Element of Ritual: Separation
Because the purpose of ritual is to enable a transition between identities, it begins with an act of detachment.
Element of Ritual: Disorientation
The disorientation inherent in the ritual process sets the stage for creative visions that provide the foundation for innovations.
Element of Ritual: Taboo and Transgression
As ritual participants break specific rules, they prove that they are willing and capable of rejecting the norms that once defined them.
Element of Ritual: Symbolic Recombination
Symbolic recombination is a cultural analogue to genetic recombination, sparking fruitful innovation.
Element of Ritual: Guidance
Ritual guides are the stage managers of the liminal performance, with the responsibility of maintaining a tricky balance in the threshold experience.
Element of Ritual: Trial and Reward
Rather than shrinking from pain and loss, people often seek out challenging experiences because they yearn for opportunities to be tested, and to prove their worthiness.
Element of Ritual: Reorientation
The process of ritual disorients by design, in order to make people receptive to the transformative experiences contained within the liminal sphere. Well-designed rituals, however, never leave participants in this fluid state. Because the purpose of ritual is transformation, effective…..