You’ll need a censer or heat-resistant burner, charcoal discs, and resin incense (frankincense or myrrh). Light the charcoal until it’s glowing gray, place a small pinch of resin on top, and let the fragrant smoke rise as you pray before your icons.
That’s the basic mechanics. But let’s talk about why you’d want to do this and how to do it safely without setting off every smoke detector in your house.
Why Incense at Home?
Incense isn’t magic. It’s a tool for prayer, a way to engage your senses in what you’re doing when you stand before your icons. The smoke rises, and it reminds you that your prayers are rising to God. Psalm 141 says it plainly: “Let my prayer arise in Your sight as incense.” In Revelation, the prayers of the saints ascend like incense before the throne. We’re doing something the Church has done for thousands of years.
Many Orthodox families burn incense during morning or evening prayers, on feast days, or when they’re praying a moleben at home. Some people cense their icon corner every day. Others do it only on Sundays or major feasts. There’s no rule that says you must do this, but it’s a traditional practice that connects your home prayers to what happens in church.
The Equipment
You can buy a small handheld censer (the kind on chains like the priest uses, just smaller) or a simple ceramic bowl designed for charcoal. Either works fine. St. Michael’s bookstore might carry them, or you can order from Orthodox monastery websites. Holy Assumption Monastery in Texas makes good incense blends if you want something local.
Get quick-light charcoal discs. They’re sold specifically for incense burning. Don’t use barbecue charcoal.
For the incense itself, use natural resin. Frankincense and myrrh are traditional. Many monasteries sell their own blends, often called Athonite-style incense. These smell different from the sticks you’d find at a head shop. They’re earthy, resinous, and they connect you to the same scents used in Orthodox churches worldwide.
How to Do It
Put your censer on something that won’t burn. A ceramic tile, a metal tray, a stone coaster. Not your coffee table. Not near curtains. Not where your cat can knock it over.
Hold the charcoal disc with tongs and light it with a lighter or match. It’ll spark and start to glow. Set it in your censer and wait. This takes a few minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the whole disc is covered in gray ash and glowing evenly.
Now add a tiny pinch of resin. Seriously, a pinch. Too much and you’ll smoke yourself out of the room. The resin will melt and smoke. That’s what you want.
If you’re censing your icon corner, you can gently swing the censer in front of the icons while making the sign of the cross. Some people walk through their home censing each room. Some just set the censer down and let it smoke while they pray. Ask your priest what he recommends, because practices vary and he knows your situation.
When you’re done, let the charcoal burn out completely in the censer. Don’t dump it in the trash while it’s still hot. If you need to extinguish it, drown it in water in a metal container.
The Prayer Part
There’s no single required prayer for home censing. Some people say, “Lord, send down Your grace and have mercy on us.” Others just make the sign of the cross and begin their usual prayer rule. If you’re praying morning or evening prayers from your prayer book, the incense accompanies those prayers.
The point isn’t the incense itself. It’s the prayer. The incense is there to help you, to remind you that something’s happening, that you’re standing in a thin place where earth meets heaven.
Practical Warnings for Southeast Texas
Open a window. Texas homes are sealed up tight for the AC, and even a little incense smoke can set off alarms. I’ve heard stories from parishioners who censed their apartment at 11 PM and had the fire department show up. Not ideal.
If you’re in a rental or have respiratory issues, you might skip the charcoal and resin altogether. An oil lamp (lampada) with olive oil gives you the flickering light and a sense of offering without the smoke. That’s a perfectly Orthodox alternative.
If you work offshore or have a rotating schedule and you’re only home a few days at a time, you don’t need to feel guilty about not censing daily. Do it when you can. God knows your schedule.
Start Simple
If you’re new to this, don’t overthink it. Get a simple ceramic burner, some charcoal, and a small bag of frankincense. Try it on a Sunday morning before you head to Liturgy. See how it feels. See if it helps you pray.
And if you try it and decide it’s not for you, that’s fine too. Incense is a tool, not a requirement. Some of the holiest people I know never burn incense at home. Others wouldn’t dream of praying without it. Talk to your priest, especially if you’re a catechumen. He can show you exactly how it’s done and give you specific prayers to use.
The goal is prayer. The incense is just there to help you get there.
