kebechet

I’ve been trying to find the least confusing way to explain the previously-floated topic of price increases. Understandably, this news causes a lot of stress for the community, so I want to lay it out as clearly as possible. As in almost every aspect of all of our lives, business costs have gone up everywhere: the Lab’s utilities, insurance, lab equipment, electronics, labels, ink, glass… all of it. Due to the complications of global market conditions, rising raw material rates, and unilateral increases in production and manufacturing prices, the cost of staying in business continues to rise. We are trying to weather the storm while still striving to provide benefits and fair wages to our employees and keep our prices low for our customers. I’ll be frank: this included relocating across the country in an effort to keep operational costs down. We find ourselves at a point where a modest adjustment in pricing is necessary if the company is to survive. Some ingredients have gotten so prohibitively expensive that we are taking heavy hits—while others have increased, but not quite so dramatically. Up until now, most of Black Phoenix’s oils have had similar pricing, despite the variations in component and manufacturing cost. The previous pricing model was part of our strategy for keeping things as streamlined and uncomplicated as possible—unfortunately, as we all know way too well, the strategies and plans that used to work have gotten completely shaken up (and apart) over the past few years. We just can't streamline prices the way we used to. This means that there won't be consolidated pricing tiers. We are going in and pricing everything individually, based on how much each item costs to make. Given the scope of our catalog and the complexity of our products, this is a huge undertaking. We don't want to do this, and we've done our best to stave it off, but costs have been going up for years and we've exhausted all other options. Over the past twenty-plus years, our commitment to providing the highest quality products and service to our clients has remained unwavering. We take great pride in the craftsmanship and artistry that goes into each and every one of our products, striving to provide you with an unparalleled olfactory (and community) experience. We are so deeply grateful for the love and support that has sustained us for so long. In order to avoid pulling down the website indefinitely, we will be rolling out the price changes gradually starting around March 19th. We'll try to rip this particular band-aid off by getting everything updated as quickly as possible, but please know that prices adjustments may continue into April while we finish working on the math for each individual scent while leaving a time buffer in case there are additional tech delays. In the meantime, all oils are priced as-is on the website at any particular time. We know that the ambiguity may be frustrating, but we don't see any other way around it, and going forward, we may continue to adjust prices as necessary without additional notice. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at answers@blackphoenixalchemylab.com. We'll try to answer anything and everything to the best of our ability. Thank you for your kindness, your understanding, and your compassion as we navigate these changes. You all have been an integral part of our life’s story, and we remain honored to be a part of yours.

BPAL is running a Lone Star Fundraiser! https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/product-category/activism/lone-star-fundraiser/ Texas is enduring an absolutely terrifying winter. Millions of households across Texas are without power or potable water, the water crisis in the state is escalating, and while the icy weather is easing up, the thaw will bring a whole host of new problems. I have blended three oils to help us raise more funds to help Texans in need. Proceeds from the sale of these three scents - inspired by a few of Texas’ state animals – will benefit the Bridge Homeless Recovery Center, Austin Disaster Relief and Food Bank RGV. BPAL has gotten the ball rolling with preliminary donations to all three orgs. Please consider donating directly, or donating to the following organizations, or volunteer if you are able: Austin Mutual Aid is raising funds for people who are experiencing homelessness. https://www.gofundme.com/f/kick-the-cold-austin-mutal-aid The Austin Area Urban League is running an emergency donation drive to help obtain shelter and safety for those at risk. https://aaul.org/ Maximizing Hope is raising money to book hotel rooms and get food and gear for people. https://givebutter.com/MaxedHope Front Steps is running a blanket drive. https://frontsteps.org/ Here are Texas mutual aid funds you can venmo right now: Austin: @ austinmutualaidhotels Houston: @ mutualaidhou Dallas: @ feedthepeopledallas This is a searchable resource for Texas food banks: https://www.feedingtexas.org/get-help/ HAMMY NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD A dusty, dry woody scent that manages to be surprisingly flamboyant: white sandalwood, violet leaf, orris root, cardamom pod, and Texas cedar. JUDGMENTAL LONGHORN He knows what you’ve been up to. Sweet tonka, smoked vanilla, benzoin, labdanum, amber, hay absolute, cacao absolute, and soft brown musk. MUDDY ARMADILLO This little fella is a whole mood. Cacao, cacao wood, tobacco absolute, and bourbon cream.

I don’t know if I can effectively articulate how difficult it has been to create this year’s series. What stories can I tell while we stand here together on the precipice of the abyss? DragonCon falls on or around her birthday every year, and that’s usually the demarcation point where one Lilith/Parenthood series ends and the next begins. I remember Lilith and Chrissy both cosplaying Catwoman on the same night. I remember taking Lilith to get a photo with David Tennant, and I remember Ted, Brian, and m’self all dressing up as Chattering Order of St. Beryl clergy. I remember seeing all our con friends, our Georgia family, I remember the restaurants we always go to in Atlanta. Who could have known what a difference a few scant months would make? I remember autumn. I remember the crazy car she made out of CDs and the bridge she constructed out of popsicle sticks for her engineering class. I remember Lilith putting on a yellow rain slicker so she could take a photo with Pennywise at Dark Delicacies. I remember taking Lilith to Blue Bayou in New Orleans Square for her birthday, and I remember her building a droid. I remember watching Lilith play chess with her best friend through a dirty window. I remember taking her to pool parties and haunts, to museums, playdates, and dinners. I remember taking her to record her music in a professional studio for the first time. I remember chaperoning her chorus retreat at the beach. I remember what she wore for Halloween. I remember winter. I remember orientation at her new school – she would be entering middle school at the school of her dreams the next fall! I remember dropping her off to perform at a retirement home, and I remember dropping her off to perform at Disney Hall. I remember Lilith taking her belt tests and practicing her sparring. (Her kung fu studio is closed now, like so many other businesses.) I remember her catching a cold right when we arrived in New Orleans, and I remember the tarot reading she got in Jackson Square. I remember Lilith playing in Audubon Park, and I remember the boy that kept showing off to try to get her attention. I remember bringing Matilda home with us, and how she puked on Lilith during the ride home. I remember Lunacy events and Lilith’s charity fundraisers. I remember her moments with Krampus and I remember Yule. I remember New Year’s Day, and I remember wondering what the year would bring. I remember spring. Spring hurts. I have photographs of Lilith that were taken on the day that we all realized something was terribly, terribly wrong. I have a photo that was taken on our trip to Disneyland for my birthday, minutes before I got a news pop-up on my phone that Covid had hit the States. You could feel the air change, and it was like a dark hum was slowly reverberating through the park; people were suddenly avoiding touching railings, and everyone in the bathrooms seemed to be washing very thoroughly all the way up to their elbows. We washed our hands between every ride. We didn’t touch anything if we could help it. We scoured the park for hand sanitizer. On the ride home, Ted and I discreetly had a very serious talk about what we need to do if Something Happens. I have a photograph of Lilith at the last chorus rehearsal before the shelter in place hit, and I remember someone reaching out to shake my hand. I flinched — recoiled — and said, “I’m so sorry, but we’re not supposed to do that anymore!” I remember the first masks I bought for our family. I remember what the shelves in the market looked like. I remember the moment I stopped touching my face. I remember the scarcity, the fear, the uncertainty, and the change. I remember the moment everything changed. How do I write this series? How do I explain how strong she has been, how sensible and courageous? Do I talk about how she began processing her anxiety through horror makeup? How helpful and kind she has been? Do I talk about her sorrow or her boredom? Her isolation or her ennui? Do I talk about how political she has become, how she brims with the rage of justice? Do I talk about what it’s like to be a parent during plague? Or what it’s like to raise a child when you live under the spectre of authoritarianism? Do I talk about loss, regret, and sorrow? Or do I focus on the bright moments in dark times? How honest can I be? Do I talk about how she counted the days until school would begin, just so something would happen? Do I talk about hope? I don’t know how to do this. Lilith, I love you. This pandemic has brought so much catastrophe and so many terrors, but the gift that it has given me is the time we’ve been able to spend together. You are my meditation buddy, my yoga partner, my debate opponent. Not only are you my daughter, but you are one of my dearest and most cherished friends. I can’t tell you how much I treasure our relationship. All the many jokes, stories, and fears that we have shared with one another in these past months… it is wonderful beyond measure, and I can’t tell you how much this bond – our bond – means to me. I love you, Lilith. I love your righteous fury, your need to protect those who are not empowered to protect themselves. I love your snark and your sweetness, your compassion and your vengeance. You are mighty, my daughter, and I believe in you. I always have, and I always will. There are many poems that make me think of you, my daughter, but in these dark and uncertain times, this one is the first to spring to mind — …Hush, for it is dark, and will grow darker still. We must embark directly. Bring an orange as the toll for Charon: he will be our gondolier. Upon the shore, the season pans for light, and solstice fish, their eyes gone milky white, come bearing riches for the dying year: solstitial kingdom. It is yours, the mime of branches and the drift of snow. With shaking hands, Persephone, the winter’s wife, will tender you a gift. Born in a time of darkness, you will learn the trick of making. You shall make your consolation all your life. – excerpt from Lullaby, Amanda Jernigan You know the trick of making, Lilith, and you will change the world. Happy birthday, Lilith. I love you. https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/product-category/lilith-2020/

The first run of the new lockets (coffin and book!) are going live with the (belated, sorry!) Lunacy, Please Scream Inside Your Heart, and some scrubs (yay!!) tomorrow at 9am Pacific.

