Palo Santo Backflow Incense Cones – Pack of 10

The hour after dinner, when nothing more needs doing. You light the cone, wait for the tip to catch, and then the smoke goes the wrong way: down, over the edge of the burner, pooling like water. Backflow cones are hollow so the smoke falls instead of rising, and these ten are scented with palo santo, dry and resinous and faintly sweet.

Spiritual meaning

Palo santo means holy wood in Spanish. It comes from Bursera graveolens, a tree of the dry forests of South America, and the wood has been burned for centuries in Andean and Amazonian ceremony to make a space ready. People still light it for that reason: to mark a beginning, to change the air in a room, to draw a line between what happened earlier and what you are about to do.

How to use

• You need a backflow burner: the cone sits over the hole so the smoke can run down the channel.
• Light the tip, let it flame for a few seconds, then blow it out and check that the ember is glowing.
• Use it on a heat-resistant surface, away from draughts, curtains and anything that can catch.
• Air the room while it burns, and never leave a lit cone unattended.
• Keep it out of reach of children and pets, and let the burner cool before you move it.

Details

• 10 hexagonal backflow incense cones
• Net weight: approx. 33 g
• Box: approx. 5.5 × 5.5 × 7 cm
• Backflow burner not included
• Made in India