wickedgoddess

Due to a miscommunication, Lolita V2, MB: Closest and Ice Queen will not be at WCWC. We apologize profusely for the error.

Once again, we will be offering a selection of oils from our past trunk shows at this month's West Coast will call. The following will be at our WCWC tomorrow evening at Dark Delicacies: PP3 2005 PP4 2005 Lolita V@ PL176 Melpomene Monster Bait: Bloody Mary Ice Queen Monster Bait: Closet Tamamo-No-Mae Sol Invictus Thamiel BRAII AF25 Aquarius Chanukkiya PL81 The west coast will call event will be held on Saturday, June 26th, from 4 to 8pm at Dark Delicacies. Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd (1 block east of Hollywood Way) Burbank, CA 91505 and for you those of you in the South: GA Will Call will be at Whole Foods Market, aka Harry’s Farmer’s Market, in Roswell, GA. They will be holding Will Call on Sunday, June 27th from 5 to 8 pm, inside Salud (which is inside the store.) Whole Foods Market is located at 1180 Upper Hembree Road, Roswell, GA, 30076.

Note: Starting with this Will Call, West Coast Will Calls will now be held at Dark Delicacies! Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd (1 block east of Hollywood Way) Burbank, CA 91505 The west coast will call event will be held on Saturday, June 26th, from 4 to 8pm at Dark Delicacies. We accept Mastercard, Visa, American Express and cash. Preorders can still be made with Paypal. ---- GA Will Call will be at Whole Foods Market, aka Harry’s Farmer’s Market, in Roswell, GA. They will be holding Will Call on Sunday, June 27th from 5 to 8 pm, inside Salud (which is inside the store.) Whole Foods Market is located at 1180 Upper Hembree Road, Roswell, GA, 30076. Whole Foods accepts Visa, Master Card, Discover, American Express and cash. They will not be able to accept any preorders. --- 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 Lotus Moon update. Forum only scents will not be available at Will Call. f you would like to place an order for pick-up at the North Hollywood Will Call, please do the following: Email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com with your order before 1pm on Friday, June 25th. Payment may be remitted by PayPal ahead of time to willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com, or you can pay at pick up with cash or credit card. Please do not email orders for the GA location to this address! When making your payment, please omit shipping charges. You may purchase any current catalogue oils, as long as we have them in stock. Due to the sheer volume, currently pending orders can not be combined with Will Call orders. Thanks for your understanding. We will no longer be able to accommodate third party orders. If you are placing an order, you must attend Will Call and pick up your order in person. We will do our best to accommodate all orders, but sales will be based on availability. At this time, imps, imp packs and 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 .

The Black Phoenix Trading Post Update is LIVE!! UNDERWORLD CUP XXI CHAMPIONSHIP IS UNDERWAY! The Battle for the Silver Key has begun! Communities across the Dreamlands and Earth’s Miskatonic Valley are alight with excitement as the Cats From Saturn take on the P’nathi Bholes for the coveted Key! Leng’s newly refurbished Unnamable Arena, Abbatoir, and Convention Centre will host the Carcosan Interdimensional Football Association’s showpiece Championship games. Many thanks to the People of Leng for their hospitality! Black Phoenix Trading Post will enjoy the prestigious responsibility of providing interdimensional transport for the event's teams and managers, while the Mi-Go have generously donated their time and energy to ferrying the brains of those who cannot attend the matches in person. NO MORE CHILLY TOES! Black Phoenix and Sock Dreams have teamed up! THE MOLLY CRABAPPLE TEE IS LIVE! Show your Storyville pride!

FYI, numbers will be given out on a first come, first serve basis starting at 4pm. So you can grab a number and come back to the Trunk Show later.

Just a heads up that there will be a preview of the next Black Phoenix Trading Post extravaganza at tomorrow's trunk show. They won't be for sale, but will be out for sniffing and....previewing.

On June 4th, Black Phoenix will be hosting a trunk show from 7 to 9 pm at the new Dark Delicacies. We’re clearing out the cobwebs again! The following scents will be available: Vintage: 13 2007 A Blade of Grass 2008 A Farewell to False Love 08 Allison Gross 2007 Anactoria BeaverVersary 2008 Cerberus Chant D'automne 2008 Cheshire Moon 2008 Day ot the Skulls Decadence Frederic 2008 Graveyard Dirt 2008 Lady Luck Blues Michtecacihuatl Minotaur 2007 Moon of Ice 2008 Parentalia Pumpkin II 2008 Red Lantern 2008 Sol Spectre Sticky Pillowcase 2008 Sugar Moon 2008 Symmakhia The Sportive Sun Wood Phoenix 2008 Worm Moon 2008 Prototype: AGLAV1 Amaterasu V2 Amaterasu V3 Anjali V3 Belshazzaz V3 Bohun Upas V2 Boomslang V2 Butter Arsenic BYRON V13 BYRON V7 CBBOB1 CD: Blue Pumpkin Floss v3 CD: Fire Dancer V9 CD: Misfortune Teller v3 CD: Tilt V4 Ching Shih V4 CHKX27 Dead Man's Hand V8 Dido V1 EAT ME V6 Eden V7 Goat 17 Hatshepsut V11 Hatshetsut V3 Haumea v1 HOD V2 ICD 4 ICD 17 ICD 19 ICD 23 ICD 37 ICDX 11 ICDX 14 IXHV37 IXHV4 Lilith V5 Ma'at V17 MAD HATTER V1 MMH2 MMH3 MMHX1 MML2 Morocco V2 Mule Skinner v1 New Orleans v4 NGW7 Nightmarchers V5 Persephone V6 PS: Iron Parasol V1 SDPUI SDPU2 SGR4 SHILL v1 Skeeter Shoo V2 Snow White V2 Solitude w/ Pillow Book V1 Strawberry Moon v4 TCC 1 TCM1 TCM2 Tiki Princess V3 Titania V1 UMU1 UOH2 UOH34 Vrishka Rajaya V2 Wobanakik V2 XNIA2 Yesod V5 Please note: this list is subject to change. Very, very subject to change. Scents may be added as time permits, or deleted if circumstances dictate. Trading Post will be bringing three prototype room sprays: Admah V3 Phoenix Nest V3 Zoar V7 Each bottle of BPAL oil is $20, and each bottle of room spray is $25. No preorders will be accepted for the perfumes and room sprays at the Cobwebs event. Bottles will be sold on a first-come basis, and there is a limit of three bottles per scent per person for the first hour of the event, at which point, the limit is lifted. The Vintage scents will, as always, be sportin’ a new label that was created for this event. You will not be getting the original label used for this scent. Where and when is this happening? Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd (1 1/2 block east of Hollywood Way) Burbank, CA 91505

In North Hollywood, we will be open for the Panther Moon Lunacy Event on Thursday, May 27th, from 7 to 10pm. The address is: 12120 Sherman Way North Hollywood, CA 91605 If you haven't been here before, it may be a little hard to find. We are in the industrial complex, right behind Game Dude. The nearest cross street is Laurel Canyon Blvd. We will accept Mastercard, Visa, American Express and cash. Preorders can still be made with Paypal. Please do not bring any cameras. No photography of any kind will be allowed during this Will Call. Thanks for your cooperation. *** GA Will Call will be at Whole Foods Market, aka Harry’s Farmer’s Market, in Roswell, GA. They will be holding Will Call on Sunday, May 30th from 5 to 8 pm, inside Salud (which is inside the store.) Whole Foods Market is located at 1180 Upper Hembree Road, Roswell, GA, 30076. Whole Foods accepts Visa, Master Card, Discover, American Express and cash. They will not be able to accept any preorders. *** 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 Panther Moon update. Forum only scents will not be available at Will Call. The following oils from past trunk shows will be available at this month's WCWC: Aphrodite V4 Apothecary V1 Nepthys V3 Snow Flakes Rose Moon Eve V5 Hearth V2 Kinnabari TP46 PW 141 PX68 BTLS1 Playing With Dangerous Toys NGG023 NVMA1 NVF02 Kelly Pool A Bold Bluff Crow Moon Kostnice PP52005 Vishpala Montressor Nahemoth Trunk show oils are first come, first serve; pre-orders will not be accepted for these scents. If you would like to place an order for pick-up at the North Hollywood Will Call, please do the following: Email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com with your order before 1pm on Wednesday, May 26th. Payment may be remitted by PayPal ahead of time to willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com, or you can pay at pick up with cash or credit card. Please do not email orders for the GA location to this address! When making your payment, please omit shipping charges. You may purchase any current catalogue oils, as long as we have them in stock. Due to the sheer volume, currently pending orders can not be combined with Will Call orders. Thanks for your understanding. We will no longer be able to accommodate third party orders. If you are placing an order, you must attend Will Call and pick up your order in person. We will do our best to accommodate all orders of 5mls and imps, but sales will be based on availability. Items from Black Phoenix Trading Post will be available, subject to stock on hand. Twilight Alchemy Lab oils will also be available. For Will Call, Twilight Alchemy Lab orders can be combined with Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab orders. *** If you have any questions, please email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com . *** On Friday, June 4th, join us for a very special trunk show from 7 to 9 pm, at Dark Delicacies new location. Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd Burbank, CA 91505 www.darkdel.com

