Capnomancy Divination Reading of Incense Smoke

vinavin21 · Unread post by **vinavin21** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 10:59 am

is it possible to read incense smoke on the way it burns?

Unread post by **ConjureMan** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 11:55 am

Yes, scrying and divination can be done with the smoke from incense, the way a candle burns, the smoke from a candle etc. Most would recommend that a light trance is required in order to use divination with smoke. Its a pretty subjective art, so it takes some time to develop a system for understanding the designs and signs.

Read more about capnomancy -- reading signs in smoke -- at this AIRR page:

Association of Independent Readers and Rootowrkers: Hoodoo and Conjure Incense
http://readersandrootworkers.org/wiki/H ... re_Incense

vinavin21 · Unread post by **vinavin21** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 11:35 pm

Ok I'm burning my incense on this lover of mine and the way the smoke goes is straight up. Then there are times when it will burn with a swirl swaying back and forth. So how would one read that

Unread post by **Devi Spring** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 8:49 am

There is no one way to read smoke. Smoke reading is a VERY abstract and intuitive art and will vary greatly from person to person - so there's no way for anyone to answer that question for you, unless they are a smoke-reader and were present during the burn. Unless you are gifted for that specific kind of divination, or have a mentor for that kind of thing I wouldn't worry about it. You'll just end up over-analyzing and over-thinking your work and weakening its overall effect because of it.

See this page at the Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers;

http://readersandrootworkers.org/wiki/C ... Divination

Unread post by **ConjureMan** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 10:09 pm

If you are unfamiliar with that form of divination, either get familiar, or don't use it. Use whatever method of divination you are comfortable with and more important: familiar with.

stelselv · Unread post by **stelselv** » Tue Nov 24, 2009 7:53 am

Ok I'm burning my incense on this lover of mine and the way the smoke goes is straight up. Then there are times when it will burn with a swirl swaying back and forth. So how would one read that

I burnt incense too, it was a 13 herbs incense. Usually the smoke comes to me, or it goes to my candle, on the 10th day the smoke was swirling in circles, something I have never seen or experienced before.... I took it as a good sign. What and how you feel about your incence smoke is your own interpretation, your emotional guidance, your own understanding of the situation that you are in.

it should all be good for you....

Khourrem · Unread post by **Khourrem** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 8:50 am

I'm sorry if this has been addressed elsewhere -- I looked, and the incense forum is rather small. (So I'll be even more embarrassed if it has been covered, of course.)

Since I'm focusing on learning ceromancy and doing candle work right now, this caught my interest. I had just cleansed my altar space thoroughly, replaced everything, and started burning a small cone of All Saints Incense. I looked over everything and said, "Look at that, all spanky clean." All satisfied and whatnot.

Then there was a loud "pop" from the incense, and ash blew all over my freshly cleaned space.

So I wiped off the ash, sprayed and wiped the surface again with dilute Florida Water, and added a little more incense to the pile. But, um? Is this common? I've never had this happen with incense.

Unread post by **Devi Spring** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 9:21 am

My LM self-burning incenses very often pop like that. It's often to do with the herbs coming up against hot embers - if there is air trapped within a piece of herb, getting very heated can cause it to expand until it bursts like that.

Khourrem · Unread post by **Khourrem** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 10:02 am

So it's not necessarily a sign of anything except physics.

Unread post by **ConjureMan** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 11:23 am

Self-lighting incense pops and sparks sometimes. Some however do read signs from the smoke.

Khourrem · Unread post by **Khourrem** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 1:14 pm

Thanks; that's something interesting to pay attention to and consider.

sakura · Unread post by **sakura** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 6:00 pm

I have been using the self-lighting incenses from LM for at least a year, and while it usually pops and little sparks jump up, just now the weirdest thing happened. I was praying over two honey jars (one for love, one for fidelity) and a sugar jar (to get the bf to come clean about what he's up to), and I had a pot of incense burning, as I usually do. It contained attraction and love me incense as well as some cinnamon powder and catnip. I have burned this mix several times. Well, suddenly, the incense FLARED up several inches in a genuine flame and shot out a shower of sparks. Needless to say I was freaked out. Does this mean something?

