A few photos from our journeys...

The Day of  the Dead in Mexico is a vibrant community celebration to honor the dead. Filled with the symbolism of ancient Mexico, each altar is a tribute to those who have passed before us. Many families take their beloved dead's favorite foods and drink to the cemetery and spend the day celebrating. Many others build altars in their homes and create a trail of marigold petals out to the street, so the dead can find their way to the altar. The altars often have

 sugar or chocolate skulls, water, and tequila to feed the dead who have traveled a long way to visit the living.

These pictures are from a huge altar we created as a group during our Teotihuacan journey this year. We built the altar as a group and then little individual areas within it. The double-headed snake is Quetzacoatl, the winged serpent that represents transformation. Each of us built a personal altar within the curves of the snake.

The second to last photo is of our group doing a ceremony at the plaza of the moon, and the final photo is one I took in Maui; I call it "Prayer," as both the tree and the person seem to be paying homage to the ocean.