There is nothing quite like walking into a ritual space and smelling the scent of Frankincense or Sage to put you instantly into focus.  Incense can be a powerful tool to help set the mood for your Magickal workings.  As well as just smelling nice, the inclusion of particular herbs, gums and other ingredients can help aid the working as well. While you could just go to a shop and buy a few incense sticks, not only are many commercial blends of incense just fragranced with chemical scents - rather than actual herbs, but making your own incense is very important, particularly for using in Ritual.  If making your own incense, you can select exactly what goes into the incense, and you can focus on your intent while creating the incense, to help increase it's Magickal power. To burn incense safely, it is always a good idea to have it in a censer -  a bowl or other such holder, with salt, earth or sand (a non-heat conductive material) in which you can burn your incense with less chance of it catching anything else alight.  As "loose" incense tends to pop and spit occasionally, your censer should be large enough to contain any wayward ingredients.  (This has happened to me before, my charcoal block had a mini explosion and a few fragments of charcoal flew out of the dish.  Luckily I was in the room and saw it, and was able to check that they had not done any damage) So please remember with any form of incense, never leave it burning unattended.  Even though it is only smouldering, it can still be dangerous

"Loose" Incense (Powdered incense)
This is simply crushed or powdered herbs, which are burned on a charcoal block.  The charcoal used is not the same charcoal as you use in a BBQ, it has been specially designed for burning incense.  These blocks are usually available in most “new age” shops and are quite inexpensive (usually in a roll of about 8 charcoals).  Make sure you store these in an airtight container, as they go "stale" and won't stay lit properly if exposed to air for too long.  The herbs are ground into a fine powder (some herbs and gums like lavender, Frankincense etc. may be left whole or only crushed slightly), you may also add a few drops of essential oils if you like, but be sure to blend the mixture well.  The charcoal is lit and then a small amount of the incense is placed on the charcoal block and allowed to burn. The exact amount needed depends on the size of the charcoal block, all that is needed is enough to cover the surface of the block, approx 1/8 teasp should be adequate.

The ash from the spent incense is then scraped off, and fresh incense added.  The charcoal lasts for 30 mins to 2 hours depending on the size of the block, and it seems that adding fresh incense regularly, and blowing on the charcoal will make it burn out quicker.

The way to use a charcoal block is as follows.  Place the charcoal block (which should look like a black disc) on it's side in a heatproof dish of salt or sand (kitty litter can apparently also be used - although I haven't tested this).  This absorbs the heat.  Light the top edge of the charcoal block (which is actually the side since you have it on its side) and stand back. The charcoal block should start to pop, fizzle and send off clouds of smoke, as red sparks travel down the block.  As the sparks are about half way down the block, use a knife or some other metal object to knock the block over so that the hollowed out side is on top (If it has a hollowed out side).  When the block has stopped smoking and fizzing it is now ready to use.  Add about  1/8 teaspoon (depending on the size of your block) at a time, and when it has stopped producing smoke, scrape off the ash  and add fresh incense.  You can place a piece of aluminium foil between the charcoal block and the sand (before you light it) if you wish, which will collect the ash and save your sand from becoming mixed with the ash and charcoal.

While this is my preferred form of incense, some people dislike this as it doesn't take long before the incense powder is burned to ash, and must be scraped off an fresh incense added, making it a continuos process of reapplying incense to keep it burning.  However I still think it is worth it, as you get the billowing incense smoke that I like!

Self burning powdered incense - This is powdered incense that is made the same as above, but rather than burning it on a charcoal block, you add a SMALL amount of Salt Petre to the powdered herb (mixing very well)  and this keeps it alight while it burns.  Use extreme caution when experimenting with Salt Petre! You will need to experiment with the amount of Saltpetre you add to the mixture.  Too much Salt Petre, and it flares and spits too much - but not enough, and it will not stay lit.  Adding the saltpetre to a little water, and mixing it through the other ingredients, then waiting for it to dry before using it a way to get a more even distribution.

To use this incense place a small amount of the powder in a pile on a heatproof dish and light it.  It should smoulder and have occasional flare-ups due to the Salt Petre.  Please remember to test your incense outside the first time you make a new blend…. and stand well clear, in case you have added too much Salt Petre (it happens!).  In my opinion the powdered incense you burn on a charcoal block is better (and certainly safer).
 
 

Incense Sticks ("joss sticks")
Probably the most common form of incense you can buy, these are generally an incense mixture that has been formed around a thin stick, and you stand the stick in a holder while the incense is burning.  A common mistake people make is to let the incense burn too long.  Once the incense is alight, and you can see a red ember on the end, you can blow out the flame and let the incense smoulder.  Incense sticks are handy as you can quench the stick and reuse it if necessary.