Unread post by **Joseph Magnuson** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 10:30 pm

Perhaps your particular batch of incense happened to hit a saltpeter pocket, or perhaps it has a deeper meaning. What do you think it meant? You might want to think about getting a proper reading on the situation!

Good luck, thank you for sharing...

-Joseph

Unread post by **Turnsteel** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 7:44 am

I was always told a flare up like that meant that spirits were near and heard your petition.

sakura · Unread post by **sakura** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 12:10 pm

Oooh. I hope it will be answered then!

Brida · Unread post by **Brida** » Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:41 pm

Hello Everyone!

Tonight, I set up a honey jar with a large red candle top, my business card with a medium green taper candle to the left of it. Between the two I took a candle snuffer and shaped an incense cone of Van Van, and another one of Crown of Success. I stacked the two cones on top of each other. I burned the incense first, then the red candle, followed by the green candle. The incense smoke was profound. More than I had EVER seen. The first few seconds that I was praying and watching it a perfect large smoke ring developed. I continued to watch, and a few seconds later two smaller smoke rings appeared as the incense continued to burn and smoke big time.

I looked everywhere, and could not find the meaning of smoke rings appearing.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!

with prayers,
Brida

Unread post by **ConjureMan** » Wed Mar 30, 2011 10:17 pm

People use incense smoke to either scry, or to look for imagery and symbols not unlike wax divination. In the case of smoke making rings I'd indicate that it may symbolize a completion, or unification.

See this page at the Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers;

http://readersandrootworkers.org/wiki/C ... Divination

Unread post by **Dr Johannes** » Sat Apr 02, 2011 4:56 am

Three rings no less. Sounds like a good sign along the lines Conjureman mentioned. One major source of income and two minor probably.

//Dr. Johannes

Unread post by **Priestess Divine** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 9:14 am

I burned some LM Fast Luick Incense with some snake weed and other money drawing herbs. I burn this on my money alter and also keep my money lamp their. Well I wanted to take some pictures of the smoke just to see...As I held my Iphone the smoke was moving then it slowed down and I CLEARLY saw a mans face...the entire head including the ear! I kept taking pictures and downloaded them and realized there were 3 or 4 faces (1 child face) and 2 eagles. 1 of the birds was the head and neck like it was in flight dive to get something and the other was the entire body with wings spread out (both wings!)

What does it mean when you see images like this in smoke? What are others experience?

I had just seen 3 faces and a heart with a candle spell too. How do I attach pics? Would love to share.

Thanks!!

Unread post by **starsinthesky7** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 11:19 am

Perhaps these are people that are going to help you in your work. In addition, perhaps your work is going to take flight. Honestly, I think that it would be best that you get a reading, and attach these pictures so that a rootworker can see what this means for you.

www.readersandrootworkers.com

Unread post by **Dr Johannes** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 12:05 pm

Im glad you are seeing signs. When you learned to interpret them you are a Reader, a Diviner, a Seer.
The hints are precisely what starsinthesky7 mentions. If you can make sense of them in relation to your work and what you many intuit or feel about them or other impressions you get, you know what they mean. Since you saw them they are either signs you ought to be able to interpret or they came about because Spirits took physical shape. I know any of my collegues would be able to interpret them well.

//Dr. Johannes

Unread post by **Priestess Divine** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 2:40 pm

I would like a reading but I am tight on funds now. Past due on house payment but...will catch up in a few weeks. I was concerned about some of the faces I saw. It was more that 4. I went back and looked. Some had grimaces and 2 had gold eyes. On one I could see the outline of the teeth and smiles looked weird on a couple. I wish I could do my own reading. I didn't get any bad vibes. I am pretty good at picking up bad spiritual vibes. Its a wierd and creepy feeling. I hope these are all good spirits or signs. Thank you both for your input!