In North Hollywood, we will be open for the Egg Moon Lunacy Event on Wednesday, April 28th, from 7 to 9pm. The address is: 12120 Sherman Way North Hollywood, CA 91605 If you haven't been here before, it may be a little hard to find. We are in the industrial complex, right behind Game Dude. The nearest cross street is Laurel Canyon Blvd. We will accept Mastercard, Visa, American Express and cash. Preorders can still be made with Paypal. Please do not bring any cameras. No photography of any kind will be allowed during this Will Call. Thanks for your cooperation. *** GA Will Call will be at Whole Foods Market, aka Harry’s Farmer’s Market, in Roswell, GA. They will be holding Will Call on Sunday, May 2nd from 5 to 8 pm, inside Salud (which is inside the store.) Whole Foods Market is located at 1180 Upper Hembree Road, Roswell, GA, 30076. Whole Foods accepts Visa, Master Card, Discover, American Express and cash. They will not be able to accept any preorders. *** 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 Egg Moon update. Forum only scents will not be available at Will Call. The following oils from past trunk shows will be available at this month's WCWC: Ace of Hearts Vintage 2005 PX39 Proto AP18 Proto BTPU1 Proto BTPU2 Proto NVL1 Proto HEL V6 Proto Dragon Moon 2006 Wolf Moon 2007 Bonfire Night 2007 Abhisarika 2007 PW7 Proto PPV111 Proto PX79 Proto Chiroptera Vintage Bad Luck Woman Blues Vintage Viola V2 Proto I Fell in Love with a Floating Brain Proto Taurus Vintage 2007 Sol Niger V2 Proto PX717 Proto PEX95 Proto PW12 Proto Eight Views of Actors in their Dressing Rooms Proto Trunk show oils are first come, first serve; pre-orders will not be accepted for these scents. If you would like to place an order for pick-up at the North Hollywood Will Call, please do the following: Email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com with your order before 1pm on Tuesday, April 27th. Payment may be remitted by PayPal ahead of time to willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com, or you can pay at pick up with cash or credit card. Please do not email orders for the GA location to this address! When making your payment, please omit shipping charges. You may purchase any current catalogue oils, as long as we have them in stock. Due to the sheer volume, currently pending orders can not be combined with Will Call orders. Thanks for your understanding. We will no longer be able to accommodate third party orders. If you are placing an order, you must attend Will Call and pick up your order in person. We will do our best to accommodate all orders of 5mls and imps, but sales will be based on availability. Items from Black Phoenix Trading Post will be available, subject to stock on hand. Twilight Alchemy Lab oils will also be available. For Will Call, Twilight Alchemy Lab orders can be combined with Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab orders. *** If you have any questions, please email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com.

Once again, we will be offering a selection of oils from our past trunk shows at this month's West Coast will call. The following will be at our North Hollywood location on March 28th: Mistletoe (2007) Pumpkin 2 (2007) Swan Maiden (2007) Phosphoros V5 (Proto) R.M. Renfield Virahotkantita Thagirion Spirits of the Dead Zombie Apocalypse 4 (Proto) XCDL13 (Proto) XCDW5 (Proto) YAR 7 (Proto) Numb (Proto) Burial (Proto) Dunwich (Proto) PP5 2005 (Proto) MB: Underbed V1 (Proto) Aprodite V3 (Proto) Sekhmet V5 (Proto) PO13 (Proto) New Year's Eve in Dogville (2007) A Bachelor's Dog (2007) Harvest Moon (2006) Riding the Goat(2007) First come, first served while supplies last! Gotta move this schtuff!

BPAL will be hitting the road and traveling to Chicago in April, to vend at C2E2, the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo. We will be vending all three days, and premiering several new lines, including Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere and Boom! Studios Irredeemable. If you're going to C2E2, you can find us at booth 951. While we are there we will also be taking part of a few outside events. Friday, April 16th, we will be at the Irredeemable 1st birthday party with Mark Waid, at Challengers Comics. What: THE IRREDEEMABLE 1ST BIRTHDAY PARTY W/MARK WAID Why: IRREDEEMABLE's record first year and the launch of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's IRREDEEMABLE Fragrance line Where: Challengers Comics + Conversation located at 1845 N. Western Ave. 2R Chicago, IL 60647 (PH: 773.278.0155 / www.challengerscomics.com) When: April 16th, 2010 8pm This event is free to the public and you don't need a Con badge to attend. Beer and wine will be served. Saturday, April 17th, the CBLDF will be hosting "An Evening with Neil Gaiman" at 7 PM in the Arie Crown Theater at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. This is a paid, ticketed event. A small number of fans will also have the opportunity to attend the "Evening with Neil Gaiman Dream Experience", which includes front center row seats, a limited Meet & Greet mixer with Neil before the event, and a special gift set from The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, in association with Neverwear and Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, which features a never-before-published poem presented on a beautiful and exclusive art print, and accompanying fragrance, with other surprises. Sunday, April 18th, Pop Culture 2 will be hosting a Black Phoenix Meet N Sniff at Reggie's Rock Club, 2109 South State Street, Chicago, Illinois 60616, between noon and 2pm. There will be a free movie playing in the background, and you will be able to purchase food and drinks. This event is free to the public and you don't need a Con badge to attend. If you are attending the Con, there is a free bus to take you to the event and back again. We've still got a few more surprises for you in Chicago, including some special scents to benefit The Hero Initiative. More details will be posted closer to the event.

March 22nd 2010, Los Angeles, CA - BOOM! Studios, Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs and Challenger Comics + Conversation bring you the IRREDEEMABLE 1st Birthday Party happening Friday, April 16th during C2E2. The IRREDEEMABLE 1ST Birthday party will also see the launch of the IRREDEEMABLE Fragrance line from Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs. The IRREDEEMABLE Fragrance line features 5ml perfume oil blends based on the people and places of IRREDEEMABLE, including the Plutonian, Bette Noir and Mr. Qubit. What: THE IRREDEEMABLE 1ST BIRTHDAY PARTY W/MARK WAID Why: IRREDEEMABLE's record first year and the launch of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's IRREDEEMABLE Fragrance line Where: Challengers Comics + Conversation located at 1845 N. Western Ave. 2R Chicago, IL 60647 (PH: 773.278.0155 / www.challengerscomics.com) When: April 16th, 2010 8pm About BOOM! Studios BOOM! Studios (www.boom-studios.com) is a unique publishing house specializing in high-profile projects across a wide variety of different genres from some of the industry's biggest talents, including Philip K. Dick's DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?, The Henson Company's FARSCAPE, and the original Mark Waid series IRREDEEMABLE. BOOM! recently launched its youth imprint, BOOM Kids!, with Pixar's THE INCREDIBLES, CARS, and TOY STORY, as well as Disney's THE MUPPETS, DONALD DUCK, UNCLE SCROOGE and WALT DISNEY'S COMICS AND STORIES. This year, BOOM! Studios celebrates its fifth anniversary. About Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com) is a cult perfume house that crafts hand-blended body and household scents. They have over two decades of experience in the field, and specialize in eliciting emotional responses through perfume while creating unique scent environments that capture legends and folklore, poetry, and the stuff of dreams and nightmares Black Phoenix has several literature-based fragrance lines, including Alice in Wonderland, and the works of Neil Gaiman, and H.P. Lovecraft. With the success of scent lines created to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the Hero Initiative, they have found themselves in demand as a creator of fragrances based on comic properties. About Challengers Comics + Conversation Voted “Best Comic Book Store” by Chicago Magazine (August 2009), Challengers Comics + Conversation (www.challengerscomics.com) strives to prove that the best thing about being in a comic book store is being in a comic book store. With a combined 38 years of comic retail experience, owners Patrick Brower and W. Dal Bush endeavor to bring Chicago a full-service, technologically interactive comic store that has the same level of wonder and enjoyment as the comics they sell. And read. And talk about. And champion.

