This week, we welcome artist, astrologer, gold and silversmith, and talisman maker extraordinaire Genie Desert onto the podcast to chat about the intersection between art and academia. Genie has been making incredibly breathtaking talismans for the fixed stars and planets, and when I received my own for Alcyone, I was struck by the incredible research and source materials Genie drew from to produce this potent piece of magic and art. This begins a discussion on the rejection of binaries, the horrors of enlightenment, the necessity of Art as medicine, and the exaltation of dance among metaphors for weaving in and out of the tension of things. We chat identity, academia, and a little bit of philosophy, all with a focus on Art and Imagination as a practice in both the craft of life and the crooked path. I thoroughly enjoyed and was inspired by Genie’s compassion of the heart and expansion of the mind and her attention to utilizing language metaphors that give space and healing for the Self’s relationship with the body. I do not doubt you will find it inspiring, too.  To find more on Genie, check out their instagram @tides.of.tethys, and make sure to check out their website to sign up for their newsletter to be one of the first to lay claim to upcoming talismans they are making! Finally, don’t sleep on their presentation at this year’s Astro Magia conference, Nov 2023, where they will be presenting along with a bunch of other amazing speakers, former guests of this show, and friends of your humble host.  To find more on SaturnVox, check out their ⁠instagram⁠ @saturnvox, or, visit their website ⁠saturnvox.com⁠. Don't forget to hop on to the Patreon at ⁠www.patreon.com/saturnvox⁠ where you can further support the show, listen to extended episode content, and join in on our community discord server.  Original music for the podcast performed by Jules M. Dooley, traditional astrologer and sound artist. Follow his experiments with astrology + sound + ai visuals on IG: @glitches_in_the_night_sky Fallen Angel graphic drawn by the incandescent tattooist and illustrator @floodtower SHOW NOTES: Viridis Genii Series 6, Vol 1 Foucault, The History of Sexuality Volume 1 Bataille, The Solar Anus