Unread post by **Dr Johannes** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 3:08 pm

Add up what you wrote and consider it within the purpose of the spell. Eagles diving, faces with golden eyes...no bad vibes. Sounds like nice money signs to me.

//Dr. Johannes

Unread post by **starsinthesky7** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 5:39 pm

I agree with Johannes. In addition, you can always get a reading through the radio show even though I am not sure they can see the actual pictures but perhaps just ask about the overall progress of your spell.

Unread post by **Priestess Divine** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 8:05 am

I am glad to hear these are good signs! I felt that they were. I am still learning and trying to read up on spirits and guides so that I may better understand what I see. I recently saw a different type of spirit/sign...I am doing a reconciliation love spell and saw a colorful face in the water glass. It looked to have a tribal head dress that was orange and blue and gold with dark large eyes. There was also a smaller one above, that had light green/yellowish eyes. Those eyes were beautiful and I could even see the pupils. It was great to see them in form and not just as smoke images like the others but I wonder the difference between the two. I had only seen faces in smoke until now but to see a spirit in the water glass was phenomenal! THANK YOU BOTH!

Unread post by **starsinthesky7** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 8:22 am

Best of life...
I think I have commented about your website before. That is AWESOME that you incorporate religious breads and magical treats! That is such a good idea and use of hoodoo cooking.

You should talk to Miss Cat or something about plugging you or something even just on the radio show.

Your cakes look SO good and I just love the idea and names. I am going to treat myself to one soon lol.

Unread post by **Priestess Divine** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 8:41 am

Stars, thanks so much!! As far as the Hoodoo Baking Goes, Cat gave me the idea during a reading back in January. I would love to do more of that and get the products out there to more people. I've been wanting to send Cat some thank you cookies to enjoy with her tea. She is such a sweet lady and loves tea and cookies. I would offer a discount to all the LM folks but no avenue to do that just yet.

I will get in touch with Cat and see what she says. Can't wait til you try something. Warmest Regards to You!!

Brida · Unread post by **Brida** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 7:54 pm

Thank you both so much!!!

Conjure Man- Miss ya lil' bro! Hope all is well, and I promise not to be a stranger. I will email ya soon.

with prayers,
Brida

whistler2 · Unread post by **whistler2** » Thu Sep 08, 2011 9:05 pm

I just had something sort of strange happen as well. I was using one of those charcoal disks. It sparked, flared and then blew up. I was burning frankincense and myrrh resin while saying a novena. Has that ever happened to anyone else? my guess is the disk had a crack in it, but still. That was pretty trippy.

Unread post by **Devi Spring** » Fri Sep 09, 2011 5:54 am

Often the charcoal disks are unevenly coated with the gunpowder, and sometimes too much of it will get into a crack or pocket, and there will be a mini-explosion!

Unread post by **MissMichaele** » Fri Sep 09, 2011 8:49 am

We've found plausible "real" world explanations for the phenomena discussed here -- but Miss Cat taught me that those 3-D phenomena are signs in themselves. Why should there be a saltpeter pocket in your incense, or a gunpowder pocket on your charcoal, at that particular time? It has been said that in the world of the spirit, "all times are now," so the fact that that charcoal disc or packet of incense was manufactured months ago does not discount the significance of the flame and sparks at that moment.

So, did you pull any cards? swing your pendulum? look for shapes in candle wax?

Miss Michaele

whistler2 · Unread post by **whistler2** » Fri Sep 09, 2011 8:43 pm

I didn't want to read into it too much. I am pretty stressed out right now, and as the saying goes "if you hear hooves, don't immediately think of zebras." i just thought to let it go as a simple crack in the disk. But I did pull three cards after that, though. However, since I am new in this, my reading skills are near non-existant. The gist of it, from what i could gather, is that it's a good sign. What I am doing will work(it's for landing a decent job, btw), but i need to be patient and I think that I must be careful to either not be too ambitious, or do excessive work on the subject. The last card was the Devil, which I am still trying to figure out.