BPAL will be vending at Sakura-Con in Seattle, WA, April 2 - 4, 2010. We will be bringing all of our general catalog and current LE scents, as well as the following Sakura-Con exclusives: Seattle Exclusive: Giant Squid Cannabis blossom, tonka bean, tobacco, frankincense, galangal, juniper berry, lantana, spiky aloe, green and white teas, and salty sea spray. Sakuracon Exclusives: Fuwu Bansaku in Ruined Temple With Black Monster on Umbrella Black coconut, red sandalwood, black currant, tonka bean, vetiver, and Malasian oude. Shirafuji Genta With a Kappa Lansium domesticum, sweetgrass, benzoin, white mint, lavender, juniper berry, cedarwood, osmanthus, and rice wine. The Wrestler Onogawa Kisaburo Blowing Smoke at a One-Eyed Monster Peru balsam, Mysore sandalwood, bodark bark, tupelo gum, black pepper, tobacco absolute, and white honey.

In North Hollywood, we will be open for the Chaste Moon Lunacy Event on Sunday, March 28th, from 4 to 8pm. The address is: 12120 Sherman Way North Hollywood, CA 91605 If you haven't been here before, it may be a little hard to find. We are in the industrial complex, right behind Game Dude. The nearest cross street is Laurel Canyon Blvd. We will accept Mastercard, Visa, American Express and cash. Preorders can still be made with Paypal. Please do not bring any cameras. No photography of any kind will be allowed during this Will Call. Thanks for your cooperation. *** GA Will Call will be at Whole Foods Market, aka Harry’s Farmer’s Market, in Roswell, GA. They will be holding Will Call on Sunday, March 28th from 5 to 8 pm, inside Salud (which is inside the store.) Whole Foods Market is located at 1180 Upper Hembree Road, Roswell, GA, 30076. Whole Foods accepts Visa, Master Card, Discover, American Express and cash. They will not be able to accept any preorders. *** 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 Chaste Moon update. This includes the Bards of Ireland, Metal Tiger, Ides of March, and new general catalog scents, as well as the Lupercalias, Miskatonic Valley is for Lovers, Ode to Ares and Shunga scents. Forum only scents will not be available at Will Call. If you would like to place an order for pick-up at the North Hollywood Will Call, please do the following: Email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com with your order before 1pm on Friday, March 26th. Payment may be remitted by PayPal ahead of time to willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com, or you can pay at pick up with cash or credit card. Please do not email orders for the GA location to this address! When making your payment, please omit shipping charges. You may purchase any current catalogue oils, as long as we have them in stock. Due to the sheer volume, currently pending orders can not be combined with Will Call orders. Thanks for your understanding. We will no longer be able to accommodate third party orders. If you are placing an order, you must attend Will Call and pick up your order in person. We will do our best to accommodate all orders of 5mls and imps, but sales will be based on availability. Items from Black Phoenix Trading Post will be available, subject to stock on hand. Twilight Alchemy Lab oils will also be available. For Will Call, Twilight Alchemy Lab orders can be combined with Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab orders. *** If you have any questions, please email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com.

Neil Gaiman, the award-winning author of novels, films, and comics including the epoch-changing graphic novel series The Sandman, will take the stage for a benefit appearance on behalf of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund at C2E2. An "Evening with Neil Gaiman", a paid, ticketed event, will take place on Saturday night, April 17 at 7 PM in the Arie Crown Theater at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. 100% of the proceeds will go to benefit the First Amendment legal work of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. The last time Mr. Gaiman performed theatrical readings was ten years ago on the "Last Angel Tour." On that tour, he crisscrossed the country, giving sold-out readings of stories and poems, both new material and beloved tales, in order to draw attention to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. That was ten years ago. In those ten years, Mr. Gaiman's published such books as American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book. He's made movies and operas. He even started keeping a blog. A generation has grown up who have not seen an evening with Neil Gaiman -- until now. The "Evening with Neil Gaiman" will be Mr. Gaiman's only public appearance at C2E2. The event will begin at 7 PM with doors opening at 6:30. Tickets will be available both to C2E2 badge holders as well as the general public. (Tickets to C2E2 are not necessary to attend the CBLDF's "Evening with Neil Gaiman", however different pricing applies.) All fans attending the "Evening with Neil Gaiman" have a choice of Prime Seating or General Seating. Prime Seating is located in the closest five rows to the front of the theater and the stage upon which Neil Gaiman will appear. A small number of fans will also have the opportunity to attend the "Evening with Neil Gaiman Dream Experience", which includes front center row seats, a limited Meet & Greet mixer with Neil before the event, and a special gift set from The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, in association with Neverwear and Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, which features a never-before-published poem presented on a beautiful and exclusive art print, and accompanying fragrance, with other surprises. Truly a rare opportunity, the "Evening with Neil Gaiman Dream Experience" is extremely limited. Prime Seating, General Seating, and Dream Experience tickets will go on sale at www.C2E2.com beginning at 12 PM Central time on Monday, March 8. Fans are encouraged to order their tickets early, as tickets will increase by $5 at the door -- or, as is very likely the case, will sell out online. Online ticket prices are as follow: Prime Seating C2E2 Badge Holders - $45 General Public - $60 General Seating C2E2 Badge Holders - $15 General Public - $30 Dream Experience Tickets $250 C2E2 VIP Badge Holders qualify for an additional discount on Prime and General seating and the option to purchase tickets prior to Monday, March 8. Check your inbox if you're a C2E2 VIP who purchased your badge as of March 4, 2010 for details. For all new VIPs after this date, please contact C2E2 for further information. http://www.c2e2.com/en/Events/Neil-Gaiman/

If you are planning on attending West Coast Will Call on Sunday, here's a chance to Bleed for BPAL. Dark Delicacies is hosting a Scream Queen Blood Drive from 1 to 5pm. If you donate blood before attending Will Call, we will give you a free general catalog 5ml! Details on the Blood Drive can be found here. Visit Dark Delicacies. West Coast Will Call Sunday, February 28th, 4 to 8 pm.

