all, they try to fake the appearance, because a person does not have a burning coal with him to check the smell, and he has to rely only on his eyes. The most often used for fake resins of coniferous trees: pine or spruce. The cheapest and most useless counterfeit is "incense" made from roasted rosin with the addition of artificial flavors and colors. Moreover, such "incense" may look like a real ...

How is church incense made?

The process of making Moschofimam is quite simple technically. Olibanum is crushed into a fine powder, a little water and fragrant oil are added to it.

The illustration shows the cutting of ready-made sausages into pieces in one of the Athos monasteries.

The resulting "dough" is thoroughly mixed, rolled into "sausages", which are then cut into equal pieces. These pieces are sprinkled with white magnesia powder so that they do not stick to each other, and they are dried. Everything, incense can be used.

The illustration shows the drying of incense pieces.

But this type of incense, with obvious advantages, has two disadvantages. First, only high-quality oil should be used for manufacturing, and not a perfumery "chemical" composition, which, when burned, can release compounds hazardous to humans.

However, this oil is very expensive, and you need a lot of incense. And if earlier Athonites made complex, kept in strict secrecy, mixtures of expensive aromatic natural oils and spices, which included up to 50 components (!), Today unscrupulous manufacturers use, with rare exceptions, cheaper perfume substitutes for natural aromas from France and Switzerland ... What is the risk of inhalation of the smoke of these chemical compounds for human health - God only knows! Therefore, experience in this matter is achieved through a lot of trial and error.

In addition, frankincense flavored with chemical oils loses its smell faster and fizzles out. Boxes with it must be wrapped in polyethylene.

The second problem is that as the incense evaporates during combustion, a foul-smelling fumes remain, which is worse, the worse the resins and oils are used in the manufacture of moschofimam.

How to understand in Russia in a huge selection of Athos incense, if on the Holy Mountain itself it is not so easy to find worthy views of it? Both on behalf of monasteries and from individual hermits, the widest selection of incense is offered. All claim the high quality and naturalness of their products. But in practice, everything is much more complicated.

Legends about amazing varieties of moschofimam made according to old recipes, the pleasant smell of which lasted for several days in the church and cell after censing, are becoming a thing of the past ...

The illustration shows a box of incense "The Great Skete of St. Anna", made in the Vatopedi monastery.

Even a simple listing of all known varieties and varieties will take up quite a lot of space. It is not easy to describe the smell, merits and demerits of so many incense.

But it is obvious that in our time, those who wish may well find themselves in this diversity something to their liking ...

Is incense completely safe?

Fumigation with large amounts of real incense can act like hallucinogens. Frankincense contains a small amount of the same biocatalyst as hashish - TCG (TetraHydroKannabiol - the active substance of marijuana). Tetrahydrocannabiol acts on the temporal lobes of the brain, which are responsible for consciousness, and promotes the active production of serotonin - the "joy hormone" of the brain biocatalyst - in combination with a sedative effect - slowing down nervous processes, causing a feeling of satisfaction and calming. The simultaneous consumption of alcohol in small quantities can significantly enhance the biocatalytic effect of frankincense.

Some people are allergic not only to incense, but in general to any smoke and fumigation. In this case, a person may feel attacks of suffocation, dizziness, loss of orientation in space. Those. rejection of incense is not at all an indispensable sign of spoilage, addiction or obsession. Drinking is also poorly tolerated by asthmatics, for obvious reasons - smoke irritates the mucous surface of the bronchi.

Self-fumigation with incense

The Church does not forbid the laity to independently fumigate their homes with incense. To do this, purchase: a censer (special - for laymen), incense, coal.

The illustration shows a box of incense from Karea, the capital of Athos.

Frankincense is burned on charcoal. In Russia, they prefer birch charcoal, which, when burned, almost does not give any extraneous odors. In Greece, on Athos, coal obtained from the vine is used for the same purposes. And in Medieval Europe, lime coal was considered the best for smoking.

In everyday life, an ordinary light bulb is sometimes used to burn incense. To do this, a ring is placed on its glass flask and a piece of incense is already placed in it, this is done so that the melted resin does not get into the electric cartridge. But, of course, it is more correct and safer to use coal and a censer.

Avicenna also advised to use incense to improve the air. But he warned that in excessive quantities it can cause headaches.

