This incense burner, a “Hamsa” hand (smaller than most adult human hands), is rarely far from me. As you can see, each finger has a place for an incense stick, and on the surface, in the middle of the eye, is a place for cone incense. The incense I most often use is the traditional Nag Champa, but that company also produces other scents, including sandalwood and patchouli.
Info compiled from the Internet about the Hamsa hand:
The Hamsa hand is an open right hand with five digits. Especially popular in the Middle East and North Africa, its exact origin is unknown. Its use predates Islam and Judaism in the Middle East.
The earliest known appearance of the Hamsa was in ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq area). Here, it could be seen in amulets worn by some female goddesses. It’s theorized it spread to Egypt as a two-finger amulet representing Osiris and Isis. It then began spreading to various religions in several different forms, including Buddhism and Hinduism.
Depending on who you ask, the Hamsa may mean different things, but its symbology means specific things to Hindus and Buddhists. For them, it symbolizes the interplay of the chakras (from a Sanskrit term meaning wheels or focal points of the body that are used as part of meditation, yoga, and other practices); the energy flow in the body; the five senses; and the mudras (mudra is a Sanskrit term meaning “gesture”) that affect them.
All of these can be combined to change the flow of energy in the body and heal psychological and physical ailments. In Buddhism, the Hamsa symbolizes the chakras to a lesser extent, but the mudras are nonetheless important. Often times, the Hamsa is used to ward off what’s known as “the evil eye,” the sum of destructive energies that come from negative emotions in the world.