CHASTE MOON 2010 Though March marks the end of the desolation and chill of winter, it is not yet Spring, the time of rebirth, fertility and the Earth's fecundity. March's Full Moon is a Virgin's Moon, pure, youthful, unsullied and innocent. This is the Moon of the Child, and the scent is as soft and gentle as a baby's breath: milky blossoms and soft cream touch the last buds of winter, coupled with crystalline, bright traditional Lunar oils. Pale, luminous grey shimmer ink on black tee. Artwork for Trading Post's Lunacy tee by Jennifer Williamson! Also live this month at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab… IDES OF MARCH 2010 The Ides marked an auspicious time in the Roman calendar. Depending on the month in question, the Ides fell on the thirteenth or fifteenth, and usually marked the Full Moon. As we all know, it was not an auspicious day for Julius Caesar, nor was it fortuitous for H.P. Lovecraft, who also met his maker on this infamous day. Tu quoque, Brute, fili mi! A mixture of springtime greenery and classical Roman cologne: dark musk, spikenard, bergamot, lemon rind and vervain with costus, benzoin, gray amber, cardamom, and white narcissus. The Bards of Ireland return for a limited engagement… ++ LE: THE BARDS OF IRELAND 2010 Irish bards were members of a hereditary caste of learned poets. They were officials of the courts of their chieftains and kings, and served as historians, storytellers, and satirists. They were immersed in the rich history of their clan and country, and learned the intricacies of their craft from birth. Their words held so much power that it was believed that a glam dicing, or satirical incantation, spoken by a bard held the magic of a curse. This series is celebration of great Irish poets and storytellers. Through these poems, we touch the glory, beauty, and grief that permeates the soul of Ireland. THE HARP OF CNOC I'CHOSGAIR Gofraidh Fion O Dalaigh Harp of Cnoc I'Chosgair, you who bring sleep to eyes long sleepless; sweet subtle, plangent, glad, cooling grave. Excellent instrument with smooth gentle curve, trilling under red fingers, musician that has charmed us, red, lion-like of full melody. You who lure the bird from the flock, you who refresh the mind, brown spotted one of sweet words, ardent, wondrous, passionate. You who heal every wounded warrior, joy and allurement to women, familiar guide over the dark blue water, mystic sweet sounding music. You who silence every instrument of music, yourself a sweet plaintive instrument, dweller among the Race of Conn, instrument yellow-brown and firm. The one darling of sages, restless, smooth, sweet of tune, crimson star above the Fairy Hills, breast jewel of High Kings. Sweet tender flowers, brown harp of Diarmaid, shape not unloved by hosts, voice of cuckoos in May! I have not heard music ever such as your frame makes since the time of the Fairy People, fair brown many coloured bough, gentle, powerful, glorious. Sound of the calm wave on the beach, pure shadowing tree of pure music, carousals are drunk in your company, voice of the swan over shining streams. Cry of the Fairy Women from the Fairy Hill of Ler, no melody can match you, every house is sweet stringed through your guidance, you the pinnacle of harp music. Gilded amber, tiare, golden sandalwood, vanilla, cardamom, and tagetes. LITTLE BIRD Traditional Little bird! O little bird! I wonder at what thou doest, Thou singing merry far from me, I in sadness all alone! Little bird! O little bird! I wonder at how thou art Thou high on the tips of branching boughs, I on the ground a-creeping! Little bird! O little bird! Thou art music far away, Like the tender croon of the mother loved In the kindly sleep of death. Night air, wild jostaberry, melancholy thistle, meadowgrass, marsh marigold, and butterwort. THE TRAVELLER Oliver Goldsmith Vain, very vain, my weary search to find That bliss which only centres in the mind: Why have I stray'd from pleasure and repose, To seek a good each government bestows? In every government, though terrors reign, Though tyrant kings, or tyrant laws restrain, How small, of all that human hearts endure, That part which laws or kings can cause or cure! Still to ourselves in every place consign'd, Our own felicity we make or find: With secret course, which no loud storms annoy, Glides the smooth current of domestic joy. The lifted axe, the agonizing wheel, Luke's iron crown, and Damien's bed of steel, To men remote from power but rarely known, Leave reason, faith, and conscience, all our own. A wanderer, poised at the point where three great countries meet, ruminating on government, nationalism, religion, and personal character: boot leather, pipe tobacco, and the dust of soft resins, herbs, and soil-flecked gravel picked on long, solitary travels. The next in our joint series inspired by Neil Gaiman's 15 Painted Cards From a Vampire Tarot is also live (undead) at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and Black Phoenix Trading Post: the Priestess. Black ink on dusty cobalt burnout fabric. The tees are $35, and the tarot card and perfume set is $30. Artwork by the inimitable Madame Talbot! Proceeds from all sales from the Tarot series, both the scent and card set at Alchemy Lab and the tee at Black Phoenix Trading Post, benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund! Also at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, some critters have flown into the Garden of Live Flowers: ++ MAD TEA PARTY: THE GARDEN OF LIVE FLOWERS ROCKING-HORSE-FLY ` -- then you don't like all insects?' the Gnat went on, as quietly as if nothing had happened. `I like them when they can talk,' Alice said. `None of them ever talk, where I come from.' `What sort of insects do you rejoice in, where YOU come from?' the Gnat inquired. `I don't REJOICE in insects at all,' Alice explained, `because I'm rather afraid of them -- at least the large kinds. But I can tell you the names of some of them." `Of course they answer to their names?' the Gnat remarked carelessly. `I never knew them do it.' `What's the use of their having names the Gnat said, `if they won't answer to them?' `No use to THEM,' said Alice; `but it's useful to the people who name them, I suppose. If not, why do things have names at all?' `I can't say,' the Gnat replied. `Further on, in the wood down there, they've got no names -- however, go on with your list of insects: you're wasting time.' `Well, there's the Horse-fly,' Alice began, counting off the names on her fingers. `All right,' said the Gnat: `half way up that bush, you'll see a Rocking-horse-fly, if you look. It's made entirely of wood, and gets about by swinging itself from branch to branch.' `What does it live on?' Alice asked, with great curiosity. `Sap and sawdust,' said the Gnat. `Go on with the list.' Alice looked up at the Rocking-horse-fly with great interest, and made up her mind that it must have been just repainted, it looked so bright and sticky; and then she went on. Shellacked wood, sap, sawdust, and privet. SNAP-DRAGON-FLY `Look on the branch above your head,' said the Gnat, `and there you'll find a Snap-Dragon-fly. Its body is made of plum-pudding, its wings of holly-leaves, and its head is a raisin burning in brandy.' `And what does it live on?' `Frumenty and mince pie,' the Gnat replied; `and it makes its nest in a Christmas box.' Plum pudding, holly, and brandy-soaked raisin with frumenty, mince pie, and a hint of suet. BREAD-AND-BUTTERFLY `Crawling at your feet,' said the Gnat (Alice drew her feet back in some alarm), `you may observe a Bread-and-Butterfly. Its wings are thin slices of Bread-and-butter, its body is a crust, and its head is a lump of sugar.' `And what does IT live on?' `Weak tea with cream in it.' Bread, lightly buttered, with weak tea, cream, and a lump of white sugar. And elsewhere, stories are being told: ++ MARCHEN TOADS AND DIAMONDS There once upon a time a widow who had two daughters. The eldest was so much like her in the face and humor that whoever looked upon the daughter saw the mother. They were both so disagreeable and so proud that there was no living with them. The youngest, who was the very picture of her father for courtesy and sweetness of temper, was withal one of the most beautiful girls ever seen. As people naturally love their own likeness, this mother even doted on her eldest daughter and at the same time had a horrible aversion for the youngest--she made her eat in the kitchen and work continually. Among other things, this poor child was forced twice a day to draw water above a mile and a-half off the house, and bring home a pitcher full of it. One day, as she was at this fountain, there came to her a poor woman, who begged of her to let her drink. "Oh! ay, with all my heart, Goody," said this pretty little girl; and rinsing immediately the pitcher, she took up some water from the clearest place of the fountain, and gave it to her, holding up the pitcher all the while, that she might drink the easier. The good woman, having drunk, said to her: You are so very pretty, my dear, so good and so mannerly, that I cannot help giving you a gift." For this was a fairy, who had taken the form of a poor country woman, to see how far the civility and good manners of this pretty girl would go. "I will give you for a gift," continued the Fairy, "that, at every word you speak, there shall come out of your mouth either a flower or a jewel." When this pretty girl came home her mother scolded her for staying so long at the fountain. "I beg your pardon, mamma," said the poor girl, "for not making more haste." And in speaking these words there came out of her mouth two roses, two pearls, and two diamonds. "What is it I see there?" said the mother, quite astonished. "I think I see pearls and diamonds come out of the girl's mouth! How happens this, child?" This was the first time she had ever called her child. The poor creature told her frankly all the matter, not without dropping out infinite numbers of diamonds. "In good faith," cried the mother, "I must send my child thither. Come hither, Fanny; look what comes out of thy sister's mouth when she speaks. Wouldst not thou be glad, my dear, to have the same gift given thee? Thou hast nothing else to do but go and draw water out of the fountain, and when a certain poor woman asks you to let her drink, to give it to her very civilly." "It would be a very fine sight indeed," said this ill- bred minx, "to see