Self-Reflection, Ethnography and “Magic”

Self-Reflection, Ethnography and “Magic”

There is a common habit that people have of performing “rituals” or having certain routines which they believe help them achieve something or increase the probability of them succeeding in specific tasks, especially in winning games. In George Gmelch’s Superstition and Ritual in American Baseball, he talks of the “magic” in certain rituals, routines, and fetishes that most baseball players perform, which they attribute to the success of their performance on the pitch. Most of these players have specific rituals and routines which they must perform if they want to have positive outcomes during their games. Gmelch describes that most of the players believe that if they fail to perform these rituals or fail to follow their routine, they will experience bad luck and fail to perform as good. He also explains that there are also certain taboos, which are the opposite of rituals, and breaking these taboos results in bad luck.[1] He also explains that many people actually have the same beliefs and follow certain routines in their daily activities, which they believe brings them good luck in various activities they are involved in.

I also apply these “magic” in some parts of my life. Depending on the activity, I perform certain “rituals” and follow certain routines, which I believe help bring more good luck and help me accomplish these tasks with a positive attitude, having more positive expectations. Apart from rituals, I also have some fetishes which are special objects which I carry with me or wear or keep in my room to help bring more luck in my life. One particular ritual which many other people and I perform daily is praying. Coming from a Christian background, I have incorporated the praying routine in almost every aspect of my life.

Ever since I was a child, my parents taught me that praying brings good things in our lives since when we pray, we are talking to God and asking Him to help and guide us in our lives, and this brings good and positive things in our lives. As a result, I always pray daily as I believe that it will help bring more luck in my life and help me accomplish great achievements. This is a ritual that many people perform, and most people pray whenever they are about to embark on something significant in their lives, such as interviews, games, and even before going on long journeys using cars or flights to enable them to reach their destinations safely. I also pray before going on a long journey.

I always pray in the morning after waking up, before meals, and in the evening, when I go to sleep. Also, before performing tasks, I always pray. I strongly believe that if I did not pray every day, my life would be a lot difficult, and things would not go as I planned them. There are instances where I have been in tough situations, and praying helped me overcome the situations. On the other hand, there are situations where I forgot to pray, and things went totally wrong as a result. For example, there are times when I forgot to pray before doing a driver’s test, and I failed to pass. The next time I did the test, I prayed before doing the test, and I passed exceptionally. This was proof to me that praying actually works for me. Whenever I feel like the prayers are not working, I increase the number of times that I pray or change the way I pray, for example, kneeling whenever I am praying. This I similar to what Gmelch explains where some players [2]make a deliberate effort to change their rituals and routines in an attempt to shake off their bad luck.”

I have an amulet which I always wear around my neck. The amulet has a small picture of my deceased mother in it. Whenever I pray, I always hold the amulet in my hands, and I believe that it helps my prayers to be more effective. In school, before doing a test, I always pray while holding the amulet, and this has become a routine, every time I pray. Whenever I pray, and a positive outcome ensues as a result, I pray again as a way of showing appreciation. I strongly believe that praying is a routine that I have become used to, and it works in most cases. Failure to perform these rituals result in bad things happening in my life or things going the opposite of what I expect them to. I believe that praying can be considered as magic as it brings good things in my life. It is a routine as I cannot go a day without praying, and it is a ritual that I perform for good luck and to increase the likelihood of positive outcomes in various activities.

References

Gmelch, George. “Superstition and ritual in American baseball.” Elysian Fields Quarterly 11, no. 3 (1992): 25-36.

 

 

[1] George, Gmelch. “Superstition and ritual in American baseball, 2.

[2]