Ritual of Survival is an encaustic mixed media work that incorporates original photography from Egypt with other imagery. At its core is the visceral scene of an animal eating its prey, an image that evokes both discomfort and awe. Within layers of wax and texture, the subject transcends documentary reality, becoming emblematic of life’s eternal cycle — predator and prey, sacrifice and survival, destruction and renewal. The piece invites reflection on the raw necessity of survival and the universality of nature’s unbroken rituals.