reversal

The term "reversal" can mean to change an opinion or decision, or to turn an object so the opposite side is showing. In the context of ancient rituals, reversals are sometimes used in purification rites. These practices can seem paradoxical, working on principles like "like attracting like," where an impure object draws out impurity. Another principle is inoculation, where something is briefly exposed to a pollutant to protect it from future contamination.12

Some purification rituals involve reversals, particularly in the roles of men and women, symbolizing a return to chaos and then a re-establishment of order. The symbolism of death and rebirth is also a common reversal, where the world and its disorders are symbolically put to death and then renewed in a purer state.2