Alexa Botha (Image and Pilgrimage #1)

Magic, religion, ritual, pilgrimage.... many people have a difficult time seeing a clear difference. If there can be an unseen God somewhere high above us out in the Universe, then why can't there be mermaids in the Ocean and so on and so on. Turner tackles this to a degree when he speaks of communitas and the journey of the pilgrimage being much more different than a ritual. The differences being that ritual is often more tribal and consists of magical ideas, with healers being brought to the person and a sperateness. With a ritual there is a sole purpose or solution be sought after while a pilgrimage is more or less what happens happens and considered more of a white magic idea. A pilgrim is not to expect anything, there can be hope, lots of hope but there cannot be expectations. Rituals have black and white expectations, their person will be cured or cursed, healed or dead and so on. With pilgrimage, the traditions can be traced to a root or foundation of these belief, so says Turner. Rituals are constructed of myths and so in this context hold less validity. I find this is all an extremely fascinating way to look at these two topics. It is defining something that I originally though of as undefinable. I can think of many people that would perhaps argue against some of these ideas but I take what Turner says to have some weight. I can see and wrap my mind around what he is explaining, these two ways of worship are indeed extremely different.