Some forms of stick incense are made without a stick, and are just the incense (sometimes called "pure incense" because there is no stick).  These stickless incenses can even be made into incense "coils", which are (as the name suggests) coils of the incense rather than a flat stick.  These generally come with a metal stand, which allows part of the coil to be raised, as the incense coil will not burn properly if it is against a surface.  Some people hang these coils, however care must be taken to ensure the coil can not burn through whatever it is suspended from, and that it cannot drop onto anything flammable. 
 

Incense Cones
These are little cone shaped blocks of incense, which have Salt Petre mixed through them to keep them alight.  The herbs are crushed then mixed with a binding agent and water, then shaped into cones and allowed to dry.  You can burn these in a dish of salt or sand, or in a specially designed incense cone holder.  As they don't burn as hot as charcoal blocks, you can also put them straight onto a heatproof dish without salt etc. if you wish (depending on the dish).  Something like a small ceramic tile works well as a holder for incense cones.
 

Step 1 – What do you want to use the incense for?
The first thing you need to do is work out what the main purpose is for your incense.  Is the main purpose to smell nice, or are you making your incense for a particular goal?

You can make lovely scented incense that will help attract love just as easily as you can make one that smells revolting.  The scent is important, but you should always keep your desired goal in mind when choosing herbs for an incense blend if you are making incense for a particular goal.  You can choose herbs that you know will smell nice when burned from the list of herbs appropriate for the goal. If you are making an incense blend to simply smell nice, then pick herbs that smell nice no matter what the properties are.

Knowibng what you want to use it for can also help define the type of incense you use.  If you want something for a spell, and you need dragon's blood, and you don't have it - it might be easier to buy a dragon's blood incense stick and use that.  If you want it for basic ritual use, it might be best to make your own powdered incense in bulk. 

Step 2 - Choosing your herbs
All herbs have magickal properties and some have a pleasant scent.  If you are making incense for a particular use, you will need to have at least 1 herb in the blend that has the power that you wish to achieve.  There are no rules about the number of herbs you should use in incense, but I like to use 4-6 to give interesting layers to the blend.  So you can have a few herbs in your blend for their properties and a few herbs to add a scent.  Or you can make incense just for the smell alone, or for the properties alone.

If making incense simply for the smell remember that some herbs don't have much of a smell, or don't smell nice when burned (these can be used in incense for their properties, but you will need to add other herbs if you want strong scented incense).  Once you know which herbs don't smell so nice when burned, make sure you only add a small amount of them to your incense blends (Unless you need to use more). Some herbs (Lavender, Frankincense, Rosemary etc.) will have a very strong scent, so these can be used to mask the not so pleasant herbs, or herbs with little smell.

Some herbs should be used sparingly in a well-ventilated room (such as Wormwood and Rue).  There are certain herbs you should avoid if you have certain medical conditions, This page gives some of these for Aromatherapy, which is similar to herbal use.

I suggest you test out each herb separately before you make it into an incense blend.  Some people will use the herbs in incense whether they smell nice or not, because they want to use specific herbs, other people would rather make a pleasant smelling incense from whatever herbs they can find.  To test them out, light a charcoal block and sprinkle a little of the herb onto the block.  Smell the smoke given off, and write down the name of the herb and what you thought of the smell, and if possible describe it.  You might like to do this in a special incense-making book so that you will remember it later.  Once you know what the herbs smell like, it will make creating incense easier, as you will be able to work out what they blend with easier.

Generally speaking each herb type will blend well with itself.  Gums work well with other gums, spices with spices and so on.  I also find that Woods and Spices work nicely together, as do Herbs and Spices.  Of course this is up to your individual likes and dislikes, and what you are intending to achieve.

Step 3 – Deciding what form your incense will take
When you have worked out what herbs you are going to use, you then have to work out which type of incense you will make. This may depend on what you have available and how you would like to use it.  If you are going to be busy in a ritual, you might want to consider using a incense stick or cone, which will require less attention from you as powdered incense would.
 

Step 4 – Making your  Incense
This section deals with how to make your own incense, but actual recipes are further below.  Please be aware that Salt Petre is a dangerous product and should not be used in anything other than tiny amounts.  Please also remember to wash your hands after making incense, as some of the herbs you use could be toxic, and to make sure you aren't going to be burning herbs that will trigger Asthma or other health problems.
 

