Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Altadena Residents Seal Prayers Into Mural Layers After Devastating Wildfires

Ekaterina leading a meditation with volunteers and guests Prayer for the Earth Altadena credit: Paul Livingston

Behind a vegan café in fire-scarred Altadena, residents spent four days in July embedding their personal prayers between layers of paint on a new community mural—a ritual act of recovery that brought together a war survivor artist and a neighborhood still grappling with displacement.

John & Ekaterina Prayer for the Earth Altadena

The mural, titled “Prayer for the Earth,” emerged from an unlikely collaboration. John Hopkins, a 70-something café owner who has long used his former Oh Happy Day Vegan Café space for spiritual gatherings, invited artist Ekaterina Sky to create the work. Sky, who survived two wars, said she approached the project “as someone who deeply identifies with the Altadena community’s experience of disruption and resilience.”

One group of volunteers taping the mural Prayer for the Earth Altadena credit: Shawn Sweeney

The project, organized by Oh Happy Day founders John Hopkins and Sev Dhar, invited Altadena residents, volunteers and nonprofit groups to participate.

Prayer for the Earth Altadena credit: Shawn Sweeney

Over four days ending July 27, participants helped build the wall, paint Sky’s design of sacred geometry and nature symbols, and—most significantly—seal written prayers into the mural’s layers. The non-denominational prayer text at the mural’s center, endorsed by interfaith leaders, marks the first large-scale installation in Sky’s series exploring human connection to nature.

Prayer for the Earth Altadena Drone Shot credit: Jon Orr

The project concluded with donated vegan meals from The Vegan Joint and BeeWali’s Vegan AF, supported by Plant Based Treaty and Support & Feed, but organizers emphasized the ongoing crisis. Many residents remain displaced from the fires, prompting the creation of a publicly accessible database of GoFundMe pages for affected individuals.

Volunteers painting the mural Prayer for the Earth Altadena credit: Shawn Sweeney

The mural joins a broader network of recovery efforts by groups including the Altadena Recovery Team, Altadena Seed Library, Cleo’s Critters and Pasadena Humane. Organizers said it pays tribute to the neighborhood’s layered cultural roots and ongoing commitment to healing and stewardship. While currently behind the former café, organizers are seeking a permanent location that reflects “the same values of connection, reverence, and restoration.”

Theresa & Kat Prayer for the Earth Altadena Volunteers credit: Ekaterina Sky

Supporters include Oh Happy Day Vegan Café, Collidescope Foundation, LA Climate Week, Soul Force Project, Climate Designers LA, Veggie Grill, Graphenstone Paint, Ganahl Lumber and others.

Volunteers preparing preparing the mural wall Prayer for the Earth Altadena credit: Shawn Sweeney

Volunteers taping the wall preparing it for painting Prayer for the Earth Altadena credit: Shawn Sweeney