A ritual should be understood as a rediscovered technique of establishing and strengthening a connection.
Even though we do not use the word “ritual” often in our daily lives, we practice many: celebrating birthdays, holidays, births, baptisms, weddings, funerals; all these are rituals which connect us and create what philosopher Huston Smith calls the “feeling of unconditional belonging”.
The purpose of a ritual is improving the quality of life through stimulating the connection between outer and inner elements, strengthening concentration and focus and presence in the moment. In this sense rituals can offer help in the process of grieving after separation from/ death of a beloved person, support in the process of forgiving and making peace (with other people, life circumstances and ourselves), but also give impulse for a start of a new project or the success of a new relationship.
Rituals introduce a rich palette of grey tones into black and white vision of the world and through experience of completeness and connection facilitate dealing with polarities. Rituals practiced deliberately and collectedly in everyday life strengthen our inner dynamic balance.