And that is possibly something more to do with where the varied diverse sensations and expressions of my unique individuality, become of far *less* importance experientially than that of the experience of Union with the collective.

I was never a believer when I was a churchgoer, but all the same I could never understand why some friends of mine looked so hard for true & authentic & meaningful rituals out among the stones & what have you. Go to Midnight Mass and sing O Come all ye faithful with the extra verse - there's a collective celebration of light in the darkness, and lots of people to celebrate it with.