Many people are using incense as an offering but not many knows that many incense can be used during your daily routine, while at rest, during meditation or even spell works. I call them ‘intention incense’ as one could use their intention with the correct incense to manifest oneself and amplified their intention.

Incense is actual one very common magical tools to many practitioners. Many practitioners use incense for nearly every magical act, from simple meditations to elaborate rituals. It’s not that its a very powerful or versatile tool, but it is a fairly useful one. Incense utilizes our sense of smell to help align both the practitioner and the area in which it is burned with a desired mood and energy.

Some common uses for incense include:
-In spellwork and ritual incense is often burned to help raise energy and adjust the energy of the area.
-In meditation incense is burned to help the practitioner achieve states of clarity, focus, and/or calm.
-In cleansings and exorcisms incense is burned to purify or sanctify an area.
-Preferable incense can be burned to attract certain types of entities to an area, where as deplorable incense can be burned to repel certain types of entities from an area.
-When contacting a deity, incense which is associated with the deity is often burned both as an offering and show of respect for the deity and also to help the practitioner make a connection with the deity.
-Incense can also help us connect into the ideas and energies it is associated with.

There are literally thousands of types of incense out there. There are a few types I will like to introduce,

Nag Champa – Nag Champa is a sacred incense (it’s a blend which consists partly of Sandalwood). Nag Champa can be burned for many of the same reasons as Sandalwood. It can be used to sanctify or purify an area. It’s also a good general purpose incense for spiritual matters. This includes acts like meditation and seeking spiritual enlightenment or evolution

Lavender – An incense to assist reduce stress, alleviating mental fatigue and can give feelings of courage, inspiration and peace of mind. Lavender promotes beauty.

Lotus – Generally associated with mental clarity, increased focus, and heightened intelligence. Because of these properties Lotus is often seen as ideal for meditation.

Dragon Blood- Dargon Blood incense traditionally is burned for love and protection. It drives evil and negativity away when burned. Can be used during meditation to drives away all negative thoughts.

Meditation – Incense sticks which gives out lovely and spiritual atmosphere during meditation or Yoga.

Citronella – Incense that gives energy and harmony. It is known to relieve fatigue and bring harmonizing energy out to the environment.

More to come…

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八苦

1. 生苦，
2. 老苦，
3. 病苦，
4. 死苦，
5. 爱别离苦，
6. 怨憎会苦，
7. 求不得苦，
8. 五阴炽盛苦。前七苦皆由五阴领受、聚集，故称五阴炽盛苦。

其中五阴为

1. “色”、
2. “受”、
3. “想”、
4. “行”、
5. “识”，

一、生苦──众生出生时所受之苦。生苦有六：

1. 未生：人死时，不知趋向何道，未得生处并受中阴形，至父母和合，便来受胎。
2. 受胎：在母胎中，窄隘不净。
3. 受精卵：随母气息出入。
4. 增长时：母啖一热汤，如入镬汤；母饮一杯冷水，如寒冰切体。
5. 出胎：整个色身在出离产门阶段，被长时间挤压而极为难过，初生下，风一吹，衣物一碰到，如被物刺，如履刀剑，失声大哭。
6. 种类：残缺妍丑，富贵贫贱，个个有别。

二、老苦──众生衰老时所受之身心苦恼。老，五根渐渐毁坏而趋熟烂，肌肉萎缩，皮肤松垮，原来盛壮的色力日渐衰弱，身体弯曲，脚不听使唤，身体粗重、气息上扬、身体不稳，只能拄著拐杖走路，身心全面感受到老的痛苦。《瑜伽师地论》卷61:“云何老苦？当知亦由五相，谓于五处衰退故苦。一、盛色衰退故。二、气力衰退故。三、诸根衰退故。四、受用境界衰退故。五、寿量衰退故。”。

三、病苦──生病时所受之苦恼。之所以为苦乃因“病”能损坏可爱安适的感受。

四、死苦──五阴坏时，寿命尽时所受之苦。死有三种，1.自然死：少小死、青壮死、中年死、耄耋死、饿死、病死。2.意外死。3.未生即死：堕胎、死产、药伤害、母横死。

五、怨憎会──怨仇憎恶之人事物聚集。有内有外，内者即三恶道报，外即刀杖等缘，如仇人、丑人、无缘人狭路相逢，无赖借贷，债主逼债，讨厌的环境无力更换……等。《瑜伽师地论》卷61：“云何怨憎会苦？当知此苦亦由五相：一、与彼会生忧苦故。二、治罚畏所依止故。三、恶名畏所依止故。四、苦逼迫命终怖畏所依止故。五、越正法恶趣怖畏所依止故。”

六、爱别离──即别离爱境，或与所爱者别离时所感受之苦，总说为生离死别。所别有二，一内二外，内者自身，六根不能像以前一样聚合在一起，或与地、水、火、风、空、识界分离；外者所谓亲戚眷属及余资生，别离六尘可爱境，如出国旅游，倒数几天，心情会不好。

七、求不得──世间一切人物，心所乐求而不能得到满足。所谓恶法求离不得，善法求欲不得；苦事求离不得，乐事求欲不得；三涂苦报求离不得，人天乐果求欲不得；刀杖之苦求离不得，资生眷属求欲不得。

八、五阴炽盛苦──五阴如器，能盛受众苦，前七苦皆由五阴领受、聚集，故称五阴炽盛苦。世人因执著五阴、时时长养五阴，无不思藉五阴“享乐”，然所谓的乐仅只是在某一条件下才叫乐，离开这一条件就不乐了；如酷暑吃冰淇淋很快乐，连续吃数小时还是乐吗？其实乐是相对于苦而存在的，乐也是苦因，乐中有苦，因为乐依附于五阴而存在。执著、长养五阴而产生五阴炽盛的结果，使得众生轮回三界，不得解脱。