Does incense drive out evil spirits?

- "Oh, you know, but I can't go to church at all!" - An excitedly complaining woman of about 30, - "I immediately faint from the smell of incense. As soon as the incense smoke reaches me, it immediately becomes bad!"

The women of different ages present during the conversation nod sympathetically, and only one parishioner solemnly says, looking somewhere to the side with a clear sense of superiority: "She needs a lecture! It is known who is afraid of incense!"

But in all situations of this kind, a report is required (Latin exorcism), i.e. a complicated (and far from always approved by the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church due to the emergence of self-appointed exorcists and healers) procedure for expelling a person possessed by the devil tormenting his evil spirit?

Of course, in the Church there are well-known cases of a person's possession by demons, which confuse secular psychiatry, but maybe sometimes the reason for a person's poor health in the church lies in something else? For example, it can be a simple reaction of an unaccustomed organism to stuffiness and a heavy smell in the temple ... "

Conclusion

From the materials of the article, it has probably already become clear to the reader that censing is not a cessation. In addition, not every incense is generally such. In addition, even the fact who made the incense, who delivered it ... and even - who censes is important ...

The answer to the question "is the devil afraid of incense", as you see, is not at all as unambiguous as it seems at first glance.

The famous medieval physician and occultist Paracelsus argued that in unclean hands "the smell of incense can attract rather than expel evil spirits. Will is fully effective against all evil spirits.".

Materials used in the preparation of the article

1. Hegumen Siluan (Tumanov Alexander Alexandrovich), rector of the Holy Forerunner Church of the Russian Orthodox Church MP in Saransk, Republic of Mordovia
2. Site www.treeland.ru
3. Moskalev S.E. "Science and Religion" 1995 №8
4. Article "Afonskiy incense" - General Director of the group of companies "Russkiy Afon" L.L. Ezhov

Each person who once visited the temple felt that special majestic and solemn atmosphere. This atmosphere has been invariably created over a long period of time thanks to icons, church architecture, stained glass windows and dim lights. Of course, everyone who has ever been to the temple also felt that elusive aroma that always accompanies the church. This scent is slightly sweet, slightly spicy and of course soothing. This scent is created by igniting a substance called frankincense. During all church rites, incense is also used.

Frankincense - what is it, composition and properties

Frankincense is a special substance obtained from resin and has a strong aroma. The resin from which incense is made is extracted from a small tree that belongs to the cistus family that grows in the Arabian Peninsula.

For the extraction of resin, a special incision is made in the bark of a tree, the resulting liquid is dried. There are two types of incense, which differ in the way they are obtained:

1. The collection of solid pieces of hardened resin is selective.
2. Collecting resin residues from bark and soil is routine.

The next step is to grind the cured heap of resin into a powder. The process is carried out using a mortar.

The resulting powder is actually a substance called incense, which must be set on fire for the appearance of aromatic properties.

It is important to note that a special type of tree - cistus is considered a rare plant, so incense is quite a valuable material.

In the days of Ancient Rus, incense was the center of many pagan rituals. They scared away evil spirits by placing incense in dwellings. In addition, incense has been credited with healing and anti-aging properties.

The composition and types of incense

Frankincense is a processed resin derived from frankincense. The so-called real incense, which has the second name "dew" or "Lebanon", is obtained from the resin extracted from the very rare Boswellia tree, the birthplace of the tree is considered to be Arabia, it can also be found in East Africa and India.

In Russia, this tree is called the Lebanese cedar.

Lebanese cedar is divided into several types, which are distinguished by the type of incense produced:

1. Pupirifera, native to Ethiopia as well as Somalia. Frankincense varieties from this tree are named "African" or "Abyssinian" incense and "Somali" incense.
2. Carteri, located in Arabia. Frankincense from this tree has the name "Arabian". It is also called pure and real incense.
3. Serrara, native to parts of India as well as Persia. Has the name "Indian" incense. This resin has long been a part of various balms and ointments, as well as medicines. Resin from the bark of this tree is imported to Russia in large quantities. Incense in this variety has a sweet, lemon scent.

The Boswellia tree can only grow in a very limited climatic zone and requires a large number of conditions that cannot be artificially replicated.

That is why it is included in the pages of the Red Book.

