Everyone who is into gothic culture knows the name, Edgar Allan Poe. The genius writer of gothic literature is as well-known as The Adams Family or Frankenstein to anyone who is a fan of the dark side of life! Poe was a master crafter of mystery and the macabre but did you know his own death was just as mysterious as his works? The circumstances surrounding his demise are still unclear and the cause remains never truly understood.

At long last, it is that time we have all been waiting for… Samhain, All-Souls Eve – HALLOWEEN!

And what is more iconic than those scary-looking carved pumpkins sitting on every porch or in every window? But where did this tradition come from? Why the big orange veg?

What is Mabon?

The Wheel of the Year is turning and for many people, this means the descent into those dreary darker months – cue colder weather (more unpredictable than usual), darker nights and leaves falling fast!
But it is also a wondrous time of year for those that follow the seasons as we approach our Autumn Equinox; Mabon. (September 21st-22nd)

Who is Baphomet?

Baphomet is a mystery. A contradictory and enticing symbol depicting a goat headed god with both male and female anatomy often surrounded by symbols and markings. And currently Baphomet is more popular than ever; influencing subculture scenes, fashion and much more! But it is so often misunderstood and is frequently tarnished with the same ideology of being a symbol of darkness and evil. In fact, Baphomet is not so simple as that. And to say that Baphomet is meant to represent all things in the universe is only the tip of the iceberg.

Driving through the cotswolds you’d be forgiven for thinking you have fallen into some chocolate box faery realm, but that’s just on a normal day. Last weekend the fae folk flocked, swarmed and pirouetted amidst the beautiful grounds of Studley Castle nestled in the cotswolds hills near the Medieval market town of Winchcombe. Steeped in history this beautiful estate even has Tudor Queen Catherine Parr buried in its grounds. This provided the stunning backdrop to the wonderful creatures of the Fantasy Forest Festival.

We would like to wish everybody a happy St. George’s Day.

To learn more about the story of St. George and the Dragon you can read our previous blog here.

In times like these we should stay safe, think of one another and appreciate all the beautiful little things that surround us. And, Alchemy will keep you company through this challenging period with a little story now and then.

We would like to wish a happy new year to all of our friends in the east. We hope the year of the Ox will be a prosperous one for you all.

To learn more about the Luna New Year you can read our previous blog here.

Welcome to the third and final part of our journey to the darkest fringe of the underbelly of modern cinema. If this is the first you’ve heard of this, best to begin with the first two parts here – [Part 1] & [Part 2]. If you’ve already made your way through those crackpot classics and mutated masterpieces, here are your last dirty dozen. And it only gets weirder! Turn the lights down, and brace yourself for dodgy dinner parties, alcoholic werewolves, and the end of the world, vampire style! Hit the lights!…

Welcome to the second part of our guide to the past decade’s best – and baddest – underground cinema. If you missed the first part, check it out here first. If you’ve already explored the first exploitation extravaganza, buckle up for more movie madness, as we meet some dangerous punks, battle a brace of werewolves, and get our asses kicked in Indonesia. Grab the popcorn, crack open a beer, and hit play!…

I know I’m not alone when I say that over the past few months I’ve watched a lot of films. A hell of a lot of films. I’ve also had friends – aware that I write about weird movies and cult cinema – asking for film recommendations. Particularly the low budget flicks with all of the blood, balls, and brains typically missing from big budget blockbusters. I ultimately collected these into a few social media posts, detailing three dozen films worth seeing that had largely gone under the radar, the neglected gems you’ve never heard of that are hidden in the depths of the streaming libraries. The posts proved very popular and it struck me that they might prove useful resource for others. Particularly in the current climate, where everyone’s exhausted all of the high profile new releases and reliable old favourites that Netflix, Amazon and co have to offer.

Dear Friends,

We want to wholeheartedly thank you for your kindness and patience during this time. Your support has been truly overwhelming, we will never forget it.

The time has finally come ALCHEMY is OPEN!!!!!!! We are excited to announce from Monday 15th June we will be reopening to all of you!

During the coming weeks wait times may be longer than normal and some of our designs may be unavailable, but we are working hard to become fully operation again. So please bear with us just a little longer. If we don’t answer the telephone, leave us a message and we will call you back!

More exciting news! We have a whole new ‘Alchemy Gift & Home Collection’ which will be online any minute. Even better news. It’s all IN-STOCK Now! The collection includes Mug and Spoon gift sets, tableware, travel mugs and the most intricate Alchemy, hand painted, miniature models. We are in awe of it all and we know you will be too!

Again, another huge thank you to each and every one of you. We wish you all the very best as we all begin to emerge from the dark, we are here for you!

The Alchemy Team.

Dear Friends,

We hope that you and your loved ones are staying safe and well during these exceptional circumstances.

Unfortunately due to the current Covid-19 pandemic and government restrictions in place, we have taken the very difficult decision to continue our temporary closure and we will be reviewing the situation week commencing 10th May 2020.

Whilst we are closed, orders will not be processed until we are able to re-open. The website is still operational should you wish to secure stock for a future delivery, any orders received during this time will be processed in order of the date they were received. In the meantime, if you are advertising products but do not have the stock available we kindly advise you to mark these as out of stock until we are able to reopen.

These are very challenging times for us all and we know that this may cause difficulties to some of our customers and we wholeheartedly thank you for your support and patience at this unprecedented time.

We can’t wait to get back to doing what we all love, in the meantime, please stay safe and take care of yourselves and your loved ones and we will be back to serve you as soon as we possibly can!

The Alchemy Team.

Dear Friends,

We at Alchemy feel extremely privileged to be able to count you amongst a very special group of people, you are what makes Alchemy extraordinary!

We have been serving you for almost 45 years and have no intention of stopping now, and intend to do so for many, many more – business as usual has become unusual!

We all face this unprecedented situation together. Fortunately here at Alchemy, we have the most exceptional, dedicated and experienced team of staff imaginable and to keep them safe and to help our government and NHS to limit the spread of this disease. We are now closed and will look to re-open Monday 20th April. This reopening date will be subject to government guidelines. And we will confirm this date in due course. This will enable our hard working team the time they need to look after their own well-being and that of their families too.

Please continue to order via your usual channels. If you wish to secure your stock then please order via the website. We will attend to any orders received during our closure period as soon as we return to the office.

During this short break our social channels will be as always fully active, so join the conversations and engage with us in the coming weeks – Now is the time to make our digital lives a positive place for all!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you! Together let’s support one another, be kind and take care of those most vulnerable.

The Alchemy Team.

The pentagram, basically the graphic image of a five pointed star, has existed as a symbol for at least 2,000 – 5,000 years, when during the stone age it was carved into rock, no doubt with some spiritual tenor. Since then it has been in constant use by countless peoples and various ethno-religious and spiritual groups, perhaps most famously, the legendary King Solomon. These include the Greeks and the Babylonians for which it represented the five elements, (earth, air, fire, water and spirit), but also the Chinese, the Jews, the Christians, ancient folk communities everywhere and more recently, by occultists and spiritualists.