Fire

Simply light the fire, look into the flames and think about what you want to say to the Gods, or what you would ask of them. Think about it deeply and let the flames hypnotise you.

With a small fire in a bowl, the flames will burn out soon enough, and then you have glowing embers. It is at that point you add the herbs, and it is then that the smoke will begin to rise powerfully, and that's when you state your intent or say your prayer.

You could say, for example:
"Hear me, wise ones, old ones, those who dwell above;
Hear my call and hear my voice, hear my prayer:
Send to me the blessings of fire".

If you wanted to, you could add an offering to the powers that be as a sign of respect and gratitude, such as burning some special herbs such as tobacco; some people like to burn a bank note but I'm really not in favour of that, personally; some people add a gift of a few drops of rose oil, frankincense or even liquor for the offering.