The limited number of trees, the complex process of extracting resin and converting it into incense make it very valuable, hence the number of artificial substitutes.

Real incense is made most often in places where trees grow. It is possible to collect no more than 400 grams of resin from one tree.

The procedure for collecting resin, as well as its harvesting, begins at the end of winter or early spring, this is due to the climate of the territory. It is best to harvest the resin before the rainy season. And also before the juice starts moving up the trunk.

Sharp axes are used to make a deep incision in the bark. The sap released in large quantities covers the trunk of the tree and then moves to the ground.

The juice has a milky hue. After the juice has hardened into resin, the assembly begins. The process of juice hardening itself is quite long.

Frankincense has a rather complex composition, including a variety of aromatic substances. A large concentration in the composition is undoubtedly taken directly by the resin, consisting of boswellic acid, as well as olibanoresene. Next on the percentage of content is gum.

One tenth of the composition is occupied by various essential oils and their mixtures. For example, frankincense may contain cymene or fellandrene. When burned, incense releases incesol acetate. It is he who is responsible for aromatherapy when using incense. This acetate is able to enter a person into a euphoric state.

Frankincense properties

Frankincense has many beneficial properties, some of which are medicinal:

1. Experts note that incense can be used to speed up the treatment of diseases associated with the urinary tract.
2. Able to cope with indigestion and gastrointestinal problems.
3. It is a good antiseptic.
4. An excellent remedy for the treatment of arthritis and rheumatism.
5. Able to cure varicose veins.
6. Frankincense is a good remedy for various skin inflammations, rashes and acne.
7. It puts in order a shattered nervous system.
8. It can replace antibiotics in the fight against colds.
9. It is able to heal fungal as well as bacterial infections.
10. Frankincense is a great way to improve memory.
11. In addition, incense is often used in cosmetology, cooking and aromatherapy. In cosmetology, resin is added to various masks, anti-aging products and cleansing cosmetic products. Frankincense aromatherapy helps to calm the nervous state and fight long-term depression.

Also, with the help of incense, you can get rid of the addiction - smoking. Frankincense aromatherapy helps reduce the urge to inhale tobacco. There is also a special recipe with which you can permanently give up cigarettes.

It is required to prepare a special tincture, the composition and preparation method are quite simple. You need to take about 250 ml. alcohol as well as resin. The resin needs to be used about 10 teaspoons. The resin must be crushed.

The ingredients are mixed and placed in a dark place for several days. After the tincture is ready, you can start using it. It's important to do it right. The tincture is recommended to be dissolved in clean water, 20-30 drops per 100 ml. clean water.

You can also rinse your mouth with the tincture. To do this, you need to take a couple of teaspoons of the tincture and dissolve them in 50 ml. clean water. The solution can be used to gargle several times a day.

Laboratory tests conducted in the United States have linked frankincense use to cancer cell damage. At the same time, healthy cells were not damaged when using incense. The researchers specially grown the cancer cells in a test tube and treated them with Carteri Frankincense extract.

In the course of the study, it was found that frankincense actually stopped the growth of cancer cells, and then destroyed them. American experts are confident that incense should be introduced into medicine and used as an alternative to traditional therapy for the treatment of cancer. Moreover, the alternative is a more budgetary option and therefore will be available to a wider circle of people.

History of use to the present day

History knows that Christianity was not the first to use incense. Long before this, the beneficial properties of incense were discovered by the Phoenicians.

They were engaged in his trade. In ancient Egypt, incense was used for incense in temples.

Frankincense was used as a gift to offer to the gods, and it was also used in the funeral service of the departed.

The Egyptians even then noticed that incense can have a calming effect on a person, as well as introduce him into a shallow trance.

Also, the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt added resin to medicinal drugs, in addition, women used resin for cosmetic purposes.

Egyptian women made anti-aging masks with the addition of resin.

Also, people believed that the smoke emanating from burning incense was capable of expelling evil spirits.

Also, the Egyptians believed that the soul of the deceased leaves with the smoke coming from the incense.

Using incense at home

It is possible to buy incense in candle shops at any Orthodox church. You can also order from a large number of online stores specializing in Orthodox topics. Many do not know what incense is, how to fumigate a house or apartment with incense.