me go draw water." "You shall go, hussy!" said the mother; "and this minute." So away she went, but grumbling all the way, taking with her the best silver tankard in the house. She was no sooner at the fountain than she saw coming out of the wood a lady most gloriously dressed, who came up to her, and asked to drink. This was, you must know, the very fairy who appeared to her sister, but now had taken the air and dress of a princess, to see how far this girl's rudeness would go. "Am I come hither," said the proud, saucy one, "to serve you with water, pray? I suppose the silver tankard was brought purely for your ladyship, was it? However, you may drink out of it, if you have a fancy." "You are not over and above mannerly," answered the Fairy, without putting herself in a passion. "Well, then, since you have so little breeding, and are so disobliging, I give you for a gift that at every word you speak there shall come out of your mouth a snake or a toad." So soon as her mother saw her coming she cried out: "Well, daughter?" "Well, mother?" answered the pert hussy, throwing out of her mouth two vipers and two toads. "Oh! mercy," cried the mother; "what is it I see? Oh! it is that wretch her sister who has occasioned all this; but she shall pay for it"; and immediately she ran to beat her. The poor child fled away from her, and went to hide herself in the forest, not far from thence. The King's son, then on his return from hunting, met her, and seeing her so very pretty, asked her what she did there alone and why she cried. "Alas! sir, my mamma has turned me out of doors." The King's son, who saw five or six pearls and as many diamonds come out of her mouth, desired her to tell him how that happened. She thereupon told him the whole story; and so the King's son fell in love with her, and, considering himself that such a gift was worth more than any marriage portion, conducted her to the palace of the King his father, and there married her. As for the sister, she made herself so much hated that her own mother turned her off; and the miserable wretch, having wandered about a good while without finding anybody to take her in, went to a corner of the wood, and there died. ROSES, PEARLS, AND DIAMONDS Red roses, dazzling crystalline musks, and pearlescent coconut-tinged orris. ++ MARCHEN: AESOP'S FABLES GRIEF AND HIS DUE When Jupiter was assigning the various gods their privileges, it so happened that Grief was not present with the rest: but when all had received their share, he too entered and claimed his due. Jupiter was at a loss to know what to do, for there was nothing left for him. However, at last he decided that to him should belong the tears that are shed for the dead. Thus it is the same with Grief as it is with the other gods. The more devoutly men render to him his due, the more lavish is he of that which he has to bestow. It is not well, therefore, to mourn long for the departed; else Grief, whose sole pleasure is in such mourning, will be quick to send fresh cause for tears. GRIEF Inconsolable: lily of the valley, hyacinth, calamus, muguet, hydrangea, and elemi. PROMETHEUS AND TRUTH Olim Prometheus saeculi figulus noui cura subtili Veritatem fecerat, ut iura posset inter homines reddere. Subito accersitus nuntio magni Iouis commendat officinam fallaci Dolo, in disciplinam nuper quem receperat. Hic studio accensus, facie simulacrum pari, una statura, simile et membris omnibus, dum tempus habuit callida finxit manu. Quod prope iam totum mire cum positum foret, lutum ad faciendos illi defecit pedes. Redit magister, quo festinanter Dolus metu turbatus in suo sedit loco. Mirans Prometheus tantam similitudinem propriae uideri uoluit gloriam. Igitur fornaci pariter duo signa intulit; quibus percoctis atque infuso spiritu modesto gressu sancta incessit Veritas, at trunca species haesit in uestigio. Tunc falsa imago atque operis furtiui labor Mendacium appellatum est, quod negantibus pedes habere facile et ipse adsentio. Simulata interdum initio prosunt hominibus, sed tempore ipsa tamen apparet ueritas. Prometheus, the Titan of forethought and clever counsel, was a divine potter that was assigned the task of molding mankind out of clay. One day, he decided to dedicate his skill to sculpting the form of the spirit Veritas - Truth - so that he would be able to instill men with virtue. As he toiled, he was called away from his workshop by a sudden summons from the King of the Gods. Dolus - Trickery - had recently become one of Prometheus' apprentices, and was left in charge of the workshop in the titan's absence. Dolus used his time in the workshop to create a figure with the same size and possessing the same features as Veritas with his crafty, sly hands. When he was almost finished with his sculpture, which was truly almost identical to Prometheus' work, he ran out of clay to use for her feet. The divine potter returned, and Dolus scurried to his seat, trembling with fear that his master should discover what he had done and punish him. Prometheus was startled by the similarities between the two clay figures and decided he would take credit for both as a testament to his own skill. He put both statues in the kiln, and after they had been fired, he breathed life into them. Veritas walked with measured, steady steps, while her twin was immobile, stuck in her tracks. The imitation Veritas, a forgery and product of deception and artifice, aquired the name Mendacium - Falsehood. Falsehood has no feet: now and again something that is false can start off successfully, but with time, Truth will always prevail. VERITAS The essence of honesty, integrity, and veracity: frankincense, white carnation, angelica, chamomile, and heliotrope. Two new scents join Bewitching Brews: ++ BEWTICHING BREWS THE HARLOT'S HOUSE We caught the tread of dancing feet, We loitered down the moonlit street, And stopped beneath the harlot's house. Inside, above the din and fray, We heard the loud musicians play The "Treues Liebes Herz" of Strauss. Like strange mechanical grotesques, Making fantastic arabesques, The shadows raced across the blind. We watched the ghostly dancers spin To sound of horn and violin, Like black leaves wheeling in the wind. Like wire-pulled automatons, Slim silhouetted skeletons Went sidling through the slow quadrille. The took each other by the hand, And danced a stately saraband; Their laughter echoed thin and shrill. Sometimes a clockwork puppet pressed A phantom lover to her breast, Sometimes they seemed to try to sing. Sometimes a horrible marionette Came out, and smoked its cigarette Upon the steps like a live thing. Then, turning to my love, I said, "The dead are dancing with the dead, The dust is whirling with the dust." But she--she heard the violin, And left my side, and entered in: Love passed into the house of lust. Then suddenly the tune went false, The dancers wearied of the waltz, The shadows ceased to wheel and whirl. And down the long and silent street, The dawn, with silver-sandalled feet, Crept like a frightened girl. The dead are dancing with the dead, the dust is whirling with the dust: angel's trumpet, violet, white sandalwood, oude, copaiba balsam, angelica, white tea, olibanum, and oakmoss. MELIAI Sisters to the Erinyes and the Gigantes, the ash tree nymphs were also born from the union of the blood gushing from Ouranos' castration wounds and Gaia's fertile womb. These nymphs were the mother of the Bronze Race of mankind's third age. Ash manna and ambrosial honey. And there's one new denizen in Diabolus: EKHIDNA This was the divine and haughty Ekhidna, and half of her is a Nymphe with a fair face and eyes glancing, but the other half is a monstrous ophis, terrible, enormous and squirming and voracious, there in earth's secret places. For there she has her cave on the underside of a hollow rock, far from the immortal gods, and far from all mortals. There the gods ordained her a fabulous home to live in which she keeps underground among the Arimoi, grisly Ekhidna, a Nymphe who never dies, and all her days she is ageless. Mother of Monsters, the Eel of Tartarus, Queen of the Dark Forest, Serpent Womb. Consort to Typhon, the Rotting Lamprey was born from the residual scum left behind after from the Great Deluge. All the corruptions of the earth: mandrake, dark myrrh, seaweed, swampy moss, black pepper, pimento, opoponax, tobacco absolute, and tarry clove. Black Phoenix Trading Post is celebrating its 5th anniversary with an epic update… Trading Post is thrilled to present the Return of the Suds - We are proud to present our newest joint-venture: exquisite handmade soaps by Villainess, scented by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. These gloriously luxuriant soaps were created with the finest skin-nurturing ingredients. They are made by hand, from scratch, by the fiercely talented master soaper Brooke Stant, and are generously scented with Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab brews. Each bar is at least 3.5oz (without any water weight), and are cut 1" thick from a 3" square block of soap. The faces of the bars are smooth and bear unique, undulating, surrealistically beautiful swirls and marbles, and the sides are textured and raw, exhibiting the complex landscape of unsculpted handmade soap. As always, no animals were harmed during the creation of this soap, and all products were tested on friends and family. $8.50 per bar! EMBALMING FLUID SOAP A light, pure scent: white musk, green tea, aloe and lemon. The soap: absolutely smooth, sheer, silken lather. PORT ROYAL SOAP Spiced rum and ship's wood mixed with the body-warmed trace of a prostitute's perfume and a hint of salty sea air on the dry-down. The soap: gunpowder-black clay, imported silk, and a thick crust of sea salt. SHUB-NIGGURATH SOAP A blend of ritual herbs and dark resins, shot through with three gingers and aphrodisiacal spices. The soap: absolutely smooth, sheer, silken lather. SNAKE OIL SOAP A blend of exotic Indonesian oils sugared with vanilla. The soap: absolutely smooth, sheer, silken lather enriched with milky kaolin and flecked with blackened vanilla bean. XMVLZENCAB SOAP The family of bee deities that governed creation in the Mayan lands. Their scent is wild honey, black laurel flower, plumeria, and South American ginger. The soap: absolutely smooth, sheer, silken lather drenched in sticky, humectant honey. To celebrate the union, we are offering a few corresponding bath oils for a