Psst! Frederic is back, and - as always - he's only here through February 29th! https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/limited-edition/frederic-perfume-oil/

We are thrilled to be a part of Sihaya & Company's Winter Box, Once Upon A Winter Sky! Our contribution is Auriga: AURIGA First recorded by Ptolemy, the Charioteer is most often associated with Myrtilus and Erichthonius, and with Athena and Hermes by proxy. Capella, its brightest star, is the star of Amalthea, Zeus’ gentle, nurturing foster-mother. This scent is set against the backdrop of a winter sky. It is a perfume that seeks to harness the wit and raw potential of Hermes, the wisdom and power of Athena, and the authority and sovereignty of Zeus – tempered by Amalthea’s compassion and mercy, propelled by the self-discipline, willpower, and determination of the Chariot. Starry white vegetal musk and a cold winter wind blowing through olive blossom, sweet labdanum, fossilized amber resin, fir needle, fern, balm melissa, champaca, cypress, and white cedar. The Winter box will go live at 9am Eastern on Friday (the first 25 boxes) and later at 5pm Eastern on Friday (the second 25 boxes). A total of 50 boxes will be sold. Please go to sihayaandcompany.com to purchase!

https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/product-category/autumn-collection/lilith-2019/ I love you, Lilith. I love you so goddamn much. It is a privilege to be your mother, and it is an honor to be your friend. ALL MY FRIENDS ARE TURNING GREEN This year, Lilith made her first studio recording, a cover of Riptide produced by the inimitable Paige Stark and engineered by Taylor Locke at Velveteen Laboratory. I couldn’t possibly be prouder of her. https://soundcloud.com/user-169723815/riptide-cover-lilith-barrial When Lilith covers a song, she truly adds a quality all her own: she can make any song – no matter how upbeat and cheery – sound like a funeral dirge, and I fucking love it. A pop-song-turned-requiem: honeyed honeybush and carnation blackened, slowed, and thickened by raspy aged patchouli, sweet clove, and opoponax. AND SING, AND SING Sometimes the mist overhangs my path, And blackening clouds about me cling; But, oh, I have a magic way To turn the gloom to cheerful day— I softly sing. And if the way grows darker still, Shadowed by Sorrow’s somber wing, With glad defiance in my throat, I pierce the darkness with a note, And sing, and sing. I brood not over the broken past, Nor dread whatever time may bring; No nights are dark, no days are long, While in my heart there swells a song, And I can sing - James Weldon Johnson A perfume for my songbird: lavender and white musk with sugared tuberose and pale mosses. BACK IN BLUEBLACK The color of a raven’s wing, gleaming like an oil slick: cistus labdanum, oakmoss, black vetiver, Italian bergamot, chocolate oudh, French lavender, violet leaf and petal, and sweet aged patchouli. THE BALCONY SCENE Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already sick and pale with grief That thou her maid art far more fair than she. This year, Lilith was cast as Romeo in her Shakespeare group’s production of Romeo and Juliet, which took place in their vision of Venice Beach in the ’90s; the Capulets were preppies and Heathers, and the Montagues were goths and punks. Lilith’s interpretation of Romeo was pure ’90s grunge. Blood red roses, innocent pale orris root, bourbon vanilla, and sorrowful carrot seed. BITS OF BIRNAM WOOD Lilith takes theater very seriously, and when her Shakespeare troupe decided to do Macbeth, she became their unofficial propmaster. She gathered swords, shields, and daggers from her vast collection of weapons (this kid should have her own armory), and brought armloads of apple branches harvested from her school’s farm to the theater. Her faithful assistants – Teddy and I – had the pleasure of lugging those branches and weapons to and fro for months. Great Birnam Wood didn’t just come to high Dunsinane Hill – it marched all over Los Angeles: apple wood, apple buds, squished apples, and apple blossom. BLOODY MARY, BLOODY MARY Bloody Mary has a long-standing tradition in our family. I summoned Bloody Mary with my friends in bathrooms all over Southern California; many years later, Lilith and a bunch of her friends summoned Bloody Mary in the school bathroom (she’s probably still there, sorry!); and last year Lilith and Tom played two of the incarnations of Bloody Mary in our school’s haunted maze. A few years back, Lilith the Budding Exorcist passed on some sage advice to me: if you ever have trouble banishing an unruly spirit, just flush them down the toilet. Black cherry blood globs over a thick crust of patchouli. BOOTS She wore Doc Martens during an entire season of volleyball – the practices and the games themselves – and I just want to remember that forever, is all. God, she’s so funny. Little Kid Stompy Boots: leather, dust, lavender oil, wood chips, and grass. BULLSEYE In order for Lilith to get her certification in basic range safety, we had to get our asses up at the crack of dawn to get her down to the range. Lil, Teddy, Brian, and I all went through the lessons together. Lilith was doing great, but by the end she was really feeling the echo of our pre-dawn alarm. After the class ended, there was a fun little contest to see who could pop balloons with their arrows on the first try. Lilith was resistant; she was tired, kinda /done/ with everything, and just wanted to turn in her equipment and watch us. We all pushed her to at least give it a try – You have your equipment on anyway! Just do it! It’s fun! Well, she did. She whipped out one arrow, and casually nailed a balloon perfectly with one shot. A perfume of Southern California winter: white sage, lavender buds, sugarbush, squished toyon berries, mugwort, wild rose, black walnut bark, and crunchy oak leaves drifting on a morning breeze. CANDY, CHAINS, AND FURBALLS Lilith has always loved Krampus, and Bill Rude of 7 Hells is responsible for so much of that love. He is the first Krampus she ever met – I think she was 2! – and he’s been “her” Krampus ever since. This year, she had the privilege of being invited to join his Krampus crew. Bill is amazing – he presented her with a formal invitation at the Los Angeles Krampuslauf last December, and she was overwhelmed with joy. In a few scant months, Lilith will be a terrorizing onlookers along with him. Lilith will never, ever forget it. Thank you, Bill. You are the best. A furry, horned little scent: a patchouli bramble smeared with cacao and black peppercorn. GNOME RUCKUS Lilith has been playing RPGs on and off for a few years now, but it wasn’t until 2019 that she really dove into playing them in earnest. She joined D&D games at the cons we went to, she signed up for a D&D group at a local community center, she GMs a small game for a couple of her besties, and she had a Friday night D&D group for most of the year. Here, our paladin and cleric discuss whether or not to bribe a shady, evasive, closed-mouthed gnome merchant over information he may or may not have regarding a series of strange murders. RPG night junk food: popcorn, red vines, and cream soda. THE GREAT VIRGO BAKING SHOW They’re actually making burgers here, but the Great Virgo Burger Slap just didn’t have the vibe I was looking for in a scent name. They have baked together in the past; you’re just going to have to trust me on that. Unless, of course, you want a burger-scented perfume. Brian and Lilith bring out the best in each other, and she’s totally his Mini Me. As far as Lil is concerned, everything her Unkie says and does is the “literal coolest”. Lilith told me that I should make this scent smell like honeyed cream and pecan pie, so there you go. HEALTH GOTH A perfume for our Sporty Bat: juniper berry, lavender bud, bergamot, and white incense. Lilith has always been a sporty kid who wasn’t into team sports, but that changed a bit this year. She’s always loved martial arts (especially kung fu) and yoga, recently took up archery, and is trying to talk us into letting her start fencing, too. Basically, she loved sports that she could do on her own. (Very, very Virgo.) When she was little, we tried putting her in soccer, and she hated it. Brought up softball and baseball – she shut it down immediately. Last fall, she shocked us by joining her school’s volleyball team. IMPROMPTU GOAT YOGA This year, we started inviting Party Goats LA to our events, and it has been one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. The people who run PGLA are amazing human beings, and their goats are sweet, charming, and wonderful. There’s something about the presence of these radiant little goats that brightens everyone’s mood. Just like her mom, Lil loves goats. Lilith will pass on the pretty dress, but she sure does like the taste of butter – and she’s already living deliciously. Goat’s milk, lavender buds, white tea, and marshmallow musk. IN HEL, WE FEAST ON SUGAR PACKETS I think every dedicated cosplayer ends up with at least one character that’s their go-to… the one they resonate with most, or feel most comfortable portraying. For Lilith, it’s Hela. No matter what new cosplay she comes up with, she always goes back to Hela for at least one day of any given con. It’s her “comfort cosplay”, and I suspect that she’d dress like Hela every day – weather permitting – if she were able to. Here she’s recharging with sugar packets from a concessions stand at San Diego Comic-Con. In Hel, we feast on sugar packets: raw sugar and white petals strewn on the floors of the High Halls. L337 SKILLZ Lilith loves video games, so it’s little surprise that she got into Fortnite for a while. The first time she played, she finished first almost by accident – mostly by hiding and being in the right place at the right time. She’s not all that keen on shooting people; what she loves is small talk. She’ll join a game, chit chat on a channel, and if no one feels like talking, she leaves. A pop of fruit punch bubblegum. LAZY DAISY Lilith isn’t really all that lazy, but it is the name of her preferred stitch. Four years ago, Lilith took up knitting. Two years ago, it was weaving. This past year: embroidery. Neither Lil nor I are great at it yet, but not for lack of trying. At least no one that comes over to our place is ever at a loss for a tea towel since our embroidery adventure started. (Tea towels. So. Many. Tea towels.) Cotton stained with jasmine tea, Earl Grey, and a bit of oolong. LITTLE ATALANTA Lilith is a very martial creature. She loves kung fu and swordplay, and has been begging for archery lessons for years. We were finally able to fit it in this past year, and she took to it immediately. Now she’s asking if she can learn mounted archery, and I’ve been joking about sending her to a huntress summer camp with our cousins in Mongolia. A pleather jacket and a swirl of autumn leaves. MY TIGER In folklore, the tiger is a fearsome, ferocious enemy of evil spirits and evil men and protector of the virtuous. The tiger is courage incarnate, joyful power, and a symbol of justice and righteousness. Lilith is my little tiger: a protector and preserver. She is a truly compassionate person, and ever since she was born, she has been a defender of the vulnerable and the meek. She abhors bullying and cruelty, and always stands up for people who are being harassed and oppressed. I admire her moral courage, her devotion to duty, and her dedication to doing what is right no matter the consequences. A scent of strength and serenity: golden amber and pale lavender, sweet red patchouli and sugar cane. SATURDAY MORNING Sunny amber, coconut milk, squished grass, lavender oil, a chomp of lemongrass, and a poof of dandelion. THE SCOTTISH PRINCESS Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood. Stop up the access and passage to remorse, That no compunctious visitings of nature Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between The effect and it! Come to my woman’s breasts, And take my milk for gall, you murd'ring ministers, Wherever in your sightless substances You wait on nature’s mischief. Come, thick night, And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark To cry “Hold, hold!” This year, Lilith was cast as Lady Macbeth in one of her Shakespeare group’s productions, and she fell in love with the part. She also takes the Scottish Curse VERY seriously, and god help you if you say “Macbeth” anywhere near her unless you’re running lines with her – I can’t tell you how many times she made me spin and spit during those months of rehearsals. Angels and ministers of grace defend us! A cherry bomb of guilt-crusted blood, black clove, red roses, and sweet black musk. SHE SAUNTERED VAGUELY DOWNWARDS Lilith is in love with Good Omens. She’s in love with the book, and she’s in love with the show. While she adores Aziraphale, she identifies more strongly with Crowley. She admires his nerve, his devotion to Aziraphale, and she is delighted by his sense of humor. This year at DragonCon, she cosplayed Crowley with Chrissy (while Ted, Brian, and I were nuns and priests from the Chattering Order of St. Beryl – thank you, Jenny!), and as a birthday gift to her, I got her a photo op with David Tennant – who is /also/ her favorite Doctor. A scent for a tiny demoness: sugar and red musk with pink pepper, cotton candy, and a poof of brimstone. SOCIAL JUSTICE PALADIN When she first started playing D&D, we talked a lot about alignment: what alignment we think family members are, friends of ours, characters in books, TV, and movies. We all agree that Lilith is Lawful Good – the Lawfulest and Goodest, and a paladin to boot – and she kinda hates it. She feels like Lawful Good is an embarrassing alignment to be, and that people will think you’re an obnoxious, smug goody two-shoes. Now, I get it: RPG paladins get a bad rap. They’re often portrayed as aloof, judgmental bores – self-righteous, bombastic, sanctimonious jerks. But Lilith really is a paladin in the kindest sense of the word: she’s noble and loving, compassionate and just, courageous and protective. She’s generous and empathetic, with loved ones and strangers alike, and not only does she try to do the right thing by her friends, but she also volunteers and fundraises for causes dear to her heart when she is able. I know it’s probably annoying that I blab so much about how inherently good my kid is, but it’s something that I absolutely treasure in her. She just wants to help, and the world needs helpers. A shining scent, bright and warm: copal, champaca blossom, sweet amber, frankincense, and lemon peel. GENERATION SPOOKY Lilith