It will immediately begin to burn, and in doing so, release fragrant smoke. When the smoke begins to thin out, add more. If you dump on a spoonful of incense it will probably extinguish the charcoal block, so use small amounts. Don't knock off the ash that forms on top of the charcoal unless the incense starts to smell foul. In such a case, scrape off the burning incense and the ash with a spoon and add a fresh batch.
Frankincense does tend to smell odd after smoldering for some time.
Incense can be burned as part of a magical ritual, to honor higher forces, or as a direct act of magic, such as to clear a house of negativity and to smooth peaceful vibrations throughout it. Charcoal Blocks These are necessities for burning noncombustible incense. Most religious and occult supply stores stock them, and they can be obtained from mail-order suppliers. Potassium nitrate is added to these charcoal blocks during their manufacture to help them ignite. When touched with a lit match, fresh charcoal blocks erupt into a sparkling fire which quickly spreads across the block.