For The Love Of Cats

 Cats, either love or hate them, have undeniably been icons of worship throughout the ages. From revered Cat-gods to our furry companions, these feisty felines are a massive part of many cultures. So let's take a look:

Ancient Egypt

When thinking of cat worship, the Ancient Egyptians definitely come to mind. Cats were a key component of their society - renowned through the countless artwork depictions, hieroglyphics and shrines. The citizens of Ancient Egypt respected all creatures (many of their gods were amalgamations of human and animal), but the cat became paramount to their beliefs. But did you know that wild cats originally inspired this? The jungle cat (Felis chaus) and African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica) are native to Egypt and it was these species that bred together to be the more domesticated feline.  There is even evidence to suggest that all cats can originally trace their ancestry to the Egyptian cat!

In the beginning, cats were seen as useful predators due to the excessive level of vermin at the time, thus the citizens would leave out food to tempt the cats to hang around. Similar to leaving out treats for our kitty-cats now.  This led to further domestication as cats and humans began to co-exist and become mutually beneficial to each other - even hunting together! The people also seemed to appreciate the cat's characteristics, the duality of their precise skills and their playful nature.

So not only being useful for hunting and pest control, as time went on our little friends became companions to both the rich and poor and were seen as good omens - bringing prosperity, protection and even fertility. They were even adorned with jewellery...perhaps the first of the cat collars? 

Cat Gods

Again, it was the Ancient Egyptians that had some of the most well-known cat-gods. However, they did not simply believe that cats were gods or goddesses themselves, they saw the cats as being a vessel for divine possession.

The most iconic cat goddess was of course Bastet. Originally a lioness, she was later adapted to a more domesticated cat and is shown as a cat-headed being. She represented a protecting mother (often portrayed with kittens) and was often called upon by worshippers for wishes of fertility and health.
There was also a more disturbing cat deity Sekhmet; the goddess of War. As well as being an aid to Pharaohs in battle, her cat-like traits were portrayed through her ferocious nature! 

In Ancient Babylonian mythology, you can find the cat god of the underworld Nergal.  This god was depicted as a lion and was considered one of the most savage cats known to humanity due to his appetite for destruction. He was even known as 'the furious king.'

There was also the Japanese supernatural creature Kasha, a cat-like demonic being who could also mimic a house cat form to live amongst humans. But the creepy part was that this creature actually transported the dead to the underworld for judgement or sometimes they would just eat them! These two definitely seemed like really mean kitties, but their qualities were also typical of a cat's nature -  they can be cruel to their prey simply for the fun of it!  

Familiars 

Familiars are creatures associated with the supernatural, and one of their most common forms is a cat. Myths suggest that familiars are demons in animal form but according to Pagans (and most modern beliefs) they are companions used by those who practise witchcraft to assist in their magical activities. Cats have been associated with witches for centuries, and what is more iconic than a witch with her black cat? 

During the Witch trials, cats were commonly used as tools against the accused, and have been used as evidence against innocent women thereafter. If an old woman had a cat then she was often accused of having a familiar who harboured the spirit of a demon put there by the Devil himself. Famously during the Salem Witch trials, an enslaved woman, Tituba was accused of such a thing due to her testimony of witnessing two cats who she had been instructed to serve. 

Nowadays people are not so judgemental and the understanding of cats as cherished companions has grown.  You can even find our beloved cat familiars in modern TV shows such as Sabrina the Teenage Witch; the gutsy adolescent has Salem, a comedic representation of a cat familiar in popular culture. Familiars are now globally viewed as treasured assets to those who require their abilities in magic weaving as well as creating a profound connection between human and beast. 

Maybe you already have a familiar in your life...a random visitation of a stray cat that turns into regular meet-ups or an adored pet that follows your every step could be a familiar trying to connect with you! 

And at Alchemy we truly have a passion for all things cat related! You can see how much they are admired by the delightful cat jewellery pieces as well as the homeware collections that display the love of cats in every room of the home!

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- Rose Jekylle 🌹

Mary Shelley's masterpiece: Frankenstein

Frankenstein (aka The Modern Prometheus) is the enlightened gothic nightmare in which a mad scientist Victor Frankenstein creates a monstrous being from stolen body parts and brings him to life! A truly terrifying concept that was the first of its kind when first written by young Mary Shelley, and is the springboard to countless adaptions, inspiring and captivating an entire generation at the time of its creation and for many centuries thereafter. But there is so much more to the story than the seemingly simple premise.

Let's explore the parts of Frankenstein! 

