"It is remarkable that persons who speculate the most boldly often conform with the most perfect quietude to the external regulations of society. The thought suffices them without investing itself in the flesh and blood of action."
- Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter
"The words the happy say are paltry melody. But those the silent feel are beautiful."
- Emily Dickinson
To begin with the basic, my name is Desirée. From my research, I have found that my first name is from the French, and thus from the Latin, for "desireable", "attractive", and "so long hoped for". {etymology of desire} I actually am rather fond of my first name, however, considering its meanings, I don't think it describes me very accurately.
I reside in eastern Pennsylvania among Sassafras and Tulip Poplars, near the shores of a lake frequented by Great Blue Herons, White-tailed Deer, and Muskrats.
I have been an eclectic Neo-Pagan Witch for approximately ten years. Over a year ago I officially and voluntarily relinquished the term "Wiccan" as a means of self-description. I have a definite interest in British Traditional Wicca, and I try to learn as much about those Traditions as I can via the written word, but obviously the only real way to learn about them firsthand would be to be initiated into an established coven. Unfotunately, there do not seem to be any in my area. Taoism, Traditional Witchcraft, Kemeticism, Romanticism, the Feri Tradition of Witchcraft, and Zen Buddhism have also inspired and influenced me. I try to follow my path as sincerely as possible, although being a busy human being makes this difficult. I've picked up a few things through those years, but I am still humbled by the immensity of all that I have to learn.
My art is an integral part of my personal path. I am no shaman in the traditional, academic sense but being a lifelong artist crafts you into something of one. If you learn to create in the right spirit, one simultaneously learns two Arts (and likely more). Hopefully I will finally get around to writing that essay that has been haunting me: the connection between art, magic, and shamanism.
I am a senior at Tyler School of Art of Temple University and I am majoring in Graphic and Interactive Design. Some future career interests include illustration, webdesign, and graphic design.
I may be reached via e-mail at these addresses: sphinxmuse{at}yahoo.com.
Other Haunts
On Livejournal: Flora, Fauna, Persona
Phée Adornments
On Tribe: Sphinxmuse
On MySpace: Sphinxmuse
On Amazon: Sphinxmuse
On Frazy: Sphinxmuse
Trivia (there may be a pop quiz!)
Favorite Books:
The Spell of the Sensuous by David Abram
Go to your Studio and Make Stuff by Fred Babb
The Thief of Always by Clive Barker
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
The Art of Looking Sideways by Alan Fletcher
Faeries by Brian Froud and Alan Lee
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley
Wabi-Sabi by Leonard Koren
Nightmares in the Sky by Stephen King
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Gift From the Sea by Anne Marrow Lindbergh
Drawing Closer to Nature by Peter London
Intelligence in Nature by Jeremy Narby
The Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura
Nature, Man, and Woman by Alan Watts
For more information of some of these books as well as book reviews, please go to Recommended Reading and Book Reviews!
Favorite Artists: Yoshitaka Amano, Sandro Botticelli, Susan Seddon Boulet, Brom, James Christensen, Salvador Dali, Leonardo DaVinci, Edward Gorey, Hans Holbein the Younger, Georges de La Tour, Tamara DeLempicka, Brian Froud, Andy Goldsworthy, Steven Kenny, Gustav Klimt, Anita Kunz, Alan Lee, Rene Magritte, Dave McKean, Alphonse Mucha, Georgia O'Keefe (particularly her bone paintings!), John Jude Palencar, Michael Parkes, Arthur Rackham, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Mark Ryden, Remedios Varo, John William Waterhouse, and whoever animated the Sprite in Disney's Fantasia 2000 (many more art-related websites can be found at my Art Links page)
Birthdate: September 21, 1983
Other Interests: I enjoy kayaking, creating artwork in various mediums, writing essays and poetry, jewelry-making, staying up late/early into the night/morning, sleeping late, walking in the woods, listening to good music, reading, star gazing, designing Celtic-style knotwork, swimming, and probably other things I can't recall at the moment. I collect books (new and vintage), feathers, ephemera, old keys, folk instruments, and art supplies.
