Joseph Campbell, the beloved interpreter of mythical stories from around the world, said that rituals are re-enactments of myths. He also said, however, that technology has changed the world too much, and we need new myths.
Conscious ritualing is a way to create new myths. Ritual is a universal activity, a simple three-step process: separate from the routine, notice qualia – play or experiment with it – and then return to the routine.
Our new qualia comes back this us, changing the routine slightly (sometimes the change is profound). Often, Campbell points out, we miss the qualia (the gift) because it comes to us wrapped in something dirty, or by someone we tend to avoid. So, try talking to the next homeless person, or try going somewhere that makes you scared. Make a ritual of it. It very well may, almost accidentally, provide some insight or a solution to a dilemma you may have, and this is just like the hero myth. So often we may receive a magical token – a qualiadelic gift – that helps to save our day, or even our life.
New myths are waiting to be found if we look fo new qualia in the right places.