Frankincense, depending on the place of manufacture, can have a varying aroma. A standard container for sale can hold up to 500 grams of incense. This amount is enough for 14 days with active use.

Small boxes of incense can also be purchased in churches. Also, it is important to know how to properly light incense pieces.

At home, to kindle incense purchased in solid form, you will need:

- censer or lamp;

- incense charcoal;

- directly incense in solid form.

I have this incense, I bought it in the church shop. Pink, with a rose scent, very pleasant, but you don't need to use it much. If you use 2-3 pieces, it will be hard to breathe. 1 piece is enough.

There are several ways to light incense:

1. Using a censer.
2. Using an icon lamp.

A censer is a container made of metal or ceramics, into which special charcoal is placed.

If the charcoal is covered with white ash, it is ready to use. Next, the heated coal is placed in a censer, incense is laid out around the coal.

The scent begins to spread in a split second. To spread the scent throughout the living area, you can carry the censer around the room.

The advantage of using an icon lamp instead of a censer is the lack of coal. Instead of coal, it is necessary to use a lamp head made of metal.

First of all, the lamp itself is lit, then it is necessary to place a nozzle on it and put a piece of incense on top. With this method, the diffusion of the aroma from incense will have to wait a little.

How to properly fumigate a house or apartment with incense

It is important to properly fumigate the apartment. The process of fumigating living spaces with incense is recognized by the Orthodox Church.

This process has been practiced for many centuries in a row. To carry out the ceremony, it is necessary to invite a priest home, who will correctly build the process of fumigating an apartment or house, and read special prayers.

The church also allows self-fumigation of the living space.

At the same time, it is important to strictly observe all instructions and rules:

1. Before starting the fumigation process of a residential visit, check the air supply. The apartment must be well ventilated, all openings, windows and vents must be opened, as well as the balcony, if any.

In the Bible, three wise men from the East brought gold, frankincense and myrrh as a gift to the baby Jesus Christ, therefore it is often used in religious rituals in the church. In addition, incense is used to cleanse the home, in cosmetology, perfumery and medicine. What is incense? Frankincense is the incense or resin of the Boswellia tree that grows in East Africa, Arabia, India and has different subspecies. The Boswellia tree loves a dry, hot climate, so it can be found in Somalia, Ethiopia, Yemen, Oman. It can reach a height of 1.5 to 8 meters. The collection of resin and bark begins at the end of March and continues for several months. The harvested gum - frankincense is air dried and then used commercially with other ingredients depending on the type.

Indian frankincense, for example, is composed of 5-9% essential oils; about 15 - 16% resin acids; 20% mucins; 50 - 60% pure incense resin. In addition to Indian incense, there are many other types of this incense, to which various additional components are added. In addition, in some countries, incense is used as a dietary supplement (pharmacy) to improve memory.

In ancient times, the Egyptians used incense for embalming as well as for disinfecting purposes. And in Indian traditional medicine in Ayurveda, frankincense extracts have been used for thousands of years to treat chronic arthritis and chronic bronchitis.

Frankincense gum contains known ingredients such as essential oils, resin acids. Researchers have found that these substances prevent inflammation in the joints. The inflammation is often caused by an enzyme (5-lipoxygenase). This enzyme induces the formation of so-called leukotrienes, which support chronic inflammation. Clinical studies have shown that the Boswellia tree frankincense resin and its acids inhibit inflammatory mechanisms, thereby helping with arthritis, rheumatism.

Benefits of Frankincense Essential Oil

Frankincense essential oil is a spiritual oil that is used in aromatherapy, to cleanse the biofield, space, for medicinal and cosmetic purposes.

Frankincense calms the mind, nerves, relaxes, helps to forget the negative. In ancient Egypt, women used incense to rejuvenate their skin. Frankincense oil was used externally to treat the skin, eliminate scars (), inflammation, and relieve pain.

Frankincense oil properties: disinfectant, astringent, antiseptic, tonic, regenerating, decongestant, stimulating immunity, healing.

Frankincense oil is recommended for use in case of skin problems (acne, wrinkles, boils, scars, inflammation, dryness); to combat bacterial and fungal infections, wound healing, with varicose veins; cleansing the respiratory tract (aromatherapy); for the treatment of asthma, bronchitis, chronic sinusitis; to eliminate rheumatic pains, muscle pain; to purify indoor air and release negative energy. In aromatherapy, incense is often used to treat nerve problems (mental disorders). Frankincense vapors are able to penetrate the neural membranes.

