Rituals

Rituals can often seem ridiculous to those who have not grown up with those traditions, and especially by those who feel they have outgrown them. But they are a vital way that we unlock our psychological potential by providing powerful reinforcement mechanisms for the key values of a culture.

Cultural rituals in the monotheistic period are inextricably tied to religion and therefore give the strong appearance that supernatural belief is necessary for one to participate in them. This causes the materialist to feel disconnected from tradition and reluctant to participate in rituals that could confer great psychological benefit.

Honest Placebo Rituals

A pantheistic universalist secular spirituality allows you to participate in rituals and other spiritual practices from any culture without abandoning adherence to science and reason, or giving up the ritual's placebo effect that confers many of the health and psychological benefits. Just don't wear the outfits in public.

Many studies have shown that honest placebos, which you take knowingly instead of in a blind trial, are often just as effective as placebos that are presented as real medicine. The same principle applies to participation in rituals that seem to depend on a belief in the supernatural. You can participate in the ritual, knowing full well that the supernatural references are allegories designed to create an emotional reaction in the mind of the participant. It doesn't make them less effective at doing so, and could even enhance its effect if you really believe in the power of the placebo effect.

Poetry as Modern Ritual

Jennifer Michael Hecht's recent book The Wonder Paradox makes an excellent case for the use of poetry as a way for modern, secular people to create rituals that celebrate the best things in life and foster a sense of wonder. She recommends that each of us curate our own personal poetry library that can be invoked on special occasions like holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, funerals, or even daily activities like meals or bedtime.

Rituals synchronize the rhythms of our brains, create space for contemplation and gratitude, reinforce our values systems, celebrate milestones, and connect us to our traditions and history. Poetry, and art generally, is able to communicate ideas in ways that literal descriptions can never capture, creating emotional reactions that inspire us to be better. Secular people must learn to reintegrate art and ritual into daily life in the absence of a religious framework that provides these ready-made.