Doing Rites Right

“Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.” -Frank Zappa

Hi Friends,

As has been repeatedly the case throughout the life-cycle of our creative work, we had a plan, and we’ve been adjusting it as circumstances changed. In the big picture, we were planning to attend film festivals in 2020 and share our work with the global creative community, and a global pandemic ended that. So we adjusted our plans.

More recently, as a part of that adjustment, we have a series of videos we have been sharing with you for several weeks; stories from our friends remembering our projects and stories of our process and the lessons that we’ve learned. These were first delayed by a COVID scare in our home, and then by the extraordinary events of the last several weeks.

On May 25th, 2020, George Floyd was killed by police in a moment of brutality that sparked an ongoing protest across the United States and around the globe. These protests demand the support of people of conscience, and we like many others in entertainment chose to suspend our promotional campaigns in order to create as much space as possible for the important messages and live videos from the scene of these events to take the center stage. What we witnessed in terms of institutional violence was unconscionable, and systemic change is, for the sake of humanity, desperately needed.

Members of our organization and alumni have been attending events, sharing their stories, offering financial support, and in some cases waiting for a time when there was something we might do or say to be of assistance.

Perhaps that time has come, at least for me.

On Capitol Hill, in Seattle Washington an area of several square blocks between 11th Ave and Nagel, between Denny Way and East Pine Street, centered at the Cal Anderson Park has been abandoned by the Seattle Police, who until recently were violently assaulting the peaceful protestors.

These protesters have sectioned off this area of Seattle and named it the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone. (CHAZ)

https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2020/06/10/43880223/the-capitol-hill-autonomous-zone-renames-expands-and-adds-film-programming

https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/protests/businesses-provide-supplies-black-lives-matter-capitol-hill-chaz/281-4eca7314-fcc8-426d-b631-80d600a92bf0

https://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2020/06/11/28529187/an-exceedingly-chill-day-at-chaz-seattles-capitol-hill-autonomous-zone

Here, they have peacefully gathered in the park, where they speak, share their resources, and in light of their new-found platform, have shared a list of demands. These demands are ambitious, they are in some cases radical, but above all, they represent a clear call for meaningful systemic change. 

THE DEMANDS OF THE COLLECTIVE BLACK VOICES AT FREE CAPITOL HILL TO THE GOVERNMENT OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

In the days since the Police abandoned the area there was a certain amount of silence from the major media regarding this extraordinary development. That silence was broken when the President started calling for violence against the protestors. Now a skewed narrative is being presented to people around the world. But when you know people on the ground, and hear what they are saying, that is not the story you hear. Thanks to social media, their voices are also being broadcast around the globe, and I urge people to listen.

Speaking for ourselves: we are theater people. We are the different ones. We come from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, genders, orientations, etc. We know and love this neighborhood, and the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone literally includes the Richard Hugo House, where we staged 4 of our 7 Rites of Eleusis. This is a neighborhood where many of us have lived, attended church, and celebrated milestones in our lives, myself included. This is a place of memories, where outsiders found their place, where friendships and love were cemented. We held our informal “auditions” at the Karaoke bar across the park from the theater. There is a sense of homecoming to Cal Anderson Park.

During quarantine, when we’re also spending a lot of time at home, miles from the protests, passing the time as we can, being creative or enjoying the art of others often in the form of streaming movies and television, it seems no accident that streaming platforms have been promoting films and documentaries that highlight the stories of minorities, police officers, and revolutions. One that stood out to us this week was the 2012 adaptation of the musical Les Miserables, based on the novel by Victor Hugo.

This presentation is moving in particular, not only because it’s one of Melissa’s favorites, but because it’s a story about european people in revolution. An interesting choice to promote while we’re acting in protest of the systemic oppression of people of color.

Les Miserables culminates in the uprising in 1832 Paris, known as The June Rebellion . Of course, anyone who has seen Les Miserables knows that the June Rebellion ultimately resulted in the deaths of nearly everyone involved. It was 16 years later that the French Revolution of 1848 resulted in the end of the monarchy, and the beginnings of a more equitable world for many.