Frankincense is good for smokers

Frankincense tincture is able to eliminate smoker's cough, as well as cleanse the lungs. In addition, it can be used to treat colds, laryngitis. Take 20-30 drops of tincture, dissolve in 100 ml of water, drink in the morning. The treatment lasts about 2 weeks. You can also gargle with tincture (1 - 2 teaspoons per 50 ml of water) for a disinfecting effect.

How to prepare the tincture? To do this, take 10 teaspoons of natural incense, pour 250 ml with pure alcohol, remove in a dark place for several days.

Many experts claim that incense is able to eliminate the urge to smoke (). Dr. Barbara Ritson explains why most believers don't smoke: they inhale incense that reduces nicotine cravings. She stated that the frankincense inhibitor acts on nicotinic receptors in the brain. American physician Ronald Boris, nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine, has proven that inhaling incense reduces cravings for nicotine by 60%. Applying inhalation 2-3 times a week for 2-3 minutes seems to be enough to get rid of addiction.

Frankincense cream with powerful moisturizing properties

The ancient Egyptians believed that the scent of incense brings wealth and prosperity, clears away negativity. In addition, frankincense can be used for cosmetic purposes, for example, to prepare a useful skin cream from it. Frankincense cream is ideal for mature, wrinkled skin, it improves its structure, moisturizes and nourishes. It can also be used to treat acne, remove scars, stretch marks (), arthritis pain, rheumatism, relieve irritation and varicose veins. The cream is usually used daily for 2 months, then the result will be visible.

Recipe:

• 100 ml coconut oil;
• 5 - 20 g of natural incense;
• beeswax with walnuts;
• vegetable emulsifier 1 g;
• 50 ml of mineral water or distilled water.

Preparation: Grind the incense in a mortar, add coconut oil, which can be seen as olive oil, mix well. Leave the composition for an hour, then put it in a water bath, stirring thoroughly for half an hour. After that, strain the composition, add beeswax, water, vegetable emulsifier and put it back in a water bath for a few minutes. If desired, essential oil can be added to the cream, but no more than 10 drops. The formulation can be stored for up to 6 months at room temperature in a sterile glass container.

Frankincense cleansing

Frankincense can cleanse your home of negative energy. To do this, fumigate your apartment, house in a clockwise direction. For this, incense should be purchased at the church. Also, during cleaning in the apartment, you should put things in order in advance, throw out the garbage, remove the dust, and clean up the rubble.

Usually, such cleansing is carried out before the holidays, or when moving to a new home. After fumigating the room, you should sprinkle all the corners with holy water and say: “Lord bless!”, “In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And now, and ever, and forever and ever! Amen!".

Explains priest Andrey Chizhenko.

According to the Orthodox doctrine, man is a two-part being: spiritual and bodily. The soul is the image and likeness of God in man. Through the body, a person connects with the material animal world. This is the great task of man. To deify oneself (that is, to begin the path of ascent to God, the path of cognizing Him, uniting with Him, or rather, with the Divine uncreated energies) and through deification deify-sanctify the rest of material nature, since man is its center and king. It seems to exist at the intersection of two worlds - the spiritual and the material. Based on this, the human body is a collaborator of the soul in the work of salvation. It is the essence of the temple of God. That is why in Orthodoxy they treat the body so carefully. This can be seen from the order of the burial.

Therefore, all the sacraments of the Church and, as a result, the divine services also have a dual nature. Example: in the Sacrament of Baptism, the priest invokes the name of the Holy Trinity - this is the spiritual main component. But the substance of baptism is completely material - water. Sacrament of Communion. Its core is the Body and Blood of Christ. And the substances for the Sacrament are prosphora, wine, water. Therefore, Orthodox divine service acts by the grace of the Holy Spirit not only on the soul, but also on the body. Anointing oil (touch), bell ringing, singing (hearing), icons, painting (sight), prosphora, Epiphany water (taste), incense incense (smell).

