kebechet

So, what do y'all think of the new BPTP site? (SO MUCH LOVE to Kaitlin of FORM & FUNCTION! Without you, we are floating bits of binary flotsam!)

It grieves me to announce that, effective immediately, the following fragrances have been discontinued due to unforeseen component issues: Baghdad Dragon's Reverie Tintagel The Witch's Repast Please accept our sincerest apologies for the short notice!

Planting Moon is live at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and Black Phoenix Trading Post! PLANTING MOON 2013 As is the garden such is the gardener, A man’s nature runs either to herbs or to weeds. - Francis Bacon This Full Moon marks a time for new growth, both within nature and within our spirits. It is a time of fertility and fruitfulness, for sowing seeds to ensure blessings and bounty later in the year. The scent of Planting Moon is that of summer squashes, pole beans, kohlrabi, tomato leaves, peppery arugula, upturned earth, and sun-warmed herbs. Art by Abigail Larson! Also blossoming at the Lab – SINGLE NOTE: SWEET ALYSSUM Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature. - Gérard de Nerval A lush carpet of foam-white and dusky purple blossoms: this is the gentle, joyous scent of spring-blooming sweet alyssum. Plus, a lunar eclipse! LUNAR ECLIPSE: APRIL 2013 Luna’s lovely, pale face crowned by a sliver of umbral shadow and veiled by penumbral shadow: white musk, mugwort, iris, white tea, and silvered yarrow with black amber, Indonesian patchouli, fir resin, and blackcurrant. Mea culpa! Because of C2E2 and Bats Day, there’s going to be a longer turnaround on the scents in this update. But, on the up side – the update is going up early and staying around longer! Sweet Alyssum Accord, Planting Moon, and Lunar Eclipse will be live until Mayday. Thank you so much for understanding! Hope to see you at our booth at C2E2!

This Saturday, April 20th, is the opening night of the Last Unicorn Screening Tour. Also? It's Peter S. Beagle's 74th birthday! Get thee to the Cartoon Art Museum between 6-8 Saturday to celebrate The Last Unicorn and its creator at their VIP birthday blast for Peter! There will be a raffle, a VIP auction, a book signing, and Peter’s first public reading of a brand-new Schmendrick story! There will also be a pop-up shop at the museum which will include Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab’s Last Unicorn scents and Black Phoenix Trading Post’s Last Unicorn jewelry! For more information: http://lastunicorntour.com/

C2E2 attendees! Prototypes of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab’s scents inspired by David Mack’s Eisner Award-nominated Kabuki graphic novels will be out for sniffing at David’s spot in Artist’s Alley and at BPAL’s booth on the exhibit hall floor. The inimitable David Mack will be in Artist’s Alley at booth T6, and BPAL is pitching camp at booth 873 in the exhibitor hall. The scents that will be out for sniffing are: Channel Snow The Circle of Noh Drifting in the Dark Halfway Between the Sun and the Moon The Enterprise of the Night Ice Little Sister is Watching You Scarab New York Times bestselling author David Mack is the writer and artist behind Kabuki, and currently, he is writing and illustrating Daredevil: End of Days with Brian Michael Bendis. David is a phenomenal artist and writer (and a wonderful person, too!), and it is an absolute honor to work with him on this project! Hit up his tumblr at: http://drdavidmrmack.tumblr.com/ And his FB at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Mack/21231086294

Hullo, all! Here’s a gentle reminder of the April will call dates n’stuff! – Los Angeles Will Call Sunday, April 21 4-7pm Dark Delicacies 3512 West Magnolia Blvd Burbank, CA 91505 - - - Vermont Will Call Sunday, April 21 4-7pm Healthy Living Market 222 Dorset Street South Burlington, VT 05403 In the Learning Center! - - - Seattle Will Call Saturday, April 27 6.30pm - 9pm BedlamBedlam 613 E Pike St Seattle, WA 98122 The theme for BB’s will call event is Jazz Funeral! Per Suki (VioletChaos) – "Considered a great honor, this is one of the most distinguished aspects of New Orleans culture. Its roots lie in the customs of the Dahomeans and Yoruba people, and is a celebration of both the persona's life and the beauty and solemnity of their death. The procession is lead by the Grand Marshal, resplendent in his black tuxedo, white gloves and black hat in hand; almost a vision of the great Baron Samedi himself. The music begins with solemn, tolling dirges, moves into hymns of sorrow, loss and redemption. When the burial site is reached, a two-note preparatory riff is sounded, and the drummers start the second-line beat, heralding the switch in music to joyous, upbeat songs, dancing, and the unfurling of richly decorated umbrellas by the second line: friends, family, loved ones and stray celebrants. Strutting, bouncing, and festive dance accompanies the upbeat ragtime music that sends the departed soul onto its next journey." This quote, taken directly from the Lab's own scent description, is an apt picture for us as we move BedlamBedlam out of this world and into the next. Costume ideas include Bright parasols; ribbons; lace; wide-brimmed hats; Victorian Mourning attire; mausoleums; tombstones; flowers and little cloth hankies. Prepare to caterwaul and throw yourselves on our coffin!

