wickedgoddess

The Raven Moon tee is live at BPTP! RAVEN MOON 2012 The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins? Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance: shining, moonlit ebony musk with benzoin, myrrh, smoky vanilla, patchouli, nutmeg, and dried red chili.

RAVEN MOON 2012 The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins? Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance: shining, moonlit ebony musk with benzoin, myrrh, smoky vanilla, patchouli, nutmeg, and dried red chili. BLUE MOON 2012 The spirit of the full moon is capricious, intense and passionate, yet still distant, aloof and cold. Luna herself governs glamours, bewitchments and dream-work, innocent wonder, transient pleasure and delight, the Moment, impulse, mystery and veils. The Blue Moon is one of her rarest manifestations, and this scent is formulated to encapsulate her most complex and profound nature: Mugwort, for psychic sensitivity… Calea Zacatechichi, yarrow, and mastic for divination through dreams… Frankincense and hyssop for complexity, wisdom and noscere… … with a potent lunar-charged, oneirongenic blend of blue musk, exquisite woods, moonflower, evening stock, Madagascan ylang ylang, Florentine iris, Greek cypress, green tea absolute, palmarosa, cucumber, rose milkweed, Clary sage, lavender, lemon balm, and passion fruit. BLAUER MOND Brian’s interpretation of the Blue Moon. A glimmer of hope emerging from a sea of dreams: sea buckthorn berry, terebinth pine, frankincense, hyssop, white sage, Neptune’s night-blooming jasmine, cucumber, lavender, ambergris accord, and violet leaf. This month’s accords showcase botanic accents that every haunted garden should possess: DEVIL’S TRUMPET Showy, invasive, and highly poisonous, the Devil’s Trumpet possesses a strange beauty that is both seductive and quietly menacing. Their fruit is spiked, their seeds are black, their stems are bruise-purple, and their leaves are toothy and uneven. The Devil’s Trumpet’s grand, glorious blossoms open wide at night, releasing an enchanting and delicately intoxicating perfume. EVENING STOCK By day, these tiny blossoms of white, pink, and purple appear withered, fragile, and weedy, but as evening approaches, they reveal their true magnificence: their petals open, and a rich, melodic perfume fills the night air. SPANISH MOSS An omnipresent feature of haunted antebellum mansions: drooping, moribund tendrils hanging solemnly from ancient oak and cypress branches. (No, there is no real datura in our Devil’s Trumpet accord. There is no atropine, hyoscine, hyoscyamine, or strychnine in this perfume. Our Devil’s Trumpet single note is neither poisonous nor hallucinogenic. This perfume is an artistic representation of datura. It is not in our best interests to poison our clients.) Raven Moon, Blue Moon, Blauer Mond, the Single Note accords and the Halloweenies are $23 each, and available on our Limited Edition page. We’re going back to our campy, spooky roots with the Haunted House Collection! Twelve Guignolesque, chilling atmospheric blends are being offered for your pleasure and amusement! ++ HALLOWEEN: THE HAUNTED HOUSE REVISITED THE APPALLING ABATTOIR Echoes of crimes long-ago hidden: a slaughter hastily washed away, leaving flecks of gore to settle deep within the rough-hewn stone floor. THE ATROCIOUS ATTIC A shadowy shrine filled with forgotten toys, broken dolls. The altar: a collapsing trunk distended by a rotted wedding gown. The air of the room is dusty, laced with the scent of a child’s perfume and the remnants of a dried, crumbling bridal bouquet: tea rose, violet, white sandalwood, French lavender, and calla lily. THE BLOODY BANISTER A rotting, cracked mahogany balustrade smeared with bloody handprints frames a cascading Imperial staircase that rises unsteadily into oppressive, suffocating shadows. THE CHILLING CELLAR Wine just turning to vinegar, crumbling mortar, red clay, and the coppery tang of old blood. THE FORBIDDING FOYER Thick shadows hang heavy across fungus-smeared, dilapidated wainscoting, cobwebs hang like fine lace across sagging mouldings, rats scuttle past gaping doorways. The faint scent of brimstone, ghostly breath laced with cognac, neglected mahogany panels, and rot. THE GHASTLY GARDEN Overgrown oleander, marshy water hemlock, the sugared nectar of carnivorous blooms, putrefying wet greenery, oozing sap, crushed rosary peas, withered climbing roses, and nightshade berries. THE HEINOUS HEDGE-MAZE Claustrophobic pathways of neglected boxwood and thorny rosemary intersecting at impossible angles, twisting into itself. THE LURID LIBRARY The incense-tinged scent of forbidden tomes and the musk-laden remnants of infernal servants. THE PERILOUS PARLOR A memory of pleasure passed. A ghostly rendezvous, delight beyond death. Faint echoes of laughter and the distorted music of a harp drift by, along with the scent of soft white pear and sweet vanilla. THE SINISTER SALON Lush carpets, the heavy purple of deep mourning, stretch to touch walls covered in peeling, fading wallpaper and threadbare tapestries. The trompe-l’œil frieze is grotesque: misshapen creatures cavort lewdly, leering and clutching one another in strange embraces. The walls are hung with massive dust-caked portraits of ancestors long-dead, and desiccated calla lilies curl morosely in crystal vases set on ornate end tables. Whiffs of opium, tobacco smoke, sherry, and cologne hint at crumbling decadence and the echoes of buried perversions. THE TWISTED OAK TREE Blackened, rotted oak wood blanketed in moss and choked by a cloak of grasping ivy. THE WRETCHED ROSE WINDOW Phantasmal patterns warp and weave through panes of leaded glass. Pale shafts of frail sunbeams push through, creating a sickly dance of violet, smoke-grey, blood-red, and blackened plum light on the oaken walls. Haunted House artwork by the ridiculously talented Andrew Fogel. ++ HALLOWEENIE 2012 ALL SOULS’ NIGHT, 1917 You heap the logs and try to fill The little room with words and cheer, But silent feet are on the hill, Across the window veiled eyes peer. The hosts of lovers, young in death, Go seeking down the world to-night, Remembering faces, warmth and breath– And they shall seek till it is light. Then let the white-flaked logs burn low, Lest those who drift before the storm See gladness on our hearth and know There is no flame can make them warm. Embers that give no warmth; cold hands stoking a fire that gives no light. Fragonia, carrot seed, and ashen sandalwood. THE APPARITION When by thy scorne, O murdresse, I am dead, And that thou thinkst thee free From all solicitation from mee, Then shall my ghost come to thy bed, And thee, fain’d vestall, in worse armes shall see; Then thy sicke taper will begin to winke, And he,whose thou art then, being tyr’d before, Will, if thou stirre, or pinch to wake him, thinke Thou call’st for more, And in false sleepe will from thee shrinke, And then poore Aspen wretch, neglected thou Bath’d in a cold quicksilver swear wilt lye A veryer ghost than I; What I will say, I will not tell thee now, Lest that preserve thee; and since my love is spent, I’had rather thou shouldst painfully repent, Than by my threatenings rest still innocent. Quicksilver-cold and heartless: white sandalwood, immortelle, zdravetz, and oudh. AUTUMN COOLNESS 2012 Heat lingers As days are still long; Early mornings are cool While autumn is still young. Dew on the lotus Scatters