The Goat’s Phalanges
The long-standing GOAT of esoteric indie perfumery, Elizabeth Barrial of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and Twilight Alchemy Lab, created and charged a set of 4 talismanic perfumes for Saturn in Capricorn during Sphere + Sundry’s election, inspired by various aspects of goat anatomy —
First of all the deathless gods who dwell on Olympus made a Golden Race of mortal men who lived in the time of Kronos when he was reigning in heaven. And they lived like gods without sorrow of heart, remote and free from toil and grief: miserable age rested not on them; but with legs and arms never failing they made merry with feasting beyond the reach of all evils. When they died, it was as though they were overcome with sleep, and they had all good things; for the fruitful earth unforced bare them fruit abundantly and without stint. They dwelt in ease and peace upon their lands with many good things, rich in flocks and loved by the blessed gods.
When one thinks of Saturn, joy is usually not the first word that comes to mind, but there is joy there: it is the joy of an untroubled heart and a mind in balance, the joy found in the serenity that existed in the Time Before Time.
The Goat’s Phalanges reaches back into the age of Titans. It is an oil of bringing ideas into form and an oil of grounding and guidance both from the earth itself and from primal forces beyond our comprehension. It is an oil that invokes a very specific nature of inner peace: the peace that came from a time before conflict existed. This oil honors Kronos of Elysium, King of the Golden Age.
Myrrh essential oil and tears (Commiphora myrrha and Commiphora kua), skullcap from the TAL garden (Scutellaria lateriflora), juniper berries, leaf, and essential oil (Juniperus communis), 3-year aged patchouli essential oil and patchouli root from the TAL garden (Pogostemon cablin), caraway essential oil and seed (Carum carvi), cypress essential oil (Cupressus sempervirens), spikenard essential oil and root from the TAL garden (Aralia racemosa), poplar bud (Populus nigra), clove bud and essential oil (Syzygium aromaticum), home-brewed fruit extract of dark, earthy berries, and ethically sourced goat bone. This oil is not vegan. No goats were harmed in the creation of this oil.
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I found the teachings of this oil to be fascinating - that somewhere beneath the solemness, weightiness and seriousness of the energy, there is a sense of peace as joy. I don't wear it often as Saturnian energy is not something I'm very attuned to, but definitely a different take on it than the standard malefic vibe. Feels ancient.
wore this while spending time walking around my yard, communicating with the earth thru my feet and breath. enormous internal shifts, deep peace, awareness of my own position and anchor, of the earth’s largeness and beauty
If you’re like me and for the longest time have been afraid of engaging with Saturn, this perfume oil is a good place to start. Yes, it’s still a good idea to keep the engagement with this materia to at most a few hours at a time and follow it by a shower and application of something soothing or energising. However, the experience itself is quite grounding and peaceful. It evokes a sense of acceptance of the nature of time and understanding that though, from our perspective, the passage of time often isn’t kind, from the perspective of the universe, it is eternal and stable in that eternity. It all can seem like a lofty idea, but in to put it in perspective – the number of explosions, chemical processes, gravitational forces and much more, all happening in the space of never-ending expansion makes the universe dynamic and ever-changing. Now, if we look at time as one fabric underpinning all this vastness, it creates an anker that gives a sense of structure or stability.
I started getting literal animal goat syncs as soon as the item shipped to me, especially a conversation with a friend about getting therapy goats and I have found thats the energy here. Its a beautiful scent earthy and fruity. I find it really nice enery for supporting me at work, I do physical labour groundskeeping/landscaping and this particular capricorn energy is all about it getting dirty sweaty and keep on going without exaustion. Yes be a little warry of the mood dip as the info sheet for this series says but a bit of self care and pampering after getting through the tough jobs has perked me back up afterwards.
Oh, how I loved my experience of The Goat's Phalanges!
Instantly, I was taken back to a kind of childhood fascination with whatever I engaged with. That day, a good chunk of my time was devoted to writing, which was already going well and had that added quality of captivation which 2025 can make difficult. Later, I was equally happy to be absorbed in cleaning and tidying, tasks I find it hard to muster enthusiasm for. I've found that simple excitement there in abundance whenever I connect with TGP, and more recently found using it on a candle supported its mood and intent.
