Rituals Needed Today

In The First Story Tellers Campbell expresses all the clonflict today is due to the loss of rituals. I personally believe rituals are still present today, but they have evolved to become more selfish and indvidual based as our cultures have. Campbell expressed that the old rituals would help reduce all our conflict today, but he also expressed in The Message of Myth that myths evolve and we cant go backward with them because they wont apply to all of todays aspects. In The First Story Tellers he expressed that rituals are what make life the myths, so that means the rituals had to evovle to and not all the old rituals will help reduce the conflict today. Now I am curious what rituals you think may help ease or abolish the conflict in our world today. If you do not agree with this idea in the first place please explain why; I'd love a new perspective on the matter.

I think it is a mistake to think that 'now' and 'everything historically' can be entirely compared... when you talk about the old rituals, which rituals? Which period of history? Which country or culture? I think a few more specifics need to be introduced before a true discussion can be had.

While I agree with Edan that the original post is rather vague, I also agree that we have lost a great deal of community and "faith" (of whatever sort you choose to practice, whether in a higher power or the goodness of the human spirit) by letting our rituals subside as our "civilization" has increased.

Rituals build belief (in whatever form you practice), build communal bonds (as few are performed alone consistently), and build self-esteem (by allowing you to feel connected to something larger than just yourself through your own actions.) They're really important.

From what I understand of Campbell's writing, most ancient societies had rites of passage, things that would cement one's sexuality, age, and place in that society. In general, we don't have those anymore. So, kids go looking for their own rites of passage which often lead to gang membership, so that they feel like they're a part of something.

Fortunately for us Jedi, we've created our own general rites, and I personally think that's fantastic. Some people that may have gone looking for a "place" in life through more destructive means, may have found their way here, where they can be positively affected.

So yeah, we're getting back on track somewhat, but we still have a long way to go.

In the video campbell focuses on mostly the respect form the hunting rituals the first story tellers used whcih he believed is what brought respect and less conflict (at least thats what I took form his words). You could simply foucus on the hunting rituals or you could chose any kind of ritual in any part of life you think may simply lessen the conflict around us today. Campbell spoke of the psychological rituals that chaged a boy form a man towards the end of the video; these may be a good place to start since they are what make the boys respectful men. I'm sorry this is vague but that is part of point, so you are not limited to one point of thought. If you need more detail please tell me what kind and I'll be happy to lay out a path for us to fallow.

Talking about rituals, I believe it is needed today; Campebell said those societies lived the myth, I believe a certain way, so should we. The rituals that people practiced were related to quotidian those societies today have to exercise our rituals, exercise our spirituality with the elements around us. Losing these elemntos left us cold to the world and to the people around us; ie lose the rites that worshiped the earth, made us degrade our planet; miss the festivities and rites of crops, they made us lose the intimacy and love for people. Obviously we must not lose our reason, our culture and other things.

Edited out...

Will rewrite tomorrow...

First I think it is imperative to build a community before we can talk about rituals. We have become individualistic and in our individualism we have lost our respect for rituals as a means of strengthening the community in which we live. Rituals are organic in nature. They tell a story of the community, thus they grow out of the community based on community needs, community values.

Rituals surrounding the harvest for example, were first practiced by communities in which agriculture was not only a way of life but a means of survival. The same could be said about any ritualistic ceremony concerning the killing and eating of meat.

Our fundamental problem (for lack of a better word) is that we have no specific way of life. We have no specific community. Instead we have several of each.

However, we may have lost some rituals, but others have taken their place. One shining example of consumerism is the pseudo holiday "Black Friday" in which we line up several hours (or days) in advance of sales to celebrate the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Granted, its not the best ritual in the world, but it has evolved out of a collective community desire for consumption. See what I am saying?

The ritual is indeed the re-enactment of myth. It does much more than allow us to participate in the symbolic of an aspect of life - it also resets the clock and calendar for us. It allows us to set the counter back to zero, calibrating our lives which are experienced 'in Time' to the divine, eternal cosmogonic myth which are 'not in Time'.

Rituals mark the beginnings and endings of cycles ; there is death (closure) and renewal/rebirth. These rite often have to do with the defeat of some chaotic element, thus permitting Man to re-create his cosmos ... and the whole bit of living another cycle begins anew.

Since we have become so reasonable as to throw much of that away, we do not get the benefits of these renewing, revitalising rituals. Consumerism doesn't prove to be as soul satisfying, is not a potent enough existential fix ... as it were.

We can have rituals, but we need to be very sincere about what we are doing -- NOT just doing it to 'have a ritual' (that is merely a theme party). The rituals we celebrate must touch us where we live : as above, so below - in passing by the middle, where we are ... suspending Time and correlating our day to day Lifes with Timeless Eternity.

It is much more instinctive than it appears ...

Absolutely agree with Campbell in terms of the loss of rituals. When the word ritual is thought of, there is usually an association with myths or religion. I do not believe that is what he meant. For example, does your family sit down together every day for dinner for the purpose of being together and communicating and supporting? Is there a child in your life (family or not) where time is spent routinely in a certain way (teaching, playing, etc.?) Beyond an altruistic act, there are repeats of practices (performed ritually . . . every thursday, every day . . etc.)

Another type of example of modern day ritual is the apprentice program right here.