For me I can really say I underestimated my understanding of the word ritual. I did not fully respect the real idea of it all. When I was younger I would play the same song in the morning (Anesthesia, Pulling Teeth by Metallica) I would rock out in my head and think about the cords being played not realizing I have been performing a ritual. It is kind of eye opening to think about. I would not purposely participate if I was asked to. Things we do every day are can be considered ritualistic, but to uses the same understanding towards religious practices would be disrespectful. I have to think about how important rituals are for some people. Not just the act alone, but the reason behind the action, or what happened to someone to put so much emphasis on certain behaviors repeated daily, weekly annually. The answer lies in the culture, history, even the act of passing down traditions by word of mouth can be considered a ritual. The physical aspect of one’ s behavior in order to align with a cosmic or other worldly divinity. The mental aspect is what gives the behavior meaning and connection with their higher power.