Pioneering literature

Frankenstein is truly a pioneering piece of literature and has greatly influenced the horror genre. The author herself was remarkable too, only an eighteen-year-old woman who shocked the world of literature which was previously dominated by men. The story was originally written as part of a challenge set by her friends to write a horror story, her social group included the likes of Lord Byron and of course her husband the poet Percy Shelley. Useful contacts to have when she was previously unheard of as a writer! After much thought, she came up with the tale of an obsessed scientist with visions of constructing perfect life and instead created an abomination. Mary Shelley also once said that her creation was inspired by a nightmare she had in Geneva.

Thus history began! 

Reanimation and Galvanism

The monster's creation is the heart of the story, representing man's desire to play God whatever the costs. Driven by the thoughts of scientific exploration and obsession, Victor sets to revivify dead matter after discovering the secrets behind life and death. The theory of galvanism is hinted at to be part of what brought the creature to life, especially after a young Victor is inspired by witnessing a thunderstorm and the destruction it creates.  Galvanism is the process of electricity produced by chemical action and was used at the time for therapeutic purposes by causing muscle contraction. It is also known to have been used in the 1700s on an experiment with a dead frog which caused the leg muscles to move when electricity was passed through. Reanimation using electricity was a previous unused idea in literature but it was known at the time so it could attribute to how, in theory, Victor's experiment could work - making it all the more horrifying to an audience and an example of early sci-fi! 

Adaptations: the good, bad and the silly!

The oldest film adaptations are the black and white films which, while amusing now, were actually quite frightening to the audiences of the time. However, the dumbfounded moaning monster misses the point of the story as the creature was sentient and part of the tragedy is that he is intelligent and has an understanding of morality which adds to the despair of his abandonment by his father/creator. 

The first film adaptation was a silent movie in 1910, and while it is very dated, it does capture some of the original themes and I honestly find the stop-motion reanimation of the creature actually quite creepy! The ending isn't right at all unfortunately but it is only short and definitely worth a watch: Frankenstein (1910, 1080p HD 2017 restoration) - YouTube

Personally, I really love the mini-series from 2004 as it really reflects on how the creature is also a victim and not just a monster. It still has elements of horror and gothic atmospherics but it is more faithful to the original ideas. 

Universal Pictures and Hammer Horror offered their own versions but the focus seemed to be on shocking the audience with violence rather than exploring the duality of the creature. And although considered to be a good adaptation, 'Mary Shelley's Frankenstein' (1994), I find a lot of the story contrived and it deviates a lot from the story resulting in a mismatched gothic jumble. There are also plenty of modern versions to check out but these are fantastical and more like their own stories: 'I, Frankenstein' and 'Victor Frankenstein' tell completely different tales.

And of course not forgetting the 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' which is a bizarre B movie film that both ridicules and celebrates the horror movies of the time as a comedic burlesque style musical!  

So if you are not already a fan of the terrifying tale then you should be now! And if you want to show love for all creatures of the night then look no further than these magnificent Alchemy designs: 

Ostrogoth Dragon Ear Wrap (E412) ~ Ear-Wraps | Alchemy England

Darkling Heart - Friendship Pendants (P851) ~ Pendants | Alchemy England

Demoneye (E422) ~ Studs | Alchemy England

Passio Wings of Love (pair) (E465) ~ Droppers | Alchemy England

- Rose Jekylle 🌹

Lammas and the legend of John Barleycorn

Lammas: the first harvest festival of the Wiccan wheel of the year! 

This rite is celebrated at the beginning of August (1st/2nd) and marks the grain harvest and the first yield from the union of the god and goddess. It is a spectacular time to commemorate, full of intriguing myths and fascinating deities to honour!

Meaning of the harvest

The main theme of this festival is the reaping of the corn and how the "death" of the crop represents the ultimate sacrifice to provide food for the community.  

At this time of year pagans and witchy folk celebrate the harvest by giving thanks for the abundance and multiple uses of the grain. And as the grain is harvested, there too is the promise of next year's seed being carried to the following year bringing rebirth and good fortune. We can also reflect on the wishes and hopes of the previous seasons as our intentions and tireless efforts begin to manifest. 

Celebrations and Traditions

In traditional Pagan style, a festival wouldn't be complete without joyous celebration - dancing, drink flowing and giving blessings to the deities for the harvest that would have ensured the safety of our community into the colder months. Beer and whisky are significant to this festival as the grains provide wheat, hops and barley for those delicious beverages. Cheers! 

The term Lammas is also derived from 'loaf mass' which is synonymous with the baking of the harvest bread that is made and shared amongst the community. If you feel so inclined you can also try and do your own baking - bread, cakes, buns - anything that takes your fancy! Share with family and friends or even use it as an offering on your Lammas altar. 

Another tradition is the cutting of the corn ritual which is practised throughout Europe. The first sheaf and last sheaf are ceremonially cut - the former is baked into the harvest bread and the latter is made into a corn dolly and used as the central blessing for all festivities. The corn dolly is often hung in the home until the next harvest or more than often mixed in with the seed of next year's sowing so that the harvest God's spirit could pass through it. 