limited time: ++ LIMITED EDITION BATH OILS EMBALMING FLUID BATH OIL SNAKE OIL BATH OIL XMVLZENCAB BATH OIL The chilled air of winter is harbinger to a limited scent series at Black Phoenix Trading Post: the Great Loves and Tragedies of Ancient Greece. Two doomed duets will appear every month for four months. The first - ++ THE GREAT LOVES AND TRAGEDIES OF ANCIENT GREECE: ECHO & NARKISSOS ECHO Fam'd far and near for knowing things to come, From him th' enquiring nations sought their doom; The fair Liriope his answers try'd, And first th' unerring prophet justify'd. This nymph the God Cephisus had abus'd, With all his winding waters circumfus'd, And on the Nereid got a lovely boy, Whom the soft maids ev'n then beheld with joy. The tender dame, sollicitous to know Whether her child should reach old age or no, Consults the sage Tiresias, who replies, "If e'er he knows himself he surely dies." Long liv'd the dubious mother in suspence, 'Till time unriddled all the prophet's sense. Narcissus now his sixteenth year began, Just turn'd of boy, and on the verge of man; Many a friend the blooming youth caress'd, Many a love-sick maid her flame confess'd: Such was his pride, in vain the friend caress'd, The love-sick maid in vain her flame confess'd. Once, in the woods, as he pursu'd the chace, The babbling Echo had descry'd his face; She, who in others' words her silence breaks, Nor speaks her self but when another speaks. Echo was then a maid, of speech bereft, Of wonted speech; for tho' her voice was left, Juno a curse did on her tongue impose, To sport with ev'ry sentence in the close. Full often when the Goddess might have caught Jove and her rivals in the very fault, This nymph with subtle stories would delay Her coming, 'till the lovers slip'd away. The Goddess found out the deceit in time, And then she cry'd, "That tongue, for this thy crime, Which could so many subtle tales produce, Shall be hereafter but of little use." Hence 'tis she prattles in a fainter tone, With mimick sounds, and accents not her own. This love-sick virgin, over-joy'd to find The boy alone, still follow'd him behind: When glowing warmly at her near approach, As sulphur blazes at the taper's touch, She long'd her hidden passion to reveal, And tell her pains, but had not words to tell: She can't begin, but waits for the rebound, To catch his voice, and to return the sound. The nymph, when nothing could Narcissus move, Still dash'd with blushes for her slighted love, Liv'd in the shady covert of the woods, In solitary caves and dark abodes; Where pining wander'd the rejected fair, 'Till harrass'd out, and worn away with care, The sounding skeleton, of blood bereft, Besides her bones and voice had nothing left. Her bones are petrify'd, her voice is found In vaults, where still it doubles ev'ry sound. A scent shrouded behind a veil: vanilla orchid, amyris, white sandalwood, grey amber, and tuberose. NARKISSOS Thus did the nymphs in vain caress the boy, He still was lovely, but he still was coy; When one fair virgin of the slighted train Thus pray'd the Gods, provok'd by his disdain, "Oh may he love like me, and love like me in vain!" Rhamnusia pity'd the neglected fair, And with just vengeance answer'd to her pray'r. There stands a fountain in a darksom wood, Nor stain'd with falling leaves nor rising mud; Untroubled by the breath of winds it rests, Unsully'd by the touch of men or beasts; High bow'rs of shady trees above it grow, And rising grass and chearful greens below. Pleas'd with the form and coolness of the place, And over-heated by the morning chace, Narcissus on the grassie verdure lyes: But whilst within the chrystal fount he tries To quench his heat, he feels new heats arise. For as his own bright image he survey'd, He fell in love with the fantastick shade; And o'er the fair resemblance hung unmov'd, Nor knew, fond youth! it was himself he lov'd. The well-turn'd neck and shoulders he descries, The spacious forehead, and the sparkling eyes; The hands that Bacchus might not scorn to show, And hair that round Apollo's head might flow; With all the purple youthfulness of face, That gently blushes in the wat'ry glass. By his own flames consum'd the lover lyes, And gives himself the wound by which he dies. To the cold water oft he joins his lips, Oft catching at the beauteous shade he dips His arms, as often from himself he slips. Nor knows he who it is his arms pursue With eager clasps, but loves he knows not who. What could, fond youth, this helpless passion move? What kindled in thee this unpity'd love? Thy own warm blush within the water glows, With thee the colour'd shadow comes and goes, Its empty being on thy self relies; Step thou aside, and the frail charmer dies. Still o'er the fountain's wat'ry gleam he stood, Mindless of sleep, and negligent of food; Still view'd his face, and languish'd as he view'd. At length he rais'd his head, and thus began To vent his griefs, and tell the woods his pain. "You trees," says he, "and thou surrounding grove, Who oft have been the kindly scenes of love, Tell me, if e'er within your shades did lye A youth so tortur'd, so perplex'd as I? I, who before me see the charming fair, Whilst there he stands, and yet he stands not there: In such a maze of love my thoughts are lost: And yet no bulwark'd town, nor distant coast, Preserves the beauteous youth from being seen, No mountains rise, nor oceans flow between. A shallow water hinders my embrace; And yet the lovely mimick wears a face That kindly smiles, and when I bend to join My lips to his, he fondly bends to mine. Hear, gentle youth, and pity my complaint, Come from thy well, thou fair inhabitant. My charms an easy conquest have obtain'd O'er other hearts, by thee alone disdain'd. But why should I despair? I'm sure he burns With equal flames, and languishes by turns. When-e'er I stoop, he offers at a kiss, And when my arms I stretch, he stretches his. His eye with pleasure on my face he keeps, He smiles my smiles, and when I weep he weeps. When e'er I speak, his moving lips appear To utter something, which I cannot hear. "Ah wretched me! I now begin too late To find out all the long-perplex'd deceit; It is my self I love, my self I see; The gay delusion is a part of me. I kindle up the fires by which I burn, And my own beauties from the well return. Whom should I court? how utter my complaint? Enjoyment but produces my restraint, And too much plenty makes me die for want. How gladly would I from my self remove! And at a distance set the thing I love. My breast is warm'd with such unusual fire, I wish him absent whom I most desire. And now I faint with grief; my fate draws nigh; In all the pride of blooming youth I die. Death will the sorrows of my heart relieve. Oh might the visionary youth survive, I should with joy my latest breath resign! But oh! I see his fate involv'd in mine." This said, the weeping youth again return'd To the clear fountain, where again he burn'd; His tears defac'd the surface of the well, With circle after circle, as they fell: And now the lovely face but half appears, O'er-run with wrinkles, and deform'd with tears. "Ah whither," cries Narcissus, "dost thou fly? Let me still feed the flame by which I die; Let me still see, tho' I'm no further blest." Then rends his garment off, and beats his breast: His naked bosom redden'd with the blow, In such a blush as purple clusters show, Ere yet the sun's autumnal heats refine Their sprightly juice, and mellow it to wine. The glowing beauties of his breast he spies, And with a new redoubled passion dies. As wax dissolves, as ice begins to run, And trickle into drops before the sun; So melts the youth, and languishes away, His beauty withers, and his limbs decay; And none of those attractive charms remain, To which the slighted Echo su'd in vain. She saw him in his present misery, Whom, spight of all her wrongs, she griev'd to see. She answer'd sadly to the lover's moan, Sigh'd back his sighs, and groan'd to ev'ry groan: "Ah youth! belov'd in vain," Narcissus cries; "Ah youth! belov'd in vain," the nymph replies. "Farewel," says he; the parting sound scarce fell >From his faint lips, but she reply'd, "farewel." Then on th' wholsome earth he gasping lyes, 'Till death shuts up those self-admiring eyes. To the cold shades his flitting ghost retires, And in the Stygian waves it self admires. For him the Naiads and the Dryads mourn, Whom the sad Echo answers in her turn; And now the sister-nymphs prepare his urn: When, looking for his corps, they only found A rising stalk, with yellow blossoms crown'd. Gently blushing vanilla, haughty opoponax, duosmon, oude, and narcissus. ++ THE GREAT LOVES AND TRAGEDIES OF ANCIENT GREECE: + CLYTIE AND HELIOS HELIOS The Sun, the source of light, by beauty's pow'r Once am'rous grew; then hear the Sun's amour. Venus, and Mars, with his far-piercing eyes This God first spy'd; this God first all things spies. Stung at the sight, and swift on mischief bent, To haughty Juno's shapeless son he went: The Goddess, and her God gallant betray'd, And told the cuckold, where their pranks were play'd. Poor Vulcan soon desir'd to hear no more, He drop'd his hammer, and he shook all o'er: Then courage takes, and full of vengeful ire He heaves the bellows, and blows fierce the fire: >From liquid brass, tho' sure, yet subtile snares He forms, and next a wond'rous net prepares, Drawn with such curious art, so nicely sly, Unseen the mashes cheat the searching eye. Not half so thin their webs the spiders weave, Which the most wary, buzzing prey deceive. These chains, obedient to the touch, he spread In secret foldings o'er the conscious bed: The conscious bed again was quickly prest By the fond pair, in lawless raptures blest. Mars wonder'd at his Cytherea's charms, More fast than ever lock'd within her arms. While Vulcan th' iv'ry doors unbarr'd with care, Then call'd the Gods to view the sportive pair: The Gods throng'd in, and saw in open day, Where Mars, and beauty's queen, all naked, lay. O! shameful sight, if shameful that we name, Which Gods with envy view'd, and could not blame; But, for the pleasure, wish'd to bear the shame. Each Deity, with laughter tir'd, departs, Yet all still laugh'd at Vulcan in their hearts. Thro' Heav'n the news of this surprizal run, But Venus did not thus forget the Sun. He, who stol'n transports idly had betray'd, By a betrayer was in kind repay'd. What now avails, great God, thy piercing blaze, That youth, and beauty, and those golden rays? Thou, who can'st warm this universe alone, Feel'st now a warmth more pow'rful than thy own: And those bright eyes, which all things should survey, Know not from fair Leucothoe to stray. The lamp of light, for human good design'd, Is to one virgin miserly confin'd. Sometimes too early rise thy eastern beams, Sometimes too late they set in western streams: 'Tis then her beauty thy swift course delays, And gives to winter skies long summer days. Now in thy face thy love-sick mind appears, And spreads thro' impious nations empty fears: For when thy beamless head is wrapt in night, Poor mortals tremble in despair of light. 