For most of us who grew up in the 1960s, it was an incredible formative period that we will never forget. For those who did not experience the decade themselves, but who study it, are inspired by it, and continue to explore the veins of thought and spirit that first opened so many years ago, it was also a wonderful time. The hippie counterculture was born in the mid-1960s and continued to gain momentum until the mid-1970s, by which time it seemed to have fizzled out. But the currents of time and popular culture preserved and carried certain accepted truths, belief systems, subcultures, world views and philosophies from the 1960s throughout the years. So much so, that for many the 60s are still very much alive in many ways. One area is the New Age, holistic health movement that is essentially based on values ​​and attitudes born in that magical decade, and one element of that belief system is aromatherapy. Like many of these elements, aromatherapy, the belief that scent can change human consciousness, was born in the 1960s with the rise in popularity of incense.

A little story:

When the counterculture first flourished on the West Coast in the mid-1960s, incense was a little-known oddity used by some independent religious groups, some advanced people, and, of course, the Catholic church. It was not a common thing to see for sale in any major department store or other commercial outlet, and it was not easy to find. What brought it to its first early warning stage was the large number of eastbound travelers. The religions and philosophies of India, Japan, Tibet, and China had caught on in the new movement, and it was a rite of passage for many to take a trip east, wander, and bring back a few necessities. One of these new needs was the incense made in these exotic lands.

Bringing everything back home:

As it became more widely known, incense began to appear for sale as an import in accessory stores and clothing stores in areas that had a sizable hippie population. It was prized for its smell, the pleasure smoke provided when one was in an altered state, but above all for a property it had been used for since time immemorial, to cover up other undesirable odors. These unwanted odors had once been the odors of humans in their massive unwashed forms. This is one of the reasons why churches used the sweet-smelling resins that expel voluminous clouds of smoke; of course, there were other reasons as well. But back in the 1960s, those who had taken up marijuana had a problem: the smoke from the weed was acrid and revealing, and something to be careful about. One way to solve the problem was with the strong incense that was imported from abroad. Soon, small brass incense burners and incense cones were part of the necessary equipment in the abode of any self-respecting drug addict. And in this way, the incense acquired an undeserved and inaccurate image that it has never quite shaken.

What is that smell?

In the decade we call the 1960s, which really lasted until the early 1970s; you could walk into a flagship store, an imported clothing store, a comic book store, and various combinations of these, and enjoy the rich, sweet fragrance of incense. In the popular mind, it was associated with the use of illegal drugs, so much so that there are still those who are not quite sure that smell isn’t itself illegal when they smell incense. Fortunately, as the ’70s progressed, the use of incense began to spread into more conventional homes and community spaces, so much of this stigma was lost. Instead, it has become associated with the New Age movement and its various permutations. The growth of aromatherapy allowed the market for incense to grow, and soon the product could be found everywhere, even in popular candle and furniture stores.

Some of the favorite fragrances available in that first decade of popularity were sandalwood, patchouli, jasmine, and lavender. These were the fragrances that wafted through stores, apartments, and porches wherever a group of counterculture adherents—call them hippies, freaks, or adventurers—was found. At first these were simple recipes, but in the process of expanding their lines, incense makers like Nag Champ and Gonesh brought out more and more blends and made them available in incense cones and sticks.

What is it for?

As mentioned, one of the oldest uses for incense was as a cover-up for other odors. In churches and meeting places where pilgrims and travelers gathered after long periods without access to basic hygiene, it was useful to be able to light a brazier of odoriferous resins and drive away odors. Other uses of incense were symbolic (the smoke rising to the heavens reminded believers of the soul’s eventual ascent to its creator at death) and psychological and medicinal. Fragrances had long been observed to have an effect on the human psyche, and this effect was accentuated in the 1960s with the use of certain psychotropic substances. All of these uses of incense intensified and rose to a new level during the first few years of its revival and use in the 1960s.

What has it come to?

These days, incense has largely outgrown its connection to 1960s drug culture, though there are still some lower socioeconomic groups that have that association in mind. Rather, it has become connected to the idea of ​​holistic healing, of higher consciousness through the senses, and of pure pleasure. The variety and quality of incense both imported and made in the United States is truly incredible. Along with the growth of online living and communication technologies, a subculture of incense aficionados has emerged who collect rare and expensive items from around the world and review them alongside their less expensive examples for the many who love to read. About them. The result of the efforts of a few travelers and members of the 1960s counterculture to popularize these olfactory delights has been that they are easy to find, are of higher quality and have been divorced from the most negative. connotations