The family is a small church. This is also a kind of service to God and to his fellow men. Naturally, we want God's grace to sanctify ourselves and our homes, to protect us from all evil and filth. In addition, in paradise, the righteous and holy angels are in continuous worship - the glorification of the Most High. Therefore, with God's help, we are trying, as it were, to continue the temple worship (within reasonable limits, of course) at home as well. Akin to this is the monastic rite of Panagia (from the Greek language - "all-holy"), when the Mother of God prosphora, from which a particle in honor of the Virgin Mary is taken out at the proskomedia after the Liturgy, the monks solemnly transfer from the temple to the refectory, where they eat it with certain prayers, and then begin a meal. Thus, the Liturgy seems to continue, and it also continues in the cell conditions of monastic dormitories. Approximately the same thing in a spiritual sense happens to us, when we seem to “bring the temple and worship home”, arranging a divine service from our life, a sacrifice to the Almighty. Therefore, for example, before in every Orthodox house there was a “red” (beautiful from the outdated) corner, where icons were placed, incense was burned, and an icon lamp was lit. Often it was made to the east, like the altar of a temple. As a matter of fact, the red corner is a kind of home altar. In general, this is a very good tradition. Correct. The family makes a feasible sacrifice to God and makes a dwelling place for Him in their house, and He, of course, settles in it, because the loving hearts of His children yearn to meet their Father in Heaven.

Of course, it is not always possible to arrange a red corner to the east in modern conditions, but, in principle, every family can do it in general. This is our expression of love for God. The only thing I would like to say about this from experience ... It is still necessary for the images of the saints detach place in the house, so to speak, to clear it of other worldly things. And then you often have to see in houses how icons are filled with glasses or other completely mundane things. Sometimes other involuntary sacrilegious actions take place, when icons are placed together with Japanese netsuke gods that have gained popularity, various “money toads” that “bring” wealth and success, or erotic paintings. This is certainly unacceptable. A person must understand himself, Whom he serves: Christ or Beliar. It is better to throw pagan idols away or burn them, not to keep them at home.

As for the icon lamp, for example, I have it lit constantly for days. Consider the parable of the ten virgins (see Matthew 25: 1-13). In my opinion, a burning lamp, caring for it, buying lamp oil, candles for lighting it is our feasible sacrifice to Christ (a kind of tactile prayer to God) and a feasible financial sacrifice to the Church (lamp oil, candles, wicks, the lamp itself). Some light a lamp before praying. This is also good and beneficial. Any sacrifice that is feasible for a person will be accepted by God if it is made with reverence and a loving heart. The icon lamp is, of course, kindled in front of the icons.

From my experience I will say that it is better to take purified specialized lamp oil for the lamp. How many times I have tried to use ordinary sunflower oil and even refined refined oil, it burns badly, the lamp smokes and becomes clogged.

As for incense - incense and incense, it is also quite possible to use it at home. Only it is necessary not to imitate the censing of a clergyman in a church (this is still the prerogative of a priest), rather to burn incense, and not to burn incense with it.

Now in church shops there is a very large selection of incense and censers. There are special "spiders" - light metal structures that are attached to the icon lamp. On top of them is a platform. Incense is put on it. From the warmth of the lamp fire, the metal heats up - and the incense begins to scent. There are special stationary censers - clay, porcelain, metal. They need an ember. It is lit, placed in a censer, and pieces of incense are placed on top. The lid of this censer has special holes for smoke. You can light censers before prayer, you can walk around the house with Jesus or any other prayer, filling its rooms with a heartfelt appeal to God, which rises into heaven as easily as smoke from a censer.

Dispose of burnt coals as follows. If you live in a private house, it is advisable to make a hole in the clean ground in the front garden or in the garden, under a tree or bush, where you can shake out the ashes (including the incense) from burning consecrated things. You can throw ash into running water, into a river. If you live in an apartment, then it is also advisable to burn the remains of consecrated things somewhere in a park or on flower beds, then bury the ashes in clean ground. You can shake out the remains of burnt coal in flowerpots with indoor plants.

What I would like to warn against.

You don't have to turn the whole house into a church. It is important to understand that one should not only pray in the house, but also live. One, two or three places in the house, allocated for spiritual needs, are enough. Leave space in your home and for yourself, for your spouse, your children. Everything is good in moderation.

Priest Andrey Chizhenko