has been a devout Billie Eilish fan for some years now, so it seemed fitting that this should be Lilith’s first major concert. The show was phenomenal: the production itself was breathtaking, and Billie Eilish is a fantastic performer who really, truly knows how to connect with her audience. Lilith was ENTRANCED. The whole experience really opened my eyes to who Gen Z is: a generation formed in the throes of horrific violence, born without innocence but steeped in compassion. They are profoundly dark, but without the cynicism of their Gen X predecessors. These kids are unimaginably powerful – forged in fire – and possessed of an empathy, open-mindedness, and tolerance that the rest of us can only begin to imagine. They are the gothest generation – a legion of dark stars – and they will likely save us all. They will be the best of us. A perfume for the creepy kids, the iconoclasts, the revolutionaries: blackcurrant, cistus, blackened sugar, and oud. JUSTICE FOR MARY This year, Lilith wrote her first report, and after a lot of deliberation, she chose to write about Mary Todd Lincoln. She was fascinated by the séances that Mrs. Lincoln held in the White House, and she was horrified by how Mary Todd has been remembered by historians and wanted to learn more about her. I didn’t know much about Mary Todd Lincoln myself, so it was educational for me, too, and I was blown away by the conclusions Lilith drew. I’ll let Lil speak for herself – Who was Mary Todd Lincoln? People said that Mary Todd Lincoln was an unpopular First Lady but I think she should be remembered better than that. She had a hard and sad life and a lot of what happened to her was because of patriarchy, which is when society is run by men and men make all the rules, and misogyny, which is prejudice against women. She had so many people die in her life too. People said she was “crazy” and “uncivilized” and “insane” and one White House staffer even called her a “hellcat.” I don’t think she was insane but she was misunderstood. Mary remembered her childhood as “desolate.” She was born in 1818 on December 13 in Kentucky. Mary was the daughter of an important banker. She was a privileged well-educated child of a wealthy slave holding family. However, Mary did not like slavery and grew up to be an Abolitionist. Her mom died in childbirth when Mary was six. Her dad remarried two years later and Mary did not like her stepmother. They did not get along. Mary was an Abolitionist but most of her half-brothers were Confederate soldiers that died in the Civil War, which was sad. Mary met Abraham at a party in Springfield Illinois. They broke up and got back together. Then they got married on November 4, 1842. On Mary’s wedding ring Lincoln engraved “love is eternal.” When Abraham Lincoln became President of the United States Mary became First Lady. When she first became First Lady people did not like her right away. Mary was from the South and Abraham was a poor man from Illinois. They judged her and were snobby to her. They said she was “uncouth” and uncivilized and unproper. That she had bad manners and bad fashion. A lot of people in Washington gossiped about her and said mean things and I bet that hurt her feelings a lot. She started to throw really fancy parties and spend a lot of money on clothes and to decorate the White House to try to fit in and make people like her. It didn’t work and people just started saying she spent too much money. She got stressed and that’s why she was spending so much money but it actually made people like her even less. She wasn’t good at talking to people and she was easy to influence and manipulate with stuff like gossip, probably because she didn’t have a lot of friends or people she could trust. Mary had a lot of tragedy in her life and her sadness made her act in ways that people thought was strange. She had four sons: Robert (1848-1926), Edward (1846-1850), William (1850-1862), and Thomas “Tad” (1853-1871). His dad gave him the nickname “Tad” because he had a big head like a tadpole. Only one of Mary’s sons lived to become an adult and all of them died really young. After William “Willie” died from typhoid Mary started going to seances and hosting seances so she could contact his spirit. Seances are where you are bringing back the ghosts of the dead to come talk to you. When Willie died, Mary was all alone. President Lincoln was in the middle of fighting in the Civil War and couldn’t be there for her. Mary started talking to mediums who are the people who spirits talk through and who lead seances. She would have mediums come to do “calls to the dead” in the White House Red Room. She also had a rough life because her half-brothers were all killed in the Civil War. Her husband was then assassinated in the theater when she was sitting right next to him holding his hand. That’s really sad. When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated Mary became a widow. She had a lot of debt because of all the money she spent – or other people would say “wasted” – and she had to go begging to the government for money which was probably really embarrassing and hard. She moved a lot and eventually her son Robert asked the court to declare her a lunatic. He had people spy on her, he paid doctors to say she was insane, he paid store clerks and shopkeepers and hotel employees to testify that she was insane. He tricked her and she had no time to prepare her defense. He had people say that she spent too much money, would hurt herself, hold seances, could not take care of herself. The jury only took a few minutes to convict her and she had to spend months in an institution! Back then, men could use laws to put women in asylums and hospitals if they were troublesome. In Illinois in 1875, there was a law that said that “married women may be detained in hospitals at the request of the husband without evidence of insanity.” Women had almost no rights back then. If men wanted to they could have their wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, and other women in their lives locked up for being annoying, rude, improper, disobedient, strange, or weird. Almost any reason they could come up with. They could probably even do “cuz I feel like it.” Mary was probably a victim of this. She was not mentally unstable and was not in danger of harming herself or anyone else. Her son just thought she was annoying and hard to deal with. She wasn’t crazy. She was just stressed and sad and worried. When she was younger, people said that she was witty and charming and smart, but also that she had a bad temper and was sarcastic and moody. She was more interested in politics than most women of her time. She didn’t fit in. In the end, Mary went to live with her sister. She died from a stroke exactly eleven years after her son Tad died. #justiceformary A forgotten lemon verbena sachet and a splash of rose water, neroli, and orange blossom. στοργή (Storge) I love this little girl, this tween, this fierce, tiny beast. The love I feel for her is overwhelming, breath-stealing, and absolute. I love her for all her strengths and glories, and I love her for all her sorrows and flaws. I love her completely, unconditionally, and utterly. She is my moonlight, my starlight, my sunshine. Lavender-enveloped Snake Oil with cotton candy, honey, and rosewater. THAT VILLAIN ROMEO O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear; Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear! So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows, As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows. The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand, And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand. Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night. Honeyed lilies, white musk, white pear, and golden amber. VAMPIRE TWEEN Two years ago, we had Vampire Princess. Now we’ve got Vampire Tween: blood musk and lavender with bourbon vanilla, strawberry cotton candy, and buttercream. A million thanks to Tom for this photo! VIRGOS LOVE POWER TOOLS It’s a fact. Lavender, a bloop of Schwarzer Mond, some motor oil, sawdust, and rusty screws. YOU’RE A DAISY IF YOU HAVE The second research paper that Lilith did this year had to be on a person or event that took place during the Great Expansion. After a ton of deliberation, Lilith decided to do her paper on Doc Holliday. We found out the hard way that there is a dearth of kiddo books about notorious TB-plagued gamblers of the Old West, so this one was a bit of a challenge. In the end, Lilith did an amazing job on her paper, and she left the project with a newfound love of blackjack and poker – and a profound and crushing disappointment that faro isn’t really a thing anymore. Mixed blessing? She’s got her own cards and chips now. #questionableparenting Boot leather, whiskey, tobacco smoke, prairie wildflowers, chaparral, white sage, and gunpowder. And now some words from Lilith's dad - Creating the Lilith scents every year are always a little bittersweet for me. I love to take a moment to look back and revisit the last year, but there’s also a sadness in knowing that my little girl is growing up and moving away from me. I have watched her become such a strong, brave, smart woman, and I have loved seeing her get closer to Beth as she moves into her tweens. It is a joy to watch them huddle on the couch and have their mom and daughter talks. It is beautiful to see Lilith confide in Beth about everything. I am not jealous of their relationship, but the sting of not being her center of the universe is hard. I love her so much and I sometimes miss her running up to me and saying, "Carry me!" Lilith, I love you infinity. UTTER SOPHISTICATION Lilith, Beth, and I love the theater and have attended quite a few shows. As all seasoned theater-goers know, it is proper theater etiquette to always behave in a dignified and courteous manner. I believe that we have achieved that. I love my proper, classy daughter to pieces. Dorian and lavender with beeswax rosin, polished oak, vanilla husk, a couple of stray popcorn kernels, and a dollop of Snake Oil. BIRTHDAY SURPRISE Beth does so much for everyone, so Lilith and I decided that it would be great to do something wonderful for her. We decided to surprise our favorite mom on her birthday with a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth. This image shows the joy and happiness that Lilith and I feel when we are dancing down the street after riding the Guardians ride. It might be adrenaline, it might be happiness, but I am pretty sure it is just dad and daughter love. I live for dancing in the streets with Lilith. Chocolate lava cake: Beth’s favorite. CON QUESTIONS While attending a convention, I dragged my family to watch a Ray Harryhausen panel. Lilith sat quietly while the panelists discussed all the Cyclopes, golden owls, and sword fighting skeletons, but perked up when they offered a yet-unreleased coffee table book about Harryhausen’s work. Lilith, dressed as the Joker, jumped up and said, "Daddy! I want to win it for you." It was so sweet, and when it was her turn to ask a question she asked the panel, "If you could make any monster of his as a plushie, which one would you choose?" The panel loved her question and Lilith won the book for me. I was so proud of her that I cried. I love that brave young lady. Clowny purples and greens and smeared bits of red: plum and blackcurrant with sugared mint, red currant, and vanilla bean. GO HAWKS! I might have mentioned once or twice that I love the Seahawks, and I have always wanted to share the love with Lilith. This year for the first time she agreed to attend a Seahawks game with me. I was ecstatic to say the least, and as you can see, the best part for her was plushies! Foam fingers! Popcorn! And hot dogs! Twenty years from now, I am hoping she will remember spending the day with her old man and that the Seahawks won the game. Yay! Go Hawks! I am not sure if I used enough exclamation points, so feel free to add more! Crisp, wet pine needles, soft mosses, bright bergamot, a bit of Dorian, and Lilith’s favorite lavender. CAT-LILITH AND CAT-DAD The scene – Dragon*Con 2019 The plot – My beautiful Cat-Lilith is prowling around busting up the bad guys, and as you know, crime fighters get tired pretty fast. Enter the Trusty ol’ Cat-Dad, lifting her high in the air onto his shoulders to save the day! I am not sure who is happier to have her up there – me or her. I hope Lilith always thinks of me as her protector and best friend. Cupcakes are to kids what catnip is to cats: red velvet cupcakes, buttercream, vanilla bean, and coconut cream. LILITH’S FIRST CONCERT Lilith loves Billie Eilish, and when her concerts were announced earlier this year, I attempted (like every other parent) to get tickets for the local show at the Greek Theatre – but it sold out in a matter of minutes. Backstory time: I worked in concert ticketing for years, so I begged one of my ticketing friends to help get me house seats. She laughed and said it was not one of her shows, and that some of the people in her office tried and failed to get tickets to the Greek show. If ticketing people can't get tickets, the show is a really, really hot ticket. After a few minutes of begging and pleading, she said that if I was willing to travel she might be able to get tickets for a show outside of Los Angeles. As everyone knows, I would move mountains for my Lilith, so of course I said yes. A few days later she emailed me to say that yes, she could get me tickets...but the choices were Red Rocks in CO, Portland, or San Diego. I chose San Diego and gave her my credit card info. As the date neared, Lilith was so excited about the show that she talked about it nonstop. The joy on her face when we arrived at our seats was worth all the hoops that I jumped through. It just goes to show that a father will do anything to make his baby happy. Day-Glo green lime and tea leaf with lavender, white musk, and a bit of Dorian. BREAD LUMPS Lilith only likes the soft insides of French bread, and she is notorious for eating all of the insides and handing the crust to poor ol’ dad. It has been years since I have enjoyed a whole piece of bread. This is photo evidence of what I get to eat. Please, please just once let me eat the whole piece of bread. Just once. Honey-drizzled discarded bread crusts.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's customer service dungeon will be closed until Monday, July 22nd. Orders will still be packed and shipped during that time, but we will be unable to answer any emails until Monday. Thank you very much for your patience and understanding!

