Giant Cactus Hats
Description: The saguaro (pronounced swauro) is Cereus giganteus - giant cactus - the icon of the American west - grows only in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, northern Mexico, and a tiny slice of California. Indigenous people in the area often thought of them as people, and indeed they are - because of their strong individuality and bodies full of water like humans. They symbolize strength, resilience, and sovereignty found in rare, magical forms of being. Providing home and sustenance for countless other desert creatures, they are a reminder of the miracle of life in its most wondrous ways.
Description: This typical Sonoran Desert scene with the giant Saguaro cactus and Table Top Mountain lies in southern Arizona about 50 miles south of Phoenix. The surrealistic quality of this manipulated photograph is inspired by the books by Carlos Castaneda on The Teachings of Don Juan which take place right there in the Sonoran Desert borderlands between Arizona and Mexico where I live.
Description: It just occurred to me that some of the most important symbols of all are animal spirits and totems. I did videography and photography before design, and so I have a huge catalog to draw from. This is “Victor” - a western screech in a saguaro cactus burrow that lived on a hill next to my house. You can watch him live in many videos on my YouTube channel along with countless other critters from the Sonoran Desert of Arizona: https://www.youtube.com/c/waywardmuse