pure perfume; Wind on the bamboos Gives off a gentle tinkling. I am idle and lonely, Lying down all day, Sick and decayed; No one asks for me; Thin dusk before my gates, Cassia blossoms inch deep. The scent of wisteria, Cymbidium, lotus blossom, and cassia buds drifting on a breeze through gently swaying bamboo reeds. BONFIRE NIGHT 2012 Guy Fawkes, Guy; Stick him up on high! Hang him on a lamp post And there let him die! Guy, Guy, Guy! Poke Him in the eye! Put him on the fire, And there let him die! Burn his body from his head: Then you’ll say Guy Fawkes is dead! Hip, Hip, Hooray! Beer, woodsmoke, tar, and treacle. BOO 2012 Eerie billows of spun sugar, fluttering white cotton, and sheets of cream. DIA DE LOS MUERTOS 2012 A joyous celebration of La Catarina, La Flaca, La Muerte… Glorious, Beautiful Death. In Mexico, death is not something to be feared or hated; She is embraced, loved, and adored. La Muerte is fêted, as the celebrant “…chases after it, mocks it, courts it, hugs it, sleeps with it; it is his favorite plaything and his most lasting love.” This is a Mexican paean to La Huesuda: dry, crackling leaves, the incense smoke of altars honoring Death and the Dead, funeral bouquets, the candies, chocolates, foods and tobacco of the ofrenda, amaranth, sweet cactus blossom and desert cereus. FIZZY JACK O’LANTERN 1.5 oz gin ½ oz dry sherry ½ oz lemon juice 1 tsp pumpkin butter 2 dashes of Averna amaro Pour the gin, sherry, lemon juice, pumpkin butter, and liqueur to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake that mofo and strain it into a rocks glass filled with ice and a strong, spicy ginger ale. Stir gently, and garnish with a cinnamon stick or human finger bone. GHOST HOUSE I dwell in a lonely house I know That vanished many a summer ago, And left no trace but the cellar walls, And a cellar in which the daylight falls, And the purple-stemmed wild raspberries grow. O’er ruined fences the grape-vines shield The woods come back to the mowing field; The orchard tree has grown one copse Of new wood and old where the woodpecker chops; The footpath down to the well is healed. I dwell with a strangely aching heart In that vanished abode there far apart On that disused and forgotten road That has no dust-bath now for the toad. Night comes; the black bats tumble and dart; The whippoorwill is coming to shout And hush and cluck and flutter about: I hear him begin far enough away Full many a time to say his say Before he arrives to say it out. It is under the small, dim, summer star. I know not who these mute folk are Who share the unlit place with me— Those stones out under the low-limbed tree Doubtless bear names that the mosses mar. They are tireless folk, but slow and sad, Though two, close-keeping, are lass and lad,– With none among them that ever sings, And yet, in view of how many things, As sweet companions as might be had. Purple-stemmed raspberries, twining grape vines, Spanish moss, and dusty pale woods. MANGO-INFUSED PUMPKIN CHAI LATTE Pumpkin-spiced gunpowder tea with mango peel, red ginger, green cardamom, smoky clove buds, fennel, allspice, saffron, coconut sugar, and foamy milk. MEDITATION IN AUTUMN 2012 Withered vines, gnarled trees, twilight crows, river flowing beneath the little bridge, past someone’s home. The wind blows from the west where the sun sets, it blows across the ancient road, across the bony horse across the despairing man who stands at heaven’s edge. A desolate scent, dusty, bleak, and withered: old wood, burnt brown sandalwood, and twisted vines. MISCHIEF The scent of petty vandalism: toilet paper wads on damp maple trees, squished pumpkins, raw eggs, beer, pumpkin seed hulls, and soapy glass. POMONA 2012 I am the ancient apple-queen. As once I was so am I now — For evermore a hope unseen Betwixt the blossom and the bough. Ah, where’s the river’s hidden gold! And where’s the windy grave of Troy? Yet come I as I came of old, From out the heart of summer’s joy. The Roman festival for Pomona, Goddess of fruit, orchards, and gardens, was celebrated on November 1. On this day, the stores amassed during summer were opened for winter. Azaroles, nuts, and apple blossoms with red apple pulp, mulberry, blackberry, and pomegranate juice. PUNKIE NIGHT 2012 Once upon a time, on a wild October night many years ago, a fair took place at Chiselborough. The men of the village of Hinton St. George made their way to the fair, and spent the night in revelry, drinking and carrying on, far into the darkest hours. Their wives grew concerned, and went looking for their unruly husbands. In order to see their way through the autumn gloom, they hollowed out mangel-wurzels and crafted them into makeshift lanterns. The drunken men, in their sloshy haze, saw the ghostly lights approaching, and believed them to be goolies — the furious spirits of unbaptized children. In terror, they fled in panic from their bemused, bewildered wives. To this day, that night of foolishness is still celebrated! This is a light-hearted scent: apple orchards, bright cranberries, and a touch of warm cider. SAMHAIN 2012 Truly the scent of autumn itself — damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein. SUCK IT 2012 A vampiric good time. Sexy and suckable: black cherry brandy. SUGAR SKULL 2012 Vibrant with the joy and sweetness of life in death! A blend of five sugars, lightly dusted with candied fruits. THIRD CHARM The owl is abroad, the bat, and the toad, And so is the cat-a-mountain, The ant and the mole sit both in a hole, And the frog peeps out o’ the fountain; The dogs they do bay, and the timbrels play, The spindle is now a turning; The moon it is red, and the stars are fled, But all the sky is a-burning: The ditch is made, and our nails the spade, With pictures full, of wax and of wool; Their livers I stick, with needles quick; There lacks but the blood, to make up the flood. Quickly, Dame, then bring your part in, Spur, spur upon little Martin, Merrily, merrily, make him fail, A worm in his mouth, and a thorn in his tail, Fire above, and fire below, With a whip in your hand, to make him go. There’s magic afoot: fiery red musk, luminous elemi, East Indian patchouli, champaca flower, cedar incense, ho wood, and hemlock accord sweetened with a peculiar sweet honey. THE VAMPIRE BRIDE “I am come-I am come! once again from the tomb, In return for the ring which you gave; That I am thine, and that thou art mine, This nuptial pledge receive.” He lay like a corse ‘neath the Demon’s force, And she wrapp’d him in a shround; And she fixed her teeth his heart beneath, And she drank of the warm life-blood! And ever and anon murmur’d the lips of stone, “Soft and warm is this couch of thine, Thou’lt to-morrow be laid on a colder bed- Albert! that bed will be mine!” Icy skin touched by a perfume of violet leaf, white tea, olibanum, elemi, myrrh, wormwood, crypt dust, and saffron with a dribble of blood red musk. Also, a birthday scent for a special little butterfly. And over at Black Phoenix Trading Post… Blue Moon has returned!Blue Moon shirt featuring art by Sarah Coleman. Also on the Blue Moon page is the return of Ted’s take on Blue Moon…Luna Azul: LUNA AZUL Ted’s interpretation of the Blue Moon. This is the scent of star-crossed love, folly, and passionate lunacy: white mango, French lavender, orris root, fig leaf, ylang ylang, mugwort, styrax, oakmoss, camphor, and black opium tar. The Raven Moon shirt will be up shortly.

Umlaut

Our label printer is currently under the weather, which is causing a slight delay in shipping. It should be fixed by early next week, and normal shipping will resume at that time.

Black Phoenix is ridiculously proud and excited to announce a series of scents based on ParaNorman, the new animated zombie comedy from Laika, the makers of Coraline. BLITHE HOLLOW Dead leaves and cold, moist breezes set at the edge of a forest of maple, pine, cedar, and cypress. NORMAN Hoodie cotton and milk-splashed denim with a hint of pine needles and ectoplasm. COURTNEY A sweet and over-the-top girly teenybopper perfume mixed with a little tanning lotion and a healthy dollop of pink (very, very pink) bubblegum. NEIL Breakfast cereal and jelly beans. SALMA Crisp linen, a smudge of ballpoint pen ink, soap-touched skin, apple shampoo, and effervescent science fair experiment residue. NORMAN'S GRANDMA A soft, ethereal scent suffused with gentle comfort. A remembrance of tea roses, lilacs, and soothing hugs. MR. PRENDERGHAST Sweet cigar smoke, brown wool, Old Furry Touk accord, and a little bit of coffee. BUB A dog's bright, beaming memories of playing in the sun, rolling in the grass, and begging for table scraps. HIPPIE GHOST A faded snapshot of patchouli-stained peasant blouses, soft suede boots, and smoke. THE BOOK Old, yellowed parchment paper, tattered leather bindings. There's a distinct warmth to the scent, though it is ancient and brittle. Purchase ParaNorman scents here. And don't forget that ParaNorman opens today in theaters!

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab’s Lunacy events are your opportunity to meet the lab staff, purchase the latest scents, and get a sneak preview of what’s coming soon. The blends that will be available for purchase include those that went live on the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab website up to and including the Harvest Moon update. Our Lunacy events are held on the night of the full moon at Dark Delicacies in Burbank, and are always free. The west coast will call event will be held on Saturday, August 25th from 4 to 7pm at Dark Delicacies. Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd (1 block east of Hollywood Way) Burbank, CA 91505 ___ New England Will Call will be back next month If you have any questions, please email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com. Where/When: West Coast Will Call at Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Ave Burbank, CA 91505 Sunday, August 25th, 4:00 to 7:00pm

HARVEST MOON 2012 Harvest Moon is celebrated in almost every culture, and the bounty of the season is marked in a myriad of ways. Harvest Moon touches the Equinox, the festival of Janus, the culmination of Homowo, the “crying of the neck” in Cornwall, and the Women’s Festival of the Moon. This is a day that celebrates abundance and beauty, fertility and progress, and the light of this full moon blesses new undertakings and reunites lost loves. The Harvest Moon, by definition, is the Full Moon that falls closest to the Autumnal Equinox, and thus, it shares some of that Sabbat’s characteristics. This Full Moon was thus named because it rises within half an hour of the sun’s setting, in the Northern Hemisphere, and at this time farmers are able to work longer into the night by the light of this Moon. As the year draws to a close, the Full Moon rises an average of fifty minutes later each night, with the exception of a few nights surrounding the Harvest Moon, which only rises 10-30 minutes later. This moon is also, to the human eye, the fullest and largest of the year’s Moons, hanging gloriously huge, yellow and low in the night sky, and many lunar illusions play tricks on our eyes at this time. The Harvest ushers in many celebrations, including the Equinox and the Festival of Janus, God of Doors. Janus is the Roman Lord of Gateways, beginnings and endings, and transitions. Thus, the Harvest Moon is a time for blessing new ventures, the onset of new and progressive phases in one’s life, and rites of passage into adulthood. This time of year also marks one of the Festivals of Dionysus, Lord of Ecstasy and the Vine. This Harvest lunacy combines the autumnal scents of balsam fir, cedar, sorrel, thyme, juniper berry, clove, saffron, damson plum, chrysanthemum, sage, black cherry, and fennel with dry maple leaves, golden ale, the crushed wine grapes of Dionysus, and Janus’ lingum aloes. Art by Abigail Larson. BLUE MOON 2012 The spirit of the full moon is capricious, intense and passionate, yet still distant, aloof and cold. Luna herself governs glamours, bewitchments and dream-work, innocent wonder, transient pleasure and delight, the Moment, impulse, mystery and veils. The Blue Moon is one of her rarest manifestations, and this scent is formulated to encapsulate her most complex and profound nature: Mugwort, for psychic sensitivity… Calea Zacatechichi, yarrow, and mastic for divination through dreams… Frankincense and hyssop for complexity, wisdom and noscere… … with a potent lunar-charged, oneirongenic blend of blue musk, exquisite woods, moonflower, evening stock, Madagascan ylang ylang, Florentine iris, Greek cypress, green tea absolute, palmarosa, cucumber, rose milkweed, Clary sage, lavender, lemon balm, and passion fruit. BLAUER MOND Brian’s interpretation of the Blue Moon. A glimmer of hope emerging from a sea of dreams: sea buckthorn berry, terebinth pine, frankincense, hyssop, white sage, Neptune’s night-blooming jasmine, cucumber, lavender, ambergris accord, and violet leaf. August’s single note offerings: EIGHT-PETALED LOTUS On the day when the lotus bloomed, alas, my mind was straying, and I knew it not. My basket was empty and the flower remained unheeded. Only now and again a sadness fell upon me, and I started up from my dream and felt a sweet trace of a strange fragrance in the south wind. That vague sweetness made my heart ache with longing and it seemed to me that is was the eager breath of the summer seeking for its completion. I knew not then that it was so near, that it was mine, and that this perfect sweetness had blossomed in the depth of my own heart. - Rabindranath Tagore The Sacred Lotus represents spiritual illumination, boundless creative regeneration, the mysteries of the cosmos, infinite consciousness, divine love, and purity of spirit, mind, and body. SIBERIAN MUSK Our vegetal musk blend that emulates the scent of Siberian musk deer gland secretions. The description doesn’t sound sexy, but the scent sure is. This is a vegan, cruelty-free perfume. No animals were harmed, fondled, squeezed, prodded, or in any way violated in the making of this accord. Harvest Moon, Blue Moon, Blauer Mond, Eight-Petaled Lotus and Siberian Musk are $23 each, and available on our Limited Edition page. Also this month… The first two scents from upcoming series based on Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, Butterscotch Balls and Blackbeetles, and Mouse Circus, are now live. Coraline features art from Vera Brosgol, author/artist of the Eisner-winning graphic novel Anya’s Ghost. Only 180 bottles of Butterscotch Balls and Blackbeetles remain, and when they’re gone, they’re gone. BUTTERSCOTCH BALLS AND BLACKBEETLES The other mother sat down on the big sofa. She picked up a shopping bag from beside the sofa and took out a white, rustling, paper bag from inside it. She extended the hand with it to Coraline. “Would you like one?” she asked politely. Expecting it to be a toffee or a butterscotch ball, Coraline looked down. The bag was half filled with large shiny blackbeetles, crawling over each other in their efforts to get out of the bag. “No,” said Coraline. “I don’t want one.” “Suit yourself,” said her other mother. She carefully picked out a particularly large and black beetle, pulled off its legs (which she dropped, neatly, into a big glass ashtray on the small table beside the sofa), and popped the beetle into her mouth. She crunched it happily. “Yum,” she said, and took another. “You’re sick,” said Coraline. “Sick and evil and weird.” “Is that any way to talk to your mother?” her other mother asked, with her mouth full of blackbeetles. Butterscotch candies flecked with dirt, encased in a shiny black shell of myrrh, patchouli, and anise seed. MOUSE CIRCUS In the flat above Coraline’s, under the roof, was a crazy old man with a big mustache. He told Coraline that he was training a mouse circus. He wouldn’t let anyone see it. “One day, little Caroline, when they are all ready, everyone in the whole world will see the wonders of my mouse circus. You ask me why you cannot see it now. Is that what you asked me?” “No,” said Coraline quietly, “I asked you not to call me Caroline. It’s Coraline.” “The reason you cannot see the mouse circus,” said the man upstairs, “is that the mice are not yet ready and rehearsed. Also, they refuse to play the songs I have written for them. All the songs I have written for the mice to play go oompah oompah. But the white mice will only play toodle oodle, like that. I am thinking of trying them on different types of cheese.” A toodle oodle of pink cotton candy noses, vanilla spun sugar fur, scattered kernels of popcorn, and a touch of polished golden wood. And finally, August brings us a series of scents based on Carolyn Hennesy’s Pandora series of young adult books. Carolyn Hennesy’s published series of “Pandora” books follows the adventures of Pandora Atheneus Andromaeche Helena (or “Pandy” for short), a typical, average “tween” semi-immortal girl of Athens, as she and her two best friends, Alcie & Iole, set out to recover the 7 great Evils of the world that Pandy accidentally unleashed from Zeus’ box which was under the protection of her father Prometheus the Titan. If she fails, the world will forever be savaged by the destruction of the freed Evils, and Pandy & her family will be doomed by Zeus to suffer eternal torment! (Whew! You know – the usual Greek thing minus the eye-gouging.) The official site for Carolyn Hennesy’s Pandora. She walked up the steps and out into the middle of the stage, the sack held behind her, and turned to face the crowd. “My name is Pandora Atheneus Andromaeche Helena, daughter of the House…the great House of Prometheus.” She heard a few whispers and a loud hoot. “You all know the story,” she plunged on, “of how my father stole fire from Zeus and brought it down to earth so that mankind could be warm and safe. And you know of my father’s horrible punishment. But there was a second part to his punishment that you do not know about. Something that my father never talks about because it is so terrible that many of you will…faint. And because that’s just my dad.” Several girls stopped whispering. “Zeus gave my father a box containing,” she paused, “all of the misery of the world.” The teachers began staring at her strangely. “Each of the great Olympians put something really bad into the box and they gave it to my dad for safekeeping. If the box is ever opened, plagues of every kind will…will…fly out and torment each of you for the rest of your lives. Your skin will bubble. Your hair will fall out. Wild beasts will eat you in your sleep. It will hail everyday and there will be lots of floods. And, there will be nothing you can do but cry and beseech the gods. Nothing!” In one swift motion she brought the sack out from behind her back, withdrew the box and lifted it high over her head. “And they’re all in here!” IOLE The newcomer. The brains. Pensive and thoughtful. Small and frail, even now Iole sometimes can’t keep up as Pandy and Alcie stride through the market place or the olive orchards or swim in nearby lakes and rivers. But…but…she’s smart as a whip; often using big words when she speaks; not to show off, but only because her mighty mind can’t come up with anything smaller. Will gladly tutor in algebra and calculus! A serious, studious scent: fig, night-blooming jasmine, red sandalwood, bourbon vanilla, oak bark, leather accord, and black amber. ALCIE Sassy. Impetuous. Loyal. Alcestis Artemisia Medusa, with her red hair and brown-green eyes, is prettier than most and is having a much easier time with all the “maiden stuff.” Alcie’s father, a wealthy man, buys all the latest toga clasps, hair irons and ankle bracelets for his daughter, so she’s always rather lovely. However, Alcie is also a distant niece of the great Gorgon Medusa, a creature so hideous that anyone who looked into its eyes would immediately turn to stone. A young hero, Perseus, had cut off Medusa’s head some years earlier, so at least all the relatives didn’t have to worry about Medusa showing up for feast days, but Alcie was still embarrassed by the blot on the family name. Just a hint of gorgon blood: bright nectarine, honey, sandalwood, green musk, sea buckthorn berry, and oakmoss. PANDY Every girl you’d ever want to be or know. Although she doesn’t quite know it…yet. Ever since she had turned thirteen and had officially become a maiden, Pandora Atheneus Andromaeche Helena, only daughter of the titan Prometheus, was bored to tears. Well…not bored exactly…but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what she was feeling. She looked skyward and saw Bellerophon, now a tiny speck, rocketing about on his magnificent winged horse. Gods, how exciting that must be! And there were other heroes, men and women, all over Greece doing wonderful, brave, death-defying things right at that very moment. Her curiosity rose inside her like steam. What would it feel like to have a sword in her hand or fly on the back of a magical animal? How she wished she could have some kind, any kind, of adventure. Fresh white musk, honeycomb, sweet apricot, elemi, orange blossom, and mischievous pink pepper. Art by Abigail Larson. — And over at Black Phoenix Trading Post… There are four new t-shirts! Harvest Moon tee featuring art by by Abigail Larson. Blue Moon tee featuring art by Sarah Coleman. Tentacly Cupcake and Skelly Cupcake by Mariah Huehner. Also on the Blue Moon page is Ted’s take on Blue Moon…Luna Azul: LUNA AZUL Ted’s interpretation of the Blue Moon. This is the scent of star-crossed love, folly, and passionate lunacy: white mango, French lavender, orris root, fig leaf, ylang ylang, mugwort, styrax, oakmoss, camphor, and black opium tar. A new addition to our soap line: MISKATONIC UNIVERSITY SOAP The scent of Irish coffee, dusty tomes and polished oakwood halls. The soap: Spent coffee grounds for gentle exfoliation in a silken, wood-warm lather A silver Last Unicorn pendant featuring art by Renae de Liz. and a line of candles, hand-made by Sara Robey: BLISS CANDLE A shot of pure, self-indulgent euphoria! A scent that is very, very wicked in its own way: the serotonin-slathered scent of pure milk chocolate. DRAGON’S BLOOD Powerful, commanding, blazing with strength. MISKATONIC UNIVERSITY The scent of Irish coffee, dusty tomes and polished oakwood halls. SPANISH RED CARNATION A celebratory scent, spicy and joyful. This is the nation flower of Spain. It symbolizes the suffering of Christ, the passion of lovers, and the laurels of victory. SHUB-NIGGURATH The lust incense of a corrupted Astarte. A blend of ritual herbs and dark resins, shot through with three gingers and aphrodisiacal spices. WHITE RABBIT Strong black tea and milk with white pepper, ginger, honey and vanilla, spilled over the crisp scent of clean linen. And last but not least, check out Etsy shop for some new additions! BPAL orders can be combined with BPAL Etsy orders; add a note to your order and email answers @ blackphoenixalchemylab.com for further information.

Starting this Thursday, July 26, select BPAL scents will be available from BedlamBedlam in Seattle, Washington. BedlamBedlam 613 East Pike Street Seattle WA 98122 http://bedlambedlam.com/

Tuesday, July 24 at Dark Delicacies, actress/author Carolyn Hennesy will be signing her new novel in the young adult series, Pandora Gets Greedy, as well as the other Pandora books, and premiering the accompanying line of BPAL scents! PANDORA Fresh white musk, honeycomb, sweet apricot, elemi, orange blossom, and mischievous pink pepper. IOLE A serious, studious scent: fig, night-blooming jasmine, red sandalwood, bourbon vanilla, oak bark, leather accord, and black amber. ALCIE Just a hint of gorgon blood: bright nectarine, honey, sandalwood, green musk, sea buckthorn berry, and oakmoss. Pandora artwork by Abigail Larson. The scents are $26 each and will be available at the signing, and soon from www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com — Carolyn Hennesy’s published series of “Pandora” books follows the adventures of Pandora Atheneus Andromaeche Helena (or “Pandy” for short), a typical, average “tween” semi-immortal girl of Athens, as she and her two best friends, Alcie & Iole, set out to recover the 7 great Evils of the world that Pandy accidentally unleashed from Zeus’ box which was under the protection of her father Prometheus the Titan. If she fails, the world will forever be savaged by the destruction of the freed Evils, and Pandy & her family will be doomed by Zeus to suffer eternal torment! (Whew! You know – the usual Greek thing minus the eye-gouging.) — Emmy Award-nominated actress Carolyn Hennesy dazzles as the deliciously vicious “Rosalyn Harris” on Alan Ball’s critically acclaimed HBO series TRUE BLOOD. Hennesy joined the cast for the fifth season of the sleek vampires-meet-world saga and has fast become a fan favorite. As Rosalyn, the ageless vamp with a Texas twang, Hennesy is at the top of her game. She tosses one-liners like firecrackers, occasionally enjoys a juicy stake, and gleefully partakes in old-timey interrogation. Prior to TRUE BLOOD, Hennesy was best known for her memorable work as “Barbara Coman” on ABC’s COUGAR TOWN and for an Emmy nominated run as “Diane Miller” on ABC’s GENERAL HOSPITAL. Hennesy’s creative endeavors also include a successful career as a writer. She created the wildly popular “Pandora” (Bloomsbury USA) children’s book series as well as penned the New York Times Bestseller “The Secret Life of Damian Spinelli” (Hyperion). ___ Signing alongside Carolyn Hennesy on Tuesday will be authors Nancy Holder, signing On Fire: A Teen Wolf Novel along with her story in VWars and her story in Chicks in Capes, Debbie Viguie, signing The Thirteenth Sacrifice: A Witch Hunt Novel, and SP Hendrick, signing The Pale Mare’s Fosterling. Where/When: Carolyn Hennesy at Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Ave Burbank, CA 91505 Tuesday, July 24th, 7pm

Due to a component issue, Ozymandias is temporarily on back order. Casanova has been discontinued, effective immediately, also due to a component issue. If you have an outstanding order for either of these scents, our customer service department should have already contacted you. Questions? Contact answers@blackphoenixalchemylab.com

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab’s Lunacy events are your opportunity to meet the lab staff (California only), purchase the latest scents, and get a sneak preview of what’s coming soon. The blends that will be available for purchase include those that went live on the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab website up to and including the Singing Moon update. Our Lunacy events are held on the night of the full moon at Dark Delicacies in Burbank, and are always free. The west coast will call event will be held on Thursday, August 2nd from 6 to 9pm at Dark Delicacies. Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd (1 block east of Hollywood Way) Burbank, CA 91505 ___ New England Will Call will be held at Healthy Living Market on Sunday, August 12th from 3:00 to 6:00pm, in the Learning Center. Healthy Living Market 222 Dorset Street, South Burlington, VT, 05403 If you have any questions, please email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com. Where/When: West Coast Will Call at Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Ave Burbank, CA 91505 Thursday, August 2nd, 6:00 to 9:00pm New England Will Call at Healthy Living Market (inside the Learning Center) 222 Dorset Street, South Burlington, VT, 05403 Sunday, August 12th, 3:00 to 6:00pm

Are you a fan of Thrillbent comics? BPAL created a scent exclusively for a swag bag given out at an exclusive Thrillbent event at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con; a few remaining bags were given to audience members at Saturday’s Spotlight on Mark Waid panel. You won’t be able to buy this scent anywhere, but Thrillbent has graciously given us some swag bags to give away on Twitter. Thrillbent’s Nerd Flu Prevention Kits are the coolest Comic Con giveaway, and contain a 5ml bottle of Nocturnus Somnolence Aid: NOCTURNUS French lavender, spike lavender, and French lavender absolute, Roman chamomile, wild-harvested frankincense, styrax, bourbon vanilla absolute, bourbon geranium, ethically harvested Australian sandalwood, oudh, mugwort, and opium tar. To win, simply follow both @bpal and @thrillbent on twitter, and RT the following statement: I need a @BPAL @Thrillbent Nerd Flu Prevention Kit: Cold Comfort in a Cruel World. #bpal #thrillbent #insufferable #nocturnus We will be giving away 5 kits each day, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 15 bags total. We will DM you if you win. There is no location limit, you can enter from anywhere in the world.

