That was a point I wanted to dwell upon. Awareness while committing the rituals indeed changes the game but that would be incomplete without including free will and the concept of consciousness (giving rise to awareness) in general. But then going into successively deeper arguments endangers the article ever seeing the light of day.
You ever looked into the philosophy of non-dual Shaiva Tantra? Well, actually, just about any non-dual philosophies...
Here, consciousness and awareness is not a concept, but the first principle of the universe -- from which the _concept_ of consciousness reflects upon the first principle (without actually being the first principle). It's a key insight that breaks out the nihilism.
-- By "consciousness", I am speaking of awareness, not the constructed identity that most people calls "consciousness".
