The practice of burning incense and warming fragrant oils started many centuries in our past. Almost all major religions used incense in their sacred ceremonies or rituals and many still do. When using it in rituals, the smoking incense is placed in an "incenser" which is attached to a chain and then the user swings it upwards and outwards to direct the perfumed smoke of the incense where intended. Pagans also used incense in their rituals previous to the major religions. Still today, the glass incense burners Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Jewish religions use incense regularly in some of their rituals. It was believed (and still is) that prayer is made more effective when incense is burned while conducting prayer.

People today use incense in their homes to create a desired atmosphere. It is a popular contention that different fragrances set different moods and are helpful in soothing various emotional problems.

They burn incense to cleanse the atmosphere, calm and reduce tension and stress and even fear.

Some other reasons for burning incense are to revitalize and renew one's energy and to help insomnia.

There are those who believe there can even be a healing aspect by burning incense.

So what does a novice need to know what to look for when buying an incense burner?

First. an incense burner can be simple or ornate, but it's important to use the right burner for the type of incense you will burn, especially for safety. Choosing a good cone burner is very important since anything used to burn cones, cylinders or spaghetti sticks must be able to withstand the heat. A word of caution, never burn cones on wood.

There is a plethora of information to be had on this subject on the internet; just 'google' incense.

In fact, while researching for this article, I have become so intrigued by the whole idea of using incense to aid in reducing stress and anxiety and the possible calming glass incense burners atmosphere it could create in my home, that I'm seriously considering trying it out for myself!