Natural Incense for the Pythia
Serves 1
Directions
- 1Add Dittany of Crete to a mortar.
- 2Grind the Dittany of Crete.
- 3Transfer the ground Dittany of Crete to a bowl.
- 4Add bay laurel powder to the bowl.
- 5Add mastic to the mortar.
- 6Grind the mastic.
- 7Transfer the ground mastic to the bowl.
- 8Add cedar wood powder to the bowl.
- 9Add opoponax to a small mortar.
- 10Grind the opoponax.
- 11Transfer the ground opoponax to the bowl.
- 12Add powdered bark to the bowl.
- 13Stir the dry ingredients together with a spoon.
- 14Add water to the mixture.
- 15Stir the mixture with a spoon to combine the water.
- 16Knead the mixture by hand until it forms a cohesive dough.
- 17Roll the dough into a ball.
- 18Insert the dough into the incense stick maker.
- 19Press the maker to form long incense sticks.
- 20Place the formed incense sticks on a drying rack.
Ingredients
- dittany of Crete
- bay laurel
- mastic
- cedar wood
- opoponax
- powdered bark
- water
Equipment
mortar and pestlebowlspoonincense stick makerdrying rack
Tips
- This blend is multilayered and mysterious, with spicy, balsamic, and herbal notes. It is an ode to the Seer of Delphi.
- Dittany of Crete is a mysterious plant of antiquity, used for divination and prophecy.
- Bay laurel is a tree sacred to Apollo.
- Mastic is from the Greek island of Chios, known as "the fragrance of the Gods."
- Cedar wood has been used since antiquity for strength.
- Opoponax, a sister to Myrrh, is known for increasing intuition.
- Binding with powdered bark helps the mixture come together.
- Activating with water helps in forming the incense sticks.
- Knead all ingredients together until a pliable dough is formed.
- Form the mixture into incense sticks for drying and later use.