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Burning incense may spark respiratory cancers
Constant users were 80 percent more likely to develop disease, study says
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26394506/
NEW YORK - Burning incense may create a sweet scent, but regularly inhaling the smoke could put people at risk of cancers of the respiratory tract, researchers reported Monday.
In a study of more than 61,000 ethnic Chinese living in Singapore who were followed for up to 12 years, the investigators found a link between heavy incense use and various respiratory cancers.
The findings are published in the medical journal Cancer.
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Now here is the Cult Leader H. Spencer Lewis views on incense burning. This is from Monograph # 7
In connection with the study of the symbolism which mystics have
attributed to fire and flame for centuries, we feel a few remarks need to be
made regarding the importance of using incense, notably when you prepare to
study a monograph or to withdraw to your Sanctum to meditate. For obvious
reasons, incense is linked to the alchemical power of fire, for it is impossible to burn some without using a source of heat. Moreover, as it is consumed, its transmutation gives birth to a scent which, on the vibratory plane, is in perfect harmony with the consciousness of Soul. Smelling such an odor arouses within ourselves a desire and need for introspection or contemplation.
Some persons state that they do not like the scent of incense or even that they cannot bear it. Actually, it may not be the odor itself which causes their aversion, but rather its connection with a religious context they dislike. You will note that most persons who have a certain “allergy” to incense do not like the atmosphere of churches and, in general, feel in no way attracted to mysticism. In some cases, it may be a sort of mental block or a form of superstition concerning everything connected with religion.
Among people interested in spirituality it is very rare to find any who
dislike the odor of incense and who do not take pleasure in burning some
regularly at home. To that odor is added the symbolism one may see in the
motion of incense vapors as they rise in a room, for they then materialize the elevation of consciousness — in other words, the spiritual ascent which allows the individual to rejoin the Universal Good someday. Thus, for all those reasons, the use of incense is an invaluable element when one desires to create at home or in one’s Sanctum an atmosphere favorable to the study and application of mysticism. Of course, it is not a matter of burning some in anyplace and at all times, for its use must always be made respectfully and in a proper context.
This entry is written by Pierre S. Freeman, whose book The Prisoner of San Jose, speaks about his 24 years in the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC, whose American Headquarters are in San Jose, CA. Visit his website at:
