Why concrete is best for a ritual room floor?

Last night I was doing a ritual with a couple of other people. And we were using an incense blend that had some large "tears" of frankincense in it. During the middle of the ritual, we were all reminded why carpet, vinyl, and wood are not necessarily the best ideas for a ritual room floor. One of the frankincense tears popped (ok, maybe exploded would be a better description), and hot pieces of frankincense went everywhere. Fortunately, the floor is actually just painted concrete (the carpet was yawked out a year or two ago); so no harm was done, though it was a valuable reminder that burning resins can be dangerous.

Two more Tiphareth Incense recipes

As the result of my digging though books, trying to figure out the reasons for Slater's Tiphareth (Golden Dawn) Incense usage description, I have located two other Tiphareth incense recipes.

Tifareth (sic)

2 parts each:
Frankincense
Orange Blossoms
Cedar Chips or Ground Wood
1 part each:
Cinnamon
Clove or Clove Powder

This recipe is also from the Master Grimmoire that I found the previous (Slater) recipe in. The following is from Spirit of Air: A Complete Book of Incense by Andrew Boyd (a book I do not own, but plan on getting next month).

Tiphareth Incense

1 part Frankincense
1 part Cinnamon
1 part Benzion Resin
1/2 part Cloves

Its description of use says that it is used for devotion to enlightment, which is more of what I would expect a Tiphareth Incense to be good for.

Followup to Golden Dawn (Tiphareth) Incense

This is a followup to my posting on a recipe for a Golden Dawn (Tiphareth) Incense that I discovered in a book.

Could the recipe be a simple editorial mistake? Based on further research, I would have to say: No.

Yesterday, before going to the library to work on another research project with my wife, I did some digging though my herbal library. I was looking up the sources that I had copies of that were listed in the back of the book that I found the recipe in (the author was using out-of-print works which is one of the reasons that the book is useful).

Turns out one of the sources used was Magickal Formulary by Herman Slater. He was the owner of Magickal Childe (originally called the Warlock Shop), a New York occult shop, and the recipes in the Magickal Formulary are based on the products he made for his own store.

In a companion volume to the Magickal Formulary, Magickal Formulary Spellbook (Book II), he says: Tiphareth (Golden Dawn)---Used to cast hexes, this incense is named after the sixth sephiroth on the Hebrew Tree of Life. The blend of oils used in this admixture is used only to invoke evil spirits, however, and draws its potency from the dark side of the Tree. [It is listed as being available as an oil, incense and a powder.]

For me, the very fact that it is Herman Slater saying this makes me shout Fouled Blind!

For those, who do not know anything about Slater, let me point out that he is considered by some to be the best candidate for "Simon", the writer of the Necronomicon (Avon edition). Slater was well capable of writing a blind, just for fun and as a test.

This incense recipe is just getting more and more interesting.

Golden Dawn (Tiphareth) Incense

Occasionally during the course of researching something, I trip over something else that makes me say "Huh? Who decided that this was right?!"

Tonight, I was going though herbology formula books looking for an incense to use with geomancy workings (discovered a couple of possible ideas; open to suggestions). One of the books I was going though was Ancient Wisdom: Master Grimoire (herbs, oils and incenses: their magical uses and formulas) by Pat Kirven Sawyer. It is a fairly good book if you are into making oils and incenses, stuff like that.

But I did stumble across a recipe that made me question the authority of some of the sources used in the book.

Behold the recipe for Golden Dawn Incense (also listed as Tiphareth Incense)

Dittany of Crete (Mint)
Pine
Myrhh
Dragon's Blood
Patchouli
Balm of Peru

It does not sound too bad. Except that the description for its use said that it is for invoking evil spirits (for the casting of hexes and curses), and that the incense draws its power from the dark side fo the Tree of Life.

Huh? Says who?

I have yet to make a batch (I am sorry, but the description has me curious and don't act like you are surprised that I am willing to experiment with it); but looking over the recipe, I do not see anything that makes me think that it is a dangerous (evil) recipe. So am I wrong? Or is it the source?

Cue organ music: I guess we will have to experiment and see, won't we? Bwahahaha!

Whole Nutmeg

There are times that I really notice that I am a wicca and ceremonial magician.

Yesterday, my wife and I were at Whole Foods (formerly Wild Oats) shopping. And in the spice aisle, I spotted a jar of whole (non-ground) nutmeg.

My first thought was "What type of spell or incense would you use nutmeg for?"

It was not "What type of recipe would that be good for?" or "How would you grind that up?"

No, my mind went directly towards the estoric. Kinda scary, isn't it?

(And for the record: yes, I did buy it. Now, I just need to figure out what I am going to use it for.)