Fumigations of the Seven Planets

S. Aldarnay

Copyright © 2013 S. Aldarnay
All Rights Reserved.

Guides to the Underworld

Published by Hadean Press

www.hadeanpress.com

Introduction

Use of incense in rituals

Incense has a long history of use in religious and magical practices, whether burnt as offerings to deities or spirits, used to enhance workings or to add a required atmosphere to a ritual. Incense comes in various differing types depending on where it comes from; some of the most commonly accessible forms are the ever popular incense/joss stick, cones, self-lighting and finally loose grain incense, which will be the focus of this pamphlet.

When working with planetary spirits, I have found that incense works well as both an offertory substance, and as a vehicle through which the spirit can manifest – lengthy or troubled manifestations can be quickly resolved by the combustion of appropriately blended incense offered up before the spirit on which you are calling.

Agrippa

The recipes in this pamphlet have been complied using the writing of Cornelius Agrippa, the author of the famous Three Books of Occult Philosophy. In these books, Agrippa outlines the history of and working behind much western magic including lengthy chapters dedicated to the influences of the 7 classical planets (the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn) on the world, and their applications in magical working. This shows the importance of the 7 classical planets in magic, a theme which is found in texts dating as far back as the Picatrix, books on which Agrippa drew heavily when creating his own writings.

He breaks down the animal, mineral and vegetable worlds by their planetary rulers, and in many instances gives reasons why said thing is ruled by its given planet. This is invaluable to modern occultists who need to “fill in gaps” or backwards engineer/ formulate their own recipes for various purposes. Whilst many of objects he gives are ruled by multiple planets, there is often a reason for this given, and this enables the modern practitioner to pick specific ingredients that better suit their purpose. It also assists with the creation of incenses, oils, etc. that are of a mixed nature, for workings which require more than one planetary influence.

Agrippa actually gives the recipes for several incenses in the Books of Occult Philosophy (Book I, Chapter XLIV), which will be listed later in this pamphlet; however, owing to the inclusion of many animal parts or poisonous ingredients, many practitioners may feel perturbed at creating these recipes in their original form – which is why I have suggested alternatives based on the principles laid down by Agrippa himself.

The basics of incense blending

Before you start to blend your own incense, make sure you have some of, if not all of, the following pieces of kit:

A selection of bowls or plates – for storing ingredients during the process, and mixing ingredients

A pestle and mortar – very important, used for the grinding of ingredients – it’s worth having a selection of these; I would recommend one for regular ingredients, one for baneful ingredients and one for mineral ingredients – this way you avoid damaging any of them and avoiding cross contamination.

A nutmeg grater – a slightly more unusual thing to be included here, however invaluable for getting dust from roots, tubers and various woods.

A mixer (wooden stirrer, small spatula, etc.) – for blending ingredients together; try not to use metal if possible as it reacts with various essential oils, etc.

Sealable bags or jars – for storing the finished product.

One place where people often fall down with incense making is the inclusion of too much herbal matter in their blends. The best incenses I have come across have been mostly retinoid, i.e. comprised mostly from plant resins such as frankincense or copal. These burn steadily and give off their scent as they do so, whereas herbs tend to end up smelling like burning leaves, and do not retain their natural scent during combustion – to this end adding essential oils for scent is highly recommended (but more on this later).

In my experience, incense should be comprised of no less than 60% resin – the higher the percentage of resin, the better the incense will smell and the longer it will burn for. The more herbs you include, the more likely the incense is to smell of wood smoke or burning leaves than it will give off a pleasant scent. Whilst this is not the end of the world if you are using ingredients for a purely symbolic reason, it is a largely recognised fact that spirits are attracted to good smelling incense, so bear this in mind when making your own blends. Similarly, if you are using a certain plant or herb in your incense, think about which parts of the plant will burn best, rather than heaping your charcoal with leaves; perhaps the plant produces a resin of its own, or it has a particularly fragrant root or bark. Rather than just going with the more easily available leaf or flower, think about what will work best for your chosen blend.