Make your atmosphere... extra atmospheric! These room and linen sprays will only be available at C2E2 and Bats Day, respectively, and are $25 each! ++ C2E2 ATMOSPHERE SPRAYS THE AGRICULTURAL BUILDING The scent of a 1500lb chocolate Venus de Milo. THE EAST INDIAN PALACE Blackwood and sandalwood, cashmere and Moradabad brass, camiki and pippali, Kali Mirchi and sesame, all swirled in a warm mélange of incense and jaggery. THE HORTICULTURAL BUILDING Blue-ribbon squashes, tomato vines, pomegranate rinds, grand displays of hay bales, copious amounts of American beer, and an eleven-ton monstrous cheese. MIDWAY PLAISANCE Popcorn and nuts coated in molasses, iced cocoa, freckle bread, canelés, hot green tea, cinnamon-spiced apple cider, honeyed oat muffins, and crème pâtissière. ++ BATS DAY ATMOSPHERE SPRAYS FAIRY HORDES ATTACKING A BAT Apple blossoms, blackthorn, pansies, alyssum, daphne, poppy, and thyme blossoms assaulting a mossy, clove-touched fuzzy musk. THE OLD HALL A grove of ancient oaks and stone walls draped in climbing roses and twining ivy, caressed by gentle fingers of shimmering mist.

Here be the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab exclusives for C2E2 and Bats Day! ++ C2E2 2013 Inspired by the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893! THE COURT OF HONOR A marble-white blend of sandalwood, pearlescent orris, white amber, blonde tobacco, and chilled crystalline musk. THE GREAT BASIN The White City by Night: white musk, a drop of violet leaf, and sheer, luminescent vanilla that has been gently illuminated by a spark of electricity. LITTLE EGYPT Honeyed myrrh and sweet flag. THE PALACE OF ELECTRICITY The scent of progress: dynamos and motors, electrical sparks and ozone. THE TURKISH VILLAGE Thick Turkish coffee, cardamom pods, Damascene roses, and buhur. ++ BATS DAY 2013 DYSOPES TENUIS Blackcurrant bud, crystallized rose, inky musk, and tonka bean. GREATER HORSESHOE BAT Rosewood, beeswax, labdanum absolute, blackened tea leaf, and dark fuzzy musk. MOPSFLEDERMAUS Brown sugar and ginger root with smoky clove, bourbon vanilla, cardamom, and Indonesian musk. NOCTULE BAT Haitian vetiver, licorice root, wild plum, immortelle, and white sandalwood. SEROTINE BAT Bourbon vanilla, Arabian amber, ylang ylang, peach blossom, sweet freesia, and strands of vibrant saffron. $25 each! The World’s Columbian Expo scents will only be available at C2E2 in Chicago, and the Bats Day scents will be available at our booth in the vending area of the Anaheim Bats Day event! (I have no idea if that last sentence made sense! I have the flu derps!) Black Phoenix Trading Post’s exclusives will be announced soon’ly!

April 1st brings us April Fool's Day, Edible Books Day, Veneralia, and the Feast of St. Tewdrig (Tewdrig - what a great name). To celebrate (er?), the Pickman Gallery is ringing in a new exhibit: A Tremulous Song: the Miskatonic Valley Through a Child's Eyes. Proceeds from the sales in the Tremulous Song series will be donated to First Book, an organization that distributes books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families throughout the United States and Canada. All images were named by Lilith, with the exception of a few, like Cykranosh, Yaksh, [Redacted] Dragon, Rapunzel in Ballpoint, the self-portraits, and the Summoning Stone Play Structure. All quotes came straight from the artist's mouth, and all scents were guided and approved by the Littlest Alchemist. The [Redacted] Dragon scent is a little bit of a joke - Lil drew a pic (and told her version of the story) of a very specific dragon that I can't name out of respect for another entity's trademark rights. Those of you that are friended to me on Facebook might know who this fiery fella is. Much love to Emzebel for being the inspiration for the revised scent name! A Tremulous Song will be live until the June full moon! I hope you have as much fun with this set as we had making it!

Created for Haute Macabre by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab -- HAUTE MACABRE Oak leaf, bourbon vanilla, almond husk, and black leather accord darkened by a 13-year aged black patchouli. This scent is exclusive to the Haute Macabre site!

