Incense Tutorial
Many Orthodox faithful burn incense in their homes when they pray before their icons. This smoke of the incense reminds us that our prayers are rising to God and are a sweet smelling fragrance to Him. Revelation 8:4 says “The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.” This is an ancient practice and it can be a wonderful addition to your daily prayers, filling your home with the sweet smell of prayer 🙏
Watch this short video clip tutorial:
(see original posted to Instagram)
Here’s what you’ll need:
Ceramic or metal incense burner
Charcoal discs
Tongs (I’m using brass tongs)
Incense
Lighter or matches
To hold my incense and charcoal, I store them in a small tea box with a lid. But you can find other ways to store them!
** for those who are sensitive to smoke/incense, check out this smokeless incense burner by Legacy Icons
Where to buy:
If you’re like me, you probably want to find a place that sells all of the above items for a one-stop shopping experience! Here are a few places that sell everything i’ve listed below. There are plenty of other shops that sell unique pieces so if you’re looking for something specific, I would encourage you to do just that! These items can be collected over time. But the basics you’ll need is: charcoal, incense and a safe place to burn it!
Legacy Icons
Not only do they sell wonderful quality icons, but they also sell all the items listed above! I place orders with them regularly when I order for our church bookstore, so I can vouch for their quality! They also have an incredible option of a subscription for your incense or icons, AND they offer an autoship option as well! Check out their website offering HERE.
Holy Cross Monastery
Another place I love to shop is Holy Cross Monastery! They make all their incense in house as a means to support the monastery, and it’s incredible quality! They also sell everything on the list above, with the exception of the brass tongs. Check out their website offering HERE.
Ancient Faith Store
My final suggestion is Ancient Faith Store, as they are another great one-stop shop for books, icons, and liturgical supplies needed for your home! They have everything I’ve listed above available and they ship relatively quickly! Check out their website offering HERE.
We use incense weekly in our house during our family prayers. We usually have to open a window to ensure we don’t set off our smoke detector. Usually I light the incense first and allow it to begin to smoke before beginning our prayers, but I’m confident you’ll find your own groove!
In order to consistently read the scriptures or daily saints with my children, I’ve found that having a cookbook stand with either the Bible or a Saint book that lives on the table has helped tremendously!