wickedgoddess

A few things have been added to our Etsy site. http://www.etsy.com/shop/alchemylab

The west coast will call event will be held on Sunday, June 3rd from 4 to 7pm at Dark Delicacies. Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd (1 block east of Hollywood Way) Burbank, CA 91505 ___ New England Will Call will be held at Healthy Living Market on Sunday, June 10th from 3:00 to 6:00pm, in the Learning Center. Healthy Living Market 222 Dorset Street, South Burlington, VT, 05403 — The blends that will be available for purchase include those that went live on the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab website up to and including the Strawberry Moon update. Forum only scents will not be available at Will Call. We will no longer be accepting preorders at West Coast Will Call, with the exception of orders for Twilight Alchemy Lab oils. We will do our best to accommodate all orders, but sales will be based on availability. At this time, Twilight Alchemy Lab oils will only be available at Dark Delicacies via preorder. Items from Black Phoenix Trading Post will be available at Dark Delicacies, subject to stock on hand. If you have any questions, please email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com. Where/When: West Coast Will Call at Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Ave Burbank, CA 91505 Sunday, June 3rd, 4:00 to 7:00pm New England Will Call at Healthy Living Market (inside the Learning Center) 222 Dorset Street, South Burlington, VT, 05403 Sunday, June 10th, 3:00 to 6:00pm

Black Phoenix will be vending at Bats Day Black Market May 19, 2012 3 to 10pm DoubleTree Guest Suites Anaheim 2085 South Harbor Blvd Anaheim CA, 92802 Free Admission http://www.batsday.net/ In addition to our regular offerings, the following bat-themed scents will be available at Bats Day: PERFUME OIL BLENDS $20 per 5ml bottle ATMOSPHERE SPRAY & BATH OIL $25 per 4oz bottle ++ BPAL: BATS DAY 2012 GREAT VAMPIRE BAT Incense-touched jungle orchid. SILVER-HAIRED BAT Gleaming white amber and silvered ambergris accord with copoiba balsam, benzoin, Atlas cedar, black pepper, and oudh. VESPERTILIO PROTERUS Warm golden ginger, wild fig, and vanilla cream spiced with saffron, limu amani, nutmeg, coriander, and angelica. EPOMOPHORUS MONSTROSUS Black patchouli, tonka bean, mahogany bark, gurjum balsam, and decadent cacao absolute surrounded by two dark, feral musks and sweet sarsaparilla. PTEROPUS LEUCOPTERUS White sandalwood, white sage, East Indian patchouli, muguet, golden frankincense, and Balsam of Mecca. And also at Bats Day, these Black Phoenix Trading Post offerings: ++ BPTP: BATS DAY 2012 VIRGIN'S BLOOD BATH OIL Rose petals and fresh cream. No virgins were harmed in the making of this product. Everlasting youth and eternal beauty not guaranteed. PYRIPHLEGETHONIAN POMEGRANATE ATMOSPHERE SPRAY An infernal bounty: fiery, blood red pomegranate, black fig, opoponax, patchouli, black pepper, tobacco absolute, cypress, yew berry, and dragon's blood resin. +++ Bats Day is offering VIP shopping from 2 to 3pm for $5. The dealer’s room is free from 3 to 10 pm. Due to this, we will start sell Bats Day exclusives at 3pm. We anticipate having enough product to fill everyone’s order, so we will not be limiting the number of purchases per person. There shouldn’t be a need to get there early, but if you still choose to, will be giving out numbers in the lobby of the DoubleTree Hotel from 2:30 to 3pm. Please come see us for your number before heading inside.

Absinthe and Lace is now available at Dark Delicacies and selling fast. It’s limited to only 313 bottles, so order now before it’s gone for good!

