The aims of ritual are generally to effect some kind of transformation or transition; to connect with the numinous, and to bring ourselves into balance (dynamic equilibrium, not stasis) with it and with the world. Pagan rituals may be about healing, celebrating a seasonal festival (which also involves negotiating the liminal nature of the seasonal change), or exploring mysteries, deeper realms and other worlds (which is likely to bring about transformation for the participants).
As E M Forster once wrote (as the epigraph to Howard's End), "Only connect"; by which he meant, look at the hidden connections between events and people, and make an empathic connection with others. Ritual is one means by which which we may achieve connection: with the severed parts of our psyche, with other people, and with deities and spirits, nature and the land. We can do this more effectively by listening than by talking, as Barry Patterson makes clear in his wonderful book, The Art of Conversation with the Genius Loci.
Balance in this context does not mean stasis or lack of movement, it means dynamic equilibrium: the opening up of possibility for harmony and positive change.