you're welcome Fresia i am glad the discussion gives you something to think about

Princess... what we are discussing is actually very much integrated into being able to do things yourself for yourself - that's what these rituals and objects do. Yuo might want to check out Myths of Light by Campbell or Man's Search for Meaning by Frankl. Both give some very good discussion as to the importance of meaning. The things we are discussing are about specific modes of achieving meaning... connection to life and the world. ANother good book that has a good chapter on that is Full Catastrophe Living.

People need meaningful connection to the world through some means... be that objects, events, people, animals - something. WIthout that we suffer immeasurably and we die younger. The last book I mention discusses some of the science studies behind that.

There is a difference between connecting to meaning, and uplifting one's self through rituals and objects and the idea of being dependent on an external source of internal power. If one cannot survive without a specific object or ritual, that isn't what we are talking about here. This is about deepening the experience of life through the non-tangible power within our own sense of meaning.

peace