Believers bathe in the icy water during a traditional Epiphany at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Ostankino near TV Tower in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, January 18, 2023. Across Russia, the devout and the daring are observing the Orthodox Christian feast day of Epiphany by immersing themselves in frigid water through holes cut through the ice of lakes and rivers. Epiphany celebrates the revelation of Jesus Christ as the incarnation of God through his baptism in the River Jordan. (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo)

A boy sits next to sacrificial goats resting during Eid al-Adha in New Delhi, India, 29 June 2023. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha or feast of sacrifice, by slaughtering sheep, goats and cows to commemorate Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail at God's command. (Photo by Harish Tyagi/EPA)

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)

Devotees offer prayers before taking a holy bath during the Swasthani Bratakatha festival in the Triveni River in Panauti near Kathmandu January 24, 2015. During the month long festival, devotees recite one chapter of a Hindu tale daily from the 31-chapter sacred Swasthani Brata Katha book that is dedicated to the God Madhavnarayan and the Goddess Swasthani, alongside various other gods and goddess and the miraculous feats performed by them. The devotees also go on pilgrimages to various temples, perform religious rituals, take a holy bath in the rivers and fast for a month, especially among women who believe fasting helps in their family's well-being or in getting them a good husband. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

A Nepalese Hindu devotee bathes in the Bagmati River on her way to the Pashupatinath Temple to offer prayers to Lord Shiva, Hindu god of destruction during Shravan festivities in Sundarijal, on the outskirts of Kathmandu on August 3, 2015. According to the Nepali calendar, Shravan is considered the holiest month of the year with each Monday of the month known as Shravan Somvar when worshippers offer prayers for a happy and prosperous life. (Photo by Prakash Mathema/AFP Photo)

Non-Hindus carry nets as they wait on the edge of the crater to catch offerings cast down by Hindus during the Kasodo ceremony at Mount Bromo, Probolinggo, Indonesia, August 12, 2014. The Kasodo ceremony is a way of Tengger Hindus to express their gratitude to God for good harvest and fortune. The offerings range from vegetables to chickens, from fruits to goats, from money to other valuables. (Photo by Fully Handoko/EPA)

A Pakistani feeds his goat wearing the words “Eid Mubarak” or “Eid Greeting”, to be slaughtered on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, or “Feast of Sacrifice”, in Islamabad, Pakistan on Tuesday, October 15, 2013. Muslims all over the world are celebrating Eid al-Adha by sacrificing sheep, goats, cows and camels, to commemorate the Prophet Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, on God's command. (Photo by Anjum Naveed/AP Photo)

Two Hindu holy men of the Juna Akhara sect are being take on a motorcycle by their teacher as they got delayed for a rituals that are believed to rid them of all ties in this life and dedicate themselves to serving God as a “Naga” or naked holy men, at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna River during the Maha Kumbh festival in Allahabad, India, Wednesday, February 6, 2013. The significance of nakedness is that they will not have any worldly ties to material belongings, even something as simple as clothes. This ritual that transforms selected holy men to Naga can only be done at the Kumbh festival. (Photo by Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Photo)