O, hello, Strawberry Moon! STRAWBERRY MOON 2012 Strawberries that in gardens grow Are plump and juicy fine, But sweeter far as wise men know Spring from the woodland vine. No need for bowl or silver spoon, Sugar or spice or cream, Has the wild berry plucked in June Beside the trickling stream. One such to melt at the tongue’s root, Confounding taste with scent, Beats a full peck of garden fruit: Which points my argument. May sudden justice overtake And snap the froward pen, That old and palsied poets shake Against the minds of men. Blasphemers trusting to hold caught In far-flung webs of ink, The utmost ends of human thought Till nothing’s left to think. But may the gift of heavenly peace And glory for all time Keep the boy Tom who tending geese First made the nursery rhyme. Wild strawberries, strawberry flower, strawberry blossom honey, vanilla-infused sugar, early summer grasses, and milky dandelion sap. A little while back, we wrote a bit about strawberries on the Gazette: http://www.blackphoenixgazette.com/?p=1425. Strawberry Moon is also live on Black Phoenix Trading Post! Please welcome Tanya Bjork to our family of artists! “Just living is not enough,” said the butterfly, “one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower.” This month, we revisit the Metamorphosis: ++ METAMORPHOSIS Lo, the bright train their radiant wings unfold! With silver fringed, and freckled o’er with gold: On the gay bosom of some fragrant flower They, idly fluttering, live their little hour; Their life all pleasure, and their task all play, All spring their age, and sunshine all their day. - ” To Mrs. P——–., With Some Drawings…”, Anna Laetitia Aikin The grace, beauty, and complexity of butterflies and moths have permeated myths all over the globe. The symmetry and elegance of their form and the coquettish rhythm of their dance inspires visions of fleeting romance: The dawn is smiling on the dew that covers The tearful roses; lo, the little lovers That kiss the buds, and all the flutterings In jasmine bloom, and privet, of white wings, That go and come, and fly, and peep and hide, With muffled music, murmured far and wide. Ah, the Spring time, when we think of all the lays That dreamy lovers send to dreamy mays, Of the fond hearts within a billet bound, Of all the soft silk paper that pens wound, The messages of love that mortals write Filled with intoxication of delight, Written in April and before the May time Shredded and flown, playthings for the wind’s playtime, We dream that all white butterflies above, Who seek through clouds or waters souls to love, And leave their lady mistress in despair, To flit to flowers, as kinder and more fair, Are but torn love-letters, that through the skies Flutter, and float, and change to butterflies - ” The Genesis of Butterflies”, Victor Hugo Though in some myths – notably, China’s Butterfly Lovers, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, and Japan’s tale of Takahama and Akiko – butterflies are symbols of eternal love and devotion. Most often, butterflies and moths represent change, transition, and metamorphosis. Butterflies are also seen as personifications of the soul, and symbols of mankind’s desire for spiritual evolution. They are harbingers of both love and death, and some believe that errant souls manifest in this form. Moths and butterflies are, to some, symbols of blind desire and madness, perilously drawn to the splendor of light and flame. This mad desire is also portrayed, at times, as transcendence: Tell it none except the wise, for the common crowd defames: of the living I shall praise that which longs for death in flames. In the love night which created you where you create, a yearning wakes: you see, intoxicated, far away a candle burning. Darkness now no longer snares you, shadows lose their ancient force, as a new desire tears you up to higher intercourse. Now no distance checks your flight, charmed you come and you draw night till, with longing for the light, you are burnt, O butterfly. And until you have possessed dying and rebirth, you are but a sullen guest on the gloomy earth. - ” Blissful Yearning”, Goethe, translation by Walter Kaufmann This series, though seemingly simple, is a complex narrative in scent. It was created with the intention of illustrating the beauty of transformation and transcendence, the sweetness of romance, the joy of freedom and personal liberty, and the perpetuity of true love. Wake, butterfly - It’s late, we’ve miles To go together. - Matsuo Basho This year’s butterfly series was inspired by our many, many trips to Mexico, and is focused on the butterflies and moths of the Yucatan and Quintana Roo. BERNARDINO DOTTED BLUE Lily of the valley, patchouli, copal, violet leaf, ambrette seed, Cyprian bergamot, chocolate peppermint, and tobacco absolute. CEANOTHUS SILKMOTH Blood orange, night-blooming jasmine, vanilla bean, bog wood, Spanish moss, benzoin, and oudh. JUNIPER HAIRSTREAK Smoky brown musk, cucumber, green-tinged ozone, cypress, white mint, jungle orchid, and juniper berry. RUDDY DAGGERWING Cacao, tobacco absolute, Chilean coffee bean, osage-orange, and ebony. PASSION BUTTERFLY Red mandarin, mimosa, pink grapefruit, copal, petitgrain, and black amber. SPHAEROMACHIA GAUMERI Iris, iced lemon peel, anise seed, red current, coriander, cilantro, and white musk. TWO-BARRED FLASHER Orris root, lilac, galbanum, white tea, Italian bergamot, and blueberry. WHITE PEACOCK Teak, ebony wood, osmanthus, patchouli, red sandalwood, vanilla orchid, tonka bean, tobacco, wild musk, spikenard, and sugandh kokila. ZEBRA HELICONIAN Opium tar, frankincense, lemongrass, ambergris accord, Himalayan cedarwood, coffee absolute, coconut meat, clary sage, tobacco flower, vetiver, and white plum. The Metamorphosis series is dedicated, as always, to my daughter. Lilith, my angel, my dearest love. I love you, little butterfly. I love your laugh, I love your smile, I love your huge, compassionate heart. You are the joy of my life, you are the song of my spirit. I’m so very grateful to be your mother. Inspired by our sojourns into the jungles of Latin America, we present two sweet, raw, prickly blends as a small tribute to our omnipresent hematophagous travel companions: AE. ALBOPICTUS Saffron, pimento, cardamom, beeswax, cajeput, tomato leaf, geranium, and pink pepper honey. AE. AEGYPTI Five honeys with vanilla orchid, gardenia, dragon’s blood resin, gingergrass, and turmeric. Butterflies are also swarming the ‘Post! BUTTERFLY GARDEN ATMOSPHERE SPRAY Butterfly bush blossoms, dew-damp moss, mist flower, purple coneflower, Brazilian verbena, ground ivy, pink clover, lantana accord, and sunflower. CANDLELIGHT ATMOSPHERE SPRAY O Candle! Why does the moth love you? Why is this restless soul devoted to you? Your charm keeps it restless like mercury Did you teach it the etiquette of Love? It circumambulates the site of your manifestation Is it inspired with the fire of your lightning? Do the woes of death give it the peace of life? Does your flame possess the quality of eternal life? If you do not brighten this sorrowful world This burning heart’s tree of Longing may not green up Falling before you is the prayer of this little heart The taste for impassioned Love knows this little heart It has some zeal of the Primeval Beauty’s Lover You are a small ñër , it is a small Kalam The moth and the taste for the Sight of the Light! This small insect and the Longing for the Light! Beeswax candles burning softly in a shadowed room, touched with a wisp of smoky foreboding. BUTTERFLY NECTAR BATH OIL The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough. - Rabindranath Tagore A bath of honeyed petals and sugar-dusted leaves. Black Phoenix Trading Post has added a few new hair glosses: AMBER & PATCHOULI COCONUT, VANILLA BEAN, AND TIARE JUNIPER MINT MOROCCO Dark Delicacies will be debuting a new scent in the Lace series at West Coast Will Call! It will also be available on the Dark Delicacies web site. DARK DELICACIES: ABSINTHE AND LACE Inspired by Edgar Degas’ L’Absinthe, and created in the vein of the Dark Delicacies / Black Phoenix lace-themed collaborations. A scent of dissipation and ennui: green cognac and icy absinthe, louched, spilling onto lace that is drooping with neglect and darkened by tobacco smoke. The following bat-themed scents will be available at Bats Day: ++ BPAL: BATS DAY 2012 GREAT VAMPIRE BAT Incense-touched jungle orchid. SILVER-HAIRED BAT Gleaming white amber and silvered ambergris accord with copoiba balsam, benzoin, Atlas cedar, black pepper, and oudh. VESPERTILIO PROTERUS Warm golden ginger, wild fig, and vanilla cream spiced with saffron, limu amani, nutmeg, coriander, and angelica. EPOMOPHORUS MONSTROSUS Black patchouli, tonka bean, mahogany bark, gurjum balsam, and decadent cacao absolute surrounded by two dark, feral musks and sweet sarsaparilla. PTEROPUS LEUCOPTERUS White sandalwood, white sage, East Indian patchouli, muguet, golden frankincense, and Balsam of Mecca. And also at Bats Day, these Black Phoenix Trading Post offerings: ++ BPTP: BATS DAY 2012 VIRGIN’S BLOOD BATH OIL Rose petals and fresh cream. No virgins were harmed in the making of this product. Everlasting youth and eternal beauty not guaranteed. PYRIPHLEGETHONIAN POMEGRANATE ATMOSPHERE SPRAY An infernal bounty: fiery, blood red pomegranate, black fig, opoponax, patchouli, black pepper, tobacco absolute, cypress, yew berry, and dragon’s blood resin.

