Native-Spirit Copal resin

Bought from Native-Spirit on eBay for £4.85 including postage.  Native-Spirit is a branch of Nanook Trading, which is a German based company founded by Alex and Armin. Copal is similar to frankincense and amber - it is a resin extracted from certain trees when they are cut or damaged.  This copal resin is imported from Peru, where it is harvested from the Copal tree. It has been used as ceremonial incense in the central and northern parts of South America (Mesoamerica) going back to the Pre-Columbian era. It is used as a cleansing agent in Sacred Mushroom ceremonies, and Mexican Sweat Lodges.

We found it to be an interesting incense. The scents initially reminded us of curry - with notes of fenugreek, coriander, and star anise. It is citric, herbal, suggestive now and again of banana. Always mildly savoury and food related. We are reminded of Moroccan or African spiced food. It is mildly pleasant and intriguing, though not something dreamy or aesthetic. It is natural scent, not offensive, but not something you would burn purely for the pleasure of the scent - you would use this as a cleansing or invigorating agent, either as part of an incense mix you were making yourself, or as part of a personal, sacred, or therapeutic practise.

Thomas Kinkele, the German author of  Incense And Incense Rituals, says of copal: "distinguished by a bright and clear somewhat lemony/aromatic grace ... it purifies the inner attitude and supports mental/spiritual work."

The lumps melt and bubble gently as it smoulders - taking a little while for the scent to arise, and when they do it is clean, fresh and interesting, though it gets a smoky and rough toward the end of the burn when it catches at the edges. And when we'd had enough I found it difficult to clean off my burner as it clings stubbornly to the plate. I added a little water, and found that stops the smoking and scorching, retuning the scent back to its fresh state.

We found this interesting and uplifting, though not a resin I am likely to burn that often as we burn mostly for the scent. I only realise now, looking back at the eBay page, that I could have bought a 15g pack, but hadn't noticed originally because it defaults to 20g, greying out the 15g option.


Date: June 2018   Score: 27

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Incense by Country

Spiritual/Ritual Incense