Heretic is back in stock at Heretic Salon! HERETIC Dark, spicy, animalic: Nagdi frankincense, bois de cade, beeswax, Somalian myrrh, and Laotian oudh. 1724 N. Vermont Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90027 (323) 666-2965 http://www.heretic-salon.com/

We've finally joined the rest of the interwebs: BPAL has a tumblr now! http://blackphoenixalchemylab.tumblr.com/ xoxo

CcNow is doing some year-end maintenance, and are, for some inexplicable reason, marking all existing orders as shipped almost immediately, and are sending out ship notices to our customers. You will receive a click and ship from the USPS when it actually ships. Though we are shipping orders today, we don’t expect USPS to pick up again until Wednesday. We believe CcNow is only accepting Visa and Mastercard as payment options at the moment. We don’t know why. We’re currently in the process of redoing our web sites, which will finally extricate us from the demented clutches of CcNow. The sites are projected to be complete by mid-January; hopefully CcNow’s shenanigans will be at a minimum during this time. Thank you so much for understanding! We hope your New Year’s Eve is bright and beautiful, and that 2013 brings you prosperity, peace, joy, and contentment!

Please list your whole order in the comments field. =) Sometimes I'm too bimbo'fied to be able to cross-reference efficiently, especially when the PayPal email address you use doesn't match the one you correspond with. Thanks, guys!

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and Black Phoenix Trading Post will be dark from December 21 through December 25 while we all take a little breather. We will be back on the 26th, and our lunacy update will go live then. We had a Doomsday-themed update slated to go live on 12/21, but it’s staying on the shelf for the time being. It was a light-hearted take on the end of the world, but this is just… not the time. The Doomsday update will go live after the new year, assuming Dread Cthulhu doesn’t rise from the depths of R’lyeh on the 21st! We’re in the process of working on new web sites for both BPAL and BPTP (so much love to Kaitlin @ Form & Function!), and will be finally extricating ourselves from CcNow (Hallelujah!). CcNow is moving their operations overseas or somesuch, and will effectively be shutting down their services as of January 1st, 2013. (Mixed blessing?) There is a very slight possibility that there may be a few days around the new year when you may have to utilize PayPal exclusively in order to place an order with BPAL or BPTP. We’ll keep you posted as the situation develops. Happy holidays to all of you from all of us! May your Yule season be filled with love, light, peace, and shared joy. - Beth

Make a purchase at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, or Cyber Monday, and receive a free imp of ECONOMIC RECOVERY: a fun little blend of traditional money-generating herbs, resins, and flowers, including patchouli, ambrette seed, bergamot, Irish moss, rice flower, and thyme. If you make a purchase at Black Phoenix Trading Post on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, or Cyber Monday, you’ll get a squirt of a TAL-inspired blend, THRIVE: a warm, vibrant, prosperity-generating blend of ginger root, gingergrass, frankincense, cardamom, tonka, and hay absolute. A portion of every purchase made from both stores on these three days will go to Kiva, an organization that provides microloans to small businesses all across the globe. Shared blessings!

