8. Rituals

Let’s be honest.

You, yes you, probably have rituals.

Even if you’re a proudly card-carrying atheist with Richard Dawkins on speed dial.

Ever kissed your teeth when your football team conceded?

Held your breath when passing a graveyard?

Or prayed to the universe for your crush to reply your text?

Boom. Ritual behavior.

Turns out, you don’t need a religion to be religious.

You just need a brain… and a little fear of the unknown.

So… What 

Is

 a Ritual?

At its core, a ritual is a structured, repeated, symbolic act.

Lighting candles.

Clapping three times before kicking a penalty.

Going to church.

Meditating.

Pouring a bit of beer on the ground for your ancestors (Shoutout to Mbuya Nehanda and them).

It’s not the action itself — it’s the meaning we wrap around it.

Rituals are meaning factories. They turn ordinary gestures into spiritual power moves.

Why Do We Love Rituals So Much?

Because humans are squishy little bundles of emotion, confusion, and the deep, unshakable need to feel in control.

Rituals are like psychological duct tape.

They hold our sanity together when life’s falling apart.

They:

1. Reduce anxiety
2. Strengthen social bonds
3. Give structure to chaos
4. Make us feel like we’re doing something (even when we’re helpless)

Even in science labs, researchers have found that athletes, soldiers, and even grieving families all perform rituals to stay grounded.

So if you’ve ever watched a whole World Cup game standing in the same exact spot because “it worked last time,” you’re basically halfway to building your own religion.

Rituals: Ancient Human Tech

Long before Google Calendar, rituals helped early humans survive.

How?

Rituals:

1. Marked seasons for planting & harvesting
2. Bound communities together
3. Signaled shared beliefs and group loyalty
4. Helped people navigate birth, puberty, marriage, and death

And they weren’t just for fun.

If your tribe performed the rain dance and it actually rained?

That’s not superstition — that’s climate control, baby.

(Okay, fine, it was coincidence — but tell that to your soggy sandals.)

Rituals Without Religion: Still a Vibe

Rituals aren’t exclusive to believers. Atheists and agnostics be out here ritualizing too:

1. Blowing out birthday candles? Ritual.
2. Saying “touch wood” or “cross my heart”? Ritual.
3. Clapping hands in rhythm at a concert? Ritual.
4. Doom-scrolling Twitter every morning like it’s scripture? Tragic… but also ritual.

Rituals don’t need gods.

They just need us — our pattern-loving, meaning-craving, control-seeking brains.

So Why Do Religions Love Rituals?

Because rituals are spiritual superglue.

They:

1. Reaffirm group identity
2. Reinforce sacred stories
3. Signal devotion (you woke up at 4am to pray? Hardcore)
4. And build emotional intensity — think candles, chants, music, movement… all the vibes

Even atheists admit: religious rituals can be powerful.

Not because they connect you to God necessarily — but because they connect you to something.

To tradition.

To history.

To each other.

To yourself.

Are Rituals Rational?

Short answer: not always.

Long answer: they don’t need to be.

Just like dancing doesn’t solve math problems, rituals don’t have to “work” in the scientific sense to be emotionally true.

They’re like art.

They’re not about logic. They’re about expression.

The Rituals You Didn’t Know You Had

Let’s call some people out, shall we?

1. You who won’t write an exam with a blue pen because you “failed last time.”
2. You who plays the same breakup song on repeat like it’s sacred scripture.
3. You who burns sage and doesn’t even know why.
4. You who fasts — not for God, but for #guthealth (still a ritual, just rebranded).

Congratulations.

You’re participating in one of humanity’s oldest survival tools.

So… Are Rituals Good or Bad?

Yes.

They can be:

1. Beautiful
2. Harmful
3. Healing
4. Oppressive
5. Empowering
6. Empty
7. Enlightening

It depends on the context, the intention, and whether or not they involve sacrificing goats on your neighbor’s lawn.

Final Thought: Rituals Evolve, Just Like Us

Religion may rise or fall, but rituals?

They’re immortal.

From ancient fire dances to wedding vows to TikTok manifestation routines…

we will always crave that structure, that ceremony, that little sacred moment in the madness.

Because when life feels random, rituals whisper:

“There’s a pattern. There’s a purpose. You’ve got this.”

Coming up next: Sacred Texts — why some books are considered holy, and why your uncle’s WhatsApp forwards are definitely not scripture.