Ritual (Re)design. Towards a Framework for Professional Ritual Making in Postsecular Contexts

Abstract

Ritualizing, the creative, imaginative, and intuitive act of ritual making has been acknowledged for some time now in the literature. In this study, this intuitive process is studied in more detail from the perspective of ritual theory. The aim is to theoretically strengthen a framework of ritual making for professionals, such as chaplains and celebrants working with renewed rituals. A practical framework comprising three steps of ritual making is discussed in more detail: 1) communicating about ritual theme or cause, 2) the ritual (re)design and 3) performing the ritual. Ritualizing leads to dynamics and possible tensions, such as between introducing new elements and (re)using old ones or between the individual and the collective. The article offers an entry point or building block to understand contemporary ritual making in postsecular contexts.

Keywords

• professional ritual making
• ritual (re-) design
• postsecular society
• ritualizing