The remaining stock from the BPAL x DD trunk show is live now in our Etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/alchemylab [None of my images are working (thanks Mercury Rx!) so here's a gif of Sabrina and Salem. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ]

Hi all! On June 30th from 4-6, Dark Delicacies will be hosting a BPAL trunk show! We're bringing some unreleased prototypes - both from collabs and straight out of the BPAL catalogue - and a few unreleased blends. It will be at the new Dark Delicacies location: 822 N Hollywood Way Burbank, CA 91505 Each bottle is $26, and we have a limited quantity of all of them due to the nature of the product. Allz we've got is what we made for the protoype. If we have leftovers, they'll be going on our etsy shop when we get a breather! Hope to see you there! ❤️ | | | FORMULA GGSG3: Gravedigger Bay rum, black leather, tobacco absolute, patchouli, bourbon vanilla, and soil. FORMULA JTEN1: Doom Wild plum, opium tar, honey, and vetiver. FORMULA JTP1: Poison Ear grey, metal, and cyanide accord. FORMULA SGMSP1: Bones Three sandalwoods, orris root, and benzoin. FORMULA GSH34: Popcorn Really buttery popcorn. Super buttery. FORMULA GSH36: Candy Sour gummies, lollipops, and coconut. FORMULA GSH21: Sweet Blob in Flower Patch Strawberry cheesecake ice cream, chocolate milk, bluebonnets, and dandelions. FORMULA UOS1520: Overconfident Hipster White gardenias, ylang ylang, pikake, lily of the valley, and peonies. FORMULA FFSZ1: First Mate Egyptian musk, coconut, white ginger, and tea leaf. FORMULA FFSIS4: Brothel Champaca blossom, sweet incense, black tea, sandalwood, and myrrh. FORMULA FFSS8: Spaceship Chrome and leather, a whiff of diesel, the whoosh of an oxygen generator, and a little bit of rusted metal. FORMULA FFSM4: Captain Brown leather, white cedar, bourbon vanilla, and sassafras. FORMULA FFSS1: Surgeon Aftershave and a drop of laudanum. FORMULA FFSK7: Strawberries and Motor Oil Fresh picked strawberries, strawberry juice, cream, tea roses, and a drop of motor oil. FORMULA FFSMM2: Booze Thick smoky stout with notes of chocolate, coffee, and apple. FORMULA FFSST5: Hospital Antiseptic, starched linen, and needles. FORMULA SGCM7: Vampire Roots and upturned earth, yew berry, night-blooming jasmine, and dark musk. FORMULA SGHAN3: Birthday Cake A really sugary, super frosted birthday cake. FORMULA SGSG4: Candy Witch Chocolate fudge cake with pumpkin icing. - - - Early Prototypes of BPAL scents: CHESHIRE CAT v1 DORMOUSE v3 MISKATONIC UNIVERSITY v2 DOC BUZZARD v1 SNOW WHITE v1 SQUIRTING CUCUMBER v4 ADAM v1 DOC CONSTANTINE v7 - - - Unreleased BPAL: 404: NOT FOUND v1 A scent to quell your disappointment: honey bourbon and tobacco absolute. 406: NOT ACCEPTABLE v1 Pretty much my reaction to everything since the 2016 election: oversteeped green tea, a bitter splash of kapoor kacheri, and black pepper. 502: BAD GATEWAY v1 We’re not getting a valid response from the upstream server: murky brown musk, a tangle of patchouli root, and swampy labdanum.