Black Phoenix will be vending at Bats Day Black Market May 19, 2012 2 to 10pm DoubleTree Guest Suites Anaheim 2085 South Harbor Blvd Anaheim CA, 92802 Free Admission http://www.batsday.net/ In addition to our regular offerings, the following bat-themed scents will be available at Bats Day: ++ BPAL: BATS DAY 2012 GREAT VAMPIRE BAT Incense-touched jungle orchid. SILVER-HAIRED BAT Gleaming white amber and silvered ambergris accord with copoiba balsam, benzoin, Atlas cedar, black pepper, and oudh. VESPERTILIO PROTERUS Warm golden ginger, wild fig, and vanilla cream spiced with saffron, limu amani, nutmeg, coriander, and angelica. EPOMOPHORUS MONSTROSUS Black patchouli, tonka bean, mahogany bark, gurjum balsam, and decadent cacao absolute surrounded by two dark, feral musks and sweet sarsaparilla. PTEROPUS LEUCOPTERUS White sandalwood, white sage, East Indian patchouli, muguet, golden frankincense, and Balsam of Mecca. And also at Bats Day, these Black Phoenix Trading Post offerings: ++ BPTP: BATS DAY 2012 VIRGIN’S BLOOD BATH OIL Rose petals and fresh cream. No virgins were harmed in the making of this product. Everlasting youth and eternal beauty not guaranteed. PYRIPHLEGETHONIAN POMEGRANATE ATMOSPHERE SPRAY An infernal bounty: fiery, blood red pomegranate, black fig, opoponax, patchouli, black pepper, tobacco absolute, cypress, yew berry, and dragon’s blood resin. Also, Dark Delicacies will be debuting the newest Lace scent on Sunday, May 6th at West Coast Will Call: DARK DELICACIES: ABSINTHE AND LACE Inspired by Edgar Degas’ L’Absinthe, and created in the vein of the Dark Delicacies / Black Phoenix lace-themed collaborations. A scent of dissipation and ennui: green cognac and icy absinthe, louched, spilling onto lace that is drooping with neglect and darkened by tobacco smoke.

