In this note I propose to state my understanding of the psychological meaning of rituals, the interpretation of rituals in the social sciences and the use of secular rituals in experiential learning/experiential psychology.
The paper begins with a brief statement as to what is a ritual, followed by a scanning of how rituals have been seen in social anthropology,by Swami Swahananda an eminent religious thinker and by Joseph Campbell. I then go on to state what are the functions of rituals from the point of view of the community that sponsors them and the individuals who perform them.