larry, i'd like to echo your last paragraph...
Even though I have some training in ritual, I have not been very fond of it. It becomes rote too easily. Finding a fit with the culture is important. Minimizing it is important. Some is necessary to engage the spirit in the room. ...and add that, with this one paragraph, you've done a nice job of capturing the core tension of this whole modification/purity thread for me. it's my trickiest learning with the whole process, i think, both at the personal and organaiatino levels. michael