The deities

The Goddess associated with Lammas is Demeter (the Grain Mother); Demeter represents the ripe harvest and at this time of year she is heavily pregnant with the seed of the Sun god and will carry it through to the following year.  But with the giving of nature's offerings, there is also the decline and ultimate death of her consort - the one that goes by many names including the famed John Barleycorn. 

John Barleycorn is the very spirit of the harvest and according to the story he perishes as the grain is reaped portraying the self-sacrifice to provide sustenance. John Barleycorn is immortalised throughout history in many different ways from beliefs to talismans to songs, even Robert Burn the famous poet created a piece about the mythical being. His version describes the processes that the grain goes through to become food and drink, all of which John Barleycorn endures! All in all, this figure is a metaphoric persona which many people view as being the essence of the natural world working through the harvest and ensuring a bountiful year.

Ways of honouring Lammas

I have put together some ideas associated with this festival so you can embody the ethos and joy of Lammas in your home! 

Firstly, herbs such as fresh mint are fantastic for adding decoration to your altar or special space, and it has both healing properties and invokes prosperity and abundance. Meadowsweet (also known as Queen-Of-The-Meadow) is very apt sounding for a harvest festival but did you know it is also a very sacred plant to Druids and is commonly used in garlands for Lammas festivities as well as weddings at this time of year? And it smells incredible!

The colours gold, yellow and deep orange can be used to adorn the windowsills and your altar and even greenery to represent lush crops. Items such as bread, grains, corn dollies, sunflowers and pot marigolds are wonderful to use as part of altar displays and household decor. 

And, as previously mentioned, baking breaded items are perfect for honouring Lammas and the bread can be used as part of rituals and spells. Finally, feasting on your harvest bounty is an ideal way to honour this time of year! 

I have also found some glorious Alchemy pieces that will not only add beauty to your festival garb but also make stunning centrepieces for your harvest banquets. See my recommendations below:

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- Rose Jekylle 🌹

Kill or Cure: Victorian Remedies

The Victorian era is known for many advancements in society, and none so important as the understanding of medicine with the groundbreaking development of anesthesia and the establishment of antiseptic surgery. However, by today's standards the practices are considered truly peculiar and on the verge of butchery in some cases! But the remedies used for the common ailments were undoubtedly fascinating. 

The cures for what ails you also could get you insanely high, cause serious addiction, make you worse, or even kill you! And why? Because for simple maladies from sore throats to headaches the treatments were often hard drugs and unconventional implements.

The Pharmacy

Pharmacies were becoming a crucial part of one's health - a visit to the pharmacy was like a tailored appointment and you would be prescribed things specifically for you. Although this seems like an excellent concept the main problem was that during that time anyone could set up a pharmacy!  So potentially novices with no medical training could be offering advice for very serious conditions - often suggesting strange concoctions of dangerous doses and odd medical exercises. 

And this unprofessional advice was also paired with the very strong drugs that were simply sold over these counters. Laudanum was a very common drug used for pretty much everything - named the "aspirin of the 19th Century" it was a solution of 10% opium powder dissolved in alcohol. This morphine concentrate was even used for colicky infants! Safe to say you were more likely to develop an addiction or have an overdose than be cured of anything. And yet people, especially the poor, would have likely taken the risk as these pharmacies would have been free as opposed to seeing a real doctor.

Poisons in the body

In the early part of the Victorian era it was still believed that imbalances in the body's fluids caused you to become ill (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile), so the so-called "Four Humours" needed to be kept in harmony to prevent or cure illness.  

Leeches were one of the unusual methods to help people rid their bodies of toxins by literally sucking the bad blood from you. It was even commonly believed that if there was too much blood in the body you would become ill! Bloodletting was so popular in fact that even specialist equipment was used to draw blood; either a physician would make incisions in the veins or use a fleam knife. 

The use of plasters was also widely used but not like the ones we use today. These were often huge (depending on where they needed to be placed) and made from thin leather with a combination of wax, lead, opium, frankincense, etc. The idea of these plasters wasn't to cover a wound but to ease pain by combating the excessive humors in the body - so if you suffered from a headache then the plaster would be stuck to your forehead, or back pain then likewise it would be applied to your back. 

Metals

When we think of metals we don't really think of medicines - at least not to the extent that the Victorians dangerously consumed them! Metal compounds were very commonly used in the Victorian era to help with illness: Lithium (to treat psychosis), Mercury (used to combat Syphilis), and even Arsenic (in asthmatic medication).