This past week, Georgia became the sixth state to pass Draconian anti-choice legislation, and this series is our response: an emergency fundraiser for Planned Parenthood, the Center for Reproductive Rights, and NARAL. Georgia's LIFE Act and the other pieces of monstrous, dystopian anti-choice legislation that have manifested in Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Dakota, and Ohio are all part of a wider agenda intended to dismantle the protections of reproductive rights guaranteed by Roe v. Wade. Though this legislation will certainly meet opposition at district and appellate levels, these laws are universally geared towards engineering a hearing before the Supreme Court as swiftly as possible, with the goal of overturning Roe v. Wade now that Kavanaugh has a seat. Furthermore, these restrictions are part and parcel of a coordinated, systemic effort to restrict the rights and attack the agency of cis women, trans women, trans men, racial, religious, and ethnic minorities, the LGBTQ community, non-binary individuals, immigrants, and low-income people. Reproductive rights are inseparable from economic security, and these brutal, authoritarian, oppressive anti-choice laws will disproportionately affect populations who already suffer the most and have access to the fewest options. The curtailing of reproductive rights impacts every single one of us. May we help each other shake off the yokes that suffocate us and deprive us of our basic human rights. If you are not in the market for perfume or beard oils, please consider volunteering as a clinic escort locally, or donating to / volunteering with the following organizations: Planned Parenthood https://www.plannedparenthood.org/ The Center for Reproductive Rights https://www.reproductiverights.org/ NARAL https://www.prochoiceamerica.org/ The American Civil Liberties Union https://www.aclu.org/ Access Reproductive Care: Southeast https://www.arc-southeast.org NNAF https://abortionfunds.org/ the Yellowhammer Fund https://yellowhammerfund.org/ Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund https://msreprofreedomfund.org/ Women Have Options http://www.womenhaveoptions.org/ And SPEAK UP. Talk about the real repercussions of these malevolent new laws. Challenge the stigma of talking about reproductive rights and condemn attacks on reproductive rights. Educate your friends, family, and neighbors and mobilize them to fight for reproductive justice. I SIT AND SEW I sit and sew—a useless task it seems, My hands grown tired, my head weighed down with dreams— The panoply of war, the martial tred of men, Grim-faced, stern-eyed, gazing beyond the ken Of lesser souls, whose eyes have not seen Death, Nor learned to hold their lives but as a breath— But—I must sit and sew. I sit and sew—my heart aches with desire— That pageant terrible, that fiercely pouring fire On wasted fields, and writhing grotesque things Once men. My soul in pity flings Appealing cries, yearning only to go There in that holocaust of hell, those fields of woe— But—I must sit and sew. The little useless seam, the idle patch; Why dream I here beneath my homely thatch, When there they lie in sodden mud and rain, Pitifully calling me, the quick ones and the slain? You need me, Christ! It is no roseate dream That beckons me—this pretty futile seam, It stifles me—God, must I sit and sew? - Alice Moore Dunbar-Nelson Silk threads unraveling: sheer vanilla and violet leaf with jasmine sambac, white musk, and tea leaf. THEY SHUT ME UP IN PROSE They shut me up in Prose – As when a little Girl They put me in the Closet – Because they liked me “still” – Still! Could themself have peeped – And seen my Brain – go round – They might as wise have lodged a Bird For Treason – in the Pound – Himself has but to will And easy as a Star Look down upon Captivity – And laugh – No more have I – - Emily Dickinson Loosed from the satin-pale corset, emerging from a gilded cage, that prison of silence: sweet bourbon vanilla, pale sandalwood, mallow flower, osmanthus, and shards of frankincense. THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN Yes, injured Woman! rise, assert thy right! Woman! too long degraded, scorned, opprest; O born to rule in partial Law's despite, Resume thy native empire o'er the breast! Go forth arrayed in panoply divine; That angel pureness which admits no stain; Go, bid proud Man his boasted rule resign, And kiss the golden sceptre of thy reign. Go, gird thyself with grace; collect thy store Of bright artillery glancing from afar; Soft melting tones thy thundering cannon's roar, Blushes and fears thy magazine of war. Thy rights are empire: urge no meaner claim,— Felt, not defined, and if debated, lost; Like sacred mysteries, which withheld from fame, Shunning discussion, are revered the most. Try all that wit and art suggest to bend Of thy imperial foe the stubborn knee; Make treacherous Man thy subject, not thy friend; Thou mayst command, but never canst be free. Awe the licentious, and restrain the rude; Soften the sullen, clear the cloudy brow: Be, more than princes' gifts, thy favours sued;— She hazards all, who will the least allow. But hope not, courted idol of mankind, On this proud eminence secure to stay; Subduing and subdued, thou soon shalt find Thy coldness soften, and thy pride give way. Then, then, abandon each ambitious thought, Conquest or rule thy heart shall feebly move, In Nature's school, by her soft maxims taught, That separate rights are lost in mutual love. - Anna Lætitia Barbauld Too long degraded, scorned, opprest: a bold, strident red chypre with sweet wild patchouli, bourbon vanilla, Tunisian neroli, tuberose, warm red currant, strawberry, and red labdanum. NO COWARD SOUL IS MINE No coward soul is mine No trembler in the world's storm-troubled sphere I see Heaven's glories shine And Faith shines equal arming me from Fear O God within my breast Almighty ever-present Deity Life, that in me hast rest, As I Undying Life, have power in Thee Vain are the thousand creeds That move men's hearts, unutterably vain, Worthless as withered weeds Or idlest froth amid the boundless main To waken doubt in one Holding so fast by thy infinity, So surely anchored on The steadfast rock of Immortality. With wide-embracing love Thy spirit animates eternal years Pervades and broods above, Changes, sustains, dissolves, creates and rears Though earth and moon were gone And suns and universes ceased to be And Thou wert left alone Every Existence would exist in thee There is not room for Death Nor atom that his might could render void Since thou art Being and Breath And what thou art may never be destroyed. - Emily Brontë I Undying Life: lavender, rockrose, and pale woods. ++ BEARD OIL SOCIUS BEARD OIL A solid, steadfast blend of patchouli, smoked vanilla husk, ambergris accord, and tawny oudh. ~ Photo: Alfred Gescheidt / Getty Images

Dark Delicacies has reopened at their new location, thanks to the generosity, kindness, and support of the horror, literary, and bibliphile community! Come celebrate with them on May 10 from 7-10pm and check out their new digs! Dark Delicacies 822 N. Hollywood Way Burbank, CA 91505 We're also introducing a scent to celebrate! WITCHES’ LACE Moss-green sugar spun lace dusted with mandrake root and sweet aged patchouli, dusty cedar, and crushed toadstools with a cauldron-splash of nightshade accord, tobacco flower, green cognac, and woodsmoke - …plus a pinch of ethically-harvested, locally-sourced vegan eye of newt and toe of frog. Pick up a bottle at darkdel.com!

I'll make this a quickie! It's hard to compete with Passover, Good Friday, Easter, St. Expedite's Feast Day, AND a full moon. We'll be announcing properly on Monday, but here's a head's up - Pink Moon is live! https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/a-little-lunacy-limited-edition/pink-moon-pefume-oil/ https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/a-little-lunacy-limited-edition/pink-moon-tee/ And also for my Ram Fam - https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/jewelry/lockets/aries-locket/ https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/a-little-lunacy-limited-edition/aires-socks/ A few scent lockets have been lightly restocked - https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/jewelry/lockets/triple-dagger-scent-locket/ https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/jewelry/lockets/white-rabbit-scent-locket/ https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/jewelry/lockets/snow-glass-apples-scent-locket/ Love you guys! Hope everyone is having a peaceful, joyful weekend!

Please help us help ease the strain of their move to a new location! ❤️ QUEEN MAB’S LACE And pleasant is the fairy land, But, an eerie tale to tell, At the end of every seven years, We pay a tithe to Hell, I am so fair and firm of flesh, I'm feared it be myself. The scent of twilight in a secluded grove. A tinkle of laughter in the distance echoes through the woods discordantly, and the shadows are thick with menace: a gossamer vanilla lace enveloped in a veil of honeysuckle, wild jasmine, poppy, crushed grass, evergreen, white cognac, white amber, lilac butter, tobacco, indigo musk, and bee balm. TEA ROSES AND LACE An opium-addled Victorian Easter: sugar-spun vanilla lace, black tea with cream, black tobacco and opium tar, a smear of chocolate, lavender-iced cookie crumbs, wilted tea roses, a burst of pink peony, green cognac, and a lacquered white musk. https://www.darkdel.com/store/c10/BLACK_PHOENIX_ALCHEMY_LAB.html

Hello all! We are currently out of the following scents, orders containing these scent will encounter a slight delay. Unicorn Junk Pegasus Junk Pericardium Atsui-Mono We apologize, from the bottom of our hearts, for any delay, and are doing all we can to get these moving as swiftly as possible!

