1. DEFINTIONS II

2. Sympathy Stoic term used by the Neo-Platonic philosopher Plotinus
Cf. Frazer in The Golden Baugh

3. Victor Turner Rituals, Symbols, Ritual Themes
Victor Turner and Symbolic Analysis (1974, 1982)

4. Victor Turner Symbolic Analysis (1974, 1982)
Magic is strictly linked to ritual

5. RITUAL = stereotyped sequence of activities involving
Gestures
Words
Objects
designed to influence supernatural entities or forces on behalf of the actor’s goals and interests

6. SYMBOL
= the smallest meaningful unit of a specific structure of a ritual context.

7. Characteristics of a ritual…
Multiple meanings
symbols interconnected through analogy or association
Condensation
one symbol can be the vehicle for many ideas
Polarization
tangible symbols represent abstract components of the moral or social order.

8. Euphorbia trigona The African Milk Tree

10. Ndembu people of Zambia

11. Example: The milk tree
The focal symbol of the girls’ puberty ritual of the Ndembu people of Zambia.
On sensory level:
Symbol of mother’s milk
On an abstract level:
Symbol of womanhood and motherhood
The tree becomes the center of ritual episodes expressing values and virtues promoted by this matrilineal community.

13. Civic religion involves a community
Magical ritual involves individuals
Communication with divine or semi-divine beings constructed along the vertical axis.