These are the working notes for an interactive performance ritual to summon the spirit of Heraclitus, conducted in June of 2007. The ritual was developed by M. Magnus and myself, based on his text “On Heraclitean Pride.”
The performance followed an actual ritual format, beginning with a circle creation and summoning, followed by the requisite banishings (throwing salt around the room), divine laughter (led by M’s daughter, Hero), invocation (singing a recombinant hymn together), and consecration. While we’re not sure if the summoning was a complete success, we believe that Heraclitus, the source of so much awareness of flux, chaos, and change, would have been proud.
The ritual was conducted as part of the excellent i.e. reading series at Dionysus restaurant, to an amused (bemused?) mix of folks coming to the reading and folks who just happened to be sitting down to dinner.
More M. Magnus (or, MMM)
Verb Sap, published by Narrow House
Video of performance with the Splash Ensemble