HAPPY SWEET SIXTEEN, BPAL! YER OLD ENOUGH TO DRIVE! I keep starting to write this, stopping, and starting again. It’s the most wonderful and most joyous thing that I compose every year, but it’s also the hardest. How is it possible to adequately convey how important people are to me? How BPAL is my life, and all the myriad people that are part of BPAL are as important to me as blood? How do I explain what the support, love, and friendship of my family, my friends, my co-conspirators at the Lab, and our customers means to me? How it supports me and sustains me? How these relationships – these amazing, varied, vibrant and brilliant people – renew my hope every single day? Every year when I write this up, I am afraid that I will be unable to express my true, soul-deep, and heartfelt gratitude to you all. Black Phoenix isn’t just a company to me. Because of this experiment in weirdo perfume of mine, I have made lifelong friends, people who are as close to me as my own kin. You have shared all of my joys and terrors these past sixteen years. My BPAL family has been with me through so many pivotal, life-changing moments. You were with me at my wedding. You were there when I gave birth to my daughter, and you are there with me as I watch her grow up. Together, we have shared so much delight and pain and grief and bliss, and with every bit of my heart, I am so very, very grateful. Thank you for everything. Thank you for being with me these sixteen years. Here’s to decades more. I wrote this in 2016, and it’s just as true today - “This is a hard anniversary update to write. Every anniversary, I sum up the year and try to give thanks to everyone who enriches our lives. The latter is easy – my life is filled with the kindest, wisest, most compassionate people – but the former is stunningly difficult. 2016 has been cruel. 2016 has seen so much grief and loss, and the year has presented to us a series of breathtakingly devastating events, leaving so many in a mire of fear, uncertainty, and sorrow. “Since 2002, the community that has grown from Black Phoenix has become my family. Our beloved coworkers, our clients, the small companies that we work with, our forum moderators, the wonderful artists, writers, and creators that we are privileged to create for, our media outlets, our retailers, our extended Lunacy event family, our traveling medicine show convention family, the bloggers and journalists who think of us, and the wonderful, generous, kind people at the charitable organizations that we work with. “This is our family. You – if you are reading this – are part of our family, and I am grateful for you. “I know that it is cold comfort, but I want to tell you that we stand with you and you are not alone. We stand with the LGBTQ community, we stand with the disabled community, we stand with our brothers and sisters in every single minority religious, racial, and ethnic group. We stand with the trans community, we stand with immigrants and refugees, we stand with those who would protect our water and our land. We stand with you against hate. We stand with you against intolerance. We stand with you, and we will do everything within our power to fight with you and for you in this dark, uncertain time. In gratitude and with love…” Thank you. Thank you so much, everyone, for standing with us, supporting us, and sharing your lives with us these past sixteen years. Black Phoenix would not exist without your kindness, your love, your support, and your friendship, and my life would be hollow without you in it. Thank you, Brian, for being my ride-or-die. We have been through so much together. Thank you for everything you do and everything you are. Thank you for always making me laugh, always being there for me, and never, ever letting me down. I love you. Thank you, Ted, for being my heart’s joy, my true love, my soulmate, my 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. Thank you for being my Prince Charming, thank you for always being there for me, thank you for your patience, your sober counsel, your laughter, your filthy mind, your sense of humor. Thank you for being you, thank you for being mine. Lilith, you are my muse and my angel, my little werewolf, my baby bat. You are the light in my heart, you are my joy, and every single day I love you more and more. Thank you, Jacquelynn, for all of your dedication to the Lab, for your hard work, your dedication, your creativity, your intelligence and wit, and your huge, huge heart. You are such an important, vital part of BPAL, and I love you. Tom, thank you for all that you do. Thank you for all of your help promoting BPAL, thank you for being my Other Voice, thank you for always being there for me, for being a true friend, for listening to my incessant kvetching, and for your huge heart and vast, boundless creativity. Thank you for lending us your talent, thank you for being my friend. I love you. Thank you, Chrissy, for your passion and drive, your creativity and enthusiasm. I am grateful for you and for all you do, and I love you! Thank you, Piolet, for your hard work and your strength of character. Thank you for your wisdom and your humor, your optimism, your patience, your commitment, and your friendship. I love you! Thank you, Stephanie, for your incredible work ethic, your drive, and your patience. You are a treasure, and I love you! Thank you, Alex, for your positivity, buoyancy, and thoughtfulness, and for always treating everyone around you with such kindness. You are a wonderful person, and I love you! Cerina and Sabina, thank you for all of the hard work you put into helping us get through both calm work weeks and batshit crazy seasons. We couldn’t do this without you. I love you guys! Thank you, Galen, for the incredible videos that you have been crafting for BPAL, and for all that you help us with at events! You are exceptionally talented, incredibly sweet, and I love you! Thank you, Sara, Jared, and Viv, for all the love and enthusiasm you put into every Lunacy. Without you, our events would be pale shadows. I love you both very, very much. Kaitlin, you cannot imagine how grateful I am for your help and for your friendship. Thank you for the gift of your incredible heart, your beautiful Libra charms, and your deep compassion. I love you. Thank you to Tom, Galen, Lisa, Courtney, Eva, Ali, Donna, Andra, Jared, Anne, Chris, Jason, Eric, and Stitch for making #carnylife possible. You were all amazing, and we are deeply grateful for your help. Thank you so much for being there for us, and for giving so much of yourselves to the events! Thank you, Donna and Jeff, for being our bottle babysitters! You are lifesavers, and we love you so, so much! Thank you, Em for your wise counsel, for always having my back, for always being there for me, and for always listening. I would be lost without your advice and your friendship. I love you! Ali, you are and always will be my living Manual of Style! Thank you for unbabbling my babble, re-sensing my nonsense, and letting me bounce ideas off of you incessantly, and thank you for resuscitating the forum! You are an inspiration always, and I love you. Thank you, Andra, you are a true friend, a truly amazing human being, and I love you so much! Thank you to Sue and Del at Dark Delicacies for being such true and wonderful friends, and thank you for being the greatest grandparents a little demoness could ask for! We love you! Thank you, Courtney and Lisa, for being our extended Lunacy family! Thank you for all the energy and love you put into every event! We are all truly grateful! Thank you, Cat, for being such an amazing friend. Thank you for being my co-conspirator and confidante, thank you for your kindness. I love you! Jess and Samantha, I love you both. You are such an inspiration, and the truest of friends. Thank you to Neil Gaiman, Guillermo Del Toro, Legendary Pictures, Jim Jarmusch, Peter Beagle, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Emma Rios, Jess Schnabel, Disasterina, Erika Klash, Victoria Elizabeth Black, Fabio Listrani & Lo Scarabeo Tarot, Seanan McGuire, EFFY, Ministry of Trouble, Terry Pratchett, Terry Moore, Mike and Christine Mignola, George Perez, Peter David, Mark Waid, Thomas Negovan, Matt Wagner, Laika Studios, Jim Henson Productions, Brian Pulido, Joseph Michael Linsner, Gris Grimly, George RR Martin, Clive Barker, Mark Miller, David Mack, Gail Potocki, and Erin Morgenstern for giving Black Phoenix the opportunity to interpret your work. Thank you to the noble souls at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Your hard work changes lives. Thank you, Charles, for being an inspiration and a true friend. Infinite love and profound thanks to the artists, musicians, and DJ’s that have lent us their talent: Julie Dillon, Drew Rausch, Aristotle Pramagioulis, Alicia Dabney, Emma Rios, Madame Talbot, Quique Alcatena, Jennifer Rodgers, Manda Lander, Emily Wernet, Eric Thurnbeck, Lily Gabrielle Hoyda, Galen Adair, Keri Newton, Robert Kraiza, Tanya Bjork, Andrew Fogel, Brian Kessinger, Abigail Larson, Aidan Casserly, Sarah Coleman, Tenebrous Kate, Alicia Dabney, Mildren Louis, Brian Foote, Sarah Elizabeth Graves, Bill Crisafi, Holly Honeypot, Joshua Martin, Brian Foote, Sarah Elizabeth Graves, and DJ Accident Report. Infinite love and profound thanks to our collaborators, the event promoters that give us a home on our carny travels, and all the amazing people who host our fragrances in their shops and boutiques: Blood Milk, Haute Macabre, Loved to Death, the CBLDF, Two Minutes to Late Night, Renegade Game Studios, Ariel Italic, Lady Bearica Andrews, DJ Accident Report, Chicago Review Press, Dead For Filth, Gothic Renaissance, Ritualcravt, Think Geek, Century Guild, the Mütter Museum, Heretic Salon, Whole Foods, Pretty Indulgent, World of Wonder, Midsummer Scream, the Pleasure Chest, Oddities Flea Market, and Dark Delicacies. 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. Without you, I’d just be screaming into the void. Heartfelt gratitude to all of the organizations we sponsor. You are a light in the darkness, and it is our honor to support you in your work: The American Civil Liberties Union The NAACP The National Center for Transgender Equality The Southern Poverty Law Center Planned Parenthood Burbank Temporary Aid Center The National Park Foundation The National Parks Conservation Association Trevor Project EMILY’s List Orangutan Foundation UK RAINN RAICES The Women’s Sports Foundation Drag Queen Story Hour Drive-By Do-Gooders The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank Global Giving’s Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund Sonoma Valley Fire & Rescue Lake Country Fire & Rescue Humane Society of Ventura County Hispanic Federation’s Hurricane Maria Relief Fund UNHCR And last but certainly not least, I’d like to thank my ancestors, the genius loci of Los Angeles, all friendly spirits that help me out here and there, all the gods, angels, and archangels (both celestial and infernal), St. Expedite, our house ghost, the Lab poltergeist, and anyone else that might be looking out for me. AND WITHOUT FURTHER ADO - ++ 16th Anniversary: Rejected Company Names and Mascots After sixteen years of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, it’s easy to take certain parts of our journey for granted -- including our own name and mascot. However, considering the breadth of our classical influences, the capriciousness of our entrepreneurial spirit, and our overall dubious sense of humor, it could have so easily gone another way. Let’s climb into our alchemy-powered time machine for a view of what might’ve been, if we’d succumbed to more questionable influences. BELLICOSE CLAM ALCHEMY LAB If America’s political outlook doesn’t improve soon, this one is still a solid rebranding option. Yuzu, pink grapefruit, King mandarin, white musk, and lemon peel. BAGPIPE DOG ALCHEMY LAB Loyal. Faithful. Perpetually rehearsing “Scotland the Brave.” This is a mascot with real staying power. Bagpipe Dog will outlive us all. Gin and pine needle with lime and white juniper. CONSTIPATED ELEPHANT ALCHEMY LAB Because nothing says “scrappy indie perfumer with authority-figure issues” like a pachyderm who’s too P.O.’ed to poop. Ambergris accord, Mysore sandalwood, ambrette seed, cypress, nagarmotha, and grey agarwood. FISHTAIL BEAVER ALCHEMY LAB All activism scents all the time, except we’re too self-conscious to release them. They sit on a shelf and our friends love trying them on whenever they visit. We think they’re just being nice. Himalayan cedar and patchouli with vanilla husk and mint. EYEBALL SEABOAR ALCHEMY LAB Scratched at the last minute on the advice of our legal counsel, who was afraid people might misunderstand and pour the perfume directly into their eyes. “For External Purposes Only Seaboar” just doesn’t have the same ring to it. White sandalwood, sweet patchouli, sea salt, Italian bergamot, and honey. INJURED DICKCHEST ALCHEMY LAB Forget everything you know about “brand awareness” and consider a timeline in which Injured Dickchest becomes a viral internet sensation, complete with animated TV spinoff and celebrities’ kids repping our merch. If you enjoy being able to afford our products, be grateful that IDAL never made it past the brainstorming stage. Champaca blossom, bourbon vanilla, pink pepper, and green tea. MOPEY BOAR ALCHEMY LAB Tagline: “Extraordinary scents for extraordinarily forlorn people.” Truffles and clove bud with smoky incense, cardamom pod, and ginger. SMUG YALE ALCHEMY LAB Ivy League? Pshhh, the only book learnin’ you really need is the kind that comes bedecked with mythical beasts -- preferably those armed with tusks, swiveling horns, and a totally unearned sense of importance. Vanilla bean and wild grasses. SOUR PARD ALCHEMY LAB In case you’re wondering whether we’d actually have the balls to forge ahead with such an openly testy mascot, the answer is: not yet… but you stand warned. Ginjinha and dried red fruits, bitter almond, carnation, tonka bean, and red musk. STONED GRIFFIN ALCHEMY LAB If we’d known sixteen years ago which direction the legislative wind would end up blowing, things might have gone very differently for BPAL. Stoned Griffin is like a distant cousin of Black Phoenix who never quit his college band, and tells you the same three stories at every Lunacy event (but they’re really good ones). Kush, fiery red patchouli, myrrh, and sweet black musk. SADDYPANTS LION ALCHEMY LAB We simply didn’t have enough cumulative Leo energy to pull this one off. Golden amber and sweet almond with tonka bean, peach juice, and honey musk. https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/product-category/limited-edition/sweet-sixteen/

