Latest / The Observable Unknown
Interlude LXXVIII: Ritual | Roy Rappaport, Harvey Whitehouse, Cultural Memory, Sacred Action, Grief, Neurosomatic Praxis, and the Psychology of Repetition
In this interlude of The Observable Unknown, Dr. Juan Carlos Rey explores ritual as one of the oldest ways human beings preserve memory, mark time, carry grief, transmit meaning, and remain connected to what cannot answer.
People often continue performing certain actions long after they have forgotten why.
A candle is lit.
A name is spoken.
A grave is visited.
A chair is left empty.
A familiar meal is prepared on the same date each year.
A photograph is touched.
A prayer is repeated.
A door is closed with unusual care.
These gestures may appear to be habit, custom, sentiment, or superstition…
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