Hindu devotees perform rituals during the Bol Bom pilgrimage, on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, August 8, 2016. During this pilgrimage, devotees walk miles barefooted before offering water collected from Bagmati river, at the Pashupatinath temple in Katmandu. Shravan Somwar or Monday of Hindu calendar month of Shravan is considered auspicious for offering prayers to Lord Shiva, the god of destruction. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)

Tip Toland is a sculptor and instructor living in the Seattle, Washington area. Her current focus is figurative ceramic sculpture. Tip is represented by the Nancy Margolis Gallery in New York City.

Photo: “Letter to God”, 2011. Stoneware, paint, chalk pastel, hair. (Photo by Tip Toland/Marie-Andrée Côté)

A devotee of the Chinese shrine of Kathu Shrine, pierces his cheeks with umbrellas during a procession of Vegetarian Festival on October 4, 2011 in Phuket, Thailand. Ritual Vegetarianism in Phuket Island traces it roots back to the early 1800's. The festival begins on the first evening of the ninth lunar month and lasts for nine days. Participants in the festival perform acts of body piercing as a means of shifting evil spirits from individuals onto themselves and bring the community good luck. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Getty Images)

“Elat’ma, the Ryazan Oblast region of Russia. This small town is only 300 kilometers (186 miles) from modern Moscow but remains 60 years in the past, dominated by the spirit of socialism. The air of the communist ‘50s can be seen in the town’s architecture, celebrations and other occurrences. But neither its beauty nor its ties to a socialist past brought photographer Anastasia Rudenko to this village. Elat’ma is unique in that it functions as a town for mentally disabled people”. – Michelle Cohan via CNN. (Photo by Anastasia Rudenko)

Grumpy Cat in Las Vegas, America on August 5, 2014. Grumpy Cat aka Tardar Sauce has died on May 14, 2019 at home in Arizona at the age of seven due to complications from a urinary tract infection. Her family's statement said: “Besides being our baby and a cherished member of the family, Grumpy Cat has helped millions of people smile all around the world – even when times were tough. Her spirit will continue to live on through her fans everywhere. Grumpy's Family – Tabatha, Bryan and Chyrstal”. (Photo by Mediapunch/Shutterstock)

A reveller wearing a bearskin costume poses during the Bearskin Parade in Comanesti, Romania, on December 30, 2022. More than two hundred “bears” and dozens of musicians, surrounded by police and tourists, took part in the end-of-the-year parade. Young men and women dressed in real bearskin and traditional costumes paraded to chase away the evil spirits of the coming year. In all regions of Romania similar events exist but it is in this historical region of Moldova that they are the most developed. Comanesti has become the centre, attracting more and more troupes of dancers every year. (Photo by Daniel Mihailescu/AFP Photo)

Jesus Moreno, 60, feeds pigeons in downtown Monterrey, Mexico July 7, 2015. For the past 30 years Moreno, who was once homeless, a drug addict, and formerly working as a investigative policeman, has been feeding pigeons twice a day, because to him they represent peace and the only way to communicate to God, local media reported. (Photo by Daniel Becerril/Reuters)