Happy tenth anniversary, Black Phoenix. Holy shit. TEN YEARS. TEN! First off, I’d like to thank our customers – our friends – that have stayed with us through all these years. Thank you for sharing your joys and sorrows, thank you for your limitless kindness, your contagious joy, and the warmth of your friendship. The single most important gift that Black Phoenix has given me throughout this decade is the phenomenal, world-encompassing family that I now have because of all of you. You can’t imagine how much you mean to me. Thank you. With genuine love and gratitude… Thank you, Brian, for being the dearest and truest of friends. Without you, this company would be a series of abstract ideas without form. You give this company stability, cohesion, and an ever-renewing vigor. Thank you, Ted, for being my heart’s joy, my eternal muse, and my strength. You are as vital to me as breath and light, and as much a part of me as the blood that flows through my veins. Lilith, though you don’t technically work at the Lab (yet!), you are my tiny muse, and I want to thank you. You have shown me the immensity of true love. My tiny muse, my little butterfly… you are my greatest teacher. Thank you, Kathy, for being a true and wonderful friend. Thank you for all the help you give us, and thank you for sharing your talent, your kindness, and your light. Thank you for being a shoulder to cry on, a friend in joy and in the darkest of times, and a sister in the truest sense. Thank you, Jacquelynn, for all of your tremendous hard work, your dedication, your creativity, and your huge heart. Thank you, Lisa, for being an absolute saint. Thank you for everything you do for us; you truly are our knight in shining armor! Thank you, Piolet, for being an oasis of calm, no matter how crazy things get here! Thank you for your hard work and your strength of character, and thank you for always making me laugh. Thank you, Will, for your hard work, diligence, and dedication! Thank you to Sue and Del at Dark Delicacies for everything you do. Thank you for giving a second home to Black Phoenix, and thank you for being the greatest grandparents a little demoness could ask for! You are wonderful, wonderful people, and it is an honor to be your friend. Thank you, Sara and Lori, for all the love and enthusiasm you put into every event. I adore you! Thank you to the mods and administrators of bpal.org. I love you guys. Oh, man, I love you guys so much. Thank you for being my sisters. Thank you for always being there for me. Thank you to Jen, Lisa, Val, Maggie, Ali, Court, and Tom for making this year’s road show possible. I know it was Trial By Fire! You were all amazing – thank you so much for being there for us, and for giving so much of yourselves to the events! Thank you, Donna and Linda, for being our Stuff’s babysitters! You are livesavers. Thank you, Courtney and Suki, for being our extended Will Call family! Thank you for all the energy and love you put into every event! We are all truly grateful! Huge amounts of love and HUGE amounts of gratitude to Laura Hall and all the wonderful people at Laika studios. Your generosity and kindness is beyond measure. Thank you to Neil Gaiman, Amanda Palmer, Peter S. Beagle, Terry Pratchett, Terry Moore, Mike and Christine Mignola, George Perez, Peter David, Molly Crabapple, Mark Waid, Storm Constantine, Matt Wagner, Jim Henson Productions, Brian Pulido, Joseph Michael Linsner, Eva Hopkins, Gris Grimly, and Ysanne Spevak for giving Black Phoenix the opportunity to interpret your work. Thank you, Carolyn Hennesy, for being a wonderful friend and a constant joy. Your stories are adorable, your talent is boundless, and you bring so much joy to so many people! Thank you to the noble souls at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the Hero Initiative. You are an inspiration. Thank you, Charles, for being an inspiration and a true friend. Much thanks to Peter S. Beagle and Connor Cochran for their friendship. You bring so much joy to so many people! Love and thanks to the artists that have lent us their talent: Adam Hughes, Alicia Dabney, Julie Dillon, Madame Talbot, Quique Alcatena, Jennifer Rodgers, Manda Lander, Tanya Bjork, Andrew Fogel, Brian Kessinger, Abigail Larson, and Sarah Coleman! Gratitude, love, and thanks to Geek Girl Diva for being a pillar of strength and a wonderful friend. You’re always there for me, and I’m grateful beyond words. Love and thanks to the Mütter Museum, Heretic Salon, Whole Foods, Pretty Indulgent, Healthy Living, Bedlam Bedlam, and Dark Delicacies for giving our products a home in your stores! Love and thanks to the bloggers, journalists, magazines, and other media outlets that taken the time to write about Black Phoenix. Honestly, I cannot thank you enough. I said this last year AND the year before, and it holds just as true now: ‘Thank you for sharing our joy and for standing with us during difficult times. The family that has grown around BPAL is like no other in the world. Every time I wander into the forum, I see people supporting one another in times of need, showing selfless kindness and offering support to one another… to me, you all are models of emotional generosity and true friendship, and it is truly an honor to be a part of your lives. I cannot express my gratitude enough. Thank you for celebrating the beauty of living with us, and for holding our hands during times of stress and sorrow. This year has been turbulent for just about everyone we know. It’s been a hard year filled with challenges and hidden lessons, but none of it is insurmountable because we all have this tremendous, genuinely loving family. Thank you.’ Thank you. Thank you so much, everyone, for being with us for the past ten years. I truly hope we’ve been able to bring you as much joy as you have given to us. Here’s to the next ten years! And without further ado, the Anniversary scents! ++ BPAL ANNIVERSARY UPDATE To celebrate our tenth anniversary, we created a complex set of scents inspired by the classical planets. Each scent symbolizes a renewal of the spirit as manifested through the benevolent aspects of each celestial body. May the upcoming year bathe each of our lives in transformational fiery splendor! MERCURIAN PHOENIX HERMES, draw near, and to my pray’r incline, Angel of Jove, and Maia’s son divine; Studious of contests, ruler of mankind, With heart almighty, and a prudent mind. Celestial messenger, of various skill, Whose pow’rful arts could watchful Argus kill: With winged feet, ’tis thine thro’ air to course, O friend of man, and prophet of discourse: Great life-supporter, to rejoice is thine, In arts gymnastic, and in fraud divine: With pow’r endu’d all language to explain, Of care the loos’ner, and the source of gain. Whose hand contains of blameless peace the rod, Corucian, blessed, profitable God; Of various speech, whose aid in works we find, And in necessities to mortals kind: Dire weapon of the tongue, which men revere, Be present, Hermes, and thy suppliant hear; Assist my works, conclude my life with peace, Give graceful speech, and me memory’s increase. A blessing of wit, opportunity, and skill: yellow sandalwood, bergamot, gum mastic, gum Arabic, lavender, lemongrass, angelica root, and anise. VENUSIAN PHOENIX HEAV’NLY, illustrious, laughter-loving queen, Sea-born, night-loving, of an awful mien; Crafty, from whom necessity first came, Producing, nightly, all-connecting dame: ‘Tis thine the world with harmony to join, For all things spring from thee, O pow’r divine. The triple Fates are rul’d by thy decree, And all productions yield alike to thee: Whate’er the heav’ns, encircling all contain, Earth fruit-producing, and the stormy main, Thy sway confesses, and obeys thy nod, Awful attendant of the brumal God: Goddess of marriage, charming to the sight, Mother of Loves, whom banquetings delight; Source of persuasion, secret, fav’ring queen, Illustrious born, apparent and unseen: Spousal, lupercal, and to men inclin’d, Prolific, most-desir’d, life-giving., kind: Great sceptre-bearer of the Gods, ’tis thine, Mortals in necessary bands to join; And ev’ry tribe of savage monsters dire In magic chains to bind, thro’ mad desire. Come, Cyprus-born, and to my pray’r incline, Whether exalted in the heav’ns you shine, Or pleas’d in Syria’s temple to preside, Or o’er th’ Egyptian plains thy car to guide, Fashion’d of gold; and near its sacred flood, Fertile and fam’d to fix thy blest abode; Or if rejoicing in the azure shores, Near where the sea with foaming billows roars, The circling choirs of mortals, thy delight, Or beauteous nymphs, with eyes cerulean bright, Pleas’d by the dusty banks renown’d of old, To drive thy rapid, two-yok’d car of gold; Or if in Cyprus with thy mother fair, Where married females praise thee ev’ry year, And beauteous virgins in the chorus join, Adonis pure to sing and thee divine; Come, all-attractive to my pray’r inclin’d, For thee, I call, with holy, reverent mind. A blessing of beauty, passion, and kindness: red rose, benzoin, apple blossom, lemon verbena, red sandalwood, rose mint, sweet cherry, hibiscus, cardamom, tonka, tomato leaf, and vetiver. MARTIAN PHOENIX Magnanimous, unconquer’d, boistrous Mars, In darts rejoicing, and in bloody wars Fierce and untam’d, whose mighty pow’r can make The strongest walls from their foundations shake: Mortal destroying king, defil’d with gore, Pleas’d with war’s dreadful and tumultuous roar: Thee, human blood, and swords, and spears delight, And the dire ruin of mad savage fight. Stay, furious contests, and avenging strife, Whose works with woe, embitter human life; To lovely Venus, and to Bacchus yield, To Ceres give the weapons of the field; Encourage peace, to gentle works inclin’d, And give abundance, with benignant mind. A blessing of strength, energy, and courage: dragon’s blood, thistle extract, galangal, opoponax, tobacco absolute, cactus flower, peppermint, black pepper, cumin, white fig, and bloodroot. JUPITERIAN PHOENIX O Jove much-honor’d, Jove supremely great, To thee our holy rites we consecrate, Our pray’rs and expiations, king divine, For all things round thy head exalted shine. The earth is thine, and mountains swelling high, The sea profound, and all within the sky. Saturnian king, descending from above, Magnanimous, commanding, sceptred Jove; All-parent, principle and end of all, Whose pow’r almighty, shakes this earthly ball; Ev’n Nature trembles at thy mighty nod, Loud-sounding, arm’d with light’ning, thund’ring God. Source of abundance, purifying king, O various-form’d from whom all natures spring; Propitious hear my pray’r, give blameless health, With peace divine, and necessary wealth. A blessing of optimism, prosperity, and sound judgment: sarsaparilla, juniper berries, Himalayan cedar, Terebinth pine, sweet clove, green tea, nutmeg, and hyssop. SATURNIAN PHOENIX ETHERIAL father, mighty Titan, hear, Great fire of Gods and men, whom all revere: Endu’d with various council, pure and strong, To whom perfection and decrease belong. Consum’d by thee all forms that hourly die, By thee restor’d, their former place supply; The world immense in everlasting chains, Strong and ineffable thy pow’r contains Father of vast eternity, divine, O mighty Saturn, various speech is thine: Blossom of earth and of the starry skies, Husband of Rhea, and