Loose/powdered incense

This is the easiest form of incense to make, as all you need are the herbs, a mortar and pestle (or food processor/hand held blender) that is used only for making incense (you don't want to use them for food after grinding incense in them) and the charcoal block to burn it on.   Simply grind your herbs into granules or powder (The finer the herb mixture the easier it will burn) and sprinkle a small amount of this onto your charcoal block to use it.

Self burning loose/powdered incense

I cannot stress enough the use of caution when making this kind of incense.  Salt Petre is used to provide sparks which ignite the incense and keep it burning.  Too much and you will produce fire works (or little explosions – trust me, I know!), not enough and you will have incense that annoyingly refuses to stay lit.

To make this form of incense, take your herbs, grind them into a powder and then add a small amount of Salt Petre.  As this stays in powder form you can make your herbal blend first and add a small amount of Salt petre, test it  and if it doesn't stay lit you can add a teeny bit more.  You'll have to experiment with the amount of Salt Petre that you will need, but in my opinion about 5% should be used.  (i.e.. if you have 10 parts of incense powder, then you use no more than 1/2 part Salt Petre)  Some people say 10%, but I think that this could be too much, but that depends on how quickly you like your incense burning.  To make sure you have an even distribution of Salt Petre, you can mix it with a little water, and blend the herbs  together into a paste.  Allow this to dry flat on a tray, and you should end up with the powdered herbal incense again - you might have to gently grind it again if it has clumped.

Incense Cones

The basic idea is to make up your herbal powder (as you would for making powdered incense - but the finer the power the better it will work) then add other ingredients to form a base and to bind the ingredients together with some "glue" type wet ingredients.  Then finally add the Salt Petre to keep it burning.  Form this into the cone shapes, allow them to dry and you have incense cones.

The first time I experimented with making incense cones (of course I couldn't just use someone else's recipe, I had to “tweek” it slightly), I produced what my family referred to as my “fire crackers”.  I had been experimenting with different recipes, and instead of adding 1 teaspoon of Salt Petre, I actually misread it and added 1 tablespoon (That happens when you use your own version of shorthand and have shocking handwriting!).  The result was an incense cone that ignited very quickly, enveloping me in a cloud of smoke, then it exploded, showering the kitchen with smouldering fragments of incense.  (I should have been testing this in the backyard where it is safer).  It was actually a great hit with some members of my family, who liked the way the cones spun as they ignited (we did the rest on concrete outside), shooting off sparks like a pinwheel.  After that I was a little more careful with my incense, but still had a problem with my incense burning away too quickly. Then I found the other extreme, and made incense cones that refused to stay lit.  Finally I gave up trying to create one on my own, and managed to find a recipe that worked with only a small change.  The recipe base I used (that worked) was from Scott Cunningham’s ‘Incense, Oils and Brews.’ which is a fantastic book for anyone wanting to make “potions” as it gives many recipes and blends.  Another good book on incense is called “Wylundt’s Book Of Incense”  by (funnily enough) Wylundt.  I highly recommend both books.
 

Incense Sticks

These are probably the most hassle to make.  They use the same basic incense recipe as the cones, but the consistency needs to be right or you'll have a terrible job getting them to stick to the stick, and to work properly.  I’ll be honest, I have never actually made incense sticks... they seem like too much hassle to me :)

Make the incense mixture with the same recipe as the incense cones (below), but instead of shaping them into cones, take your stick (A thin bamboo skewer is apparently fine, but is it thicker than your standard incense stick, but a nicer idea is to use a lavender stalk - you want something that doesn't take too long to burn) and roll it in the mixture, making sure that you have an even coverage along the stick.  Remember to leave space at the bottom of the stick to stand it in the holder!  Stand the sticks up in a bowl of sand or something similar to dry for about 24-48 hours.  Then they are ready to use.

If you can't be bothered making incense sticks from scratch, you can always buy plain (or slightly) scented incense sticks, and add Essential/Fragrant oils (or even tinctures) to them.  Sandalwood incense makes a good base for these as it is hard to find non-scented incense, and the sandalwood usually gives a nice subtle base scent for your oils.  Simply take the incense stick and apply a thin coating of the oil/tincture along it.  Allow it to dry before using it.

Step 5 - Empowering your incense:
If you are making your incense for a particular goal then you should empower it (It isn't strictly necessary, but it will give it extra strength).   Empowering your incense basically means that you are giving it energy to help bring about your desired effect, and is very easy to do.  Herbs have their own powers, but empowering them gives them an extra boost and helps to direct the goal to you (since you are putting your energy into it).

