Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/287907
world between participants – another universe or dimension within our present reality. SWP argue that this shared world constitutes a third space that allows us to imagine and explore other possibilities for our lives, roles, and culture. As opposed to seeing things only "as-is," ritual creates a shared "as-if," a shared "could-be." Celebrating the Eucharist creates a shared world in which it is as if the Last Supper is happening once again. Perform- ing a war dance before battle creates a shared world in which a tribe could be the fiercest fighting force in the land. Drum- ming a cadet out of VMI creates a shared world in which it is as if honor in the most precious thing in a soldier's life. Initiat- ing a fraternity member creates a shared world in which brotherhood could be an unbreakable bond. Tying the knot creates a shared world in which it is as if the mar- riage is guaranteed to last forever. But, you ask, aren't these shared worlds merely illusions? Aren't they just a false real- ity we're creating for ourselves? This is true, but rituals can help turn the illusion into reality. Or as SWP put it, "the frame actu- ally pulls us in after it." The ritual not only points to the ideal, but serves as an actual, lived example of it, and in so doing helps bring it to pass. If you act as if brotherhood is an unbreakable bond, your friendships become stronger. If you act as if your tribe is practically invincible, you will fight more fiercely. This is the act-to-become principle we have talked about before in regards to both manhood and charisma, and will touch on in the next post as well. It's important to remember that one of the key elements of ritual is repetition. Ob- viously a magical wedding ceremony does not actually ensure a lifetime of happiness, but regularly engaging in rituals of affec- tion from that day forward can continually return the couple to that shared world of strong romantic love long after the honey- moon period has faded. As SWP write: "After three decades of marriage, kids, laundry, mortgages, funerals, fights, and in- laws, the relationship tends to be sustained by a shared "as if" rather than a continued "as is." Relationships that fail to construct a shared subjunctive over the long term tend to fall apart. It is not enough to love each other sincerely if people fail to act as if they love each other; and acting as if they love each other includes ritualized forms of expressing concern, verbally and in concrete deeds of helpfulness." The shared world — the shared reality that ritual creates — SWP argue, ultimately finds its power in allowing "the projec- tion of a shared future through stories of a common past." Conclusion At the beginning of this series, we sug- gested that ritual can act as an antidote to a modern world that often feels flat, untextured, one-dimensional. One way it does this is by creating layers of the sacred in an otherwise wholly profane world. To- day we have explored a second way: ritual participants can together create a shared world – a different dimension that tran- scends the everyday. As SWP put it, ritual "builds a world that, for brief moments, creates pockets of order, pockets of joy, pockets of inspiration." Within these pock- ets, we can play with ideas of what could be, form the kind of bond only open to co-creators, and explore truths and ways of being that repudiate the paltry, pessimistic, lowest-common-denominator options that constitute the current status quo. When we wonder, "Is this all there is?" ritual pulls back the curtain on another world of pos- sibilities, and at the same time, helps turn those possibilities into reality. Rituals cannot only transform the worlds we share with others, but our own personal world as well – helping us transi- tion and progress through life. To this final power of ritual, we will turn next time.> The Art of Manliness Continued JOBS for TEAMS | 20 www.jobsfor teams.com JobsForTeams0414_manliness.indd 4 3/6/14 8:26 AM