One particular drug that contained antimony was used to cleanse the body "The Everlasting Pill." It got its name for a rather grotesque reason; it was ingested by a patient and would cause vomiting and diarrhea which supposedly was the body getting rid of excess fluid or poisons, then after it passed through, the pill was fished out of the waste, washed and resold! Entire families would keep this pill and pass it down the generations. Nice.  

I suppose one redeeming quality of these methods was that they aided advancements in the understanding of human anatomy and the effects of illness - even if the understanding of what the body could cope with was not yet fully explored!

If you want to consume your medicines, enjoy your poison, or even check yourself for the marks of death, then view the wondrous Alchemy pieces from my handpicked suggestions! See below:

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- Rose Jekylle 🌹

Review: The Lighthouse

Warning - spoilers ahead!

 From the esteemed director who brought us 'The Witch,' comes another disturbing tale of 'The Lighthouse.' The film is loosely based on Welsh folklore and tells the story of two men (actors William Defoe and Robert Pattinson) who become marooned on an island while working as lighthouse keepers and start to go insane. The film leans heavily on mythological themes while exploring both sexuality, identity, and madness in midst of a nightmare scenario!

Ambience and Appeal

There is a relatively slow start to the film but immediately peculiarity and foreboding set in when Pattinson first arrives and finds the strangely carved figurine within his mattress. Is this the work of his predecessor who went crazy or an omen of a curse to come?

Uniquely, the entire film is shown in black and white, which adds incredible depth to the dramatics, enhancing the shadows and highlighting the aspects of gruesome scenes - when Pattinson brutally kills a seagull the flying blood and remains of the creature are shown as black tar! The monochrome effect also creates the impression of a tale from a different time, like an old sailor's legend. 

The lack of colour does not affect the vibrancy either - the characters seem all the more brooding and dark, and the contrast adds to the frightening dream sequences (ones that all too soon you can't tell apart from the terrifying reality)!

The music often used to accompany the scenes almost mimics ocean noises such as whale calls, foghorns, creaking structures of ships, and the echoing depths; these reach a crescendo when a horrifying image is revealed. 

The crazy conflicts

There is a massive power struggle throughout the entire film as the two men fight for the top position - namely who gets to tend the light. The light is presented as an alluring beacon that is greedily and viciously protected by Defoe and therefore becomes an incredible source of curiosity and is sought after by Pattinson. Defoe's love for the light appears obsessive and even sexual - the odd scenes portray ritualistic displays as Defoe is witnessed standing naked at the top of the lighthouse. While Pattinson has a fixation on mermaid creatures that plague his thoughts increasingly throughout the story.

At times, the fights are comical as the men bicker over silly things like old roommates - cleaning, cooking, and excessive farting! But this quickly turns sinister with violent threats and physical attacks over the possession of the lighthouse light itself, and within the brawls the two being so close they almost appear romantic, reflecting on the theme of masculine sexuality. 

Alcohol consumption also fuels the deranged situations that unfurl, in more bizarre ferocity as the story continues, and the audience is wondering how much is truly real! There are many macabre visuals depicting mermaids, dead bodies floating in the ocean, and tentacles of a monstrous creature which creates a delirious montage as bad blood increases between the characters. 

They even ingest kerosene and turpentine!  

Mythos and Lies

The director, Robert Eggers, expressed that the two characters were representative of mythological gods from Greek tales: Prometheus and Proteus. Proteus was an "old man of the sea" and keeper of knowledge while Prometheus was devious and stole fire from the gods to create mankind and thus was horrendously punished by the god Zeus - predetermining the grisly end of the film. 

The two men are lying about their true identities and seem to cling to false names, ideals and occupations that they present to the world. Defoe is assumed to be an old-time sailor complete with a false leg, superstition and tall tales while Pattinson's character is a withdrawn unassuming young man who seems to have a past to hide from. 

The acting itself is truly superb and both leads do incredible performances; Defoe's portrayal is raw and uninhibited as he completely brings life to a demented old sea dog persona, while Pattinson fully immersed himself in method acting and the result is so authentic and profound, even down to the accent and physical distress.    

A truly chilling element towards the end of the film is that you lose the sense of time passing just as the characters do as they become isolated and abandoned on the island. Does a day pass or is it weeks since they last ate rations? Who is the truly crazy one? They argue and fight accusing each other of losing their mind until the conflicts hit a deadly climax and an otherwordly experience. 

So if you are dying to add this movie to your watch list then first make sure you look at these spectacular Alchemy pieces that will showcase your passion for creepy nautical tales and myths of the great deep! 

Mammon of The Deep (P888) ~ Pendants | Alchemy England

Heart of Cthulhu (P723) ~ Pendants | Alchemy England

Kraken Hand Mirror (V75) ~ Wall, Compact & Hand Mirrors | Alchemy England

- Rose Jekylle 🌹