Ritual is transformative

The decline of formal religion in the West has given rise to some new approaches to rituals of the past.  Weddings taking place underwater, or while skydiving, or outdoors, often without a priest from a recognised religion.  Green funerals with cardboard coffins. All kinds of options are now open to those who find no comfort in the old.

But there is no shortage of ritual - ritual persists into the modern age of individualism and uninhibited choice. The reason for this is that ritual has a transformative effect. At the end, something is different; something within a group or an individual has changed. We have said goodbye to a friend or family member, in a way that provides some structure to what might be overwhelming grief, or unexpressed grief; we have welcomed a new couple into society where statements of intent have been made in public; we have welcomed a new soul into the world, again with public declarations of intent and relationship.

On an individual level, we may have personal rituals which help us to prepare ourselves in some way. Footballers can be seen touching the ground and making the sign of the cross as they take the field of play. Athletes might listen to certain musical tracks to get into their resourceful zone. We might choose to meditate or pray in the morning, or the evening, or take the eucharist, and not feel quite right if we miss it out.

I even came across a book called "Writing Rituals" the other day. This provides writers with a structured approach to getting into their creative zone. Of course, there's always some tension between creativity and structure, but on the whole most creative people, in my experience, have some kind of ritual that they willingly adopt because at the end of it they are in a different space.

I was once asked by a local pastor why anyone would need to undergo a structured course of learning when all they needed to do was just get stuck in by reading the Bible, and so experiencing God directly for themselves. I replied that it was a bit like a set piece play in a soccer match; it's a way of restarting the flow when, for whatever reason, the flow has stopped. He seemed happy with that idea, and it has certainly helped me down the years.

If you're lucky enough to live in the flow all the time, you won't need much in the way of ritual set pieces to restart your game. But for most of us, a little structure, in the form of a habit, a discipline, or a special location, or a piece of liturgy or music or writing, helps us to get the ball rolling again, to put ourselves into a resourceful or receptive frame of mind, to transform us.

And when we partake in a communal ritual, we identify ourselves with a community and its values and rules. We share something, and we make a communal statement about our belonging. We ignore these rituals to the great detriment of ourselves and the community.