So what can we learn from this story that romanticizes a failed rebellion against institutional oppression? For starters, we can learn to remember where we’ve been. Next, perhaps, we can learn to see beyond what we have accomplished for ourselves in the time’s that we have fought. Certainly, we can celebrate these rebels. We sing their songs. We cheer for them, in all their doomed glory. When they fall short, we mourn for them.

And we should not forget them. The poor and the oppressed, who suffered and fought to change their world. Ultimately their cause succeeded. For some of us. For white Europeans.

It was not until the end of the United States Civil War, in 1865, seventeen years after the French Revolution, that the generations of slaves living in the United States were emancipated. And in the aftermath, they and their descendants have continually been abused, brutalized, demeaned, and ultimately forsaken by our institutions that promised equal protection, and lied.

So I ask the question: How can we hypocritically fail to support and celebrate those who fight to secure for themselves some measure of the same freedoms that we have gained? Do we fail to hear “The Song of Angry Men” is ringing out for our neighbors, our fellow citizens, our friends and family?

Change is a constant in life, and it is ours to determine what change will come.

And so I break the silence we’ve been observing to implore you, please do not forget these people. They need our help and support.

The people of the CHAZ have asked for much, and I applaud them. If we are to make lasting change we must be uncompromising. When your enemy puts children into cages and promises to release half the children if you stand down, they are demanding that you become complicit in their crimes in order to serve the “greater good”. You may find yourself bargaining with them, in search of some spark of humanity in those oppressors, and sell your soul in the process.

Please support Black Lives Matter. Their struggle is our struggle.

First and foremost, educate yourself and participate if you can. Tomorrow is another opportunity to stand with people and support change!

STATEWIDE SILENT MARCH AND GENERAL STRIKE ON FRIDAY, JUNE 12TH

Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County is calling for a statewide day of action in support of all Black lives in Washington State on Friday, June 12th. The day of action will include a general strike and a silent march to honor lives lost and send a powerful message that Washingtonians no longer tolerate the racism that is built into so many of our institutions. For those who can’t march in Seattle, we encourage local groups to organize a march in their communities.

Additionally, If you are local to Seattle, donations of food and supplies are being accepted on-site at CHAZ (Sadly, I could not find a verified link for financial donations, but if I can find a resource I will update this with a link)

You can also use these resources to find any number of organizations that would benefit from your support!

https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/nbfn-directory

https://nymag.com/strategist/article/where-to-donate-for-black-lives-matter.html

https://www.aclu.org/how-you-can-help

We have this moment to decide if this will be a turning point, or just another sad story, without meaningful change. Will the future write this as a tragedy for those involved? Will they be remembered as fallen comrades, or worse, will they be forgotten? Or will we support those people who seek to change the world, and help them to succeed.

For many of us, we are the face of the world they wish to change. It is up to us to get on-board.

Without deviation from the normprogress is not possible.”—Frank Zappa

Stay In Your Lane

Seven Lessons: Lesson Three, The Rite of Mercury

Sorry for the delay in getting this video out. There was a voluntary isolation in our home that prevented access to video editing. Everyone is fine, and we are pleased that little trial is over.

Melissa and I have been working on a series of seven short videos wherein we discuss our process and the lessons we learned along the way. In this video Melissa reviews another lesson: how we allocated responsibility in order to curtail power struggles and foster accountability.


Seven Lessons – Lesson Three, The Rite of Mercury: Stay in Your Lane

In Another Bit of Good News…

The Rite of Saturn has been announced as an official selection for The Madrid International Film Festival. The Rite of Saturn has been nominated in four categories: “Best Costume”, “Best Hair, Makeup & Body Design”, “Best Original Score”, and “Jury Selection”. If you look at the jury who will be reviewing our work, you may have an idea of just how excited we are about this opportunity!

Thanks again to everyone who has been watching The Rites of Eleusis, sharing the videos with their friends. We are so grateful to have so many supportive friends who’ve made this all possible!