The west coast will call event will be held on Sunday, May 6th from 4 to 7pm at Dark Delicacies. Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd (1 block east of Hollywood Way) Burbank, CA 91505 ___ New England Will Call will be held at Healthy Living Market on Sunday, May 6th from 3:00 to 6:00pm, in the Learning Center. Healthy Living Market 222 Dorset Street, South Burlington, VT, 05403 — The blends that will be available for purchase include those that went live on the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab website up to and including the Dragon Moon update. Forum only scents will not be available at Will Call. We will no longer be accepting preorders at West Coast Will Call, with the exception of orders for Twilight Alchemy Lab oils. We will do our best to accommodate all orders, but sales will be based on availability. At this time, Twilight Alchemy Lab oils will only be available at Dark Delicacies via preorder. Items from Black Phoenix Trading Post will be available at Dark Delicacies, subject to stock on hand. If you have any questions, please email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com. Where/When: West Coast Will Call at Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Ave Burbank, CA 91505 Sunday, May 6th, 4:00 to 7:00pm New England Will Call at Healthy Living Market (inside the Learning Center) 222 Dorset Street, South Burlington, VT, 05403 Sunday, May 6th, 3:00 to 6:00pm

Sadly, it's time to say good-bye to more of our general catalog scents. Desdemonda Eos Fascinum Nero and Sri Lanka are no longer available. If you have a pending order for any of these scents, our customer service department will be in touch. As always, if you have any questions, email answers @ blackphoenixalchemylab.com.

Due to a component issue, Baghdad is temporarily on back order. We hope to be able to start shipping it again by the end of May. The Hanging Gardens has been discontinued, effective immediately, also due to a component issue. If you have an outstanding order for either of these scents, our customer service department should have already contacted you. Questions? Contact answers@blackphoenixalchemylab.com

Happy Friday the 13th, all! 13 13 is significant, whether you consider it lucky, unlucky or just plain odd. Many believe it to be unfortunate… …because there were 13 present at the Last Supper. …Loki crashed a party of 12 at Valhalla, which ended in Baldur’s death. …Oinomaos killed 13 of Hippodamia’s suitors before Pelops finally, in his own shady way, defeated the jealous king. …In ancient Rome, Hecate’s witches gathered in groups of 12, the Goddess herself being the 13th in the coven. Concern over the number thirteen echoes back beyond the Christian era. Line 13 was omitted form the Code of Hammurabi. The shivers over Friday the 13th also have some interesting origins: …Christ was allegedly crucified on Friday the 13th. …On Friday, October 13, 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered the arrests of Jaques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, and sixty of his senior knights. …In British custom, hangings were held on Fridays, and there were 13 steps on the gallows leading to the noose. To combat the superstition, Robert Ingersoll and the Thirteen Club held thirteen-men dinners during the 19th Century. Successful? Hardly. The number still invokes trepidation to this day. A recent whimsical little serial killer study showed that the following murderers all have names that total thirteen letters: Theodore Bundy Jeffrey Dahmer Albert De Salvo John Wayne Gacy And, with a little stretch of the imagination, you can also fit “Jack the Ripper” and “Charles Manson” into that equation. More current-era paranoia: modern schoolchildren stop their memorization of the multiplication tables at 12. There were 13 Plutonium slugs in the atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki. Apollo 13 wasn’t exactly the most successful space mission. All of these are things that modern triskaidekaphobes point to when justifying their fears. For some, 13 is an extremely fortuitous and auspicious number… …In Jewish tradition, God has 13 Attributes of Mercy. Also, there were 13 tribes of Israel, 13 principles of Jewish faith, and 13 is considered the age of maturity. …The ancient Egyptians believed that there were 12 stages of spiritual achievement in this lifetime, and a 13th beyond death. …The word for thirteen, in Chinese, sounds much like the word which means “must be alive”?. Thirteen, whether you love it or loathe it, is a pretty cool number all around. …In some theories of relativity, there are 13 dimensions. …It is a prime number, lucky number, star number, Wilson Prime, and Fibonacci number. …There are 13 Archimedean solids. AND… …There were 13 original colonies when the United States were founded. Says a lot about the US, doesn’t it? I believe we could all use a little more good fortune. This 13 is contains thirteen flowers of good luck swirled in white chocolate and a touch of honey: white carnation, stephanotis, blood-flower, yellow rose, eggplant flower, tiare, chamomile blossom, champaca flower, pink heather, wild orchid, pink peony, sweet basil flower, and Bells of Ireland.

The Orchard is now available exclusively from Ysanne Spevack’s online store. THE ORCHARD Rose hips and rose thorns, tulip petals, wild plum, and bittersweet chocolate. Painting by Gail Potocki.