Another frequent mistake people make when blending their own incenses is that they grind the ingredients too finely. Incense that has the consistency of table salt will not burn properly; in fact it will most likely just burn completely if placed directly onto charcoal. In my experience, make sure the resin components of your incense are no finer than coarse sea salt, this way they will melt and let off their scent steadily.

Recipes

We have now reached the practical side of this booklet, the actual recipes. Below you will find several recipes for incenses relating to each of the 7 classical planets in turn. I have presented my own recipes alongside the original ones given by Agrippa, and have also included additional notes from the Books of Occult Philosophy, so you can begin to formulate your own recipes or tweak or modify those given. Also in this section is a little background on each of the planets and their magical roles to help you decide which incense will best serve your needs.

It is worth pointing out that Agrippa does not include measurements for the ingredients in his recipes, I would advise people recreating his recipes to use some common sense here, and try to include more resins, and less of the herbal or organic substances he gives.

SOL - THE SUN

The Sun is the emperor of the planets – he is the grand high power of the 7 planets and his areas of influence are varied and exalted. The Sun and its associated entities are called on for all manner of things including, but not limited to: dignity, promotion, self-betterment, prophecy, visibility and invisibility, and the suppression of pride and arrogance. Call on the powers of the Sun to be well received and looked upon kindly by others, especially those in a better position than yourself. The sun can help you gain respect from others as well as respect for yourself, and it can help you achieve authority over those around you. It can also inspire ambition and forward momentum towards your goals.

Agrippa’s recipe:

“We make a suffumigation for the Sun in this manner, viz. of saffron, ambergris, musk, lignum-aloes, lignum-balsam, the fruit of the laurel, cloves, myrrh, and frankincense, all of them being bruised, and mixed in such a proportion as may make a sweet odor, must be incorporated with the brain of an eagle, or the blood of a white cock, after the manner of pills or trochists”

So, to summarize, Agrippa’s solar incense consists of:

Saffron – Crocus sativus – The common culinary herb, whilst a small amount can be pricey, it will last you for a long time.

Ambergris – A substance produced by sperm whales, Ambergris now illegal in many parts of the world, and when it can be found it is prohibitively expensive, with small amounts of several grams selling for upwards of £300.00. Synthetic blends of excellent quality are now available, however.

Musk – Traditionally extracted from the glands of the male musk deer, this product is now incredibly hard to get hold of due to the musk deer’s endangered species status. High quality synthetics are available.

Lingum Aloes – Also called Oud or Agarwood, this fragrant wood can sell for incredibly large sums of money; however, small amounts can be purchased for reasonable prices online.

Lignum Balsam – Allegedly Commiphora Opobalsamum/Gileadensis, this ingredient seems to possess multiple modern classifications – various sources claim that it is balm of Gilead; however, the liquid/resinous nature of a balsam would imply that it is not the buds which are commonly sold by esoteric suppliers. Rather I would suggest that it is the resin exuded from Agarwood (Lignum Aloes.) According to various sources, in current times Lignum Balsam and Lignum Aloes are considered to be the same thing. I am unsure if this is what Agrippa meant, due to the inclusions of both in the same recipe, however using one and/or the other should be acceptable.

Fruit of the Laurel – Laurus nobilis – The shiny black fruit from the bay laurel.

Cloves – Common culinary ingredient.

Myrrh – Commiphora myrrha – Commonly available resin from the Commiphora myrrha.

Frankincense – Bosweillia spp – commonly available resin exuded from the Boswellia family.

The brain of an eagle or the blood of a white cockrel – self explanatory.

This is one of the more difficult recipes to recreate, not only because Ambergris, Musk and eagle brains are illegal in most parts of the world, but also because of the expense of most of the ingredients. The fact that these ingredients are in a recipe for the ruling planet in our group is most apt, as the experience reflects the lofty nature of the solar spirits; however, this is not immensely helpful to many modern practitioners.