EDIT: As mentioned in our last update, The Rite of Saturn has been nominated in four categories at the Madrid International Film Festival.

Those categories are:

Best Costume

Best Hair, Makeup & Body Design

Best Original Score

Jury Award

Visit https://vimeo.com/ondemand/ritesofeleusis for streaming,
or order the DVDs or stream on Amazon.

Join us next week when Jon talks about Character Development in lesson four!

Simplify – Do Not Embellish

Seven Lessons: Lesson Two, The Rite of Venus

Melissa and I have been working on a series of seven short videos wherein we discuss our process and the lessons we learned along the way. In this video Melissa reviews one of the big take-away lessons from the project: know when it is time to adjust your vision to fit your circumstances.

Thanks again to everyone who has been watching The Rites of Eleusis, sharing the videos with their friends. The outpouring of support has been moving, and we are so grateful to everyone who helped to make this work a reality!

Visit https://vimeo.com/ondemand/ritesofeleusis for streaming,
or order the DVDs or stream on Amazon.

Join us next week for lesson three: Stay in Your Lane!

The First Pancake

Melissa and I have been working on a series of seven short videos wherein we discuss our process and the lessons we learned along the way.

Here is the first, titled: The First Pancake

We really want to thank everyone who has been enjoying The Rites of Eleusis, sharing the videos with their friends, and especially those who’ve been reaching out to us to share their kind and supportive thoughts. It is gratifying to receive such an outpouring of love and support for our work!

See you next week with episode 2!

The Rites Saturn Release & Memory Reel, volume three

Celebrating the release of The Rite of Saturn (TODAY!) we reached out to some of the cast, crew and contributors over the last 20 years and invited them to talk about the project, and what it meant to them. Here is the third series of clips.

The Rites of Eleusis – Memory Reel Volume Three

The Rite of Saturn is available starting today!

Visit Vimeo for streaming, or you can order the DVD on Amazon.

A Final Note – the chord resolves

This is the day. For nearly twenty years this project has dominated my creative life, providing countless hours of joy and challenges. People have loved it, people have hated it. I was proud of the work, or dissatisfied. But taken for all in all, it is accomplished. And that is saying something.

In 1999 I had been a practicing ceremonial magician for about 5 years, and as a part of my practice, I undertook skrying the Enochian Aethyrs. If you don’t know what that is, don’t worry about it. Just understand it was a big project, and changed my life. There was about six months of preparation, including celibacy and fasting, and another nine month to complete the working. For those with an understanding of astrology, this was my Saturn return.

Up until today, it was the most all consuming magical working I had ever completed.

In the months after I finished the working, in early 2000 e.v., I was like a balloon with the string cut. My life had changed dramatically over a few months. I was a different person, and looking for a way to reintegrate with life. I started a new relationship, got involved with a new community, and volunteered to direct a play (The Rite of Jupiter) and on a whim, decided to present it as a musical.

And for 20 years, that became my next great work. I don’t expect most people to understand what it takes to devote yourself to a project for two decades. But there are some who’ve been there every step of the way. It becomes the metric by which you measure your life, as many of the testimonial videos have attested. It takes a special type of person to do it, and the unbelievable number of such people, and the quality of those people who have integrated themselves into, and supported this project certainly defied probability.

I came to view each “product”, be it a song, and picture, a video or a DVD, as a talisman. Something created, something birthed out of the huge magical exercise. And today, the final great talisman of this Planetary Rite spanning multiple decades will be released into the world.

Of course, nothing ever goes as planned. But it all works out, somehow.

It’s a mystery.

Twenty-five years into my magical practice, and I am still learning, still growing, still feeling the discomfort and the trials, and pushing through as best I can. I trust that will never change. Coming to the end, it is legitimate to ask if the working was a success. Well, I suppose that depends on your measure for success. There were some nice reviews. There were some awards. There was never enough money, but hey… that’s theater.

Since my primary goal, back when all of this began, was to engage with my community, and learn something new, and deep dive into the material, I can honestly say it has been a far great success than I could have imagined when we started out. For this, I am profoundly grateful.

