Fresh Air

People ask us what to use when the air in a space feels heavy.

What we recommend:

• ESPÍRITU DEL UNIVERSO | Soul Sticks | Incense Sticks (Copal)
• Mystic Spirit | Incense Sticks (Californian White Sage)
• Black Obsidian | Raw

What they smell like. Copal smells like resin: dry, clean, with an edge of pine and lemon. California white sage is herbal and powdery, with nothing sweet about it. Neither one is a room-freshener scent; that's not what they're for.

When you light it. Both give off dense smoke, and you notice it fast. In a room that has been shut, the air stops feeling still and the stale smell settles under the smoke. Open a window if the room is small, because these go a long way and fill the space.

It's the one for the windowless office, the room that's been closed for a while, the house after a long week.

Copal is a tree resin, and it has been burned for centuries in Mexico and Central America. Both come as sticks, so they go further than a loose piece of wood.

Obsidian is volcanic glass, lava that cooled so fast it never formed crystals. This one comes raw and unpolished, so it keeps the edges and the shine of broken stone.

Light the tip, blow out the flame, and let it smoke on a heat-resistant plate.

Never leave it burning unattended. Keep away from children, pets, and anything flammable. Aromatic and decorative product; no medical or therapeutic benefit is attributed to it.