Reek of Resistance with your friends at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab! The Midterms are on November 6th. We have mere weeks before the election, and the stakes are really fucking high. I am an optimistic person by nature, but the truth of the matter is that if the Democrats don’t win back the majority, we are well and truly fucked. You have to vote like your life depends on it, BECAUSE IT DOES. YOUR LIFE and the lives of those in your community are at stake. The lives of your LGBTQ friends, loved ones, and neighbors. The lives of women. The lives of black Americans. The lives of refugees. The lives of people with disabilities. The lives of the homeless and the poor. And LITERALLY EVERYONE’S LIFE, as the dismantling of environmental laws will be the death of us all. It is NOT hyperbole to say that the result of this midterm election will impact the civil rights, the health, the safety, and the liberties of EVERYONE AROUND YOU, and you must act. The horrors of the Trump Administration MUST be held in check. November 6th. That’s the deadline. Commit all you can to the hard work it’s going to take to wrest back control of Congress. I know you’re tired. I am, too. I know you’re exhausted by the unending onslaught of horrors that the GOP has assailed us with. I am, too. I know that it is getting harder and harder to keep despair at bay. In order to have a participatory democracy, you have to participate. There is SO MUCH that you can do to push back, to resist, and to make a change for the better. But you HAVE to act. You have to vote. You have to encourage others to vote. You have to invest your time, your voice, and your resources into actually working towards making this country a safe, sane, prosperous place for all of us. But you have two weeks. Two weeks within which YOU can make a difference. YOU can stem the tide. HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP THE BLUE WAVE MANIFEST: Hey, extroverts! Sign up to phone bank for Democratic candidates! Phonebank With Indivisible Phonebank With Swingleft Also for extroverts! Reach out to a local campaign and see if they need help canvassing, handing out literature, or making calls. You can also search for candidates who are in close races in vulnerable districts. Check out swingleft.org; it will help you find the nearest House district that could swing to the Democrats. Extroverts! Go door to door! Hey, introverts! Postcards to Voters is the answer for you! If you can commit to writing ten postcards a day, that’s one hundred and forty votes you might be securing for Dem candidates! If you can manage twenty postcards every day, that's almost THREE-HUNDRED people you’re encouraging to hit the polls before November 6. If you can get your friends to help, that number increases exponentially. Even if you can’t meet that twenty postcard per day goal, every single postcard matters because every single vote matters. Tools for working locally: Resources for How to Take the House Back from the GOP Find Your Local Indivisible Chapter Swing Left If you’ve got some cash to spare, donate it directly to blue candidates fighting for vulnerable seats, or donate it to PACs and organizations that will distribute the funds to boost blue candidates. Some options: EMILY's List Senate Majority PAC House Majority PAC The Flippable Fund Share information on voter ID and residency requirement laws in your state and help people make sure that their right to vote is enforced. Voter Registration Rules by State ACLU: Voting Rights Rock the Vote: Knowing Your Voting Rights Residency Requirements for Voting FIGHT VOTER SUPPRESSION: ACLU: Fighting Voter Suppression Fighting Voter Suppression MAKE SURE YOU ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE, and encourage everyone in your network to confirm their voter registration, too. AND MOST IMPORTANT: VOTE. Vote, encourage others to vote. Overwhelm the polls. We all have A LOT going on in our lives right now. I get it. I’m trying to run a business and raise a kid on top of all this, but it is now or never. You must find the strength, the will, and the courage to act. You have to keep fighting. I believe in you. I believe in us. I believe with all my heart that we can do this. We just need to do it TOGETHER, and do all we can to encourage others to put in the work, too. It is hard work. It is an uphill climb. But you can DO this. Do it for your family, do it for your community, do it for your LGBTQ friends and family, do it for the marginalized racial, ethnic, and religious communities that are suffering under the depredations of the GOP. WE CAN DO THIS. RESISTANCE I created this scent as a symbol of solidarity. It is an autumn scent, swirled with fall leaves, huddled against the cold winds of November. We’re together in this fight. You’re not alone. Bourbon vanilla and vintage champaca absolute with sweet patchouli, dried red fruits, leather accord, pumpkin rind, and a splash of bourbon. We have been wrestling with how to disburse funds for this scent for over a week, and decided that the best impact we can make is by helping the ACLU fight voter suppression.

We're still ironing out some problems, and a whole sub-category is AWOL. Please be patient; we'll try to have it all sorted later tonight. Thank you so much!!