It is worth noting here that the incense is “after the manner of pills” – this is a traditional way of making incense, where the ingredients are ground fine and mixed with a liquid component and then shaped into lozenges or pills to be placed on the charcoal. This type of incense is very pleasing to burn and makes storage easier.

Following is my own recipe for Sol incense, which is comprised of more easily available ingredients and instructions for blending.

2 parts Frankincense – Boswellia spp.

2 parts Copal – Any of various aromatic tree resins from south America; use a variety of golden colour to reflect the solar nature of the incense.

2 parts Sandarac – Tetraclinis articulate – A golden resin available online and at esoteric suppliers.

½ part Bay leaves – Laurus nobilis – Available from most supermarkets.

A pinch of Cockerel feathers – Self explanatory.

A pinch of marigold petals – Calendula officianalis.

Enough myrrh retinoid/essential oil to coat the above ingredients lightly.

N.B – for added symbolic/planetary value make this incense on a Sunday during an hour of the Sun.

LUNA – THE MOON

The feminine planet of ever-shifting nature, the moon is said have the most direct effect on the earth due to its close proximity. The moon rules over a great many things and its shifting phases complement the working depending on the moon’s shape. In general the moon is seen as ruling over travel, weather, prophecy through dreams, and “natural magic” such as those branches of the occult that deal with the properties of herbs, stones, etc.

Agrippa’s recipe

“For the Moon we make a suffimigation of the head of a frog dried, the eyes of a bull, the seed of a white poppy, frankincense and camphor, which must be incorporated with menstruous blood or the blood of a goose.”

Dried frog's head – Self explanatory.

Eyes of a bull – Again, self explanatory.

Seeds from a white poppy – White poppies do occur in nature; however, it is unlikely that Agrippa would have been aware of them, due to their native habitat being found in the Americas. This could be referring instead to white poppy seeds (such as those used in cooking) or seeds from the opium poppy, certain strains of which have incredibly pale petals – given the use of this ingredient in a lunar incense, the association with dreams and sleep would make seeds from this type of poppy an obvious choice for this recipe.

Frankincense – Boswellia spp – Widely available resin from the Bosweilia spp.

Camphor – Cinnamomum camphora – Widely available resin, which can be purchased in various forms, including a powdery resin and compressed cubes. Easily found online and in world food stores (frequently found in places catering to Hindu populations, as camphor is frequently used in various puja).

Menstrual blood or the blood of a goose – Self explanatory.

Again, this recipe might be a little too squeamish for many modern practitioners; however, the animal ingredients would be more easily obtainable that those of the sun. Here is my recipe, which focuses more on plant-based ingredients:

1 part Frankincense – Boswellia spp.

½ part Camphor – Cinnamomum camphora.

A pinch of dried rosemary – Rosmarinus officinalis.

A pinch of dried hyssop – Hyssopus officinalis.

A pinch of powdered crab shell.

A pinch of goosefeather.

White sandalwood essential oil – Santalum album.

N.B – for added effect make this incense on a Monday in the hour of the Moon.

MARS

The planet of war and masculinity, Mars is called on for workings of strife, aggression and confusion. If you are searching for victory or destruction of enemies you can work with the spirits of Mars to great effect. It is also associated with good health and the healing of wounds, particularly those inflicted by weapons.

Agrippa’s recipe

For Mars take Euphorbium, Bdellium, gum Armoniack, the roots of both Hellebors, the Load stone, and a little Sulphur, and incorporate them all with the brain of a Hart, the blood of a Man, and the blood of a black Cat.

Euphorbium – Euphoriba spp – A resin extracted from any of the Euphorbia species, the common name for which is Spurge. The resin is collected by making an incision in the plant and collecting the sap, which air dries. This resin is an irritant and can seriously damage the mucous membrane if it comes into contact with it – take this into consideration when including it in your incenses.

