[Elspode]

The purpose of ritual is to help *us* access our spirituality. Ritual is a bridge between we, as spiritual beings having a human experience, and we, as humans seeking a spiritual experience...if that makes any sense at all. I didn't coin the notion, but I think it expresses my feelings about things pretty well. "We are spiritual beings having a human experience" is the way I first heard it.

Ritual is like reciting a mantra, or doing a thing over and over until it becomes second nature. It is a way of sort of distracting one's focus from the mundane so that the usually unseen/unfelt can creep in. It is us trying to overcome the limitations of the flesh through repetition, visualization and concentration. Ritual doesn't force the Universe into any particular configuration, nor does it presume to be based on some overt understanding of the mystery of Existence. It is simply a tool, like any other tool. Because of that, I don't believe it to be disrespectful in any sense. I do differentiate between Pagan ritual practices and Christian ritual practices in the sense that, as Pagans, we are not prostrating ourselves before a Deity whom are supposed to both love and fear.