sociological significance

273 II.—Spirits and magic 281 III.—The civilizing heroes 283 IV.—The great gods—Their origin—Their relations with the totemic system—Their tribal and international character 285 V.—Unity of the totemic system 295
BOOK III
THE PRINCIPAL RITUAL ATTITUDES CHAPTER I
The Negative Cult and its Functions
The Ascetic Rites I.—The system of interdictions—Magic and religious interdictions—Interdictions between sacred things of different sorts—Interdictions between sacred and profane—These latter are the basis of the negative cult—Leading types of these interdictions; their reduction to two essential types 299 II.—The observance of interdictions modifies the religious state of individuals—Cases where this efficacy is especially apparent: ascetic practices—The religious efficacy of sorrow—Social function of asceticism 309 III.—Explanation of the system of interdictions: antagonism of the sacred and the profane, contagiousness of the sacred 317 IV.—Causes of this contagiousness—It cannot be explained by the laws of the association of ideas—It is because religious forces are outside of their subjects—Logical interest in this property of religious forces 321 CHAPTER II
The Positive Cult
I.—The Elements of Sacrifice The Intichiuma ceremony in the tribes of Central Australia—Different forms which it presents 326 I.—The Arunta Form—The two phases—Analysis of the first: visit to sacred places, scattering of sacred dust, shedding of blood, etc., to assure the reproduction of the totemic species 327 II.—Second phase: ritual consumption of the totemic plant or animal 333 III.—Interpretation of the complete ceremony—The second rite consists in a communion meal—Reason for this communion 336 IV.—The rites of the first phase consists in oblations—Analogies with sacrificial oblations—The Intichiuma thus contains the two elements of sacrifice—Interest of these facts for the theory of sacrifice 340 V.—On the pretended absurdity of sacrificial oblations—How they are explained: dependence of sacred beings upon their worshippers—Explanation of the circle in which sacrifice seems to move—Origin of the periodicity of positive rites 344 CHAPTER III
The Positive Cult—(continued)
II.—Imitative Rites and the Principle of Causality I.—Nature of the imitative rites—Examples of ceremonies where they are employed to assure the fertility of the species 351 II.—They rest upon the principle: like produces like—Examination of the explanation of this given by the anthropological school—Reasons why they imitate the animal or plant—Reasons for attributing a physical efficacy to these gestures—Faith—In what sense it is founded upon experience—The principles of magic are born in religion 355 III.—The preceding principle considered as one of the first statements of the principle of causality—Social conditions upon which this latter depends—The idea of impersonal force or power is of social origin—The necessity for the conception of causality explained by the authority inherent in social imperatives 362 CHAPTER IV
The Positive Cult—(continued)
III.—Representative or Commemorative Rites I.—Representative rites with physical efficacy—Their relations with the ceremonies already described—Their action is wholly moral 371