This is my favorite materia that I have tried. Some things have been too subtle and others out of control but this is just right. I feel uplifted when I use it, in a very safe and stable way which I really like. Not manic or craving but pleased to be doing my routines and finding joy in getting chores done. It seems to give me the little extra boost of energy to tackle projects I have been putting off too, like organizing untidy corners of the house. A noticeable and pleasant effect.
I think I need to remember that I have a good relationship with Saturn and not be scared off from Saturn materia in the future. (Day Chart, Over 40 years old, 7th house Capricorn with Natal Jupiter there, my daughter was born during my Saturn return etc.)
I didn’t think I would write joy and Saturn in the same scentence, but this oil brings unmistaken JOY. I have Saturn in its fall in the 8th. I would have imagined writing about Saturn materia: ”content and feeling satisfied after hard work” - but this not that. It is *actually* just pure joy without even having to have worked for it. I literally think; troubles, obstacles, sadness - what are they, never heard of them? The Golden Age indeed. Calming, grounding, serene. If the bottle didn’t say Saturn, I would think this is Jupiter materia. The scent is so complex, it’s difficult describe, but it is extremely pleasant and quite addicting. A bit strong from the bottle but perfect on skin. I am absolutely obsessed. This is impressive Saturn medicine from the place of unburndened, timeless joy. Immediately in my top 3 BPALS - who would have thought?
Peace as in the time before time – not as heavy as you would expect from Saturn materia. There’s weight there, of course, but with it comes a sense of release. Another reviewer described it “like a weighted blanket” – that is an excellent description. The smell is quite potent and saturnine but not unpleasant. My only warning – don’t apply too much! Keep it saturnine and you shouldn’t have any ill-effects.
I adore this BPAL. The scent of earth, resin, & evergreen, the instant feeling of grounding, the new budding ways of being in relationship with time & with life itself. A friend & I recently collaborated on a contemplative movement & storytelling piece about the mysteries of Saturn, & I turned to this BPAL again & again to drop into both the Saturnian & ancestral spheres for inspiration, guidance, & perpetual re-commitment to the creative process, including/especially the difficult parts. I am a heavily Saturnian person anyway, but I experienced no adverse impacts!
This is a high few things can compare to. It’s joy free of time and space and current reality. The joy of existing beyond concern. It’s a favorite ancestral offering, as well as a go-to when I am overwhelmed by the weight of here and now and everything.
I turn to this BPAL when my thoughts are racing and I need peace. Not necessarily comforting peace, but the peace that comes when things slow down and it’s quiet.
There is something so grounding, calming and comforting about this BPAL, kind of like a weighted blanket. It’s the one I turn to when I need some quiet and solitude. I love wearing it during ancestral veneration, especially when I am working with my patrilineal ancestors.
I really love the fragrance of those one—strong and dignified, and a little bit goes a long way. It lasts the longest of the BPALs I’ve tried so far. Overall, I think this might be one of my favorites!
I was born with both the sun and moon in Capricorn, on Saturn’s Day, and in Saturn’s hour. I have a 5-planet stellium in 9H Cap, as well. I am heavily Saturn influenced, and Saturn has always felt like protector + teacher to me. Being so Saturn heavy comes with its trials and tribulations, however. Saturn wants to bring the gift of Mastery to anyone who works hard enough, but I feel like I’ve been climbing a great mountain, and there’s nothing at all at the top. I’ve been in a whirlwind of change, and have been so lost.
I have used Goat’s Phalanges ONCE months ago, and it made me CRY upon smelling it on my skin. (It almost smells like medicine in the bottle, but the scent changes when dabbed on my skin.) It was so protective and safe- I felt secure and at peace. My life has changed since then. I started thinking about longevity, and my future. I am now in school for alternative medicine- a great passion of mine. For the first time in my life, I feel like I am living out my destiny, and I am no longer afraid and lost.