Prometheus wife. Obstetric Nature, venerable root, From which the various forms of being shoot; No parts peculiar can thy pow’r enclose, Diffus’d thro’ all, from which the world arose, O, best of beings, of a subtle mind, Propitious hear to holy pray’rs inclin’d; The sacred rites benevolent attend, And grant a blameless life, a blessed end. A blessing of stability, manifestation, and wisdom-from-sorrow: cypress, myrrh, white lily, cassia, violet, pomegranate, tamarind, and opium poppy. SOLAR PHOENIX HEAR golden Titan, whose eternal eye With broad survey, illumines all the sky. Self-born, unwearied in diffusing light, And to all eyes the mirrour of delight: Lord of the seasons, with thy fiery car And leaping coursers, beaming light from far: With thy right hand the source of morning light, And with thy left the father of the night. Agile and vig’rous, venerable Sun, Fiery and bright around the heav’ns you run. Foe to the wicked, but the good man’s guide, O’er all his steps propitious you preside: With various founding, golden lyre, ’tis mine To fill the world with harmony divine. Father of ages, guide of prosp’rous deeds, The world’s commander, borne by lucid steeds, Immortal Jove, all-searching, bearing light, Source of existence, pure and fiery bright Bearer of fruit, almighty lord of years, Agil and warm, whom ev’ry pow’r reveres. Great eye of Nature and the starry skies, Doom’d with immortal flames to set and rise Dispensing justice, lover of the stream, The world’s great despot, and o’er all supreme. Faithful defender, and the eye of right, Of steeds the ruler, and of life the light: With founding whip four fiery steeds you guide, When in the car of day you glorious ride. Propitious on these mystic labours shine, And bless thy suppliants with a life divine. A blessing of nobility, leadership, and generosity: Roman chamomile, yellow rose, pineapple, bay laurel, frankincense, heliotrope, and Ceylon cinnamon. LUNAR PHOENIX HEAR, Goddess queen, diffusing silver light, Bull-horn’d and wand’ring thro’ the gloom of Night. With stars surrounded, and with circuit wide Night’s torch extending, thro’ the heav’ns you ride: Female and Male with borrow’d rays you shine, And now full-orb’d, now tending to decline. Mother of ages, fruit-producing Moon, Whose amber orb makes Night’s reflected noon: Lover of horses, splendid, queen of Night, All-seeing pow’r bedeck’d with starry light. Lover of vigilance, the foe of strife, In peace rejoicing, and a prudent life: Fair lamp of Night, its ornament and friend, Who giv’st to Nature’s works their destin’d end. Queen of the stars, all-wife Diana hail! Deck’d with a graceful robe and shining veil; Come, blessed Goddess, prudent, starry, bright, Come moony-lamp with chaste and splendid light, Shine on these sacred rites with prosp’rous rays, And pleas’d accept thy suppliant’s mystic praise. A blessing of imagination, pleasure, and foresight: galbanum, orris root, lettuce, pink lotus absolute, purple lily, bay, jasmine, narcissus, camphor, mugwort, narcissus, yam flower, jasmine, passionflower, parsley, and white papaya. And also! – If you attend any of the November Black Phoenix Will Call events (Vermont, Seattle, or Los Angeles), please consider participating in our food and toy drive. For every $10 in food that you donate, you will receive a 5ml bottle of FOREVER IS MERCY BUILT Tamarind, tonka bean, patchouli, golden amber, and white fig. For every toy valued at $10 or more that you bring, you will receive a 5ml bottle of G’MILUT CHASADIM Honeyed pomegranate, rose, myrrh, osmanthus, and wild plum. We are offering these oils while supplies last, and cannot guarantee that any Will Call location will be able to fulfill all donation exchanges. We’ll do our best! Food donations made at our Los Angeles will call will support the Burbank Temporary Aid Center, and the toys will be donated to the Los Angeles location will be given to Spark of Love, the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s toy collection campaign. The west coast will call event will be held on Wednesday, November 28th from 6 to 9pm at Dark Delicacies. Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd (1 block east of Hollywood Way) Burbank, CA 91505 www.darkdel.com ___ New England Will Call will be held at Healthy Living Market on Sunday, December 2nd from 4:00 to 7:00pm, in the Learning Center. Healthy Living Market 222 Dorset Street, South Burlington, VT, 05403 ___________ Seattle Will Call will be held at Bedlam Bedlam on Saturday, December 1st, time TBA. BedlamBedlam 613 East Pike Street Seattle WA 98122 http://bedlambedlam.com/ If you have any questions about will call events, please email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com. — Make a purchase at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, or Cyber Monday, and receive a free imp of ECONOMIC RECOVERY: a fun little blend of traditional money-generating herbs, resins, and flowers, including patchouli, ambrette seed, bergamot, Irish moss, rice flower, and thyme. If you make a purchase at Black Phoenix Trading Post on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, or Cyber Monday, you’ll get a squirt of a TAL-inspired blend, THRIVE: a warm, vibrant, prosperity-generating blend of ginger root, gingergrass, frankincense, cardamom, tonka, and hay absolute. A portion of every purchase made from both stores on these three days will go to Kiva, an organization that provides microloans to small businesses all across the globe. Shared blessings! — Also, there’s new some more stuff up on our Etsy site. — Keep your eyes peeled for the Black Phoenix Trading Post Yule update. It’s coming soon!