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

Please join us on March 15th at 7pm at Dark Delicacies to celebrate our partnership with Hero Initiative with the release of 3 new scents! THE MAGDALENA Frankincense, myrrh, leather, ti leaf, saint wood, benzoin, and labdanum absolute. CYBORG Inspired by the character Grendel-Prime. A heavy-metal cyborg, created by the Grendel-Khan to act as a paladin protector for his only son and heir, an unstoppable killing machine. Gleaming metal and black leather over a khus-darkened bay rum. DAWN: MOURNING VICTORY Red sandalwood, night-blooming jasmine, white tea, hyacinth, rosehips, and tuberose. All three perfume oils will retail for $26 each for a 5 ml bottle, and a portion of all proceeds will benefit Hero Initiative, the first federally recognized not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping comic book creators in medical and financial need. Best of all, Dawn creator Joseph Michael Linsner and Top Cow Productions’ Echoes artist Rahsan Ekedal will be in attendance at the party! Don’t miss this exclusive evening to get your scents, sketches and signatures! And fans of Matt Wagner’s Grendel will be able to pick up a copy of Hero Comics featuring a Grendel cover for a mere $1, a $4 value! All three scents will be available to the general public starting April 4th, 2012 at www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com. About The Hero Initiative The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterday’s creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It’s a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment. Since its inception, The Hero Initiative has had the good fortune to grant over $500,000 to the comic book veterans who have paved the way for those in the industry today. For more information go to www.heroinitiative.org or call 626-676-6354.

The west coast will call event will be held on Thursday, March 8th from 6 to 9pm at Dark Delicacies. Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd (1 block east of Hollywood Way) Burbank, CA 91505 ___ New England Will Call will be held at Healthy Living Market on Sunday, March 11th from 3:00 to 6:00pm, in the Learning Center. Healthy Living Market 222 Dorset Street, South Burlington, VT, 05403 — And last but not least, Seattle Will Call will be held in a new location: Youngstown Cultural Arts Center 4408 Delridge Way SW Seattle, WA, 98106 http://youngstownarts.org/ Seattle Will Call will be held in the South Classroom on Tuesday, March 13th, from 6:30 to 8:30pm. 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. Forum only scents will not be available at Will Call. We will no longer be accepting preorders at West Coast Will Call, with the exception of orders for Twilight Alchemy Lab oils. We will do our best to accommodate all orders, but sales will be based on availability. At this time, Twilight Alchemy Lab oils will only be available at Dark Delicacies via preorder. Items from Black Phoenix Trading Post will be available at Dark Delicacies, subject to stock on hand. If you have any questions, please email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com. Where/When: West Coast Will Call at Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Ave Burbank, CA 91505 Thursday, March 8th, 6:00 to 9:00pm New England Will Call at Healthy Living Market (inside the Learning Center) 222 Dorset Street, South Burlington, VT, 05403 Sunday, March 11th, 3:00 to 6:00pm Seattle Will Call at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center 4408 Delridge Way SW Seattle, WA, 98106 Tuesday, March 13th, 6:30 to 8:30pm

Pink Moon is live at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and Black Phoenix Trading Post! PINK MOON The name of this moon refers to the color of wild ground phlox, a primary component of this Lunacy Blend, which is one of the most widespread floral signposts of springtime in North America. This Lunar blend is soft with phlox, tulip, daffodil, pink columbine, delphinium, pink carnation, peony, and muscari, dusted with pink sugar and honey, bourbon vanilla, a hint of white chocolate, and a touch of the first strawberries of the season. Artwork by Julie Dillon! As a preview for the upcoming addition to Somnium, we present the compass points of Sidney Sime's map of the Land of Dreams. ++ THE LAND OF DREAMS: COMPASS POINTS I stand amid the roar Of a surf-tormented shore, And I hold within my hand Grains of the golden sand— How few! yet how they creep Through my fingers to the deep, While I weep—while I weep! O God! can I not grasp Them with a tighter clasp? O God! can I not save One from the pitiless wave? Is all that we see or seem But a dream within a dream? WAKE Pink grapefruit, peppermint, orange blossom, bitter orange, juniper berry, cumin, tuberose, and lemon balm. SLEEP Lavender with tobacco, zdravetz, Haitian vetiver, and blue lotus absolute. DREAM White rose, lavender, kush accord, oudh, opium poppy, white musk, and shamama attar. NIGHTMARE Black currant, black orchid, lavender, black dammar, myrrh, oakmoss, champaca flower, and mandrake root.

FREDERIC 2012 Now with more pirates! For some ridiculous reason, to which, however, I've no desire to be disloyal, Some person in authority, I don't know who, very likely the Astronomer Royal, Has decided that, although for such a beastly month as February, twenty-eight days as a rule are plenty, One year in every four his days shall be reckoned as nine and twenty. Through some singular coincidence ? I shouldn't be surprised if it were owing to the agency of an ill-natured fairy ? You are the victim of this clumsy arrangement, having been born in leap-year, on the twenty-ninth of February; And so, by a simple arithmetical process, you'll easily discover, That though you've lived twenty-one years, yet, if we go by birthdays,you're only five and a little bit over! Alas, poor Frederic the Leapling! – bound to the merry Pirates of Penzance until his twenty-first birthday. As his birthday comes around only every four years, so does his scent! Victorian whimsy and piratical romance: a reluctant seaman's chypre sloshed with a mix of bay rum, patchouli, amber musk, salty woods, tobacco absolute, black tea, English roses, and red currant.

