Before incense can be used in magick, it needs to be empowered with the correct energies. It's not that hard. This one comes from: Cunningham, Scott. Complete Book of Incense, Oils, and Brews, The. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1999.
To begin, have the completed herb mixture in a bowl or jar. Make sure you won't be interrupted for a few minutes. Just prior to the ritual, close your eyes for ten seconds or so and breathe slowly. This relaxes your conscious mind and prepares you for the coming transference of power.
The Ritual: Light a candle of an appropriate color, one that pertains to the mixture's purpose (red for love, blue for health, you get the idea). Hold the bowl or jar in your hands. Sense the energies it contains, non-specific and directionless. Visualize yourself with the type of power desired for the mixture. If you're not good at visualizing, then at least feel your magickal need.
Now the mixture is ready for use.
Begin to build up your personal power. You might do this by slowly tensing your muscles, working from the feet up. When your whole body is tense, visualize or feel the power concentrating in your hands. With the energy in your hands, visualize (or feel) it streaming into the mixture. You might want to visualize this energy in the color of the candle.
When you feel drained of energy, set the mixture down and shake your hands vigorously for a few moments to cut off the flow of energy.
