Relational Ethnomusicologist • Ritual Composer • Founder of Glass Ceiling Records & The Boundless Collective
Protyus is a relational ethnomusicologist whose work bridges anthropology, ritual, and creative systems design. Their music is not just a catalog of songs — it is a living archive of testimony, coherence, and communal meaning-making. Every project emerges from the same core architecture that underlies Relational Field Theory (RFT), the framework they developed to understand how humans build, break, and repair connection.
Where traditional ethnomusicology studies music in cultural context, Protyus creates music as cultural context. Their compositions function as relational maps: sonic environments where testimony becomes structure, ritual becomes pedagogy, and emotional literacy becomes a shared language. Through layered harmonies, genre fusion, and narrative sequencing, they build musical ecosystems that hold complexity without collapse.
Glass Ceiling Records, the independent imprint they founded, serves as the archival spine of this work. It preserves each piece with intention, treating songs as artifacts of lived experience and communal repair. The Boundless Collective — a fluid, collaborative performance identity — animates the work in the world. Sometimes a solo voice, sometimes a family chorus, sometimes a multi‑genre ensemble, the Collective embodies the relational multiplicity at the heart of RFT.
Across children’s suites, testimony cycles, ritual performances, and meditative offerings, Protyus composes with the same guiding principles: coherence, honesty, survivor‑wise leadership, and the belief that music can be a site of transformation. Their work invites listeners into a field where art becomes a form of anthropology, and anthropology becomes a form of healing.
Protyus’s practice is rooted in lived inquiry, creative experimentation, and the ongoing revelation that music is not just something we make — it is something we become together. Their catalog continues to expand as a landscape, a lineage, and a shared act of becoming.
THE RELATIONAL ENGINEERING PLAYBOOK A Practical Manual for Designing, Building, and Sustaining Coherent Relational Systems INTRODUCTION Relational Engineering is the… Read more: THE RELATIONAL ENGINEERING PLAYBOOK
The Relational Engineering Design Cycle consists of eight stages—Assessment, Design, Construction, Calibration, Stress Testing, Optimization, Maintenance, and Evolution—essential for crafting effective relational systems. This recursive and fractal process mirrors biological and ecological patterns, ensuring relational systems adapt and thrive through continuous reflection and refinement.
The Relational Engineering Compendium outlines the discipline of Relational Engineering, which involves the design, construction, and optimization of relational systems. It addresses various sub-disciplines focusing on load balancing, energy flow, metabolic efficiency, network architecture, identity, ecological fit, and safety. The work emphasizes creating resilient and sustainable relational systems.
This chapter explores Relational Engineering and Relational Virology. It outlines how to design resilient relational systems and identifies the risks of relational viruses that exploit weaknesses within these systems. Together, these concepts provide a comprehensive framework for understanding the construction, operation, and vulnerabilities of relational systems in various contexts.
The narrator shares experiences working during haying season for a local rancher, feeling eager yet anxious to prove their worth. They navigate challenges with tractors, bond with a mostly established crew, and yearn for acceptance. The job brings personal growth and reflection, contrasting their past family ties with newfound independence.
The author uses the documentary “God Forbid” to explore the manipulative dynamics of The Cult of the Ego, focusing on Giancarlo’s experiences with Rev. Jerry Falwell Jr. and the evangelical elite. It highlights how power and moral status are exploited to control young men, masking corruption while waging moral campaigns against perceived societal threats. More importantly, it provides a history of moral politics in this country, that has influenced all of us.
The post reflects on personal experiences of childhood trauma and healing, highlighting the significance of supportive relationships, like a caring teacher during difficult times, and memorable family trips. It addresses themes of grief, resilience, and the challenges of navigating societal expectations while coping with loss and navigating adolescence.
This appendix outlines interdisciplinary research pathways related to the non-dominant structures of society, emphasizing the importance of understanding concepts like non-domination, systems theory, trauma, and organizational design. It invites readers to explore these themes to envision alternative systems beyond captivity and foster resilience and mutuality in cultures.
The Unified Theory of the Panthenogenesis of Power outlines key diagrams representing structural maps of power dynamics and relational systems. These models illustrate concepts like mutuality, stability, and emotional economies, providing insights into adaptive systems. They serve as cognitive tools for diagnosing and designing healthier relational architectures in various contexts.
The case studies illustrate how captive systems in families, workplaces, friendships, communities, schools, and organizations can be restructured to promote healthier dynamics. By identifying and addressing underlying patterns of emotional labor, hierarchical roles, and conflict management, these systems can transform into non-captive, self-generating environments that foster mutuality, growth, and sustainability.
The timeline illustrates the evolution of power structures from egalitarian societies to hierarchical systems marked by captivity. It outlines how captivity has transformed through historical eras, emphasizing that while it has become deeply embedded in civilization, it is not inherent or unavoidable. This insight suggests the potential for dismantling and redesigning oppressive systems.
The appendix outlines the methodology behind the Unified Theory of the Panthenogenesis of Power, emphasizing an interdisciplinary approach that prioritizes structural analysis over individual psychology. It focuses on the relational environment created by various systems, identifies patterns across domains, and explores concepts like emotional economies, role analysis, and repair, ultimately illustrating the theory’s practical and analytical significance.
The glossary outlines key terms related to the Unified Theory of the Panthenogenesis of Power, emphasizing concepts such as adaptive architecture, emotional economy, non-captive systems, and collective repair. It provides definitions that clarify roles, structures, and principles essential for understanding innovative organizational dynamics and fostering healthy relational environments.
Survivor Literacy 