The west coast will call event will be held on Thursday, March 8th from 6 to 9pm at Dark Delicacies. Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Blvd (1 block east of Hollywood Way) Burbank, CA 91505 ___ New England Will Call will be held at Healthy Living Market on Sunday, March 11th from 3:00 to 6:00pm, in the Learning Center. Healthy Living Market 222 Dorset Street, South Burlington, VT, 05403 — The blends that will be available for purchase include those that went live on the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab website up to and including the Candles Moon update. Forum only scents will not be available at Will Call. We will no longer be accepting preorders at West Coast Will Call, with the exception of orders for Twilight Alchemy Lab oils. We will do our best to accommodate all orders, but sales will be based on availability. At this time, Twilight Alchemy Lab oils will only be available at Dark Delicacies via preorder. Items from Black Phoenix Trading Post will be available at Dark Delicacies, subject to stock on hand. If you have any questions, please email us at willcall@blackphoenixalchemylab.com. Where/When: West Coast Will Call at Dark Delicacies 3512 W. Magnolia Ave Burbank, CA 91505 Thursday, March 8th, 6:00 to 9:00pm New England Will Call at Healthy Living Market (inside the Learning Center) 222 Dorset Street, South Burlington, VT, 05403 Sunday, March 11th, 3:00 to 6:00pm

Please join us on March 15th at Dark Delicacies to celebrate our partnership with Hero Initiative with the release of 3 new scents! The Magdalena from Top Cow, Cyborg, the newest member of the Grendel line, and Dawn: Mourning Victory. All three perfume oils will retail for $26 each for a 5ml bottle, and a portion of all proceeds will benefit Hero Initiative, the first federally recognized not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping comic book creators in medical and financial need. Best of all, Dawn creator Joseph Michael Linsner and Top Cow Productions’ Echoes artist Rahsan Ekedal will be in attendance at the party! Don’t miss this exclusive evening to get your scents, sketches and signatures! And fans of Matt Wagner’s Grendel will be able to pick up a copy of Hero Comics featuring a Grendel cover for a mere $1, a $4 value! All three scents will be available to the general public starting April 4th, 2012 at www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com. Notes will be released closer to the event, once scents are finalized. About The Hero Initiative The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterday’s creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It’s a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment. Since its inception, The Hero Initiative has had the good fortune to grant over $500,000 to the comic book veterans who have paved the way for those in the industry today. For more information go to www.heroinitiative.org or call 626-676-6354.

Ted is having knee surgery on Wednesday morning, and will be out of commission for a few days. During this time, BPTP will be dark. He won’t be able to take care of customer service emails during that time, but orders will still be going out, though perhaps a bit slower that usual.

Happy Valentines Day! We have a few chocolates, just for you. Limited to 100 each, when they are gone, they’re gone. DARK CHOCOLATE WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO, PINK PEPPERCORN, THYME, AND COMFREY DARK CHOCOLATE WITH TULSI, TUMERIC, AND WHITE GINGER MILK CHOCOLATE WITH MACADAMIA NUT, COCONUT, BUTTOM MUSHROOM, AND MARSHMALLOW WHITE CHOCOLATE WITH LEMONGRASS, CORIANDER, AND ALMOND CREAM

Due to a component issue, the Antikythera Mechanism is temporarily on back order. We expect to be able to start shipping it again by the end of February. If you place an order for it, your order will be held until it is available. If you have an outstanding order for it, our customer service department should have already contacted you. Questions? Contact answers@blackphoenixalchemylab.com

