| Description: | As mentioned, one of the oldest uses of incense was as a cover-up for other smells. In churches and gathering places where pilgrims and travelers came together after long periods of no access to basic hygiene, it was a useful thing to be able to light up a brazier of odoriferous resins and drive away the odors. Other uses of incense were symbolic - the smoke rising to the heavens reminded believers of the soul's eventual ascent to its maker at death - and psychological and medicinal. Fragrances had long been noticed to have an effect on the human psyche, and this effect was heightened in the 60s by the use of certain psychotropic substances. All of these uses for incense were intensified and raised to a new level during the early years of its resurgence and use in the 60s. |