100 bottles of Autumn Lace will be back in stock at @darkdel tomorrow. When they're gone, they're gone!

Autumn Lace, our latest Dark Delicacies exclusive, will go on sale at our October Lunacy event at Dark Delicacies – Saturday, October 27! It will be on the Dark Delicacies web site soon! AUTUMN LACE An October funeral, 1888. Black linen and delicate, sugar-spun lace suffused with the scent of tobacco, black tea, Indian musk, liturgical incense, and cognac, with a drop of laudanum and crushed Autumn leaves. The theme for our October will call is wizards and witchery. Spellbinding finery encouraged, but not required! All costumes welcome! The west coast will call event will be held on Saturday, October 27th from 4 to 7pm at Dark Delicacies. Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd (1 block east of Hollywood Way) Burbank, CA 91505 www.darkdel.com - - - - - - - - - - Heretic is back in stock at Heretic Salon in Los Feliz! HERETIC Dark, spicy, animalic: Nagdi frankincense, bois de cade, beeswax, Somalian myrrh, and Laotian oudh. 1724 N Vermont Ave Los Angeles, CA 90027 (323)666-2965 Call the salon, or swing by for info!

Some words from Charles Brownstein (Executive Director of the CBLDF) and m'self! -- Be Counted: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Creates Exclusive CBLDF Member Fragrance! Becomes Corporate Member! Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, purveyors of unique, literary minded olfactory experiences have answered CBLDF’s call to Be Counted! The long-time CBLDF supporters are joining the organization as our newest Corporate Member and encouraging individuals to become members of the CBLDF to receive the exclusive, Members Only fragrance TWO-PLY BRISTOL for members who join at the Advocate ($100) level or higher as part of our Fall Be Counted membership drive TWO-PLY BRISTOL Smells like acid-free, 100% cotton 2-ply bristol paper with a touch of F lead. Public service announcement: (There is no lead in this perfume. The ‘F Lead’ is color copy, and indicates that we’ve created an accord that gently mimics the scent of pencil lead.) This Fall, CBLDF is asking people invested in protecting the freedom to read comics to Be Counted by becoming members of the organization. These membership contributions will help the Fund continue its important work protecting readers, librarians, retailers and artists of comics when they come under attack. Apart from this recent case, in the past month alone, CBLDF has spoken out against the ban of the graphic novel SideScrollers in Connecticut, sponsored Banned Books Week, and just yesterday, spoke out in support of a library in Seattle that came under media attack for offering manga in its adult collection. Of their reasons for supporting CBLDF, Black Phoenix creative chief Elizabeth Barrial says: The First Amendment is the doorway to a tolerant, educated, open society; that’s why we at Black Phoenix embrace it so strongly, and that’s why we back the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund with everything we’ve got. Without the First Amendment, the rest of the Constitution just doesn’t amount to much. The First Amendment – freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religious association, and freedom of assembly and petition – is a set of guarantees that is the essential, indispensable core of freedom itself. Without the First Amendment and the rights that it promises to every American citizen, other fundamental rights granted in the US Constitution are rendered practically meaningless. The First Amendment is so much more than just protecting our right to make controversial art, wear profanity on a t-shirt, burn a flag, or explore all the dimensions of sexuality through the power of expression. It protects our right to express unpopular political ideas, to worship any god (or gods) we please (or none at all), and promises that we can speak to our political leaders about our concerns and grievances without fear of reprisal. It protects our press from government censorship and ensures that we are not forced to pay homage to a state-sanctioned religion. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is an organization comprised of good, hardworking people who work tirelessly and selflessly to protect the rights of those that have neither the power nor the resources at their disposal to defend themselves. They help protect and preserve the rights of artists, retailers, writers, publishers, and fans in an industry that is often misunderstood, controversial, and provocative. The comics medium has been a venue of political and social commentary, as well as intimate personal expression, since its inception. It’s criticalthat this medium of expression remain vibrant. Even if you can’t join at the Advocate level, please consider joining at whatever level you can afford. The more of us who become counted as members of the CBLDF, the more distinctive our collective voice becomes when the CBLDF works to protect our free speech rights. Join Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab as a fellow member of CBLDF. Be Counted today.

