Knowing I would not have time to start it from scratch today, I began making my first batch of kyphi over the weekend. Kyphi is incense based on ancient Egyptian temple incense that has wine, honey and raisins as its base. It is every bit as gooey-sticky as it sounds. Along with the sticky base there are piles of herbs and resins to grind, hunched over a mortar and pestle. There is the time to cure of a month at the very least, making kyphi a labor of love and a great opportunity to infuse the work with energy and intention. So far I love the process and tonight I'll be forming my kyphi into smallish chunks and setting them up to cure. If this batch turns out to be viable as incense, I'll be sure to share more about the process.
For now, I recommend this extremely expensive book, which can be found in part on Google books: Sacred Luxuries by Lise Manniche.
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