How rituals help stabilize the mind.

Vedic rituals and the Vedic way of life are a protection, a rakshA. They protect the performer even through very difficult losses by giving the continuity of routine.

This is why ritual mourning is very important. They teach us where and how to consign thoughts of loss. The loss of a physical manifestation such as a body is understood as the physical manifestation merely returning to the five elements (panca mahAbhUtas). But deeper than the body is our relationship to the person. A relationship is not comprised of five bhUtas but it does have the three guNas. The sAttvic part of it is worth cherishing. To see the Divine in each other and to love, care and celebrate goodness, affection, intimacy, and commitment in each other is all good. The rAjasic aspect is the passion and seeing the difference between the object and others. Seeing this difference is productive of pain. The tAmasic aspect is the over-particularization of attention and attribution of specific qualities to only that person and the obscuration of a balanced picture. These are characteristic of relationships characterized by extreme feelings of love or hate. Not seeing the balanced picture is tAmasic, which is impelled by the blinding passion of rajas.

The best mourning ritual for any experience is to discard the tAmasic ideas by invoking rajas to transform this energy into seeing the Divine in everyone and doing good for others. To conquer fear through faith, and opening up one's heart to do good to others without expectation. That seva will never let anyone down. One may cherish the sattva guNa and the delight of sharing it with others. Recognize that being sAttvic appears hard at first, but its fruit is like nectar. That being rAjasic is easy at first but its fruit is pain. That being tAmasic is ignorant and its fruit is the same. Everything in the world is a product of the three guNas, and sattva is attractive, while rajas and tamas derail one's thinking. Only one who is guNAtIta has perfect vision at all times. But everything in Creation is made of the guNas. As a human you will act through the guNas. Complete vairAgyam is also not easy to attain overnight. 

Shutting out and denial of the world is not useful either. But restraint born of steady wisdom is good and useful. 

While cultivating lack of ego and humility one should not yield to a low opinion of self. All creation is special because it is a reflection of the Divine, albeit seen imperfectly depending on the view of the seer.