That being said, I could totally be off base. I do not have any money to spare at this moment in time, so I can't get a professional yes/no reading. I'm also not going to ask anyone to translate the cards for me as that comes across as sounding gaudy and wrong. So I am just going to finish with this prayer and hope for the best. If my chance I can scrape together enough funds to get a quick reading, I'll try.

Unread post by **eleggua21** » Wed Sep 14, 2011 7:15 am

Loved your response Miss Michaele.

At a minimum, any phenomena like that deserves an investigation through divination, as the others have mentioned. That you tried to do so is wonderful.

I think it is great you are pressing on regardless of your monetary circumstances, Whistler.

Here are some ideas regarding the Devil card.

The Devil card can mean - illusion and oppression (among other things). So here are a few ideas, see if any apply... don't be overly concerned about money. Do make sure you are working diligently to get a job. Not having one can definitely make you feel oppressed. Check to be sure you are not just "going through the motions" but not really doing what it will take to get a job. See if you can look beyond the obvious - is there a job you have been overlooking that you could take immediately, even temporarily? Is there another strategy you could implement to find your new job that you have overlooked? Deep down, might you already know what to do and have been allowing the illusion that you need/want X type of job only when other possibilities are there for you?

See if anything above makes sense. The most important thing you can do is ponder it's meaning and decide what it means to you.

Remember, it is easier to go from strength to strength than from nothing to strength. If it were possible to get a job - ANY job - you could continue your looking from a sense of strength vs a sense of weakness/panic.

Of course, nothing beats getting a reading. And necessity is certainly the mother of invention. So keep learning how to read and when you can and the need arises, take advantage of getting a reading from someone you trust.

I hope this helps.

whistler2 · Unread post by **whistler2** » Wed Sep 14, 2011 7:24 pm

Thank you for your insight, eleggua2. I gathered ten quid up and booked a quick email reading with MissMichaele, however it hasn't come yet, but here's an update on my situation.

Last Thursday at about 10:45am, I fired off a resume to a place I was avoiding as I knew of a former coworker there. I really didn't want to work with this guy again as place we worked at was a really bad environment and just didn't want to deal with the memories. I really had to twist my own arm for me to do it. I had sent out about 50 resumes or so before sending this one out. At 11:30, the owner replies asking me me if I could come in for an interview. I managed to get there for a 1 o'clock interview and the person whom I was trying to avoid had actually the country almost 2 years ago. Come Monday, I send him an email asking if he made a decision yet and he replies asking me to come in this week. Today was my first day there.

It's cool I got the job but the real funsies to all this though is according to the guy I was working with today, he said on thursday morning he was talking with the owner and the owner said that he's going to have to hire another person right quick cause they are getting swamped. He goes to check his email and the first one that pops up was my resume.

Unread post by **eleggua21** » Wed Sep 14, 2011 7:51 pm

Hi Whistler,

Excellent report. Looks like the Devil card did indeed shed some light on this.

Congratulations on getting the job.

I'm sure Miss Michaele can shed additional light on this for you.

whistler2 · Unread post by **whistler2** » Wed Sep 14, 2011 8:34 pm

Thanks again

I am really looking forward to the reading as some strange stuff continues to happen. The work I am doing on this is a 13 day novena and though I have a job now,I figured to finish the working til friday. The charcoal exploded again, but this time a chunk of it flew off and got wedged under the lip of a candle holder on my altar. I didn't notice this and so later when I was rearranging things, I noticed the pea-sized burnt out pit in the wood.

So I really have no idea what to make of this now and definately need some light shed upon it. And should possibly buy another pack of charcoals.

Precise2 · Unread post by **Precise2** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 5:52 am

Is there a such thing as to many incense burnt with each other to make the spell more effective? And where can I find the meaning of the smoke color, the flame and duration of the fire and smoke before it goes out. How many times can I burn incense for love a day?