'Tis not the moon, that o'er thee casts a veil 'Tis love alone, which makes thy looks so pale. Leucothoe is grown thy only care, Not Phaeton's fair mother now is fair. The youthful Rhodos moves no tender thought, And beauteous Porsa is at last forgot. Fond Clytie, scorn'd, yet lov'd, and sought thy bed, Ev'n then thy heart for other virgins bled. Leucothoe has all thy soul possest, And chas'd each rival passion from thy breast. To this bright nymph Eurynome gave birth In the blest confines of the spicy Earth. Excelling others, she herself beheld By her own blooming daughter far excell'd. The sire was Orchamus, whose vast command, The sev'nth from Belus, rul'd the Persian Land. Deep in cool vales, beneath th' Hesperian sky, For the Sun's fiery steeds the pastures lye. Ambrosia there they eat, and thence they gain New vigour, and their daily toils sustain. While thus on heav'nly food the coursers fed, And night, around, her gloomy empire spread, The God assum'd the mother's shape and air, And pass'd, unheeded, to his darling fair. Close by a lamp, with maids encompass'd round, The royal spinster, full employ'd, he found: Then cry'd, A-while from work, my daughter, rest; And, like a mother, scarce her lips he prest. Servants retire!- nor secrets dare to hear, Intrusted only to a daughter's ear. They swift obey'd: not one, suspicious, thought The secret, which their mistress would be taught. Then he: since now no witnesses are near, Behold! the God, who guides the various year! The world's vast eye, of light the source serene, Who all things sees, by whom are all things seen. Believe me, nymph! (for I the truth have show'd) Thy charms have pow'r to charm so great a God. Confus'd, she heard him his soft passion tell, And on the floor, untwirl'd, the spindle fell: Still from the sweet confusion some new grace Blush'd out by stealth, and languish'd in her face. The lover, now inflam'd, himself put on, And out at once the God, all-radiant, shone. The virgin startled at his alter'd form, Too weak to bear a God's impetuous storm: No more against the dazling youth she strove, But silent yielded, and indulg'd his love. The searing brightness of the sun: Gum Arabic, frankincense, liquid copal, cistus, neroli, golden cedarwood, and saffron. CLYTIE This Clytie knew, and knew she was undone, Whose soul was fix'd, and doated on the Sun. She rag'd to think on her neglected charms, And Phoebus, panting in another's arms. With envious madness fir'd, she flies in haste, And tells the king, his daughter was unchaste. The king, incens'd to hear his honour stain'd, No more the father nor the man retain'd. In vain she stretch'd her arms, and turn'd her eyes To her lov'd God, th' enlightner of the skies. In vain she own'd it was a crime, yet still It was a crime not acted by her will. The brutal sire stood deaf to ev'ry pray'r, And deep in Earth entomb'd alive the fair. What Phoebus could do, was by Phoebus done: Full on her grave with pointed beams he shone: To pointed beams the gaping Earth gave way; Had the nymph eyes, her eyes had seen the day, But lifeless now, yet lovely still, she lay. Not more the God wept, when the world was fir'd, And in the wreck his blooming boy expir'd. The vital flame he strives to light again, And warm the frozen blood in ev'ry vein: But since resistless Fates deny'd that pow'r, On the cold nymph he rain'd a nectar show'r. Ah! undeserving thus (he said) to die, Yet still in odours thou shalt reach the sky. The body soon dissolv'd, and all around Perfum'd with heav'nly fragrancies the ground, A sacrifice for Gods up-rose from thence, A sweet, delightful tree of frankincense. Tho' guilty Clytie thus the sun betray'd, By too much passion she was guilty made. Excess of love begot excess of grief, Grief fondly bad her hence to hope relief. But angry Phoebus hears, unmov'd, her sighs, And scornful from her loath'd embraces flies. All day, all night, in trackless wilds, alone She pin'd, and taught the list'ning rocks her moan. On the bare earth she lies, her bosom bare, Loose her attire, dishevel'd is her hair. Nine times the morn unbarr'd the gates of light, As oft were spread th' alternate shades of night, So long no sustenance the mourner knew, Unless she drunk her tears, or suck'd the dew. She turn'd about, but rose not from the ground, Turn'd to the Sun, still as he roul'd his round: On his bright face hung her desiring eyes, 'Till fix'd to Earth, she strove in vain to rise. Her looks their paleness in a flow'r retain'd, But here, and there, some purple streaks they gain'd. Still the lov'd object the fond leafs pursue, Still move their root, the moving Sun to view, And in the Heliotrope the nymph is true. Excess of love begetting excess of grief: heliotrope, frankincense, muguet, osmanthus, and neroli. $40 per set. On a lighter note -- The District atmosphere sprays are live! Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and Black Phoenix Trading Post are proud to present a scent series representing the people, places, and culture of New Orleans' Storyville, featuring artwork by the inimitable Molly Crabapple. Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab is pandering the perfumes, and Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab is offering District-themed atmosphere sprays! Lavish bordellos and shady cribs, dazzling jazz, and swinging saloons: bounded by Basin, Iberville, Robertson, and St Louis, Storyville, known to locals as the District, was New Orleans' legal red light district from 1897 to 1917. This is a charitable, not-for-profit venture. Proceeds from every bottle go to Habitat for Humanity: New Orleans. Habitat for Humanity builds houses in partnership with sponsors, volunteers, communities, and homeowner families, whereby families are empowered to transform their own lives, and aids in eliminating poverty housing in the New Orleans area while serving as a catalyst to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. $27.50 per 4oz bottle. ++ THE DISTRICT GERTRUDE DIX'S White magnolias, vanilla orchid, and a cascade of champagne. MAHOGANY HALL Polished mahogany and teakwood and swirls of cigar smoke, with deep patchouli, tonka, cardamom, Spanish moss, and bourbon vanilla. PETE LALA'S CAFE Dusty leather, dry cedar and fir, fresh tobacco smoke, and the scent of tucked-away gris gris bags for luck in love, potency, and virility. New general catalogue bath oils are also live! - Recline in pleasurable, tranquil languor, or bathe with intent to stimulate your senses or replenish your joy while utilizing one of our therapeutic oils. Soak in your sins, or wash away all traces of your vices. Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab offers you the best of both worlds, the heavenly and the diabolical, in your bathing experience. Whatever your predilection may be, our blend of softening and replenishing oils, with rosehip, shea, evening primrose, fractionated coconut, and vitamin E, will ensure that you experience the utmost in sublime (or fiendish!) pleasure. Superbly moisturizing without being greasy, lushly scented without being heavy-handed. Paraben & formaldehyde free. No sodium lauryl or sodium laureth sulfate. Labels printed on an Earth-friendly corn biopolymer. Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab does not test on animals. All of our products are tested on friends and family. ++ VICES AND VIRTUES HUMANITAS No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. - Aesop Carnation, black cherry, wild strawberry, helichrysum, and frankincense. IRA If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow. - Chinese proverb Blood orange, patchouli, and vetiver. ++ THERAPEUTIC BATH OILS HEDONSIM He who allows his day to pass by without practicing generosity and enjoying life's pleasures is like a blacksmith's bellows: he breathes but does not live. - Proverb Awaken all of your senses with a bath that reawakens the passion of the soul. INTENSITY When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult to overcome. - Wilma Rudolph For concentration and clarity of thought. This bath helps you banish distractions, and gives you a renewed strength of purpose. GAUDIUM True joy is a serious thing - Seneca Enflame your delight in everyday things, and fill yourself with enthusiasm for life's little joys. New shiny things are also at Black Phoenix Trading Post! -- Graceful handmade Black Phoenix-inspired pendants created by Alicia Dabney. These pendants are exclusive to the Trading Post, and were created for Black Phoenix. They cannot be found anywhere else in all of Heaven and Earth. Each pendant is $39.00US, and comes in a Black Phoenix Trading Post velvet pouch. Carnaval Diabolique/Triple Dagger: Pendant is a 1" square frame of antique copper with clear glass to cover the artwork, and a hematite drop with a copper daisy embellishment. It is strung on a 1.5mm ball chain that measures 18" and closes with a lobster clasp. Bat-Woman Pendant is a 40x30 clear acrylic cabochon mounted onto the artwork, with in a two-tone antiqued silver bead ball rim setting. It is strung onto a 1.5mm ball chain that measures 18" and closes with a lobster clasp. Ligeia Pendant is a 1-7/8" rectangular diamond glass tile over the artwork, and is sealed with a dark backing and diamond glaze. A 1.5mm ball chain that measures 18" and closes with a lobster clasp has been strung onto a silver plated aanraku bail. The current run for each style of pendant is twenty-five pieces. Since each piece is handmade the pendants will come down temporarily as they sell out in order for us to take the time and care necessary to create more. And last, but absolutely not least, Black Phoenix Trading Post is introducing its new kids' line: the Black Phoenix Imp Brigade! Clothing for the wee ones! Mad Hatter Poe Rocking-Horse-Fly White Rabbit

