Vanessa Irena (she/they) is a multidisciplinary artist, musician, and writer born and raised in New Orleans and currently based in the Catskills, NY. She holds a BFA in painting from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has been creating art and music since childhood. She produces experimental music as ek-stasis (formerly knifesex) and with her partner as House13. She has also contributed two titles to Hadean Press’ Guides to the Underworld series. She runs the esoteric jewelry shop Sword + Scythe where she ritually handcrafts amulets, talismans, and adornments. Her artistic and magical praxis weaves together numerous threads of astrological and talismanic magic, magical herbalism, mysticism, conjure, and the study and crafting of magical objects with equal focus on artistry and application.