Smells and Bells

 I will admit that I never thought about incense that much. If I was to be asked 'What is incense?' five years ago, I would have answered "I don't know. Those stick things that you burn when people meditate." Upon reading the Deborah Green's The Aroma of Righteousness, I realized that I was only partially right in my guess. I never took the time to learn just how the burning of certain spices, herbs, etc can bring about a sense of religious sacrifice. It has been many years since I had gone to Church or CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) but upon reflection, I do remember the incense alter and the priest using the incense burner. He would  make the Sign of the Cross with the censer by making two   vertical swings   and a third horizontal swing. The three swings together symbolizing the Holy Trinity (information provided by my mother).  I may have wandered away from the topics in Green's article, but I truly do find her findings interesting. Particul...