Bdellium – Commiphora wightii – pronounced Dellium – is a myrrh-like resin extracted from Commiphora wightii (Guggal, Guggul or Mukul myrrh tree). It is widely available online under its other name Guggal, which it is known as in Ayurvedic medicine.

Gum Armoniack  – Dorema ammoniacum – Ammoniacum, or gum ammoniac is a resin derived from the herb Dorema ammoniacum. It has an unpleasant odour when burnt.

Black Hellebore Root – Helleboros Niger – also known as the Christmas Rose, Black Hellebore root is very poisonous and great care should be used when handling and working with this herb.

White Hellebore Root – Veratrum album – Not in fact a member of the Hellebore family at all, White Hellebore (aka False Hellebore) is a powerful poison in its own right. It causes damage to the nasal passage when breathed in, so I would strongly urge people not to include this ingredient in their incenses, however authentic an addition it may be.

Loadstone – Commonly available from esoteric suppliers. Presumably it should be added to the incense finely ground.

Sulphur – Available from garden centres, pet stores and esoteric suppliers, sulphur is a noxious smelling bright yellow mineral, usually sold in powder form. Inhaling the dust from sulphur is very dangerous, so as with the White hellebore root, I would urge people not to include Sulphur; however, if you insist on including it, use a votive amount, and burn it outside, where the smoke has plenty of room to disburse.

Brain of a hart – i.e a deer, specifically an adult red stag.

Blood of a man – I would suggest that this literally means blood from a male person, rather than blood from a member of the human race, due the martial nature of this incense.

Blood of black cat – Self explanatory.

This is the first truly noxious incense of the 7; it contains not only a lot of blood, but also sulphur and two toxic roots. I would not recommend making this, even if you are able to find all the ingredients, and if for whatever reason you are making this recipe to the letter, I urge that it should be burnt outside, where the poisonous sulphur fumes will dissipate. Here is my recipe, using less dangerous ingredients:

1 part Myrrh – Commiphora myrrha.

1 part red sandalwood – Pterocarpus santalinus.

½ part dragons blood – Daemonorops draco.

Pinch of dried hellebore root – Heleboros niger (only a tiny amount).

Pinch of dried chopped nettle leaves – Urtica genus.

Some horse hair.

Some crow feather.

N.B For added effect, make this incense on a Tuesday in the hour of Mars.

MERCURY

The magician’s favourite – Mercury is the planet of intellect and magic; the spirits and angels of this planet are expert teachers, negotiators and traders, with quick wits and dextrous hand. Call on them for anything to do with study, knowledge, magic, communication, trade and commerce.

Agrippa’s recipe

For Mercury take Mastick, Frankincense, Cloves, and the Hearb Cinquefoile, and the stone Achates, and incorporate them all with the brain of a Fox, or Weesel, and the blood of a Pie.

Mastic – Pistacia lentiscus – A light coloured, essentially odourless resin.

Frankincense – Boswellia spp – See entry for the Sun.

Cloves – Syzygium aromaticum – Commonly available culinary spice.

Cinquefoil – Potentilla erectus – Commonly found plant growing in the British countryside, also known as five finger grass.

Agate – Easily available semi-precious gemstone.

Brain of a fox – Self explanatory.

Brain of a weasel – Self explanatory.

Blood of a magpie – Self explanatory.

Suggested Alternative

2 part Mastic – See above recipe.

2 part Frankincense – See entry for the Sun.

½ part Cinquefoil – Potential erecta, also known as five finger grass.

½ part Fennel seeds – Foeniculum vulgare.

A pinch of fox or dog hair.

A pinch of magpie feather.

Enough Clove oil to moisten ingredients – Syzygium aromaticum.

A pinch of powdered agate gemstone.

N.B For added effect, make this incense on a Wednesday in the hour of Mercury.

JUPITER

Priest-King of the planets, Jupiter is the merciful and benevolent ruler who is a master of diplomacy and the epitome of personal wealth. Call on him for personal gain, piety, charity, authority and respect. If the Sun is the supreme emperor, then Jupiter is the king beneath him, more approachable and more amenable to your worldly concerns.

