Bio

Carl Neal has been a professional incense maker since 1995 and a practicing Pagan for ten years before that.  A graduate of Oklahoma State University with bachelor’s degrees in both history and sociology, Carl's fascination with incense stretches back to his childhood when he first discovered it.  Much to his father's dismay, Carl began to burn incense at age twelve and has grown more interested and enthusiastic about it every year since.  Long before he discovered the spirituality of Mother Earth, he understood the power of scent in daily life.  A life-long fascination has followed.

In 1995, Carl began to make incense professionally in a small shop he owned in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  By 1999, he was not only selling his own dipped incense, but actually selling supplies and teaching others how to dip incense.  While he made dipped incense for a living, he spent many hours learning to make natural incense from organic materials.  Throughout the years of selling dipped incense, he also quietly sold natural, rolled incense for those who use incense on their altars or worship Nature.  As time went by, Carl learned of some drawbacks to synthetic incense.  As a long-practicing Pagan, these drawbacks made him reconsider his path.  Eventually, this led him to abandon synthetic incense completely in favor of natural incense, although that effectively meant the end of his commercial success. 

In 1998, Carl wrote a short booklet about rolling incense and it was an instant success.  Hundreds of these booklets were sold and shipped worldwide.  As he lectured and wrote about incense use and making, he continued to study ancient techniques and develop modern approaches to incense as well.  Although the booklet only addressed incense making from a hobbyist's point of view, Carl's research also delved into the use of incense in magick as well as for mundane purposes.  The combination of these two points of view led Carl to write "Incense: Crafting & Use of Magickal Scents".

Carl continues to study the creation and use of incense.  Carl has rediscovered and developed new incense uses and techniques that remain to be printed, but may be included in a future incense user's guide.  He continues to travel the country and speak about incense and its use anywhere he can.  A deep love of incense and the magickal community drives him forward every day.  Carl is also the author of the 2004 book “The Magick Toolbox: The Ultimate Compendium For Choosing & Using Ritual Implements and Magickal Tools”.

Carl has created and sold nearly every tool included in The Magick Tool Box.  He is experienced as both a retailer and wholesaler with many tools.  He has offered advice on the purchasing, use and altar layout on tools to countless people.  This book offered him a chance to share that experience and history with readers.

Carl is available for lectures, workshops and book signings.  Incense making workshops are always a hit, but workshops for making various altar tools is also a rare treat for many people.