Beyond the rich, luxurious smell, the burning of incense itself is, in many cultures, practiced in a ritual fashion. A bottle incense burner is a fantastic means to experience the otherworldly way in which incense is burned; through the bottle, the burning stick of incense can be observed by any and all present.

Bottle incense burners allow one a direct window (no pun intended) into the shifting, undulating way in which incense smoke rises. The movement of smoke, visible in a bottle incense burner, is said to mirror and represent, fundamental patterns of nature. The movement of water in a mountain stream, the flow of magma as it cascades down a mountainside, the shifting vista of white clouds against a cerulean sky -- all of these can be seen in the twisting and turning of incense smoke in a bottle incense burner.

But why use a bottle incense burner? Why not burn the incense in the lid of a soda can, or even in a clump of dirt from the backyard? You see, the receptacle in which incense is burned is often viewed as being just as important as the incense itself. For a ritual as timeless and beautiful as the burning of aromatic incense, the aesthetic enjoyment, and sense of spiritual significance are immeasurably enhanced by burning the incense in a carefully-made piece of art, such as a bottle incense burner. When you write a letter to a dear friend, you almost certainly wouldn’t write it on the back of a pizza box. You would sit down at a desk, with a clean sheet of stationery, and perhaps your favorite pen, and then proceed to write. Just so, when you burn high-quality aromatic incense which will cleanse and purify your environment, enrich and broaden the senses, and help to lift the spirit higher, you will gain great pleasure from using a bottle incense burner that mirrors the graceful, natural beauty and breadth of your hopes and ambitions.

With a glass bottle incense burner, it is possible to derive more enjoyment from the burning of incense than with a traditional burner, as the clear glass lets one observe the behavior of the conjunction of smoke and fire. The change in form from heat energy to smoke, the serpentine coiling and uncoiling of the smoke as it seeks its perfumed exit from the bottle incense burner, the build up and falling of the ash, all of these experiences demonstrate to us the beauty and impermanence of life and nature.

Besides that, on a purely earthly, practical level, bottle incense burners are an excellent way to safely, pleasantly burn your favorite variety of incense. Gone are worries of the burning stick being dropped or knocked onto a flammable surface, or of ash from the burnt incense being smudged on furniture or clothing. The bottle incense burner is a totally self-contained vessel for burning incense, and can easily be taken from room to room, out to the front porch, or wherever you desire, without worrying about the incense stick falling out or the ash spilling.

Yes, it is difficult to imagine a finer vessel for burning incense than bottle incense burners, for they allow one a perfectly transparent metaphorical window into the bizarre, beautiful nature of this short little life we all share. And, even if you don’t care about things like that, bottle incense burners are still a great, interesting, and innovative way to burn incense!