Teas, tonics, and therapeutic remedies for your health and healing

Traditional and Sacred Use of Resins

FRANKINCENSE or Olibanum
Latin Name: Boswell carteri
Origin: Malaysia, the Middle East, and North Africa
Planet: Sun Element: Air

In days of old, the highly perfumed resin of frankincense,
was as valuable as gold.
The plant spirits of this resins is said to invoke the Divine.

Its sumptuous aroma warms the heart, clears the mind,
and enables the spirit to soar...

The resin creates a sacred atmosphere that enhances meditation, reduces stress and tension, and uplifts one
spiritually. It heightens the awareness of spiritual realms that may lie hidden within the physical. Frankincense
has been continuously used for over 3,000 years in magical and religious ceremonies and deepens any
religious experience. It focuses spiritual consciousness and evokes the potential for transcendent awareness.
Native to the Middle East and North Africa, frankincense was used for religious purposes since earliest times.
From the worshipping of the sun god RA by the Egyptians or the god Apollo by the Greeks and even being
presented by Balthazar, one of the three wise men, as an offering to the infant Jesus, this resin has been used
by humankind for a connection to spirit.
It may be used for any type of spiritual ritual or to enhance meditations.

COPAL
Latin Name: Bursera microphylla
Origin: South and Central America
Planet: Sun Element: Fire

Copal is as golden, black, or white resin whose sacred smoke carries messages to
the spirit world. The spirit of this plant and it's medicine allows us to see life more
clearly and inspires divine insights...

"I create a smoking mirror that reveals all things."

"In the southern Huasteca
region, among Nahuatl
speakers copal incense
smoke is used in two ways
for divination. In some
areas patterns in the smoke
of burning incense are
interpreted by the shaman,
constituting one of the many
forms of divination found in
Mesoamerica (Sandstrom
1991:235).
In other areas "the shaman
picks up fourteen grains of
corn and holds them in
incense smoke. He then
chants, asking the sacred
hill spirits to guide him.
Next, he casts the grains [of
censed maize] onto the cloth
and interprets where they
fall" (Sandstrom 1991:236).
In Mitla, Oaxaca, the
Zapotecs burn copal in water
so as to diagnose the cause
of a fright. The copal's
underside is supposed to
provide a picture of the
fright's cause." (Parsons
1936:120)

Copal comes from the sturdy Bursera tree in the regions of southern Mexico. The resin is formed when the
tree is cut and a thick milky liquid seeps out. It is dark in colour, very black, but changes colour as it dries.
The Mayan Indians hold copal as very sacred and have used it in ceremonies since before the invasion of
the Spanish conquests to the Americas. The name for copal is pom in Mayan tongue. Especially sacred is
the resin that comes from a tree that has been struck by lighting or "Thunderbeings.", which holds the most
beautiful spirit.
The Mayan creation story, Popul Vah, it is described as a "seeing instrument." The copal of the
Guatemalan Chorti Mayans that is used for censing is called uhtz'ubte' in Chorti and copal, copal de santo,
or palo de santo in Spanish. The gum [resin] is boiled, shaped into hard pellets, burned with live coals in
incense burners, and the fumes allowed to pass over the body to cure various illnesses, to protect oneself
against sorcery, sickness, and misfortune, and to cleanse the body after contact with the ritually unclean,
especially sick persons and corpses.

Copal is said to revel invisible energies that appear like rays of sunlight filtering through an early morning
mist. Healers may use it as a diagnostic tool to help them see the deeper dimensions of a client's energy
field.
Gazing through the smoke to detect illness and energy blocks. It may be used for clearing and clarifying
the mind since it holds the influence of purification and protection. The dried resin, when burned, emits an
odor akin to frankincense but with a lighter, citrusy tone.
"Pom, the Mayan word for copal, a resinous tree gum...The darkest kind, wrapped in two pieces of pumpkin
shell...is now used only in Momostenango for the most sacred rites. The second variety, wrapped in corn
husks, serves for other ceremonies. The kind sold currently in small gray pebbles in all the markets is
used extensively in Indian huts as a disinfectant or insecticide and as an incense before the household
altars. Poor people burn it in church" (de Jongh Osborne 1975:114n)

It's clean, crisp fragrance is ideal for use in self-purification rituals,
clearing a space, or purifying ritual objects.