Candles Moon is live at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and http://www.blackphoenixtradingpost.com/lunacy.html! CANDLES MOON 2012 To-day is the Day of Bride, The serpent shall come from his hole, I will not molest the serpent, And the serpent will not molest me. The serpent will come from the hole On the brown day of Bride, Though there should be three feet of snow On the flat surface of the ground. Moonlight shining on the Quickening Tree, the heat and wax of sacred candles, the milk of ewes, Brigid's blackberry, the sting of keening wind, and the last flutter of the Cailleach's winter snow. THE IDES OF MARCH 2012 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: rosemary, bergamot, lemon rind and vervain with costus, benzoin, coriander, rosewood, gray amber, cardamom, white narcissus, dark musk, and iris. THEOTOKOS Άξιον εστίν ως αληθώς μακαρίζειν σε την Θεοτόκον, την αειμακάριστον και παναμώμητον και μητέρα του Θεού ημών. Την τιμιωτέραν των Χερουβείμ και ενδοξοτέραν ασυγκρίτως των Σεραφείμ την αδιαφθόρως Θεόν Λόγον τεκούσαν, την όντως Θεοτόκον, Σε μεγαλύνομεν. It is truly meet and right to bless you, O Theotokos, Ever-blessed and most-pure mother of our God. More honourable than the Cherubim, And beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, Who without corruption gave birth to God the Word, True Theotokos: we magnify you. Calla lily, Egyptian amber, frankincense, chrysanthemum, daphne, and red roses. ++ THE BARDS OF IRELAND 2012 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. THE FAIRIES Up the airy mountain Down the rushy glen, We dare n't go a-hunting, For fear of little men; Wee folk, good folk, Trooping all together; Green jacket, red cap, And white owl's feather. Down along the rocky shore Some make their home, They live on crispy pancakes Of yellow tide-foam; Some in the reeds Of the black mountain-lake, With frogs for their watch-dogs, All night awake. High on the hill-top The old King sits; He is now so old and gray He's nigh lost his wits. With a bridge of white mist Columbkill he crosses, On his stately journeys From Slieveleague to Rosses; Or going up with music, On cold starry nights, To sup with the Queen, Of the gay Northern Lights. They stole little Bridget For seven years long; When she came down again Her friends were all gone. They took her lightly back Between the night and morrow; They thought she was fast asleep, But she was dead with sorrow. They have kept her ever since Deep within the lake, On a bed of flag leaves, Watching till she wake. By the craggy hill-side, Through the mosses bare, They have planted thorn trees For pleasure here and there. Is any man so daring As dig them up in spite? He shall find the thornies set In his bed at night. Up the airy mountain Down the rushy glen, We dare n't go a-hunting, For fear of little men; Wee folk, good folk, Trooping all together; Green jacket, red cap, And white owl's feather. - William Allingham Supping with the Queen of the Fae: apple blossom, white clover, huckleberry wine, dandelion sap, milkweed, primrose, thyme, pink moss, thorny thistles, and opium pod. IN THE FOREST Out of the mid-wood's twilight Into the meadow's dawn, Ivory limbed and brown-eyed, Flashes my Faun! He skips through the copses singing, And his shadow dances along, And I know not which I should follow, Shadow or song! O Hunter, snare me his shadow! O Nightingale, catch me his strain! Else moonstruck with music and madness I track him in vain! - Oscar Wilde A wild, passion-inflamed skin musk with black pine pitch, brown leather, black clove, copal, white sage, oakmoss, patchouli, and saffron. LIADAIN AND CURITHIR When thou art hidden fears throng into my heart: I am as one who has found a treasure of gold Whom the stars watch And the winds threaten And swords wait in the dark. Or can the dream break, Curithir, into the cold dawn? Do not even the angels tremble gazing on us? For only within God's Dún such joy can live. Come let us dream, love, that we sail to the west And in enchanted islands are free of the sun And the cold blind eyes of the years that pass unheeding sorrow. O by the sweetness of love and joy like the piercing of spears I have known the vain life that dies beaten back to the sod, And the moan of all impotent things cries in my heart; For that which can wither the budding trees can wither love. O Curithir hast thou bidden the birds to sing of thee? They have awoken me to the grey sweet skies And the out-breathed light stealing over the stars. There is no bird whose song is not of thy love No laughter of sudden dawn winds whose joy thou art not - O that the world could know thou lovest me, Curithir! - Moireen Fox An hour of love, all-too-fleeting, set against the tumble and crash of the somber seaside: honeysuckle, ivy, white moss, and salty spray. STRINGS IN THE EARTH AND AIR Strings in the earth and air Make music sweet; Strings by the river where The willows meet. There's music along the river For Love wanders there, Pale flowers on his mantle, Dark leaves on his hair. All softly playing, With head to the music bent, And fingers straying Upon an instrument. - James Joyce White sage, white musk, honey myrtle, galbanum, lilac, and everlasting flower. This weekend, Pink Lace and Mourning Lace go live at Dark Delicacies. MOURNING LACE A contemplation of death: fragile vanilla blossom with polished oak, bitter clove, frankincense, myrrh, and green cognac. PINK LACE A sweet prelude to grief: delicate tea rose and strawberry-laced vanilla stained by tobacco, champaca incense, and white cognac.

Today the USPS increased its prices for both domestic and international shipping. While the domestic increase is small enough for us to absorb, the international increase is pretty hefty. As of today, our shipping rates are as follows: Domestic shipping rates for the US are as follows: Orders totaling up to $150.00: $7.50 …up to $300.00: $12.00 …up to $500.00: $14.00 International shipping costs vary depending on the location we’re shipping to and the weight of the package. The latter is determined by the number of bottles that we’re sending out. We use USPS Flat Rate on most international shipments. The Flat Rate service offered by USPS features a fixed price per package, regardless of weight. As a rule, we can fit up to 24 items in International Flat Rate packaging with occasional exceptions. The International Flat Rate shipping fee is $19.00 for all orders up to 24 bottles; the rate jumps to $43.00 on orders containing more that 20 items that won’t entirely fit in the Flat Rate box. Shipping is free for all orders that exceed $500. For Canadian orders, $15.00 will cover shipments up to 24 items; the price is $28.00 for shipping over 24 items. For Eastern European countires, such as Russia, Czech Republic, Moldova or Poland, $20.00 will cover shipments up to 24 items; the price is $50.00 for shipping over 24 items. Shipping costs will be waived for all orders over $500.00, both domestic and international. This pricing applies to both Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and Twilight Alchemy Lab. Because Black Phoenix Trading Post’s shipping grid is more complex, they will be issuing their revised shipping scale within the next few days.

