The odor of bread rising, a heady, yeasty smell, may bring back moments spent in the kitchen in childhood, together with intense recollections of how the place looked or what people said or did many years ago. In exactly the same manner, the fragrance of incense -- carried lightly through the air -- may evoke thoughts and feelings, setting the mind at rest or into a receptiveness for images of all kinds. It is for this reason that incense has been used for millennia in conjunction with worship, meditation and prayer. And, needless to say, for the same reason it has been used to eliminate or replace other odors which evoke unpleasant associations.
Incense is unlike other kinds of perfumes because it is designed to spread fragrance to its target right now, to do its work in creating an atmosphere or setting a tranquil pace for whatever activity is intended. It is also infinitely more versatile than other perfumes, because it goes far beyond being just a perfume; good incense makes use of substances (tree barks and saps, roots, flowers and other botanical products) which cannot be liquified or isolated into a perfume or cologne. And in the burning, ingredients of extremely differing forms combine into a single, unique bouquet containing subtle tones or shadings.
Indian incenses ("agarbatties") represent literally thousands of different ingredients and compounds, and usually contain liquid perfumes as well as solid base ingredients such as sandalwood powder, charcoal and a resin known as "jigit". Any given incense can be expected to have thirty or more ingredients. Japanese incenses are equally complex, but lean heavily toward woody, resinous fragrances, containing extracts of rare plants that are never used in Western perfumery. All Tibetan incense ("zimpo") starts with the same basic botanical ingredients (principally derived from the Himalayan Cedar or cedrus deodarus), but there are subtle differences and striking variations in quality in different zimpos, to the degree that some are considered among the greatest incenses of the world.
And of course there are the resins (from plants, mainly trees) which vaporize when burned on charcoal, producing the never-to-be-forgotten smells of ancient basilicas, temples and churches. Resins -- especially that contained in aloes wood -- reconstitute themselves on the surface of walls and ceilings in microscopically thin layers, eventually giving the place where they are used an olfactory character which is essentially permanent.
Incense is a kind of "mental stimulant" which can transform the ordinary into the very special, and do so easily and at no great expense. Fine incense burning in a plain room with gentle lighting and a few special artifacts can product the setting that subtly calls the psyche to relax, lighten and flow with the moment. Whether the space is a temple or a bedroom, the effect is the same. A mood is set: the moment takes on a heightened, special meaning.
Of course, how well that special meaning is evoked depends greatly upon the quality of the incense used, as well as the personal tastes of the user. That is why The Incense Works stocks such great variety -- to allow those who know the delights of incense burning to find what is just right for their own purposes. Regardless of price, everything which the company offers is believed to be the finest example of a given fragrance or type of incense -- in cases where slight variations are preferred by different customers, several choices may be available. But each choice will be outstanding in its own right.
One Japanese manufacturer has likened incense burning to "rambling through a fantastic garden in full bloom". Each type of incense can be regarded as yet another wonderful plant in that garden -- it may happen in time that quite a few become part of your own special collection, or only one or two. What matters is that you are pleased, and that you can rely on a quality source of supply. That is exactly what The Incense Works always attempts to provide.