RITUALS - a conscious attempt to re-enchant the world (or press the pause button on the pace of modern life) (Intro)

Rituals are a fundamental part of human experience. The Oxford English Dictionary defines ritual as symbolic activity in a religious context. A ritual (or ceremony) is composed of several single acts, the rites. Rituals with seemingly widely different goals have common structures; this developed the insight, deepened by structuralism, that in ritual, structures are prior to meaning. (The Oxford English Dictionary). However, this emphasis on religious context seems narrow, as rituals are not necessarily religious.  

In rituals, the most ordinary of actions and gestures become transformed into symbolic expressions, their meaning reinforced each time they are performed (Van Gennep 1909). These repetitive actions signal commitment (kneeling, bowing during prayer), enhances motivation and performance (sport players rituals prior to games), seal the bonds between people (marriage rituals).

Hobson et al defined ritual as a a) predefined sequences characterised by rigidity, formality and repetition that are b) embedded in a larger system of symbolism and meaning but c) contain elements that lack direct instrumental purpose (Hobson et al). 

A conscious decision to perform a ritual raises its significance beyond ordinary and mundane into a heightened experience, evoking the awe and humility but also consolidating an idea, intent or wish, simultaneously surrendering its fate to a something higher than ourselves. 

The healing impact of ritual consists at least in part of re-enchantment and coming home to a more embodied symbolic and imaginal existence amid stresses of everyday life.