Unread post by **aura** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:02 am

Hi Precise2,

as long as the intention/use of each of the incenses burnt work well together, there's no ''limit'' on how many you can burn in tandem. They won't necessarily make the spell more effective than burning a single blend however. Ditto on how many times a day you burn the incense. If you're doing some serious work, then 3x daily could work, but once a day when you burn a candle on a honey jar or work a bottle spell would be more usual.

Divination of incense burning is less flame-based and far more about capnomancy - divination of what you see in the smoke. It's an intuitive art, much like skrying that can be developed with practice.

Blessings and best of luck.

Unread post by **catherineyronwode** » Sun Oct 07, 2012 6:47 pm

For a basic tutorial on incense, see this page at Lucky Mojo:

Hoodoo in Theory and Practice: Incense
https://www.luckymojo.com/incense.html

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Spell Methods:
Light incense before opening a candle service; use it to to dress a room, to besmoke talismans, and fix lucky mojo hands; add herbs or resins and burn on charcoal if you wish; unlit incense may be mixed with local dirt for a yard sprinkle or foot-track spells.

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Unread post by **MissMichaele** » Tue Oct 09, 2012 1:32 pm

What Miss Cat said; and when you're getting used to a system as abstract as capnomancy, use a more familiar divination system for backup -- as a Rosetta Stone, so to speak.

Good luck and good magic,

Miss Michaele

Unread post by **Priestess Divine** » Wed Oct 10, 2012 9:37 am

I always take pictures of the smoke to capture any signs that the spirits are trying to communicate. You will be surprised how much you can see in one shot! In my case, I capture not only smoke images but many other signs. It's amazing! But as stated, signs are very personal. Give the camera a shot. I think you will have great success.

AnaMar13 · Unread post by **AnaMar13** » Sat Aug 29, 2015 7:23 pm

Hey everyone.

I was just curious if anyone thought/knew this meant anything:

I just lit a red colored incense (not really sure what the scent is, I got it a while ago-smells kinda like a fruit) and I looked down at my phone to check Facebook and the smoke was traveling right into my face. I didn't think anything of it and repositioned it. I noticed the smoke went straight up for about a foot for a second or two then did this weird swirling pattern. I just thought it was cool but couldn't shake a nagging feeling in my stomach. I looked back at my phone resuming my Facebook activities and again it went straight into my face. I repositioned it yet again. This happened a good 3 or 4 times before I finally just say and stared at it. Idk why, I just felt like I needed to. The smoke again did the straight up for about a foot for a second or two then swirled and gave me an odd feeling in the pit of my stomach. I can't tell if it's good or bad, but it's a nagging feeling. It's still burning and repeatedly doing this. Anyone have any ideas on what it could mean? It could be nothing, but I thought what's the pain in asking? Thank you to anyone who responds.

Unread post by **Miss Athena** » Sat Aug 29, 2015 8:41 pm

Hi AnaMar13,

Welcome to the forum! When you get a chance (and if you wish), please introduce yourself in the Introductions thread, and also read the forum rules for posting here.

Please note that this forum is for discussion about how to use Lucky Mojo products. We don't do interpretations on the forum, but there is a good page on candle divination that may help you understand the behavior of your incense smoke. The page is here: http://www.luckymojo.com/candlemagicdivination.html

You could also book a reading from a member of Hoodoo Psychics or AIRR to ask specifically about your situation:

http://www.hoodoopsychics.com
http://www.readersandrootworkers.org/

Good luck.

sunflowershine · Unread post by **sunflowershine** » Sat Dec 05, 2015 2:33 am

I really like the suggestion of taking pictures of the incense smoke. I've burned incense and felt compelled by the smoke I saw, but because I was focusing on something else, I shut down the feeling I was getting. Taking pictures would be a way to still look over the smoke after the fact.
And thanks for all the reference links here; reading smoke is definitely something I want to learn more about.

adneychan · Unread post by **adneychan** » Tue Jun 21, 2016 1:58 am

I guess this information really good. It is useful. Thanks!

