Mystic rites or essays (5)

I believe the answer is:

tries

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'essays' is the definition.
(essay can mean to try or attempt something)

'mystic rites' is the wordplay.
'rites' can be anagrammed to 'TRIES'.
But, I am unsure how the anagram is indicated.

'or' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for tries that I've seen before include "Attempts" , "Scoring moves in rugby" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

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