Probably the most common issue asthmatic witches (and various other Pagans) raise is about incense.
Different kinds of problems:
One thing people don’t always realise initially is that there are different kinds of things you can react to with incense.
Type: You might react to stick incense, but not to cone or loose incense. You might react to synthetic fragrance notes, but not natural oils. You might react to commercial binders and preparations, but not to homemade incense or even handcrafted commercial incenses.
Scents/ingredients: You may only react to some specific scents, but not to all. I’ve got a good friend who’s very reactive to lavender and rose and patchouli, but who adores other scents.
Space or amount: You might have trouble with lots of incense in a small or tightly shut room - but be fine with a smaller amount, a larger room, or better ventilation.
My current home is 400 square feet (no doors except the bathroom) and well-ventilated (another term might be ‘drafty’ except when the winter plastic is up). I have days where I burn a third or half of a stick of incense. I also have days when two or three sticks over the course of the day is just fine. I can tell in advance which is which.
Before writing incense off entirely, it may be worth doing some cautious experimentation (assuming that your asthma is generally under control, and you do this in a space you can leave and not come back to until it’s aired out.) Get someone to help you, too: they may spot you having trouble before you consciously notice it.
Consider the times you’ve had trouble before - not just with incense, but with perfumes, bath products, smoke, or other related allergens. Keep a journal for a month if you have to, of the times you find it easier and harder to breathe. Are there any patterns? Keep track of any new patterns you spot as you look at incense options. It may be that you can find options that do work for you.
Options:
Are you reacting to something specific? Consider, as above, what you actually react to. Maybe you need to avoid floral incenses, but other ones are fine. Some people find the sticks in the stick incense to set them off: some of the Japanese stick incenses (shaped like a stick, but with no wood in the middle) sometimes work better for those people. (Also, they’re shorter, so they contain less actual incense.) Some people find the charcoal used for loose incense gives them trouble, but a cone (which has finely powdered wood in it to help it burn) works fine.
Consider other scent options: Depending on what you want the incense for, you may find other options work well. Perfume and essential oils are some common ones.
If you do want to use scent, consider applying perfume or using an oil burner may work just as well. (However, there are uses of incense that don’t work as well with this.) While some people with allergies or asthma react to all perfumes, many actually react to other substances in commercial perfumes besides the perfume oil - things like the alcohol or other carrier or base.
There’s a sizeable number of natural perfumers out there, using different approaches. I’m quite fond of the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab oils (and I’m really fond of their ritual oils, which are at Twilight Alchemy Lab) I’ve also been really impressed by Magickal Realism’s work. (Bias note on this one: I know Di from my local Pagan community.) They have different approaches, but the smells are great!
One benefit of the oil burner or applying a perfume oil to yourself is that if you do have problems, it’s usually easier to get it out of your environment fast. (Wash it off your skin or blow out the oil burner). They’re also usually far less all-involving than incense smoke can be. Remember that essential oils should be diluted before use, and that some oils aren’t suitable if you’re pregnant, or if you’re dealing with some types of medical issues (and you may want to pay attention to those ingredients in perfume 0ils, too.)
If you want to represent the element of air (but don’t necessarily need scent) you can use a feather, a fan, or ribbon.
Don’t use it:
The last logical option is simply not to use it at all. The benefit, of course, is that you can’t react to what isn’t there.
The problem is that many traditions use it for specific reasons: some of those reasons are more adaptable with alternatives than others. In addition, scent is a very powerful trigger for some people: using it deliberately can be a very moving ritual act. Removing that opportunity for a group should be considered very carefully, because it will affect everyone else in the group’s experience (and if the group trains students who will go off and found groups of their own, can also affect practices of those groups down the line).
A group may decide to take this step (and public ritualists should consider incense use very carefully), but they may decide not to change everything for one person. (at least not without first exploring alternatives.) It is good, though, to ask questions about allergies, to let people know that incense will be used (if it will be), and what kind it’s likely to be, if anyone has concerns.
This is an introduction to a series of posts I’ve been contemplating for a long time. I was diagnosed with asthma in my college years, and still struggle with it regularly. It’s something that I have to keep in mind when looking at some kinds of ritual design, some practices and techniques - and just generally, in terms of being self-aware.
Asthma is sometimes called ‘the magician’s disease’ for various reasons: a number of well-known figures in esoteric circles have suffered from it. However, there isn’t always a lot of realistic discussion about what to do about it.
This series (which you can find under the tag ‘asthmatic witch‘) is going to focus on what’s worked for me (and that might also work for you or asthmatics you know), and what some of the many and varied options are.
Obviously, though, you are responsible for your own health. Don’t assume that what works for me works for you (and that what isn’t an option for me isn’t for you.) Check with your doctor and other medical advice.
A little background:
Asthma varies by person, though there are some common issues. So you know where I’m coming from, here’s what the issues are for me.
Triggers: Mostly allergy related, though I tolerate some kinds of exercise just fine and others not at all. (Running and climbing stairs are almost always hard for me, where walking, horseback riding, and swimming aren’t, even when I’m exerting myself.) I’m very allergic to feathers, quite allergic to dogs, mold, and fall pollens, and varying degrees of allergic to dust, cats, spring and summer pollens, and various other things.
I react to some kinds of incense, etc. but not all: almost anything is fine if it’s in a decently sized, well-ventilated room.
Lung issues: Along with the asthma, I have some lung scarring from bacterial pneumonia when I was 11. (I think that the scarring has something to do with my exercise issues: there are some body positions - like leaning forward when running or on stairs) that seem to decrease my lung capacity significantly, and if I’m already having trouble, it’s just too much.)
Between the two, I’m usually running on 80-90% of the ‘normal’ lung capacity for my age and height. If it drops much below 80%, I start seeing a drastic decrease in my ability to function - not just physically, but mentally. Online stuff that normally takes me 45 minutes will take me 3 hours to get through, along with the more obvious things like having trouble climbing stairs, walking long distances, or dealing with other allergens.
Medication: I take an albuterol inhaler as needed for immediate relief, but I’ve had extremely bad luck with side effects to the inhaled steroids I’ve tried (they send me into fast-cycling mood swings. This is not a way I want to live. Everyone agrees with me once they’ve seen it in action.)
In late 2006, I started seeing an herbalist, partly for help with asthma related issues, and that’s been really succesful. I still have problems, particularly in the fall (when I hit the combination of fall pollens plus mold) until the first few solid frosts - but I’ve been way better otherwise, and can moderate what I’m taking based on how I feel day to day (within the guidelines my herbalist gives me) without noticeable side effects.
Triggers I’m around: I live in Minnesota, so there are pollens around. I live with one cat (who I tolerate really well: I wash my bedding regularly, feed her food that helps reduce her dander and her own food intolerances, and run an air filter all the time in the bedroom.) The covenstead of the group I’ve trained with (I’m getting ready to hive, so this issue is diminishing) has two dogs, five cats, and I do have allergic reactions regularly, even though they work hard on cleaning before events.
Minnesota is generally fairly good about mold (we get a fair amount of moisture most years, but it generally dries out fully in between), except in the fall, until the frosts kill any mold from fallen leaves. Fall is definitely my worst time: early September through late November eats my brain, my energy, and my focus.