Ritual (noun)
an established or prescribed procedure for a religious or other rite... any practice or pattern of behavior regularly performed in a set manner. (Dictionary.com)
Ritual (adj.)
done as part of a ceremony or ritual... always done in a particular situation and in the same way each time. (merriam-webster.com)
This is a question I have come across a lot in magic and spell casting. What exactly is a ritual? Even after looking up the technical definitions, a magical ritual is still a bit hard to describe.
I think the main thing that makes a ritual is its sameness. It is similar to a spell in the fact that is has intent, but rituals are cyclical.
For example, baptism is a ritual. It is preformed the same way (or close to the same way) every time a Christian chooses to be baptized. This is also the same for children who are baptized at birth. The intent of that ritual is to symbolically show the Christian being cleansed from sin.
This is very similar to the way a magical ritual is preformed. It is done close to the same way every time. Spell casting, meditation, worshiping, divining, and many other things can happen within a ritual depending on the ritual. A good example of a ritual is Casting a Circle. A circle is cast when someone wants to do something magical so that they are protected and so the energy remains contained. After the circle is cast, many different things can happen within that circle, such as meditation, spell casting, or divination. After you are done, you Close the Circle. Both are ritualistic actions.
There are many examples of mundane rituals, such as brushing your teeth, taking showers, and sleeping every night. So, to put it simply, a ritual is an action preformed the same way every time with a specific intent.
I think the main thing that makes a ritual is its sameness. It is similar to a spell in the fact that is has intent, but rituals are cyclical.
For example, baptism is a ritual. It is preformed the same way (or close to the same way) every time a Christian chooses to be baptized. This is also the same for children who are baptized at birth. The intent of that ritual is to symbolically show the Christian being cleansed from sin.
This is very similar to the way a magical ritual is preformed. It is done close to the same way every time. Spell casting, meditation, worshiping, divining, and many other things can happen within a ritual depending on the ritual. A good example of a ritual is Casting a Circle. A circle is cast when someone wants to do something magical so that they are protected and so the energy remains contained. After the circle is cast, many different things can happen within that circle, such as meditation, spell casting, or divination. After you are done, you Close the Circle. Both are ritualistic actions.
There are many examples of mundane rituals, such as brushing your teeth, taking showers, and sleeping every night. So, to put it simply, a ritual is an action preformed the same way every time with a specific intent.