By directing the smoke in your way, the incense alerts you that something is not centered within you. It may be the emotions of the day or something long-term.
Incense has two meanings: purification and fumigation. Both have roots in ancient beliefs that considered fire a means of getting closer to heaven, to the divine.
Fumigation, or incense burning, represents inner purification towards the outside world, an elevation beyond earthly problems. What if you burn incense and the smoke comes toward you?
Let’s find out!
When burning incense, ensure all the doors and windows are closed to minimize the effects of breezes on our smoke pattern reading. If there is no air movement through the room, you are a safe distance away from the incense and the smoke still comes towards you, there is a need for purification.
Also read:
What Incense is Good for Cleansing? (DIY)
11 Quick Cleansing Spells [For Your Spirit, House & Loved Ones]
A Guide to Cleansing Herbs Magic [How-To …]
Is Your Incense Smoke Making Circles? (Meaning Explained)
Why might this happen?
Energy gets tarnished much more easily than you may think. Our base level of positivity can diminish when focusing on negative emotions. Even if your negative emotions – such as anger or frustration – are justified, they will still tarnish your energy.
Of course, having a dirty aura does not mean that you are a malicious person. But we all go through periods of pain in life, where we are stressed, anxious, distressed, or sad about something that happened in our day. This does not make us bad people.

However, it takes very little to dirty one’s energy and attract more negativity to oneself. That’s why it’s important to keep your energy clean even when we think it already is. There is always room for improvement.
Direction of Smoke | Interpretation |
---|---|
Smoke Moving Away | Negative energy or obstacles being cleared |
Smoke Drifting Sideways | Message or guidance from spirits or ancestors |
Smoke Rising Straight | Harmonious energy and balance |
Smoke Swirling or Dancing | Strong spiritual energy or activity |
Those who believe they have a perfectly clean aura do not know what an aura is. A negative aura, intentional or not, will draw in more negativity into an endless spiral. On the other hand, when a person thinks positively, maintaining an optimistic and confident attitude in every moment of their life, they will attract much more positivity.
Always being optimistic is not easy at all, but it is worth the effort. It is very important to clean your energy frequently as it is a magnet for attracting more of the same energy and pulling it into your life.
What should I do?
A shower is the first thing to do to cleanse your energy. The day’s fatigue can be a big component of your negative energy.
Small and simple gestures like this can help relieve you massively and put you on track for being more optimistic. Try not to wash using soap or shampoo in this shower, simply remain in silence under the jet of water and using your intent to let the water carry away the negative energies.
Also read:
Must-Have Spiritual Cleansing Bath Ingredients [A List]
The intent transfers the command to the water and authorizes it to remove the unwelcome energies. In this way we allow it to happen and use free will for our energy purification. This washing also affects emotional and mental energies.
For a deeper cleanse, you can bathe with coarse salt. Fill the tub with water, then add 3 kilos (about 6.6 pounds) of coarse salt. Afterward, you can take a normal shower to remove the salt from your skin.
It takes 30 minutes, lying in the tub with water and salt, to rebalance the body. I like to light incense in the bathroom while the tub fills, which I then extinguish a few minutes before entering the tub, ventilating the room to breathe better. You can also meditate while in the bath to maximize the purification effects.
If the bath doesn’t rebalance you completely, recite Psalm 90. If incense smoke still travels toward you after doing so, further investigation into this imbalance will be required.