GA Will Call will be at Whole Foods Market, aka Harry’s Farmer’s Market, in Roswell, GA. They will be holding Will Call on Saturday, February 27th from 6 to 9 pm, inside Salud (which is inside the store.) Whole Foods Market is located at 1180 Upper Hembree Road, Roswell, GA, 30076. 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 Candles Moon update. This includes the Lupercalias, Miskatonic Valley is for Lovers, Ode to Ares and Shunga scents, as well as the Yules, and Anniversary scents. Forum only scents will not be available at Will Call. Whole Foods accepts Visa, Master Card, Discover, American Express and cash. They will not be able to accept any preorders. Also... We have created two exclusive scents for our friends at Clockwork Couture. Female Leather, golden amber, vanilla orchid, Spanish moss, Oxford clay, and tonka. Male Leather, vanilla-infused sandalwood, East Indian patchouli, bitter clove, galbanum, and iron filings. Available here. http://www.clockworkcouture.com/?q=bpalclockworkoils

Dark Delicacies is auctioning off some wonderful items to help raise the funds for their impending move. Beth has generously donated a Custom BPAL blend to help the cause. If you would like to bid on this, or any of the other items, please visit www.darkdel.com and click on the auction banner.

In North Hollywood, we will be open for the Candles Moon Lunacy Event on Sunday, February 28th, from 4 to 8pm. The address is: 12120 Sherman Way North Hollywood, CA 91605 If you haven't been here before, it may be a little hard to find. We are in the industrial complex, right behind Game Dude. The nearest cross street is Laurel Canyon Blvd. We will accept Mastercard, Visa, American Express and cash. Preorders can still be made with Paypal. Please do not bring any cameras. No photography of any kind will be allowed during this Will Call. Thanks for your cooperation. *** 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 Candles Moon update. This includes the Lupercalias, Miskatonic Valley is for Lovers, Ode to Ares and Shunga scents, as well as the Yules, and Anniversary scents. Forum only scents will not be available at Will Call. Additonally, we will once again be offering a selection of 2009 Trunk Show oils at West Coast Will Call only, on a first-come, first-served, while supplies last, basis. The available Trunk Show oils are: Aquarius 2007 Haitian Lover Milk Moon 2007 Aphrodite V7 Gossamer Albedo V5 AF6 Holly King Medb Lady Luck Blues 2007 Red Phoenix 2005 Ace of Hearts 2005 Strawberry Moon 2005 BTCS AF18 NGG023 Black Orchid V3 Harlot V2 Ares V3 Capela dos Ossos V5 Libra 2007 13-Oct 2006 Bitter Moon 2006 Pediophobia V1 If you would like to place an order for pick-up at the North Hollywood Will Call, please do the following: Email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com with your order before 1pm on Friday, February 26th. Payment may be remitted by PayPal ahead of time to willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com, or you can pay at pick up with cash or credit card. Please do not email orders for the GA location to this address! When making your payment, please omit shipping charges. You may purchase any current catalogue oils, as long as we have them in stock. No pre-orders will be accepted for the Trunk Show oils. Due to the sheer volume, currently pending orders can not be combined with Will Call orders. Thanks for your understanding. We will no longer be able to accommodate third party orders. If you are placing an order, you must attend Will Call and pick up your order in person. We will do our best to accommodate all orders of 5mls and imps, but sales will be based on availability. Items from Black Phoenix Trading Post will be available, subject to stock on hand. Twilight Alchemy Lab oils will also be available. For Will Call, Twilight Alchemy Lab orders can be combined with Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab orders. *** GA Will Call dates will be announced shortly. *** If you have any questions, please email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com.

BPAL is hitting the road in April, to bring our scents to a con near(er) to you! Come see us at: Sakura-Con 2010 The oldest and most well-attended Anime Con in the Pacific Northwest April 2 - 4, 2010 Seattle, WA http://www.sakuracon.org/ C2E2 - Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo April 16 - 18, 2010 Chicago, IL http://www.c2e2.com/ Booth 951 Bats Day Black Market May 1, 2010 Anaheim, CA http://www.batsday.net/ We hope to see you there!

With the new changes that have been made to Paypal, we are no longer being given email addresses, so we can not send out Click N Ships on those orders, and we cannot contact you if there is a problem. In the future, if you are ordering via Paypal, we ask that you please include your email address somewhere in the order. Thank you!

We are still waiting on the components needed for Black Heart and Black Death to come back in stock. We expect to able to deliver more to Dark Delicacies on Thursday or Friday. Thank you for your patience.

At tomorrow's will call, scents and tees from the Naughty and Nice Inquisition will be available on a first come, first serve basis, while supplies last.

After 6 days with no DSL service, we are finally back online. We will be answering all of your customer service questions as soon as we can. Thanks for your patience!!