Unread post by **Desert Lavender** » Tue Oct 09, 2018 9:29 am

I do most of my work outside and so everything, and especially my smoke reading, is affected by the winds. I'm realizing that though I am reading smoke, I also have to distinguish between reading the smoke or reading the wind, or both together. I'm just learning. Right now I feel that my cauldron is giving me vocabulary and grammar lessons - I'm just observing, and absorbing.

I live in a very rural area without a fire department, so can't risk lighting candles or incense in the house. Any fire work has to happen outside, far from the house.

Unread post by **JayDee** » Tue Oct 09, 2018 1:51 pm

Desert Lavender,

Being cautious is very important with work being we use candles and lit items. I would purchase a fire extinguisher and bring water out with me when doing the work. Its a one time purchase that can be a huge difference if needed. There is a form of divination to read the clouds as well, i've tried it a bit, most suggest interpreting clouds by the same symbols as tea leaves.

Unread post by **Desert Lavender** » Tue Oct 09, 2018 6:58 pm

Thanks. Yes, we have good fire extinguishers and water, and buckets and sand. I'm very careful.

Malela907 · Unread post by **Malela907** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 6:27 pm

When I look at smoke, it circles around me. Like swirls. What does that mean?

Unread post by **FreyaRose** » Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:35 am

Hi Malela907,

As Miss Athena mentioned above, this forum is for talking about how to use Lucky Mojo products and services. We don't do interpretations or readings on this forum, but there is a great page on candle divination, which may help you interpret signs from your smoke: http://www.luckymojo.com/candlemagicdivination.html

You could also book a reading from AIRR or Hoodoo Psychics to get some help with interpretation:

http://www.hoodoopsychics.com
http://www.readersandrootworkers.org/

Best of luck to you!

Gob13 · Unread post by **Gob13** » Mon Nov 16, 2020 3:21 pm

I was burning incense with the intent of asking questions but before I could, I noticed a smoke ring formed and I was wondering if that meant anything or if it was a coincidence?

Unread post by **Terra Rising** » Tue Nov 17, 2020 7:04 am

Gob13,

Please read through this thread and use the links for more information on how to interpret signs. I would get a grasp on the different signs and meanings first and then try a divination.

I hope this helps.

Unread post by **catherineyronwode** » Tue Dec 21, 2021 1:18 pm

This link at AIRR supplies even more information on how to read incense smoke:

Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers: Scrtying: Capnomancy or Smoke Divination
http://readersandrootworkers.org/wiki/C ... Divination

Unread post by **catherineyronwode** » Sat Jan 04, 2025 4:01 pm

LUCKY MOJO HOODOO ROOTWORK HOUR 3/10/2024:
The Lucky Mojo Hoodoo Rootwork Hour will be on the air at 3pm PT, 6pm ET with catherine yronwode, ConjureMan, and special guest Stuart Palm. We begin this show with a Tutorial on The Magic of Incense and provide 90 minutes of free readings, free spells, and conjure consultations, giving listeners an education in African-American folk magic. We'll also announce the winners of our weekly Facebook Fridays contest.

Tune in online to listen:
The Magic of Incense with Stuart Palm
http://tobtr.com/12321428

Unread post by **catherineyronwode** » Sat Sep 13, 2025 10:17 am

The Magic of Incense
Lucky Mojo Hoodoo Rootwork Hour 3/10/24
with co-hosts catherine yronwode and ConjureMan,
special guest Stuart Palm, and announcer Reverend James
https://youtu.be/7gQYlR4Acbo

Co-hosts ConjureMan and Miss Cat, with special guest Stuart Palm and announcer Reverend James, will teach you The Magic of Incense, followed by free psychic readings, hoodoo spells, and conjure consultations, giving listeners an education in African-American folk magic.

Further discussion about this show:
the-magic-of-incense-lucky-mojo-radio-s ... 99059.html

The Lucky Mojo YouTube channel is here:
http://youtube.com/luckymojocurioco

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