In our country, people often mention "severed incense" when making incense, which has a special meaning in folk customs. The so-called "severed incense" refers to the fact that in the process of incense, one or more incense sticks are extinguished, that is, the incense is broken in the middle. This phenomenon occurs by accident during the incense process, not by man. Unlike when a mere incense goes out, the appearance of a severed incense is considered to be a special portent, possibly a sign of good fortune and good fortune.
In addition, in some large temples, after the believers have finished offering incense and left, the temple staff will clean the incense burner and forcibly extinguish the incense that has not yet been extinguished. This does not belong to the guillotine, as this situation is the result of human intervention. Here, we need to emphasize that the mystery and significance of the guillotine comes from its accidentality, not from deliberate human intervention.
As for why the ancients did not burn "guillotine incense", we can interpret it from the perspective of idealism and materialism.
From an idealist point of view, the ancients believed that "severed incense" might represent the rejection of the gods to the offeror. For example, the offering of incense may be insincere or unclean, causing the gods to refuse to accept their offerings. For believers who pray to the gods and worship the Buddha, they must maintain a kind and pure state of mind, and be respectful and serious when making offerings, so as to obtain the blessings of the gods. If there is a case of severed incense, the incense donor should carefully examine himself, correct his inappropriateness, and then make the incense offering again. If the cause cannot be found, the incense offering can also be suspended, which will not cause them any harm. However, it is important to note that when dealing with the severed incense, it is important for the donor not to re-light the severed incense, which is considered blasphemous to the gods. Otherwise, it may cause the gods to bring disaster to the offeror.
From a materialist point of view, the "guillotine incense" may simply be a matter of the quality of the incense. In order to make money, some manufacturers in society often mix some inferior materials (such as stone powder, accelerants, etc.) into the production process of incense, resulting in the incense being extinguished in the middle of the burning process. In addition, incense that has been stored for too long may be affected by moisture. The ancients did not burn "severed incense", probably because if such incense continues to be used, it may be extinguished again, affecting people's mentality when offering incense and the ritual of worshiping God and Buddha.
Many people panic and feel anxious when they encounter the "severed head incense", thinking that they must have made some mistake to provoke the displeasure of the gods. But in reality, we don't need to panic too much, as long as we maintain a good attitude and behavior, we can deal with it properly.
When encountering the situation of severed incense, you first need to check your mental state and physical condition at that time to see if there is anything abnormal. At the same time, we can also reflect on our own behavior to see if there is anything that can be corrected. Then, the broken incense is plucked and disposed of properly, and finally the good incense is selected and re-offered. For incense that is not broken, there is no need to remove it all together. This approach allows us to re-enter a godly state and continue our faith and prayers.
In folk tradition, "severed incense" is an incense that is extinguished in the middle of the incense process, which is considered to be an omen and may represent some auspicious and bad fortunes. The ancients did not burn "guillotine incense", probably out of faith and ritual. Considering that, they believed that incense required sincerity and purity, that it was necessary to maintain a kind and pure state of mind when making offerings, and to avoid blasphemy against the gods. From a materialist point of view, "severed incense" is simply a matter of the quality of the incense, and the use of inferior materials or too long of storage may cause the incense to go out in the middle of the burning process. When encountering the case of severed incense, we should maintain a normal state of mind, check whether there is anything wrong with ourselves, and then dispose of the severed incense and make a new offering. Most importantly, we should uphold our righteous and good deeds and establish sincere faith with the gods in order to gain their protection and blessings.
After sorting out, I found that more content can be derived from this topic, such as other folk sacrificial customs, types and production methods of incense, gods and beliefs, etc. These topics can be used as an extension to further enrich the content of the whole article, so that readers can have a deeper understanding of relevant knowledge. However, due to space limitations, it can only be added here. It is hoped that after reading this article, readers can have a more comprehensive understanding of "Guillotine Incense", and have a deeper knowledge and understanding of this folk sacrificial custom.