Happy Friday the 13th, all! 13 13 is significant, whether you consider it lucky, unlucky or just plain odd. Many believe it to be unfortunate… …because there were 13 present at the Last Supper. …Loki crashed a party of 12 at Valhalla, which ended in Baldur’s death. …Oinomaos killed 13 of Hippodamia’s suitors before Pelops finally, in his own shady way, defeated the jealous king. …In ancient Rome, Hecate’s witches gathered in groups of 12, the Goddess herself being the 13th in the coven. Concern over the number thirteen echoes back beyond the Christian era. Line 13 was omitted form the Code of Hammurabi. The shivers over Friday the 13th also have some interesting origins: …Christ was allegedly crucified on Friday the 13th. …On Friday, October 13, 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered the arrests of Jaques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, and sixty of his senior knights. …In British custom, hangings were held on Fridays, and there were 13 steps on the gallows leading to the noose. To combat the superstition, Robert Ingersoll and the Thirteen Club held thirteen-men dinners during the 19th Century. Successful? Hardly. The number still invokes trepidation to this day. A recent whimsical little serial killer study showed that the following murderers all have names that total thirteen letters: Theodore Bundy Jeffrey Dahmer Albert De Salvo John Wayne Gacy And, with a little stretch of the imagination, you can also fit “Jack the Ripper” and “Charles Manson” into that equation. More current-era paranoia: modern schoolchildren stop their memorization of the multiplication tables at 12. There were 13 Plutonium slugs in the atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki. Apollo 13 wasn’t exactly the most successful space mission. All of these are things that modern triskaidekaphobes point to when justifying their fears. For some, 13 is an extremely fortuitous and auspicious number… …In Jewish tradition, God has 13 Attributes of Mercy. Also, there were 13 tribes of Israel, 13 principles of Jewish faith, and 13 is considered the age of maturity. …The ancient Egyptians believed that there were 12 stages of spiritual achievement in this lifetime, and a 13th beyond death. …The word for thirteen, in Chinese, sounds much like the word which means “must be alive”?. Thirteen, whether you love it or loathe it, is a pretty cool number all around. …In some theories of relativity, there are 13 dimensions. …It is a prime number, lucky number, star number, Wilson Prime, and Fibonacci number. …There are 13 Archimedean solids. AND… …There were 13 original colonies when the United States were founded. Says a lot about the US, doesn’t it? This 13 was created by Brian Constantine. Voluptuous and somber: a Thirteen created as a reflection on the capricious nature of Tyche – bittersweet cacao and dragon’s blood resin sweetened by honey and vanilla bean, brightened by saffron, and touched by the contemplative depths of oak leaf, solemn opoponax, frankincense, myrrh, black amber, hiba wood, aged patchouli, burgundy pitch, and Balm of Gilead. 13 tee available from Black Phoenix Trading Post.

We will have the single note accords available for sale at tonight’s West Coast Will Call event, 6 to 9pm at Dark Delicacies: ANNURCA APPLE BLOSSOM While this scent is fresh, crisp, refreshing, and redolent of spring mornings, it also possesses an ancient timbre: this is the fragrance of the apple orchards of ancient Herculaneum. SPANISH RED CARNATION A celebratory scent, spicy and joyful. This is the nation flower of Spain. It symbolizes the suffering of Christ, the passion of lovers, and the laurels of victory. Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd (1 block east of Hollywood Way) Burbank, CA 91505

The rumor’s are true, BPAL will be attending Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo in September. Comikaze Expo September 15 – 16, 2012 Los Angeles Convention Center http://comikazeexpo.com/

Singing Moon is live at BPAL and BPTP! SINGING MOON The Banshee mournful wails In the midst of the silent, lonely, lonely night, Plaining, she sings the song of death. The song of a host of dread spirits wailing their grief to the moonlit heavens: grey, silken ambergris and cold davana cascading over a landscape of bog rosemary, marsh cinquefoil, sea holly, grey willow, bog asphodel, sundew, lowland meadow grass, and frost-limned peat. Art by Julie Dillon. This month we are welcoming back a long-lost old friend...single note accords! The availability of our single notes is limited: one or two will be offered each lunar cycle, full moon til full moon, for the next twelve months. Single notes are available on our limited edition page. ANNURCA APPLE BLOSSOM While this scent is fresh, crisp, refreshing, and redolent of spring mornings, it also possesses an ancient timbre: this is the fragrance of the apple orchards of ancient Herculaneum. SPANISH RED CARNATION A celebratory scent, spicy and joyful. This is the nation flower of Spain. It symbolizes the suffering of Christ, the passion of lovers, and the laurels of victory. Sadly, while we warmly embrace new friends, we must bid farewell to a few old favorites. Effective immediately, the following general catalog scents have been discontinued: All in the Golden Afternoon Danube Hermia Hymn to Proserpine Moonshine & Mist Also, when the next lunacy rises, the Salon will close its doors. The Salon scents will be available until July 30th, 2012. --- Also, more stuff will be going live at our Etsy shop within the hour. If you would like to combine an Etsy order with a regular BPAL order, please add a note to your Etsy order, and email our customer service department at answers@blackphoenixalchemylab.com

Black Phoenix will be vending at Anime Expo, June 29 – July 2 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. We will be in booth 1329, and we will be bringing ALL of our currently available scents (yes, that includes the Fraggles!) as well as debuting our new Anime Event Exclusives! Anime Exclusives These 4 scents are debuting at Anime Expo 2012, and will be available at any and all Anime Events where we are vending. BOYSTYLE ARISTOCRAT A dapper Victorian bergamot and patchouli cologne that has been softened by orris and spiced with pink peppercorn. DOLLY KEI Antiqued bourbon vanilla and tobacco-tinged yellow sandalwood with copal and amber incense, frankincense, tonka absolute, and myrrh. HIME GYARU Fit for a princess: pink musk, spun sugar, white rose, pink gardenia, black currant, and violet leaf. MORI GIRL Forest tuberose, woodland mosses, wisteria blossoms, hime wood, night-blooming jasmine, and honey dust. Art by Manda Lander. The Anime Event Exclusives are $20 each and there are no per person limits.