Copal nodules from the sacred cenote at Chichén Itzá
(from Lounsbury 1971, Fig. 10

MYRRH
Latin Name: Commiphora myrrha
Origin: Native of Arabia, the Middle East, North Africa, and India
Planet: Saturn Element: Water

Like frankincense, Myrrh has always been seen as a sacred substance. Again worth it's wieght in gold
and used in ceromony. The spirit plant of myrrh spins ethereal threads that link and physical and
spiritual realms.

"I will accompany you on your soul's journey, I bridge the
divide between heaven and earth."

Myrrh comes from a thorny shrub bearing small white flowers that grows in the Middle East, North Africa, and Northern India. It possesses a
richly bitter scent. Prized for its opulent and enduring perfume, myrrh was seen as a magical substance that was capable of connecting
heaven and earth. The Egyptians believed that the golden drops of resin were the tears of Horus, the falcon-headed sun god. Known as
punt or phun, it was included in their sacred perfume Kyphi, burned at sunset as a thanks and offering to the sun god, Ra. The Egyptians
also used it during funerals and in embalming rituals, as it was thought to accompany the soul on its journey to the spirit world and afterlife.
The Hebrews drank wine flavored with myrrh to prepare them for worship. This was also one of the three gifts that the wise men presented
to baby Jesus, and was also featured in His death, when Nicodemus anointed His body with a mixture of myrrh and aloes. This exotic
substance has been used in magic and religion for at least 4,00 years.

Inhale the scent of the burning incense or crushed resin, more properly called oleo-gum-resin, to awaken you awareness of the spiritual
reality behind our everyday existence. It is a great tool to use before prior to or during religious rituals as it strengthens the link between
our crown and base chakras. The result is expanded awareness, the calming of fears and halting the questions concerning the future. It is
helpful in evoking tranquility, calms the nervous system, promotes healing, and eases sorrow and grief by helping to heal the wounds
caused by the feelings of loss and rejection.

Myrrh may be sniffed prior to meditation to achieve a fitting mood bringing a connection between the chakras. Or the resin may be burned
and the scent inhaled with visualization to speed healing of the physical body.

Use resins such as frankincense, myrrh, and copal to
enhance your spiritual and religious ceremonies and
rituals. Aiding in healing and health. The plant spirits of
natural resins add protection, purification, and sacredness
to all that you do.

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Resins have been used for over 4,00 years in spiritual and religious rituals dating back to the time of Babylon
when 57,320 lbs/26,00 kg of frankincense was burned on the golden altars as an offering to Bael, one of their
solar deities. The most commonly known resins are myrrh, frankincense, and copal, however, many others
exist. Less commonly known in the western world are dragon's blood, which comes from China, and Peru
balsam from South and Central America.
Traditional and spiritual use of dried plant resins are recorded in the early history of man in Egypt, Babylon,
Israel, and the ancient Mayas. The plant spirit of each resin holds different properties and are used for
different purposes, such as frankincense, which is used for enhancing meditation and
deepening any religious experience.

When used in ceremony the resin, being less processed than essential oils, hold more essence of the plant
and more spirit energy. This concentration of the "blood" of the plant is what make them powerful reservoirs
of natural energies. They are different than essential oils and are meant to be used in different ways. The
most common way to use resins is to place them on a burning piece of charcoal tablet allowing the aroma of
the smoke to fill the space, releasing its energy and essence. They are also a key ingredient in making true
and real incense being combined with essential oils and finely ground woods, such as sandalwood. Resins
can be used for their aromatic qualities alone, as an aid to holistic healing, and of course in spiritual and
religious rituals. Adding resins to your own rituals and ceremonies will not only add new dimensions and
enhance the effects of the ritual, but bring the higher qualities and vibrations to the event.