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Do you think the word “ritual” has nothing to do with you? That it’s a religious term? A relic from the past? An anachronism?
Then watch yourself carefully. And if that’s difficult, watch your colleagues and friends. You’ll notice patterns:
one gets hooked on video games,
another can’t imagine dinner without wine,
a third works obsessively, refusing to take vacations,
a fourth can’t start the day without a cup of strong coffee.
These are all their personal rituals, even if they don’t think of them that way.
It’s a problem when a person compulsively repeats an action, unable to stop the inner urge. It’s even worse when one activity overshadows every other aspect of life.
Why is the impulse so irresistible? One perspective: a person’s psyche is flooded with archetypal energy. The excess seeks somewhere to spill out. Alas, it can also flood.
Ritual serves as a channel, a container, a casting mold. In essence, it is a form of psychological self-regulation that comes at a price X.
The only question is whether it happens against your will or consciously. In the first case, the pattern, like a termite, steadily eats away at your life. In the second, you can create a less harmful ritual.
Instead of another coffee, a power nap or tea. Tennis instead of video games. Meditation instead of social media. A book instead of a screen. The key is to understand how else you can satisfy the same archetypal need.
Better yet, you can notice your beneficial patterns and turn them into sacred rituals. These are the ones after which your energy noticeably rises, ideas start flowing, and your mind clears...
Then you are no longer at odds with the archetype. You create existence together with it.
Sincerely yours,
-Alexander
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.
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