Carnival, Grenada, Caribbean, West Indies

Aboriginal dance, Australia

Aborigine man, Australia

Tea ceremony, Tafilalt, Morocco, North Africa

Hindu performing his daily devotion ritual to Ganga in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

6th c.BC necropolis, Livorno, Tuscany, Italy, Europe

Pharaoh Seti I on right, Goddess Hathor on left, Bas Relief, Tomb of Seti I, KV17, Valley of the Kings, Ancient Thebes, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Luxor, Egypt, North Africa, Africa

The Little White Chapel, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Sang sang rimpoche uses the dorje, a sacred ritual object to make the first decisive cut into the sand mandala on the last day of the mani rimdu festival. chiwang monastery, solu khumbu, nepal. solu khumbu, nepal

N month of november 7 days before full moon a sacred ceremony is held in various monasteries throughout himalayas by traditional healers known as amchis. They bring their precious herbs, minerals special animal glands to be blessed. A selected amount of herbs is placed in a copper vessel placed on monastery alter. 7 days amchis go through an elaborate potenization of these medicines through prayer other practices. Seen here is of amchis holding a dorje (sacred object used cutting through obscurations) which is lined from a vessel containing various herbs sitting on monastery alter to heart chakra. Chang tang nyee, ladakh, indi

Japanese Tea Ceremony

Ceremonial coins with a burning incense stick. Shot in Bali.

Butter lamps at the Mahabodhi Temple, place of enlightenment or awakening, "Bodhi" of Siddhartha Gautama, Bodhgaya, Bihar, India, Asia

Mummies, Glyptotek, Copenhagen, Denmark, Europe

Two native men with totem pole, Fanla, Ambrym Island, South Sea, Vanuatu, Oceania

Mummy and jars from the time of the Nazca, 200 BC - 700 AD, at Cementerio Arqueologico Chauchillo, Nazca, southern Peru, South America

Prayer paper in Chinese temple, Chua Thien Hau Pagoda, Cho Lon, Chinatown, Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon, South Vietnam, Vietnam, Southeast Asia, Asia

Buddhist Mani stones with sacred mantras, Zanskar, Himalaya, Jammu and Kashmir, North India, Asia

Dream Catchers, Old Town Market, San Diego, California, USA

Harley Davidson motorcycles, parked in a rest area, Page, Arizona, USA

Naga is the Sanskrit and Pali word for a deity or class of entity or being, taking the form of a very large snake, found in Hinduism and Buddhism. In India, nagas are considered nature spirits and the protectors of springs, wells and rivers. They bring rain, and thus fertility, but are also thought to bring disasters such as floods and drought. According to traditions nagas are only malevolent to humans when they have been mistreated. They are susceptible to mankind's disrespectful actions in relation to the environment. They are also associated with waters &33; rivers, lakes, seas, and wells &33; and are generally regarded as guardians of treasure.They are objects of great reverence in some parts of southern India where it is believe that they bring fertility and prosperity to their venerators. Expensive and grand rituals are conducted in their honour.

Communion Elements And The Cross

Charms and objects placed on a Santeria altar in a home in the Los Pinos area of Havana, Cuba

Charms and objects placed on a Santeria altar in a home in the Los Pinos area of Havana, Cubo

Ritual dance of Sikere (medicine men), Mentawai people, Siberut, Mentawai, Indonesia

Ritual dance of Sikere (medicine men), Mentawai people, Siberut, Mentawai, Indonesia

Ritual dance of Sikere (medicine men), Mentawai people, Siberut, Mentawai, Indonesia

Ritual dance of Sikere (medicine men), Mentawai people, Siberut, Mentawai, Indonesia

Ritual dance of Sikere (medicine men), Mentawai people, Siberut, Mentawai, Indonesia

Ritual dance of Sikere (medicine men), Mentawai people, Siberut, Mentawai, Indonesia