An old monk once told a pilgrim that the desert is not empty. "It only looks empty," he said, "until you learn to pray in it. Then you find that flowers grow there that grow nowhere else."
That small saying stays with me whenever I open a box of Desert Flowers incense. In the Orthodox tradition, the "desert" is not only sand and stone. It is the place of silence where the monks go to meet God, far from noise and hurry. And the "flowers" of the desert are the fruits of that prayer: peace, humility, patience, love.
Many of us cannot go to the desert. We have jobs, children, traffic, phones that never stop buzzing. But the Church has always given us small ways to bring a little of that holy silence home. One of the oldest and simplest is incense.
From the earliest centuries, men and women left the cities of Egypt, Palestine and Syria to live in the wilderness. We call them the Desert Fathers and Mothers. They did not run away from the world because they hated it. They went to pray for it, and to fight the battle inside their own hearts.
Their way of life became the root of Orthodox monasticism. Over the centuries, that same spirit came to rest on the Holy Mountain of Athos in Greece, where monasteries have kept the round of prayer day and night for more than a thousand years. The monks of Athos still speak of their peninsula as a kind of "desert" — not because it is dry, but because it is set apart for God.
So when an Athonite monastery names an incense "Desert Flowers" (in Greek, Anthos Erimou, "Flower of the Desert"), it is not just describing a scent. It is pointing to a whole spiritual world: the quiet place where prayer blossoms.
This incense comes from the Holy Monastery of Osios Grigoriou, one of the twenty ruling monasteries of Mount Athos. It sits right on the shore of the sea, on the western side of the Holy Mountain, and it is dedicated to Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker.
The fathers there make their incense by hand in the traditional Athonite way: natural resin, gently scented, rolled and dusted into small grains. Every box carries a little map of the Holy Mountain on its cover — a reminder of where it came from, and of the prayers that surround its making.
The fragrance itself is soft and warm. It is floral, but not sharp or perfumy. Underneath there is a quiet, sweet resin that lingers in the room long after the coals have cooled. Many customers tell us it is the incense they reach for when they want calm rather than celebration — for evening prayers, for a quiet Saturday, or for a home where someone is unwell or grieving.
You do not need to be a priest or deacon to use incense at home. Orthodox families have censed their houses for generations. The Psalm the Church sings every evening at Vespers says it best: "Let my prayer be set forth before Thee as incense" (Psalm 140:2). The rising smoke is a picture of our prayer going up to God.
Here is a simple way to begin:
Some families cense the house every Saturday evening, as we prepare for the Lord's Day. Others do it on feast days, after a house blessing, or simply whenever the home feels heavy and restless. There is no rule except love and reverence.
Desert Flowers has quietly become one of the best-loved incenses in our store. I think there are three reasons.
First, it is gentle. People who find some incense too strong are often surprised how pleasant and soft this one is. It is a good first incense for a new convert, or for a home with small children.
Second, it is authentic. It is not a factory product with a Greek label. It comes from a living monastery on Mount Athos, made by monks who pray as they work.
Third, it is simple and affordable. The small boxes make a lovely gift for a godchild, a name day, a housewarming, or a friend who is just discovering Orthodoxy. Tuck one in with a beeswax candle and a small icon, and you have given someone a whole little prayer corner.
Our Lord says, "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). We cannot all climb the paths of Athos. But we can light a coal, place a few grains on it, and stand quietly before the icons for five minutes. In that small silence, the flowers of the desert can begin to grow in us too.
Bring a little of the Holy Mountain's silence into your home. Order Desert Flowers incense from Grigoriou Monastery here — and remember, shipping is free on orders over $70.
Do I need special charcoal for this incense?
Yes. Athonite grain incense is made to be placed on a lit charcoal tablet. Church charcoal such as Georgian incense charcoal or Three Kings tablets works perfectly. It will not burn on its own like a stick.
Which size should I choose?
The small boxes are ideal for trying the scent or giving as a gift. The medium box is the better choice if you cense your home every week, as it will last much longer.
God bless you and your household. — Father Thomas
