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Ritualism is part of being human, and that doesn't mean drawing arcane symbols on the floor of the basement. The definition of ritual greatly varies depending on the context of the researcher, but for our purposes we'll define a ritual as a specific act or series of acts performed in a precise manner and often repeated. That definition provides a wide range of what could be considered a ritual — a Catholic's baptism is ritualistic but so is the act of starting the day at dawn with yoga and a hot matcha.
The importance of ritualism can be a subtle but essential part of our day-to-day activities; every action we take in these rituals carries a bit more weight than the casual task. The Psychology of Rituals: An Integrative Review and Process-Based Framework by Nicholas M. Hobson, Juliana Schroeder, Jane L. Risem, Dimitris Xygalatas, and Michael Inzlicht asserts that rituals help regulate our emotions, serve as social connections to others, and set performance goal states. Often these effects overlap with one another.
Life is full of seemingly insignificant behaviors because we don't recognize a lot of our rituals until they're disrupted. For example, you may make your coffee via a French Press every morning as you listen to NPR but if you were to go on a business trip or vacation, you may find your morning feels "off" because you're unable to do the usual. Taking the time to consider what helps keep us in good spirits or makes us feel better after a disruption gives us better skills to navigate the stresses of this world, how to be more present with our loved ones, and how to appreciate something as simple as a cold beer and a pipe.
When it comes to pipe preparation and pipe maintenance, there is an undeniably ritualistic process at play. Let's take my routine for example: I mostly smoke flakes so I always start my preparation by rubbing them out between my palms and laying them on a tobacco mat to dry while I make a drink before packing my pipe using the gravity fill method. When I'm done smoking, I always let my pipe cool for 15 minutes before emptying the chamber, wiping the stem down, taking apart the stem and running a cleaner through it, and polishing the bowl before returning the pipe to its designated spot in my collection.
Individually, these parts are insignificant. I make drinks all the time; while there is nothing special about that, as a collective sum, these ritualistic, repeated, sequential routines every time I smoke in the evening serve as a grounding element to my day. Sure, I enjoyed Captain Black all day while working but preparing my flakes helps ground me in off-the-clock mode and decompress from the stresses of the day. That's because often in these rituals, we find a sense of zen. That calm attentiveness — where we're fully aware of what's going on but are mostly floating along the task rather than putting a serious concentrated effort into it — helps keep us in the here and now, gives us time to breathe, and encourages an appreciation for the things we take for granted.
I'm a fan of pipe and cigar smoking because both inherently lean into these aspects of life. As you sit down for your next smoke, I encourage you to slow down and consider your own rituals. What brings on that zen state, what helps make you feel complete in between those puffs, and what brings you peace in a bowl of Key Largo?
Bibliography
- Hobson, N. M., Schroeder, J., Risen, J. L., Xygalatas, D., & Inzlicht, M. (2018). The Psychology of Rituals: An Integrative Review and Process-Based Framework. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 22(3), 260-284.
- O'Connell, C. (2020, December 16). "The transformative power of engaging in ritual," Psychology Today.
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Comments
Sorry. A Catholic's baptism is not a ritual and neither is OCD.
In the kindest and most respectful of ways, a baptism is absolutely a ritual. It is a rite of initiation into the Catholic/Christian religion. As stated in the article, a ritual isn't occult or sacrilegious. A ritual in its purest definition is "a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order."
My bat mitzvah was a ritual, Salah in Islam is a ritual, and even buddhist meditation is a ritual.
Ohh... Then you mean a Catholic baptism, not a Catholic's baptism?
Punctuation matters.
Solid essay! Flake prep is a great ritual.
Excellent analysis of ritual - I completely agree with the premise. After a 25 year hiatus I resumed pipe smoking
after listening to a Malcolm Guite podcast. It has become
a peaceful evening meditation which my wife loves to witness. She loves watching me slowly puff on my new Ser Jacopo and swoons over the sensuous room notes of Sutliff Molto Dolce as we quietly bond end of day. This is most definitely a sweet ritual!
,,,Ryōkan loved sake. But his drinking seems to have been largely social, an activity shared with friends, and he never appears to have drunk to excess. "When people give the Teacher sake," Ozeki's biography observed, "he can imbibe and remain completely relaxed. if people urge him to get up and dance, he doesn't hesitate. When he's had enough, he simply leaves without saying anything." Like pipe smoking, another favorite pastime, drinking sake with friends and neighbors seems to have been regarded by Ryōkan as a natural and perfectly harmless activity. (page 16-17) - GREAT FOOL, ZEN MASTER RYōKAN, Poems, Letters, and Other Writings (Translated with essays by Ryuichi Abe and Peter Haskel)
It’s been a long time since I taught Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Fine allusions!
I prefer the term, structure. Consistency is important.
Ordinarily, amongst pipe communities we don’t talk about politics or religion. Especially not someone else’s religion. You managed to pull off both in the first two paragraphs here.
Cut poor Rose some slack, if you ever read her article and review of Borkum Riff: Bourbon Whiskey you would have a better understanding. "You can taste the bourbon to an extent. I think the use of eight-year-old bourbon is pure marketing. Until Jeremy Reeves comes and knocks me aside the head, you could tell me this was Pappy or Four Roses, and I would just smile and nod." Seee...blame Jeremy, maybe too many knocks🥴💫 Joking, Rose😁