AGARWOOD (OUD) - Aquilaria sp. Initiatic use: deep, calm meditative state, energy circulation.
This Spagyric was created from one of the most rare substances on earth, a resin produced by a tree in response to fungal attack. This resin can take decades to fully form, and is revered as the ultimate beautiful and sacred scent throughout Asia and Arabia. As it does when burned as incense, this Spagyric brings deep, meditative states of calm with uplifted energy and an all-encompassing feeling of sacredness. It creates a level of peace and clarity that feels like the results of an hour of meditation, a light, connected feeling that moves throughout the body and adjusts all of the being. It also opens the third eye, and because of the way that it moves energy through the body, it is very useful for energy circulation practice such as the Taoist Microcosmic Orbit or Yogic Pranayama.
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Agarwood trees, genus Aquilaria, grow in many tropical countries of southeast Asia, including Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Borneo. There are fifteen different types of Agarwood, and eight of these species produce Oud, the incense resin for which they are prized. This resin is produced by the tree as a protective substance in response to attack by a mold. In older trees, this resin eventually suffuses the grain, turning it dark, shining, and so heavy that very resinous wood no longer floats. The Japanese, who treasure Oud for incense, call it Jin-Koh, which means “sinking incense”, and its Chinese name, Chén-xiang, has the same meaning. As this resin forms throughout the wood, strange forms take shape and the pieces of wood often get a sculptural quality from the transformation, which can take hundreds of years. To collect the Oud resin, the pieces are boiled or steamed, and then further extraction can be done on the resin that comes out, or it can be used as is in incense, perfume, or medicine. Oud resin and the oil from it are some of the most precious materials in the world. Between the scarcity of the tree, the extreme rarity of the synergy between the tree and the fungus, and the labor-intensive procedures needed to process it, the market is already strained. Add to that fanatical devotion to this amazing scent in Oriental and Arabic cultures and it is no wonder that the finest Oud oil can go for $60,000 a kilo! Oud is also one of the most variable materials we have worked with, which makes it frustratingly hard to know true from fake, but also makes it a fascinating study in the variability than can come from ecosystem diversity. So, what is Oud like, as a scent and a Spagyric? The scent varies quite a bit, but is always woody, balsamic, and earthy, with variations on the balance between those elements. Some Ouds are very earthy, like the Assam which has a barnyard quality, while the Malay has a wet earth quality, like after a rain, and the Chinese smells of tea. The Borneo reminded us of the sweet smell of fruitwood smoke.
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