In addition to the bulk of our general catalogues, both Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and Black Phoenix trading will have our Halloween exclusives on hand. Black Phoenix Trading Post will be bringing overstock of Aunt Rosie’s Cephalopod Bath, Mechanical Dragon Manufactory, Exhibit Hall Fatigue Bath Oil, and Con Cramp Massage Oil. Also, there will be New York Comic Con exclusives inspired by a gentlemen’s guide to the seraglios of New York City that was published in 1870. (All grammatical and spelling deviancies within are sic erat scriptum.) NEW YORK COMIC CON EXCLUSIVES ++ THE GENTLEMAN’S DIRECTORY: NEW YORK CITY IN 1870 Nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice. We don’t intend to tell the reader where the Central Park is, the Croton Aqueduct, the new Court House, Cooper Institute, or Knox the hatter, as any one can point out to him the location of these celebrated places, but we propose to acquaint him with locations and with facts, a knowledge of which he could not procure elsewhere. We claim no credit got telling a person that Cape Horn is on the island of Terra del Fuego, or that London is on the western side of England; but when we impart information that is not generally known, even to old denizens of the city, and give him an insight into the character and doings of people whose deeds are carefully screened from public view; when we discribe their houses, and give their location, we supply the stranger with information of which he stands in need, we supply a void that otherwise must remain unfilled. Not that we imagine the reader ever desire to visit these houses. Certainly not; he is, we do not doubt, a member of the Bible Society, a bright and shining light, like Awful Gardner or John Allen. But we point out the location of these places in order that the reader may know how to avoid them, and that he may not select one of them for his boarding house when he comes to the city. Our book will, therefore, be like a warning voice to the unwary – like a buoy attached to a sunken rock, which warns the inexperienced mariner to sheer off, lest he should be wrecked on a dangerous and unknown coast. + BLACK PHOENIX TRADING POST GREENE STREET ATMOSPHERE SPRAY This thoroughfare has become a complete sink of iniquity. In the short space of six squares, included between Canal and Bleecker streets there are 41 houses of assignation, 22 houses in which furnished rooms are let to girld, and 11 segar stores. With few exceptions, these houses are of the third class; and, although they are now kept pretty quiet by the police, yet there is sometimes an outburst in which the people amuse themselves by cracking each other’s crowns, and raising the d--- generally. The scenes enacted here, the filth and turmoil would lead a stranger to suppose that he was in Baden Baden, or that old Sodom and Gomorrah had risen from their ashes to greet the sun once more. A filthy patchouli-infused, dirt-caked vetiver splashed with rum and reeking of opium smoke and tobacco. HATTIE TAYLOR’S HOUSE OF ASSIGNATION ATMOSPHERE SPRAY The establishment at No. 111 Spring street is a house of assignation kept by Hattie Taylor. It is a third class house where may be found the lowest class of courtezans. It is patronized by roughs and rowdies, and gentlemen who turn their shirts wrong side out when the other side is dirty. Balding suede, oiled leather, swarthy cologne, rough oak, and darkwood cinnamon. MISS EMMA BENEDICT’S PARLOR HOUSE ATMOSPHERE SPRAY The establishment at No. 84 W. Houston street is kept by Miss Emma Benedict. It is on the corner of Laurens street. It is a first class house with eight lady boarders. Everything here is arranged in the first style, while the bewitching smiles of the fairy-like creatures who devote themselves to the services of Cupid are unrivalled by any of the fine ladies who walk Broadway in silks and satins new. Lush ivy twining through bouquets of buxom roses, cheerful carnations, shy sweet pea, narcissus, and lacy ferns. ++ BLACK PHOENIX ALCHEMY LAB BADGERS As a general fact, these girls are smart, good-looking, well educated and are near, and prepossessing in appearance. This is especially the case with those who are called “Badgers,” but more widely known as panel thieves. These plunderers have had full swing, of late, and have robbed many an unsuspecting stranger of his all. Sweet patchouli, soft, honeyed leather, sassy sarsaparilla, honeysuckle, and French vanilla. NYMPHES DE PAVE In passing up Broadway, any evening, between the hours of 7 and 11 o’clock, one is surprised to see so many well-dressed and comely females whose ages range from fifteen to twenty-five years, unattended by companions of the other sex. These young ladies are Nymphes de Pave or as they familiarly termed “Cruisers” have furnished rooms in which they receive visitors of the other sex, and ply their vocation in the streets for a livelihood. White fig, rose otto, honey, and bourbon vanilla. MISS IDA Miss Ida Thompson keeps a first class house at No. 126 E. Twelfth street. This elegant parlor house is furnished in the most elaborate and magnificent style. The landlady and lively young ladies are a very pleasant set, full of fun, love, and fond of amusement. The carpets, mirrors, furniture, and paintings are of the latest and most costly designs. This is a truly splendid establishment of the very first class. French vanilla, white gardenia, Moroccan jasmine, and lemon verbena. MISS JENNY Miss Jennie Creagh, a dashing brunette, has splendidly furnished her palace at 17 Amity street, from top to bottom, sparing neither expence nor labor to render it a palace of beauty forever, with it’s French mirrors, English and Brussels carpets, rosewood furniture, superb bedding and everything in character. This emporium of love and beauty is one of the finest in the city. Pink peony, white carnation, freesia, white peach, amber, and pale woods. MRS LEWIS Mrs. Lewis of 45 E. Houston street keeps a private house of assignation. It is conducted very quiet and orderly. White sandalwood and tea roses.

Re: the Black Phoenix Gazette! We’ve run three virus scans on the Gazette, and from what we can tell -- all clear. If any of you run into any problems with the site, please take a screenshot and email it to our customer service. Thank you so much!

Heretic is now available at Heretic Salon in Los Feliz! HERETIC Dark, spicy, animalic: Nagdi frankincense, bois de cade, beeswax, Somalian myrrh, and Laotian oudh. 1724 N Vermont Ave Los Angeles, CA 90027 (323)666-2965 Call the salon, or swing by for info!

We're getting reports from people that our blog (not the BPAL site itself) is infected with malware. We're currently running SiteLock, and will do everything we can to clear this up. A million apologies to anyone that was affected! Please refrain from hitting up the Gazette (www.blackphoenixgazette.com) until further notice. Thank you!

Black Phoenix Trading Post’s customer service will be on hiatus from the evening of August 28, 2012 til September 5, 2012. We’ll be at Dragon*Con, and Teddy won’t be able to get to his email during that time. If you have an emergency, please contact answers@blackphoenixalchemylab.com, and the fine folks at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab will do their best to help you out. Thanks! See you in September!