I kinda like this kid! - - - ++ LILITH 2018 Lilith, I have always loved you. I loved you before I knew you, I loved you before I saw you, I loved you before time began. I have loved you in every lifetime, and I will love you beyond the end of time. You are the spark in my soul that gives my life radiance; you are the warmth of the sun and the mysteries of the moon within my heart. ABSURD ORIGIN STORY I can’t say X-23 and I can’t say snickt and I can’t say Wolverine, so my ability to tell stupid jokes here is limited. Let’s say this is L-10’s origin story wherein she is accidentally plopped into a barrel of room temperature French fries, and emerges with superhuman mutations that grant her immortality, regeneration, and lethal deep-fried potato claws. When I told Lilith I was going to make her a French fries scent, she yelled EWWWWWWWW, so here’s a perfume that smells like a carbonated caramel-flavored soda (that shall remain nameless) with a hint of marshmallow. BLUE BLANKIE Lilith has several blankies that mean the world to her, and this is one of them. She’s had it since she was a baby, and she still sleeps with it every night. This blankie has been all over the US, has been to innumerable conventions, and has visited Paris, London, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Salzburg, and Berlin. This blankie has been a comfort in sorrow and a companion in joy. It has been clutched in laughter and has been succor in illness. This blanket has seen thousands upon thousands of dreams. May it always keep you warm, safe, and happy, Lilith. French lavender, skin musk, and a drop of rose water. BUBBLES AND UNICORNS My baby, please never stop singing whatever goddamn song you want to sing, and never stop singing it at the top of your lungs. Never stop doing silly dances, never stop making jokes. Never stop talking about unicorns, never stop howling like a werewolf, never stop making wishes on dandelions. Never stop playing, never stop laughing. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you’re too old to be joyful, or that the things you love are foolish or childish. Lilith, never stop blowing bubbles. Dandelion sap and blackcurrant bud with opalescent, shimmering white musk. THE CREATION OF LILITH I took this photo of Lilith a few days ago. I told her that it looks like her and Pickle are reenacting Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam, and I show her a pic. She asks what’s going on in it, so I explain the image, and she says... “Well, that’s friggin sexist. It’s stupid to say that boys were created first and to make a whole painting about it. Plus there’s no girls in the photo, and not everyone has boy or girl parts. It’s sexist, and I hate it.” That was a much, much stronger reaction than I expected, but good on you, kid. Burn the patriarchy down. And Elohim created Adam in His Image, in the Image of God He created him; male and female He created them. The first woman, created with Adam, in all her darkness and all her light: sweet black pomegranate, French lavender, oakmoss, ti leaf, bakhoor oudh incense, and black fig. DIGNIFIED. ELEGANT. SOPHISTICATED. We were made for each other. Snake Oil and bubblegum. DON’T TELL ME HEAVEN IS UNDER THE EARTH Listening to music, blowing bubbles. A handful of honey sticks, yesterday’s patchouli, and a dusting of cinnamon sugar. THE DREAM IS BIG ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE We believe that the American dream is big enough for everyone, for people of all races and religions, for men and women, for immigrants, for LGBT people and for people with disabilities. For everyone. Lilith at the Women’s March DTLA, 2018. Nasty Woman? Nah, Nasty Tween: honeyed fig and sugar-dusted patchouli, sweet amber oud, a drop of red currant, and vanilla cream. EUTERPE’S UKULELE Lilith has always loved music – especially singing – but this year, she started to get serious about it. This photo was taken this past April, while she rehearsed her slow, haunting cover of Riptide. A scent that smells to me the way Lilith’s voice sounds when she sings that song in her deep, thoughtful, sweet voice: wild plum, shadow oudh, osmanthus, and patchouli. HOOLIGAN WITCHES Lilith and Mo casting spells together last winter! They solemnly swear that they’re up to no good: pumpkin cream soda, fried ice cream, and popcorn. IMPROV ZOMBIE SCENE Every New Year’s Eve for the past several years, Lilith and her soul sister Novi have rung out the old year at a kids’ dance party. This year, they spent a little time doing Zombie Improv before the party started. Pink grapefruit brains, honeyed cerebral fluid, and a splash of sparkling apple cider. LET YOUR INDULGENCE SET ME FREE There are several scents this year that are inspired by Lilith’s performance in the Tempest, and this one was born from the triumphant smile on her face as she held the flowers her family brought for her. A cluster of peonies, carnations, roses, lilies and sweet pea cascading over a bright vanilla smile. LILITH NIGHTINGALE Whenever I’m sick, tired, or just run down, Lilith always tries to help out. She’s always helpful, but when someone is feeling poorly, she’s an absolute angel. This year, now that she’s a little bit older, she’s taken to cooking a bit here and there. Here, she’s stealing my Evil Dead shirt and making kitchari for me. I was feeling under the weather, and she wanted to take care of me. Oh my GOD, I love this kid. (She’s taken to wearing protective goggles that Brian gave her every time she cooks.) A bundle of Ayurvedic spices warmed in cream, with a little bit of dried fig and sweet dates. MEDITATION BUDDY Ever since Lilith was five or so, she and I have meditated together. We do Headspace, we do breathing exercises, we just sit and share space together in silence. Sometimes we do it in the morning to start our day, sometimes we meditate at night to unwind. Our meditation space smells like vanilla-laced frankincense, Florida Water, sandalwood incense, salt crystals, candle wax, and white rose petals. THE MISTY MARSHMALLOW SUGARBUNNIES OF NIFLHEL Of the runes of the gods and the giants' race The truth indeed can I tell, (For to every world have I won;) To nine worlds came I, to Niflhel beneath, The home where pink bunny Peeps dwell. THE QUEEN OF HEL “I am Hel,” she said simply. “The dead come to me, and they do not return to the lands above. Why should I let Balder go?” - Norse Mythology, Neil Gaiman Lilith loves cosplaying, and while she has done many characters, none has suited her quite as well as Hela has. She debuted this look at C2E2 this year, complete with tiny plush Fenris. Tiny mistress of the underworld: gleaming black leather, luminescent green amber, and gargantuan hellhound musk. ROOF GOBLINS This cabin has roof goblins, and they’re going to steal your apples and milk. Honeycrisp apples and sugared milk. SCORCHED MARSHMALLOWS Lilith loves to camp, but she’s not a huge fan of roughing it. This year, we opted for some cabin glamping with some of Lilith’s best friends. This is the scent of Kyle and Lilith deliberately setting marshmallows on fire, with chocolate and graham crackers as an afterthought. SENATOR BARRIAL Senator Barrial in debate class, advocating for the mandatory conversion to electric cars by 2040. When she’s Senator, she’ll make sure everyone has red velvet sprinkle cupcakes with extra buttercream frosting. THE SHE-GOAT Wild juniper, dry grasses, California sagebrush, Monterey cypress, and California lilacs. SPONTANEOUS ARGUMENTATION This past February, Lilith competed in her first debate tournament. She was asked to come in “business casual”, and this is the best we could do. A scent for child orators: pleather and chalk dust with a handful of chewy fruit candies. (We can’t say “Skittles”, even though that’s all she ate throughout the entire tournament! Don’t sue us, Skittles! Lilith just loves Skittles!) THE STORM On a ship at sea: a tempestuous noise. An electric blackberry violet tossed with seaspray. SUFFRAGIUM When Lilith was three months old, she came with me to the voting booth for the first time. She wore a Little Democrat onesie and a Babies For Obama button, and it was one of the most emotional nights of my life. I know I’ve told this story before, but as the election results rolled in, I wept with relief because Lilith was going to grow up safe. Decency won the day, and my heart was alight with the belief that we were on an upwards trajectory as a nation, and that compassion and hope were leading us to a renewal. November 8, 2016 was another emotional night for very, very different reasons. Since that day, the world has gotten darker, but the darkness creates strength and fosters empathy. Lilith is now learning what social justice truly means. She has participated in protests, demonstrations, volunteer campaigns, and walk-outs. She has made protest signs with her own two hands, and has marched against the cruelty, oppression, and tyranny of this current administration. She’s beginning to grasp both civic responsibility and civil disobedience, and she’s learning how much power her voice really has. This is a scent of renewing hope, determination, fortitude, and compassion: palo santo, white sandalwood, sweet labdanum, and cedar. THEÁOMAI I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being. - Oscar Wilde Lilith has loved the theater since we first took her to see Matilda when she was five. She loves musicals, she loves plays, she loves Shakespeare and Sondheim. She loves huge productions and local improv, she loves Hamlet and drag revues. She loves the pageantry and the intimacy, and loves performing in shows and attending shows equally. This is the scent of the pile of junk food that accompanies us to almost every performance: chocolate chip cookies, pretzels, caramel corn, and a little slurp of soda. TRUE LOVE Lilith’s lavender smushed with Pickle’s coconut cream. WHOLE UNTO HERSELF Life imposes so many restrictions on us as we climb through the years: responsibilities, challenges, hardship. Lilith, my baby, may you soar through it with exuberance and grace. Never lose your joy and your sense of self, the triumph of daily pleasures, and the freedom of your soul. May the sorrows of the world never calcify around you; may the sorrows of the world never dim your light or silence your song. A prayer for my daughter: frankincense, rose, and white lilies.

A reminder! Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's Lunacy event is cancelled today because of shitty hell weather. The AC is still dead in the front room, and between the Dog Days o'Summer and the ash that's raining down from all the fires, it seemed best to go dark today. [The Vermont and Dirty South Lunacy events are still on!] I hope everyone has an amazing, ash-and-flame-free weekend! See you next month!

https://blackphoenixtradingpost.com/shop/clockwork-locket/

Some stuff just went live! FUCK THIS HEAT ... because it's really fucking hot in LA right now. MOONS OF SATURN: MIMAS ... who probably needs a hug. Plus, the Emperor is in town and butterflies have fluttered into BPAL and BPTP!

Happy Friday the 13th!

Thanks to the generosity, compassion, and kindness of our customers, Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab has been able to donate $5000 to RAICES so far! If you'd like to purchase one of our Biblical fundraiser scents for RAICES, please visit: https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/product-category/activism/deliver-them-from-the-hands-of-the-wicked/ Or you can donate directly at: https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/leafund I am deeply, deeply grateful to everyone who purchased oils, everyone who shared and boosted the link to our fundraiser, and to everyone that purchased oils or donated to RAICES independently. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

In an effort to justify the cruel, heartless separation of migrant children from their families, Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that it is “very biblical to enforce the law”, and Attorney General Sessions invoked Romans 13 – the same Bible passage so often utilized in the past to justify slavery: “I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained the government for his purposes.” Boy howdy, you monstrous, merciless ghouls, does Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab have a Bible lesson for you. I have assembled a collection of simple, elegant scents, all of which have been inspired by timely, instructive passages in the Bible. Proceeds from the sales of these scents will benefit RAICES (Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services), a 501©(3) nonprofit that provides free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant children, families and refugees in Central and South Texas. If you choose not to purchase any scents, please consider donating directly to RAICES if you have the means, or consider supporting one of these organizations: The Texas Civil Rights Project The Florence Project in Arizona Kids in Need of Defense The Young Center The American Civil Liberties Union Call your representatives now and tell them that you demand that the Trump Administration immediately cease this inhumane, horrific system of separating migrant children from their families. Ask your representatives to support the following pieces of legislation: S. 3036 – Keep Families Together Act R. 2572 – Protect Family Values at the Border Act R. 5950/S. 2937 – the HELP Separated Children Act R. 2043 AND S. 2468 – Fair Day in Court for Kids Act of 2018 Both the ACLU and 5Calls provide scripts that will help if you don’t want to call unprepared. Protest, call, Resistbot, fax, and show up at your representatives’ offices. Make your voice heard, take a stand against this cold-blooded and brutal policy, and VOTE. Vote these heartless monsters out on their asses. - - - https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/product-category/activism/deliver-them-from-the-hands-of-the-wicked/ - - - EZEKIEL 16:49 Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. Blood musk and ashes. MATTHEW 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. White sandalwood, honey, and champaca. PSALM 82:2-4 How long will you vindicate evil and accept the face of the wicked? Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Crystalline musk, red benzoin, and vanilla husk. MATTHEW 18:10 See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. Wool-warm red sandalwood, coconut, strawberry, and blackcurrant. EXODUS 22:21 Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt. Myrrh, red currant, opoponax, and blackberry. DEUTERONOMY 10:18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. Hay absolute, patchouli, agarwood, and vetiver. ROMANS 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. Almond, wild fig, red rose petals, cardamom, and oudh. PROVERBS 24:11-12 Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work? Blackened oudh, leather, labdanum, and oakmoss. JOB 31:32 The stranger did not lodge in the street; but I opened my doors to the traveler. Rahat lokum, bitter almond, wild fig, and roasted hazelnuts. MATTHEW 25:34-36 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why: I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Olibanum, labdanum, spikenard, cade, cardamom pod, and olive blossom. LUKE 10:25-37 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[c]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Go and do likewise: golden amber and saffron, white sandalwood, and clove.