What about sage, incense, certain candles attract or deter spirits

>find herb that has positive effects
>assume it's probably got a lot more metaphysical utilities
Sage has the ability to increase alertness to a degree, and in case of crisis/spoopy times alertness would be considered a positive.
But as to why it's used for cleansing ceremonies, new age cultural appropriation. White people in the 60's-80's decide they want to be more like the noble savages their great, great, great ancestors fucked over. Numerous tribes had an affinity for burning herbs, but as many tribes that did it, there were just as many secret blends of herbs to burn, some blends would contain herbs another tribe would deem verboten. When presented with a tradition of herb burning made complex by many different belief systems with opposing stances, enterprising white man decides "Fuck it, just choose an herb that grows easy and quickly and convince people that it's what they should be burning to fight the demons, aliens, illness."
Thus sage has become the Western go-to herb for cleansing homes of ghosts and shit.

>>17171882
Thanks for that mediocre history lesson dude but that doesn't really answer op's question about why spirits are attracted to incense or why some work better over others.

>>17171882
Interesting, I learned a little something.
>>17171891
Don't be a dick, that's pretty useful and relevant information. What did you just add to the discussion?

>>17171780
I can't say for sure, but I have a couple theories. The first, and simplest, being that spirits and entities are unique in nature and taste. It may be that certain smells are pleasing or disgusting depending on different ones. If you walked into a house and the entire place smelled like it was soaked in sewage, you wouldn't want to be there either, would you?

The second, and more vague theory, would be that certain rituals, passages from 'sacred' books, and certain items and substances work one the spiritual because we believe they work. Possibly like a placebo effect, induced by your own mind but still having a real effect, like a mind over matter type deal.

Those are my best guesses, any way. I'm no expert, just throwing my 2 cents in.

>>17171917
>Don't be a dick
Do you even know where you're at?

>>17171922
Do you even have anything of use to say? Go back to /b/ if you want to shitpost.

>>17171917
You can't say "what did you add to the discussion" then not give any actual answers. You're guess isn't an answer, it's not a theory either.

>>17171958
Are you fucking retarded? Who do you think is going to claim to KNOW the answer to something like this 100% for sure? Do you have the answer, smart ass? Because as far as I know, no body has a definite answer, so the next best thing would be to discuss what it could be. Not all the answers can just be given to you on a silver platter.

>>17171973
Ha. You hella mad, son.

>>17172004
K, keep telling yourself that. You gonna actually contribute something? I don't see you giving any ideas or answers, just bitching like a little kid.

>>17171891
Oh, I'm sorry, here I was trying to approach the question objectively. My mistake for trying to explain briefly the placebo effect of herb smoke for a culture.
So you want to know why some herbs work better than other herbs at attracting/warding off ghosts? Which carries the inherent implication that there are civilizations/nations that have utterly lost the great war against ghosts and demon insurgents because the key to defeating them was a plant species endemic on one continent and utterly unheard of in others.
The best burnable aromatic organic matter that will protect your spiritual integrity from skeletons and the Slenderman is lavender. Burn the freshest lavender petals you can obtain five fistfuls at a time. Make sure you duct tape the spacing of your room's doors and windowsill to make sure none of the spiritual fortifying smoke is vented out.

>>17172025
Please make sure you are in fact burning the petals. Humidifying/steaming with lavender will not give you enough protection compared to raw combustion. I suggest you buy a brazier from a hardware store.
As incense are a combination of numerous spices and an adhesive medium, you will want the right wood with which to create the fire that will burn your lavender.
Your best bet for fuel is a combination of oleander and white ash. Yes, white ash, it is indeed that wood you can use to protect yourself from skinwalkers. This fire solution will protect you from ghosts and skinwalkers! You might have to harvest the oleander wood yourself, as you may not find its lumber as easy to purchase as white ash.

Lavender, white ash, and oleander, this smoke combination will be your tool to defeat any ghost or cryptid that might dare to cross your threshold. You too can become an hero of mankind!

>>17171780
Listen, when you finna get some pussy you put on cologne, of you smell like a junkyard you aing getting none.

If you burn pretty incense, it attracts spirits and males the space nice for them. Sage smells bad as fuck, so it "scares" spirits.
And irl, its just about intention and sage helping you convince its unwelcoming cause the smell is unwelcoming.