Agrippa’s Recipe

“For Jupiter take the seed of Ash, Lignum-aloes, Storax, the gum Benjamin, the Lazule stone, the tops of the feathers of a Peacock, and incorporate them with the blood of a Stork, or a Swallow, or the brain of a Hart.

Ash seeds – Fraxinus genus – Probably the characteristic seed from the European Ash tree.

Lignum Aloes – See entry included in the section on Sol/Sun.

Storax – Liquidambar orientalis – Available from esoteric and herbal suppliers; this incense most often comes as charcoal imbued with the resin.

Benzoin – Styrax genus – Aka Styrax resin, is the resin from any tree of the Styrax species. Also known as Luban or Loban.

Lapis lazuli – Commonly available from esoteric and new age suppliers; a beautiful blue stone containing veins of golden pyrite.

Peacock feather tips – The brightly coloured “eyes” from the end of a peacock’s feather.

Blood of a stork or swallow – Self explanatory.

Brain of a hart – See entry on Mars incense.

Suggested Alternative

2 parts Storax – See above recipe.

2 parts Benzoin – See above recipe.

½ part powdered cinnamon – Cinnamomum verum.

½ part oak bark – Quercus genus – All the better if it’s from a tree that has been struck by lightning.

A pinch of peacock feather – Self explanatory.

A pinch of antler shavings – Self explanatory.

N.B For added effect, blend this incense on a Thursday in the hour of Jupiter.

VENUS

The beloved Venus is the planet of sensory pleasures, love and fertility. In matters of the heart she is undefeated, and the spirits of Venus are famed for their ability to incite lust. Call on her for assistance in any aspect of these most powerful emotions.

Agrippa’s recipe

For Venus take Musk, Amber-gryse, Lignum-aloes, red Roses, and red Corall, and make them up with the brain of Sparrows, and the blood of Pigeons.

Musk – See entry under Sol.

Ambergris – See entry under Sol.

Lignum aloes – See entry under Sol.

Red roses – Rosa genus – The dried petals of any species of red rose.

Red coral – Corallium rubrum and related species. The skeleton of various red coloured species of coral. It is also known as Precious Coral. Naturally occurring red coral is illegal in many countries, due to the protected nature of the coral. However, bamboo coral is widely available for purpose, and is frequently dyed red to mimic red coral. Coral is incredibly tough, and a hammer will be required to break the coral into manageable chunks.

Brain of sparrow – Self explanatory.

Blood of pigeon – Self explanatory.

My version:

2 parts Frankincense – See entry on the sun.

2 parts White Sandalwood chips – See entry on the moon.

1 part Red rose petals – See recipe above.

½ part Pomegranate seeds – Punica granatum.

Labdanum resinoid – Cistus ladanifer/ Cistus creticus.

A pinch of dove feathers – Self explanatory.

Powdered oyster shell – Self explanatory.

N.B For added efficacy make this incense on a Friday in the hour of Venus.

SATURN

Saturn, along with Mars, is the planet most frequently involved in magic of a malefic or aggressive nature; Saturn and saturnine spirits are associated with the more sinister corners of both the natural and magical world. Frequently called upon for destruction, the conjuring of spirits and even to instigate demonic attack, Saturn and its spirits are the forces to avail yourself of, should you wish to cause harm or bring things to an end – this is reflected in the incense given in Agrippa, which is on a par with the fumigation of Mars for its unsavoury nature.

Agrippa’s recipe

For Saturne take the seed of black Poppy, of Henbane, root of Mandrake, the Load-stone, and Myrrh, and make them up with the brain of a Cat, or the blood of a Bat.

Black poppy seed – Papaveraceae family – Commonly used in cooking and baking, and available from most supermarkets.

Henbane seed – Hyoscyamus niger – A very poisonous herb that has been used in magic since ancient Greece. Take care when handling.