BPAL will be returning to New York Comic Con this October. NYCC October 11 – 14, 2012 Javits Center, NYC Booth #567 www.newyorkcomiccon.com

Some cool things are available now on our Etsy site. http://www.etsy.com/shop/alchemylab

The west coast will call event will be held on Tuesday, July 3rd from 6 to 9pm at Dark Delicacies. Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd (1 block east of Hollywood Way) Burbank, CA 91505 ___ New England Will Call will be held at Healthy Living Market on Sunday, July 15th from 3:00 to 6:00pm, in the Learning Center. Healthy Living Market 222 Dorset Street, South Burlington, VT, 05403 — The blends that will be available for purchase include those that went live on the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab website up to and including the Smoky Moon update. Forum only scents will not be available at Will Call. We will no longer be accepting preorders at West Coast Will Call, with the exception of orders for Twilight Alchemy Lab oils. We will do our best to accommodate all orders, but sales will be based on availability. At this time, Twilight Alchemy Lab oils will only be available at Dark Delicacies via preorder. Items from Black Phoenix Trading Post will be available at Dark Delicacies, subject to stock on hand. If you have any questions, please email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com. Where/When: West Coast Will Call at Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Ave Burbank, CA 91505 Tuesday, July 3rd, 6:00 to 9:00pm New England Will Call at Healthy Living Market (inside the Learning Center) 222 Dorset Street, South Burlington, VT, 05403 Sunday, July 15th, 3:00 to 6:00pm There may be a 3rd Will Call location to announce soon… Also, BPAL will be vending at Anime Expo, 6/29-7/2, 2012 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Exclusives will be announced soon.

Attention artists! Want to work for Black Phoenix? We are currently looking to add a few artists to our stable. Email wickedgoddess@blackphoenixalchemylab.com with samples and/or a link to your portfolio if you are interested.

‎Emerald Knights Comics and Games is holding a charity auction for Shriners Hospital, and BPAL and BPTP have donated a complete set of RPG scents! Check out the auction here:http://ekcomicsandgames.com/index.php/emerald/page/product/shriners/shriners_auction_045_black_phoenix_oil_set/

BPAL is having problems with our outgoing email server. If you have written to customer service in the past week, and haven't heard back, don't despair, we are trying to answer you! All should be fixed by Monday at the latest. In the meantime, we appreciate your patience.

BPAL will be vending at Anime Expo, 6/29-7/2, 2012 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. More conventions will be announced soon, as plans are finalized.

Smoky Moon is live at BPAL and BPTP! SMOKY MOON 2012 Light-winged Smoke, Icarian bird, Melting thy pinions in thy upward flight, Lark without song, and messenger of dawn Circling above the hamlets as they nest; Or else, departing dream, and shadowy form Of midnight vision, gathering up thy skirts; By night star-veiling, and by day Darkening the light and blotting out the sun; Go thou my incense upward from this hearth, And ask the gods to pardon this clear flame. Aged champaca, golden amber, guiac wood, dusky patchouli, twilit oudh, and feathery orris, with a touch of grapefruit, davana, and elemi to help lift it to the heavens Art by the illustrious Julie Dillon. Smoky Moon will be available until June 11, 2012. And, it is with great pride that we introduce the second part of our collaboration with the Jim Henson Company, eight scents based on Henson’s Fraggle Rock! The Fraggle Rock Collection GOBO Gobo is the natural leader of the Fraggle Five. He is an explorer, spending his days charting the unexplored (and explored-but-forgotten) regions of Fraggle Rock. Gobo is following, often quite literally, in the footsteps of his Uncle Traveling Matt Fraggle, the greatest living Fraggle explorer. Tangerine, lemon peel, sugared pink grapefruit, and vanilla cream. BOOBER According to Boober Fraggle, there are only two things certain in this world: death and laundry. Boober is terrified by the former and fascinated by the latter. He is also paranoid and superstitious. According to Boober, anything that can go wrong surely will, and when it does, it will inevitably happen to him. A fretfully clean scent: freshly-washed laundry, linden blossom, soap suds, and a sprinkle of vanilla. RED Red Fraggle is a nonstop whirligig of activity. To her fellow Fraggles, Red is often seen as a flash of crimson racing to her next athletic pursuit. She is Fraggle Rock champion in Tug-of-War, Diving while Singing Backwards, the Blindfolded One-Legged Radish Relay, and a number of other traditional Fraggle sports. She is outgoing, enthusiastic, and athletic, but take note – her impetuosity can get her into real trouble. Sporty and energetic: sweet red currant, tangy cranberry, pink musk, and spicy pink pepper. MOKEY Mokey is an artist, poet and philosopher. She seems to be in touch with some sort of higher Fraggle consciousness. Mokey is fascinated by the beauty and intricacy of the world around her, and is always seeking new ways to share this feeling with others. A gentle, contemplative fragrance: lilac blossoms, violet sugar, orris root, stephanotis, and osmanthus. WEMBLEY To Wemble is a Fragglish word that means (roughly) “to be so unable to make up one’s mind that it’s ridiculous.” Wembley is indecision personified. Wembley has an uncanny ability to find merit on both sides of any issue. This talent occasionally casts him in the role of peacemaker. Innocently indecisive: white musk, banana, orange blossom honey, pineapple, and mint. UNCLE TRAVELING MATT The magic is always there, as long as we keep looking for it. Gobo’s Uncle Travelling Matt is the greatest living Fraggle explorer – the Fraggle equivalent of an astronaut. After completing his exploration of Fraggle Rock, he ventured forth into our world, a place the Fraggles call “Outer Space.” Dark chocolate, figgy vanilla, pear, and quince. DOOZERS Totally unlike the Fraggles, Doozers spend their lives working. The greatest joy in a Doozer’s life is to get up, put on a hard hat and take a place on the Doozer work crew. The scent of industrious cooperation: glittering crystals, soft soil, and radish dust. GORG’S GARDEN The Fraggles raid the Gorgs’ garden for the vegetables (particularly the radishes) that they eat. Radishes, freshly-turned soil, and soft herbs.