The medium is turned into a loaner for a spirit
from the invisible realm to occupy, enabling the
spirit to temporarily manifest itself and connect
with this realm of life. The medium’s personal soul
is invisible during the incarnation because it
appears that one soul is to inhabit a body at a time.
There is one final form of incarnation that
invokes fear into societies: the incarnation of the
disturbed ancestor or evil deity. These incarna-
tions are usually forced onto the reluctant medium
or, in the worst-case scenario, reanimate the dead
for destructive purposes. This last incarnation is
what gave rise to the dreaded Zombie.
D.Zizwe PoeSeealsoCreation; Transformation
Further Readings
Asante, M., & Nwadiora, E. (2007).Spear Masters:
Introduction to African Religion. Lanham, MD:
University Press of America.
Kenyatta, J. (1962).Facing Mount Kenya. New York:
Vintage.
Mbiti, J. S. (1969).African Religions and Philosophy.
London: Heinemann.
INCENSE
Incense and oils are made from aromatic raw
natural materials that can bring about a calming,
sensual, alluring, and spiritual affect when the
scent enters the olfactory channels or is daubed
on the body. Indeed, the smell of highly fragrant
incense and oil in the nostrils can induce an
elevated mind and spirit. This entry traces the
history of incense to Kemet and, in particular, to
religious practices there.
Historical BackgroundVarious fragrant herbs, flowers, fruits, gums,
plants, resins, roots, seeds, and trees can be cut
up, ground, dried, and soaked to become powder,
stick, cone, and oil products. The use of fra-
grances from nature may have dated back to pre-
history, and the attractive scents may have been
discovered serendipitously during the burning of
uniquely attractive scented wood, when people
encountered exceptionally pleasant-scented dehy-
drated plants and roots or found alluring scented
live flowers.
The people of Kemet (ancient Egypt) were
masterful in the art of creating aromatic scents
for sensual, sacred, and spiritual purposes. As far
back as 6,000 years ago or more, during the
predynastic Badari period in Kemet (approxi-
mately 4500–3200 BC), natural fragrance
incense burning and body oil anointing tradi-
tions were developed and refined into an art and
used during spiritual practices in homes, temples,
and pyramids.
During the most sacred ceremonies and spiri-
tual rituals, barks, bushes, dried flowers, gums,
herbs, resins, roots, and trees were burnt on the
altars in temples as religious services were con-
ducted. This was also commonly done at the time
of burial. The generous gifts of beautifully scented
incenses and oils for the transitioned souls were a
symbolic expression of love and aspiration to
assist them on their travels to the next realm of
existence. Archeologists found ebony chests,
anhydrite urns, and alabaster unguent jars with
residue of incenses, oils, and sweet herbal-scented
medicine in the burial chambers for the transi-
tioned pharaohs and queens.Use in Worship
The people of Kemet believed that the gods loved
incense and oil fragrances because the noses of the
gods and people were flattered and uplifted by
those sweet-scented offerings. In fact, the people
of Kemet believed that incenses and oils were
intimately connected with the gods and that
fragrances were the breath of eternal life, which
came out of the eye of the Sun God, Ra.
There are chamber wall paintings, temple-
embossed gold engravings, and granite tablet
records illustrating Pharaoh Ramses III (12th
dynasty, reigned 1186–1155 BC) bestowing
incense to Ptah; Pharaoh Ramses II (19th dynasty,
reigned 1279–1213 BC) burning incense to honor
Amun’s shrine lifted by priest during a procession;
Pharaoh Tutankhanmun (18th dynasty, reigned
1333–12224 BC) pouring enchanting scented oil
on the Queen’s hand; Queen Ankhesenamun340 Incense