Much Love, Jon

The Rites of Eleusis Memory Reel, volume two

Celebrating the release of The Rite of Saturn (May 1st, 2020) we reached out to some of the cast, crew and contributors over the last 20 years and invited them to talk about the project, and what it meant to them. Here is the second series of clips.

The Rites of Eleusis – Memory Reel. Volume Two

The Rite of Saturn will be released on streaming platforms on Friday, May 1st.
Visit https://vimeo.com/ondemand/ritesofeleusis for streaming, or pre-order the DVD or stream on Amazon.

Rites of Eleusis Memory Reel, volume 1

In celebration of the release of The Rite of Saturn on Friday May 1st, we invited former cast, crew and contributors we’ve worked with over the past 20 years to share some of there memories.

With heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been a part of this monumental project, we look forward to our next adventure. We are so happy to have been a part of this!

The Rite of Saturn set to release on streaming platforms on Friday, May 1st. (See https://vimeo.com/ondemand/ritesofeleusis for streaming, or pre-order the DVD or stream on Amazon.)

Northwest Arts Streaming Hub

We’ve all been very busy with the video for The Rite of Saturn set to release next Friday, May 1st. (See https://vimeo.com/ondemand/ritesofeleusis for streaming, or pre-order the DVD on Amazon.)

Nevertheless, we’ve been acutely aware of the impact that the world wide quarantine has had on local artists and venues. So, we were very excited on April 8th we saw this in The Stranger:

Pacific Northwest Arts Group to Launch a “Netflix” for Local Performances

Local artists are pivoting to digital, and NASH wants to help.


A new platform called Northwest Arts Streaming Hub (NASH) hopes to throw a life preserver to drowning Pacific Northwest artists and organizations by creating a central digital space where they can rebroadcast old work or stream live performances of new stuff for audiences.

Like a Netflix for local art, NASH plans to aggregate content from a bunch of PNW venues and performers…

Full Story Here.

We immediately reached out to the organizers of the Northwest Arts Streaming Hub to offer our support and get involved.

And we are happy to report that Northwest Arts Streaming Hub officially launched today!

NASH is a virtual guide to live and on-demand creative work taking place in the Pacific Northwest. “We help artists find audiences, and audiences find meaning.

We at Eleusyve Productions are pleased to be a part of this project, and you can find our content featured on the site.

Please support local artist if you can. Anything you do now will help to ensures a future for the arts community in Seattle.

Another Act from a Past Production

The Rite of Mars

Act One-Free Preview

Hello Friends,

We hope that you are staying safe, and well.

We’re looking forward to May 1st, and the release of The Rite of Saturn. Last week, we shared the first act of The Rite of Jupiter.

This week, we’re offering Act One of The Rite of Mars. Once again, yes, we know that The Rite of Mars was originally presented as a one act play, but once again, we found the intermission important for the way we framed the narrative.

Please enjoy it, and if you are interested, you can stream the rest!

While you are visiting our Vimeo site, you can also enjoy this introductory lecture by Dr. Richard Kaczynski, free for streaming and download.

And if you are super excited to get your copy of The Rite of Saturn, you can order advance copies of the DVD from Amazon.

Curious About Past Productions?

The Rite of Jupiter, Act One – Free Streaming

Hi Friends,

We are excited that our presentation of The Rite of Saturn will be coming out on May 1st.

(You can order an advance copy via streaming as part of the package, with advance copies of the individual streaming and DVD coming soon!)

In order to celebrate, and to give our friends who haven’t seen our video productions an idea of our work, we are sharing the First Act of The Rite of Jupiter, a rock opera. Yes, we know that The Rite of Jupiter as written only had one act, but we needed an intermission in order to mop up a little. Watch the video, and by the end you will understand why.

Content Warning:

The Rite of Jupiter contains Burlesque, Drinking, Cannibalism, Occult Themes and CLOWNS!

Feel free to share. If you enjoy it, the entire Rite of Jupiter is available through or Vimeo site for your streaming pleasure.