www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall My wife hates incense!

Friends-

I have a dilemma. My wife gets mad at me when I burn incense. She absolutely hates it! I used to burn it more regulary, but now I keep it confined to feast days Anyway, I burn pure frankincense, which, perhaps, is a bit too strong. I need something lighter. Something that smells of flowers or cinnamon maybe. Here is the problem; I go to these websites that sell incense, but I don't know what the stuff smells like. All the churches I ever attended growing up used frankincense. Can somebody give me some names of incense and what they smell like?

Thanks,

Columcille

Dear Columcille,

Yes, my wife gets "incensed" as well . . .

I've tried to use other incenses, but we discovered what the problem was - she's allergic to it.

"Holy smoke!" I said . . .

Most other incenses are lighter than Frankincense.

Being an "Ethiopofile" I insist on it, but use it sparingly and in what has become my little chapel or "Chasovnia" as I like to call it!

Going to one's room is not necessarily a bad thing . . .

Alex

I can see this happening...although it tends to make you look like a cartoon, Alex.

As far as incense goes, our churches use pure frankincense, if I'm not mistaken, and I like it, but I guess it's an acquired thing.

Columcille, I don't know if they make some of these scents with incense that one burns in a hand censer, but might I recommend (if you wouldn't mind using them?) Indian incense sticks? Among all the vanillas and blueberry scents that I hate but are commercially available, you might find sandalwood incense. This is very pleasant. I see you're from Jersey...there should be Indian goods stores around, I presume (we're fruitful and multiplying in the tri-state area), and they might have incense sticks or know where to get them.

If you don't want to go that way, s'ok, but then I defer to the others around here who use hand censer-burnable incense. Just wanted to throw out another option that is also sometimes used by us, waaaaaay out in the East.

Dear Catholicos,

I was thinking of Batman the movie .

Alex

Why don't you divorce your wife?

Dear Gregory,

Now YOU are the one who's blowing smoke needlessly .

Alex

Unfortunately, incense IS a respiratory irritant. My daughter is self-exiled to the cry-room because she can't tolerate incense, especially in the winter, when the church effectively has no ventilation. I love the stuff, but I can't tolerate much of it either - I HAVE to keep water beside me at all liturgies in order not to choke.

Perhaps adequate ventilation might lessen the seriousness of the situation?

Sharon

Sharon Mech, SFO
Cantor & sinner
sharon@cmhc.com

A wife without incense? You must be blowing smoke ....

Puns aside, there are many milder forms of incense available. I use two that are pretty mild -- one is called "Jerusalem" and the other is a sweet one called "Rose" -- both are made by Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Boston (a bunch of whacko Greek Old Calendrist splinters with a very checkered history, but they make good incense and icons). My wife doesn't mind incense, thankfully, but we don't burn it very often, either. My 2 year old likes it better in theory than in practice -- he likes to walk around with the censer and pretend he's a priest or deacon (last year's house blessing, featuring the priest walking through the house with our hand censer, seems to have left an impression on him) -- but he doesn't love the smell of the smoke, particularly if it's close to him.

Brendan

Dear Brendan,

Don't go away just yet! Hey, come back for a moment please!

Speaking of incense, could you give a brief overview with respect to when incense can be used in the home and for what purposes?

Alex

That group in Calif., "Monastery Icons" have some nice scents. They are man-made and there fore non choking. Here is their web site.

www.monasteryicons.com [monasteryicons.com]

Hope that helps.

Mike,

Man-made and non-choking are not necessarily synonymous. Fragrance is an unregulated industry, commonly utilizing known respiratory, dermal or eye irritants. No incense is 100% pleasant and non-irritating to everybody, no matter how nice it smells.

Sharon

Sharon Mech, SFO
Cantor & sinner
sharon@cmhc.com

Dear Sharon,

What you say makes scents . . .

I've had a hard day . . .

Alex

Columcille,

Join the club! Keep it to big Feasts and sneek it when she isn't home. That' what I do. :p

Lance

Alex dear,

With such stinky puns, how do you ever expect to achieve the odour of sanctity?


;-)


Sharon

Sharon Mech, SFO
Cantor & sinner
sharon@cmhc.com

Christ is Risen!

Various Monasteries that sell incense will also sell what they call sample packets. These are really small packages of various incense scents. These are usually $3 to $5 for several ounces of incense. I find this is an excellent method to try new scents for use in the home. Even the most allergic person will usually find some scent that s/he can tolerate and allow their "prayers to ascend like incense" with the visiual sacramental occuring.

Some Orthodox monasteries also sell the incense sticks that you mention. One of these is Christ of the Hills Monastery. You may e-mail them at newsarov@moment.net. They have a large list of various aromas and produce the "Athonite Style" incense as well as the stick incense.

In my visits there I have seen the monks make the incense themselves. Anthonite incense is frankincense warmed slightly to which fragrant oils and spices are added to provide a milder aroma. It is then rolled into coils and cut into about 1/4 inch pieces. During this entire process the monks take turns praying the Jesus Prayer aloud as they make the incense. It is then boxed in anything from sample sizes to several pound boxes.

Several years ago they also began to make stick incense, which is primarily Joss sticks from Asia that are soaked in the same fragrant oils and spices. I have used these in my home with great sucess , no allergic reactions from anyone in my family. They are safer with small children than a censer with a hot charcoal piece make the censer too hot to hold or possibly the charcoal dropping onto the floor or onto a child when bumped.

Hope this helped.

Your brother in Christ,
Thomas