After you have made up your incense blend, hold it in your hands and visualise whatever your goal is.  Now visualise energy streaming from you into that incense to bring about that goal.  If you wish you can also empower your incense using the powers of the Sun, Moon or other planets.  This will add their energies to your own energy and the plants natural energy.  To empower the incense by the Sun or Moon, simply go outside into the sunlight/moonlight and visualise the Sun/Moon energy streaming down into the incense, as well as your own energy flowing into it.  You can ask for a Goddess or God to bless your incense too, especially if you are burning it as an offering to them.  Or you can simply make your incense and then burn it, without empowering it at all. 

If you want your incense to be more than just a nice smell, think about how you can add more Magickal energy to the blend.  If you are burning incense as an offering to a Deity or Elemental, use the herbs specific to them.  If you are making an incense for use in a spell or ritual, think of not only which herbs you could use in the incense, but also how you could incoporate other energies into it when you make it.

For example, if you are making a love Incense try one (or more) of the following:
 

• Empower your incense by the Moon (The Moon is one of the planets of Love)
• Make it on a Monday (ruled by the Moon)
• The sacred numbers of the Moon are 3 and 9 - so make an incense blend with herbs for love that are specific to the Moon and include 3 or 9 in the incense as well.  You could use 3 herbs, 3 parts each of a certain number of herbs, or a total of 9 parts.  For a really powerful moon incense use 3 parts of 3 different Moon ruled herbs (Total of 9 parts) then empower it by Moonlight.
• If making incense cones you can colour them with red or pink food colouring for love
• You could ask the Moon Goddess, or Goddesses such as Artemis, Cerridwen, Diana, Hathor, Isis and Selene to bless your incense before you use it, perhaps burning some as an offering to them in the days prior to doing the spell/ritual
• You could store it in a pink pouch inside an airtight container.

Lists of Magickal properties that might be useful:
 

Planets - Lists some herbs specific for the planets
Days- Lists some herbs specific for the Days 
Correspondences - Lists different symbols for different things
Numbers- The correspondences of the Numbers
The Hours- The correspondences of the Hours 
Colours- The correspondences of Colours 
The moon- Information on the Moon Phases.
The Sabbats- Information on the Sabbats

Incense Cones
Basically you have a mixture of herbs/gums for the scent, and you mix that with a base of sawdust or powdered sandalwood, and add Saltpetre and something to bind it.  Scott Cunningham suggests the mixture be weighed and then 10% of that is the amount of Salt Petre used. You may need to adjust that to make your cones work depending on your ingredients.

Incense Cones #1
1/2 cup water
1 tb. plus 1 tsp. gum Arabic
1/2 cup fine sawdust
1/8 cup dried herbal mixture

Mix the water and gum together well. Gradually add sawdust and herbal mixture until a "dough" forms. Form into a paste, and mould into cones.  Leave dry for 24 hours

Incense Cones #2
2 tb. gum tragacanth
1 tb. gum benzoin
1 tb. sandalwood or sawdust powder
1 tsp. potassium nitrate (Salt Petre)
1 tsp. fragrance oil 
4 tb. water

Dissolve tragacanth and Potassium Nitrate in the water. Add remaining ingredients to form a paste. Roll into cones and let dry.

Incense Cones #3
5 tb. gum arabic
6 oz. powdered charcoal
1 oz. gum benzoin
1 tsp. sandalwood powder
Mix the gum with enough water to make a paste. Add scented oils or powdered herbs of your choice.  Shape into cones and allow to dry

Incense Cones #4
3 teaspoons (6 parts) of Wood powder (Sawdust, Sandalwood, cedar etc.)
1 teaspoon (2 parts) Gum (Benzoin, Myrrh, Frankincense etc.)
1/2 teaspoon (1 part) Orris powder (or an extra part wood)
1 1/2 teaspoons (5 parts) Herbal mixture (powdered)
12 drops (Approx) Essential/Fragrant Oil
1/2 teaspoon (approx) Salt Petre  (or 10%)

Binding “glue”:
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon of Acacia Gum (Or Tragacanth)

Put the Acacia gum in a cup and add the warm water, stirring well to remove lumps. Leave to thicken slightly as you blend your herbs. In a glass or ceramic bowl mix the first 4 ingredients together.  Add the drops of Oil and blend well.  Weigh the mixture if you are going to add the 10% Salt Petre based on the weight which is more precise.

Add the Salt Petre mixing very well.  When all the ingredients are well combined, add enough of the Acacia gum “glue” mixture to form a paste (You'll have to experiment with the exact amount).  You can add food colouring if you wish to give a specific colour to your incense cones.  When you are happy with the consistency, form the paste into several cones (Use a bought incense cone as a guide to shape and size).  Leave them to dry for 24-48 hours.