What are the reasons we burn resins? Sage takes up so much of the spotlight when we talk about space clearing, that sometimes we neglect to mention the other tools there are for purifying and elevating the energy of your home—such as resins! Resins, like copal resin and frankincense resin, are burned to release more than just their pleasant scents. It is said that when we burn these resins, we are allowing their sacred smoke to cleanse our body and space. This use of resins in sacred ceremonies spans across many centuries, and many different cultures.
Copal Benefits and Uses
Resins are found beneath the bark of trees. Different trees produce different resins. The family of trees in Mexico, Central America and South America that create copal resin are called Bursera. The wood-scented resin extracted from these trees is actually not yet hard enough to be a true resin, and not soft enough to be a sap. Still, we call it copal resin, and embrace its transitory state by burning it, and allowing it to transform once more.
The uplifting positivity of copal smoke is believed to open the crown chakra. It works to rid the mind of anxiety and negative thoughts. Copal resin breakthroughs the blocks that are causing the circulation of your energy to stagnate. Copal benefits can be a useful ally in combating the everyday blues, as it helps to brighten your aura and leave you feeling emotionally lighter.
We’re not the first to use copal benefits for therapeutic practices. Copal incense was also a popular spiritual cleanser among the ancient Maya and Aztecs. Both the Maya and Aztecs also used copal resin in offerings. They burned the copal resin atop their pyramids as a gift to the gods, and the Maya even burned copal by their burial grounds.
How to Use Copal Resin
To use copal benefits in the purification of your crystals and home, you are probably going to need a charcoal round. The purpose of the charcoal is that it will allow the copal resin to burn continuously and safely at the same rate. Once you have lit the charcoal on a fireproof surface, allow it to burn until it has begun to turn white. Then place a few pieces of copal resin on the round. You definitely don’t need to use a lot when it comes to resin. A little goes a long way.
Immerse your crystals or crystal jewelry in the smoke coming off of the resin. This purifies the energy of the crystals. It sort of cleans the slate between uses. You can also clear the energy of your space with copal smoke by using a feather to disperse the smoke throughout your home.
Frankincense Resin Benefits and Uses
For centuries, Frankincense has been revered for its ability to both cleanse and elevate the energy around it. Most people know frankincense from the bible in which it was delivered to Jesus as an offering from one of the wise men, but frankincense has actually been used in the Middle East for far longer than that! You can embrace your inner wise man and use frankincense as an offering, or can simply employ its sacred smoke as a purifier for your spirit and space.
To implement it as an offering, use frankincense benefits on your sacred altar. Amplify the energy of your intention by burning frankincense resin as an offering to whatever guardian angels or divine beings you’d like to invite into your space. It ensures that protective and loving guides surround you. The frankincense benefits provide a stable and loving environment.
Frankincense doesn’t stop with blasting through your energy blocks, it helps to unblock your sinuses by stimulating the airways as well. Use it when you have a cold, to uplift your spirits when you’re feeling depressed. You can even chew frankincense resin for oral health. Chew it the same way you’d chew on gum and then pack it against a troubled area to help regenerate the tissues (note: the taste and texture is a little unpleasant – we’ve tried it!). These frankincense uses have been practiced for hundreds of years.
Frankincense grows on the Somali coast and the Arabian Peninsula. Harvesters have to make a deep cut into the trunk of a tree and remove a piece of bark to allow the sap to drip out. It usually takes about three months for the sap to harden into a resin.
How to Use Frankincense Resin
In addition to using sacred frankincense resin for cleansing a space or crystal, it is also a great scent for yoga and meditation. Frankincense benefits the crown chakra, so lighting this sacred frankincense will help open your mind for meditation.
To do this, begin by lighting a charcoal round. When the charcoal turns white, place a few pieces of frankincense on the round. Any more and the smoke will quickly overpower your space. This is the perfect spiritual cleanser to use in meditation because it will self-burn continuously for up to an hour without any further effort from you.
You can also use a feather waft the smoke around your space for spiritual enhancement, making sure to get it into the corners and window sills for a thorough cleanse. Submerge your crystals and crystal jewelry into the sacred smoke to purify their energy.