Mandrake root – Mandragora officinarum – Possibly the most famous magical plant, the mandrake, or mandragora is a poisonous root used for a lot of magical operations. If ingested it has hallucinogenic properties and can cause paralysis and or suffocation. Take care when handling.

Loadstone – See the entry for Mars.

Myrrh – See the entry for the Sun.

Brain of cat – Self explanatory.

Blood of bat – Self explanatory.

Suggested Alternative

2 parts Myrrh – See the entry for the sun.

1 part Pine resin – Pinus spp.

A pinch of Mandrake root – See above recipe.

½ part Yew bark shavings – Taxus baccata.

Cypress essential oil – Cupressaceae spp.

A pinch of black cat hair.

A pinch of shredded or burnt snake skin – This smells like burning hair when combusted; be aware when deciding on how big your “pinch” is going to be.

Compound of Seven Aromatics

This is the final incense recipe given in Agrippa’s writings on planetary magic – it is said to be a “most powerful fume”, and is made up of 7 ingredients, one for each planet.

“But Hermes describes the most powerfull fume to be, viz. that which is compounded of the seven Aromaticks, according to the powers of the seven Planets, for it receives from Saturne, Pepper-wort from Jupiter, Nutmeg, from Mars, Lignum-aloes, from the Sun, Mastick, from Venus Saffron, from Mercury,Cinnamon, and from the Moon, the Myrtle.”

Saturn – Pepperwort (Lepidium campestre).

Jupiter – Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans).

Mars – Lignum Aloes (agarwood/oud).

Sun – Mastic (Pistacia lentiscus).

Venus – Saffron (Crocus sativus).

Mercury – Cinnamon (Cinnamomum genus).

Moon – Myrtle (Myrtus communis).

Suggested Alternatives

This recipe is not actually too hard for the modern magician to concoct; however, several of the ingredients can be pricy, so I would recommend the following alternative for those of you who are unable to make it as given in Agrippa. Blend the following resins in equal parts:

Sun – Frankincense

Moon – Camphor

Mars – Bdellium/Guggal

Mercury – Mastic

Jupiter – Benzoin

Venus – Labdanum

Saturn – Myrrh

Should these resins prove too expensive or hard to obtain, try the following, which is based more closely on Agrippa’s original:

Sun – Frankincense – 2 parts

Moon - Myrtle leaves – dried and ground- ½ part

Mars – Nettle leaves – dried and ground ½ part

Mercury – Mastic – 2 parts

Jupiter – Nutmeg – shavings ½ part

Venus – Red rose petals - dried and ground ½ part

Saturn – Poppy seeds - dried and ground ½ part

Blending the incenses

There is a simple procedure for blending all the incenses given above:

Grind the resins in a pestle and mortar, to the consistency of coarse sea salt.

Shred or grind herbs finely using a knife or pestle and mortar.

Cut, shred or grind animal or mineral components to dust, or small pieces.

Combine all the above ingredients with the oil, so that the powders adhere to the coarser resin.

Store in an airtight container, making sure to label it with the name of the incense.

There are more complex ways of composing incense; the most pleasing I have found is to form pellets, pills or pastels, such as Agrippa suggests for the composition of his Solar incense. The basic principle here is to make “flour” from the dry ingredients of the incense, grinding them up to a fine or semi-fine consistency and then proceeding to blend this “flour” with the liquid components, to make a “dough” which can then be moulded into pellets. In Agrippa’s recipes this liquid is often blood, which whilst being an effective binding agent, does not strike me as smelling particularly pleasant to the human nose when burnt. If you wish to try and make pellet incense of your own, using the recipes given here, I would suggest using a viscous resinoid version of one of the resins listed, and using this to bind the powders together. Essential oils do not tend to be thick enough to hold things together, so consider using balsams, resinoids, or when appropriate honey (especially relevant in recipes for the Sun or Venus). A helpful last step in this process is to roll the pellets in very finely ground powder made from one of all of the ingredients. This stops the outsides being sticky, and helps to set them into shape.