Two Limited Edition Lupercalia Massage Oils are available! BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE MASSAGE OIL An exercise is unabashed sensuality: cacao absolute and a hint of oude. BOURBON VANILLA MASSAGE OIL Deceptively sweet: bourbon vanilla oleoresin and benzoin resinoid. Our gentle, balancing massage oils were created with the finest environmentally-responsible and body-friendly ingredients. Both oils are vegan, blissfully devoid of harsh chemicals or unwholesome fillers, paraben and formaldehyde free, and do not contain sodium lauryl or sodium laureth sulfate. These luxurious oils absorb well, granting you the power of the aromatherapeutic properties of the essential oils, as well as the healing and soothing aspects of the base oils’ health-affirming properties. The smooth, even texture of the blends are easy on your massage therapist’s hands! Handmade by Black Phoenix. These massage oils have corresponding bath oils as well! There are two Lupercalia atmosphere sprays that were inspired by Aphrodite as patroness: APHRODITE KYPRIA ATMOSPHERE SPRAY Egyptian musk, Ceylon cinnamon, cassia, and bourbon vanilla. APHRODITE EYRKINÊ ATMOSPHERE SPRAY Blood orange, ylang ylang, red musk, jasmine, and mimosa. And also! – the Eros Inquisition… The Eros Inquisition + The Eros Inquisition: Limited Edition Lupercalia 2012 Love, unconquerable, Waster of rich men, keeper Of warm lights and all-night vigil In the soft face of a girl: Sea-wanderer, forest-visitor! Even the pure immortals cannot escape you, And mortal man, in his one day’s dusk, Trembles before your glory. The Eros Inquisition! An examination of love in all its glory and horror. Show the world the quintessence of your heart. If you participate in the Inquisition by sharing a tale, song, poem, or original piece of artwork expressing infatuation, love, lust, loss, or madness, you will receive a perfume oil (L’essence) and bath oil (L’eau) set, plus a small atomizer filled with L’essence du Cœur Libéré des Ténèbres (L’extrait). You can bypass the Inquisition and purchase the perfume oils and bath oils separately, but you will only receive the extrait if you submit to the Inquisition. How do you woo the imps and goblins? You may plead your case in the comments field of your order. Time permitting, all entries will be published on the Black Phoenix Trading Post web site as they come in, unless you request otherwise. When making your order, please indicate whether you wish to remain anonymous. If you would like your name published, specify how you wish for it to appear. Spin your narrative, from life or fantasy, and let Eros decide; or simply pick your poison, and indulge in love-dappled scents that will wrap you in the warmth of true love, inspire flirty dalliances, rouse raging passion, delve into the depths of madness, and evoke heartrending memories of love lost. + Ecstasy: Intoxication of the First Kiss L’ESSENCE DE L’ENGOUEMENT French vanilla, pink candies, strawberry sugar, and orange blossom. L’EAU DE L’ENGOUEMENT Pink strawberries, sugar cane, and candy floss. + The Radiant Glory of Love: Devotion, Understanding, and Unity L’ESSENCE DE L’ARDEUR Centifolia rose absolute, tea rose, bourbon vanilla, bittersweet chocolate, champaca resinoid, myrrh, nutmeg, pomegranate, and benzoin. L’EAU DE L’ARDEUR French vanilla, tea rose, champaca flower, and white chocolate. + The All-Consuming Flames of Passion L’ESSENCE DE LA PASSION Red musk, carnation, myrrh, and honey. L’EAU DE LA PASSION Carnation, orange blossom honey, myrrh, and neroli. + The Depths of Despair L’ESSENCE DU CHAGRIN White chypre, French lavender, rose geranium, opopponax, Peru balsam, bois de rose, lime, and vanilla absolute. L’EAU DU CHAGRIN French Lavender, rose geranium, white rose, vanilla orchid, benzoin, and carrot seed. + The Cacophony of Madness L’ESSENCE DE LA FOLIE Pink pepper, black pepper, clove, myrrh, dark chocolate, labdanum, and Daemonorops draco. L’EAU DE LA FOLIE Cacao, frankincense, gurjum balsam, red tea, vetiver, and myrrh. L’essence du Cœur Libéré des Ténèbres Extrait Sweet vanilla orchid, red sandalwood, and ylang ylang emerging from a dark shroud of fossilized amber, East Indian black patchouli, black pomegranate, guaiac wood, Peru balsam, and oudh. For $46US, you will receive a full Inquisition set: a 4 oz. love-themed bath oil concocted by Black Phoenix Trading Post, a coordinating 5 ml Eros-touched perfume from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, and a small atomizer filled with extrait of L’essence du Cœur Libéré des Ténèbres. In order to receive L’essence du Cœur Libéré des Ténèbres, you must submit a story, poem, or piece of artwork to Black Phoenix Trading Post illustrating an aspect of love. You may order the perfume oils and bath oils individually, bypassing the Inquisition process, but you will not receive the extrait. L’essence du Cœur Libéré des Ténèbres is not sold separately. You may place an order for multiple sets, or place multiple orders; in either case, each plea will be considered separately in the course of the Inquest process. If you are placing an order for more than one set, you may submit multiple tales, applicable to each order. Please indicate which work of art pertains to which order.

"Good-night, ladies; good-night, sweet ladies; good-night, good-night." Sadly, Ophelia has said her good-nights, and, effective immediately, has been discontinued.