This is a genuinely outstanding fragrance, and i love it personally, although it’s too heady a feeling for me most of the time. My ancestors, however - those affected by one of the great indecencies of humanity and those affected by witnessing the fate of their children, alike - love this scent. It is joy free of the perils and pitfalls of man who is not divine, of the times before and beyond time, of lives before and beyond hardship. While this is not what I offer when I need them to get up and go on my behalf, it may be my favorite way to offer loving gratitude and expand their capacity to hold me in joy as I traverse paths still lined with the obstacles placed to trip them up.
I have a fallen Saturn and this BPAL has been very profound for me. Wasn't necessarily gentle at first, but my Saturn is fallen, I'd even say I'm still acclimating to it. It's given me a lot of wisdom and insight so far though. The smell is also very nice, it has grown on me quite a bit and the more I use the more I grow to like it.
This perfume has been such a lovely support for me during times of emotional turmoil. Every time I use it, I am able to feel grounded into myself and receive my own inner wisdom with clarity and strength. Pairs wonderfully with my Immortal Heart salve.
I used this oil yesterday along with illuminer because I felt scattered and I was having a work zoom that I needed to get through grounded and with no tricky blockages in response to my ideas. I have just realised that after months of brainstorming re my personal side project which has nothing to do with the work zoom, I have had a sudden and spontaneous burst of proactively moving towards bringing things into form. Actual forms - the sculpting and casting of things and I think its use along with the illuminer may have been what prompted not one but two people offering to help me make my vision real. Within 24 hours of casually mentioning I needed equipment to get something done, there is a machine on its way to me. It's not why I used the oil but I'm ok with the pleasing side effects.
The scent is haunting and beautiful, and a little goes a long way. It connects me with a stable, grounded, serious part of myself and helps me do what needs to be done with zero drama or drag- it was helpful during a recent round of packing/schlepping (how goat-like!) It has been good to feel this Saturnian energy within myself. I notice a side effect of brief nausea from the earthier S+S offerings (Hermanubis & Saturn) so I take it slowly at first while the body acclimates.
The description above captures the experience of Goat's Phalanges perfectly. Especially this line: "the joy of an untroubled heart and a mind in balance, the joy found in the serenity that existed in the Time Before Time." I can't even articulate the kind of transcendence this scent transports you to -- it really does feel like a realm outside of space-time as we know it. So far I haven't used GP for any functional purposes / goal pursuit; I just take it out now and then when I want to taste that particular kind of transcendence for a moment. I feel like GP has this ineffable way of shifting my perspective and my relationship to temporality that feels really fortifying. LOVE it. Thank you!
On a functional level, this bpal roots me in the best way. It's like doing qi gong on a mountaintop. And for some reason, the scent is my favorite of the bpals that I've gotten so far.
The smell of this perfume alone is deeply grounding, I love the earthy herbal scent. The connection to my inner peace I feel when I wear this oil is deeply healing for me, and I love pairing it with my Immortal Heart salve during particularly emotionally charged moments. Wearing this oil always reminds me that I am enough, and that I can find joy and serenity in the midst of any circumstance.
This has a definite funk to it, which feels very appropriate. It's earthy, and Saturn is very much of the material world. I put a dot of this on my knuckles before I want to put my nose to the grindstone, which involves a lot of typing, so the funk drifts up as I'm slogging away at the keyboard and it gives me the perseverance to keep going.
| Creation Date | Sunday, November 22, 2020, hour of Saturn. Chart in image gallery. |
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| Areas of Application | |
| Step / Function | |
| Magical Applications | Binding, Meditation / Contemplation, Mojo Bags / Sachets, Servitors, Witchcraft |
| Planetary Body | |
| Times / Activities | |
| Vegan | No — Contains cruelty free, ethically, and legally harvested animal-derived components |
| Warnings | HIGH STAIN POTENTIAL — Always perform patch tests before application to any medium |
| Dimensions | .80 × .80 × 2 in |
| Weight | 1 oz |