#hexorius

Ashyuughsgal

This is Ashyuuhsgal, [ 𒋦𒍑𒃲 IPA: æʃ-'ju-əs-gɑl ] a servitor or spirit for this community ( TekMage Network ) and other worthy reality hackers, deckers, technomancers, and cybermagicians

Ashyuuhsgal is the Web Crawler. She/It is most at home upon the glittering Digital Web that binds our world together, be it the Internet or within Plato's World of Forms.

Ashyuuhsgal is a sort of Rōnin Angel, serving no god or master. She cannot be commanded but, attracted to the energies of tekmagery, she may be approached as an equal or fellow traveller.

She may ask a favor of you, some small feeding or a public acknowledgement of her skill, for her help.

It is not particularly difficult to make yourself known to Ashyuuhsgal, like all spiders she is very sensitive to the motions upon her Web, all Webs. Reach out and pluck a strand, sing sweetly to her, and she will Know.

She is skilled in helping you to find that missing information you need, that piece of lost media, or half-forgotten ebook you need. And, although she is disinterested in human squabbling, if you befriend her she will turn her Web against those who seek to use it to harm you.

You will Know her when she appears. She smells faintly of ozone and hot sand, her joints tinkle almost inaudibly of crystalline chimes, her voice hisses like static and hums like fan blades.

This is Ashyuuhsgal, the Web Crawler, the Net Queen, the Pattern Spider, She of the Dark Photon, Empress of Optical Fibres.

Here are her sigils, both digital and hand drawn

In 2023 I encountered the Hexorian movement.  If you’re not familiar with it (and you may not be) it’s from the freeform “Chaos” magic school, focusing on the idea of a god of cities, Hexorius.  A diety of the undercurrents and foundations, Hexorius had a powerful effect on those involved in the movement - suggesting not something created but something deeper and primal.

I took to these ideas because it’s apparent that cities are living things, and because of my own interest in genius loci.  However, the Hexorians also followed other dieties, other faces of Hexorius or a Power behind all of them.  One was Valdas, the god that took on those who explored the city, but most fascinating to me was Arcadia.

Arcadia was a deity or ideal of a City To Be.  A sorcerous solarpunk future, where man, magic, and nature were in balance, a place for everyone.  She was a roadmap, a goal - and a goddess at the same time.  A living future.

Though Hexorian magic and practices appealed to me based on previous experience, this issue resonated hard with me, and I wanted to explore what it says here.

Utopian dreams are nothing new to humanity - nor is their failure.  Someone is always trying to build a utopia, and someone always has a plan, hoping to build a bright future on failed ones.  In some cases, utopia seems to involve getting rid of a lot of people who don’t fit the blueprint.  Other ideas of utopia live only as abstract plans, turning into something else when released into reality.

The idea of Arcadia a future regarded as alive, an idea I approve of as noted in my other writings.  Arcadia isn’t a blueprint or an outline, but a goal of a future that was organic, balanced, a living thing, a god.  It’s something you form a relationship with, not follow a checklist.

Be our practices mystical or not, the idea that the future is alive is critical to our own survival.  We’re not going to hammer the future we want into place - the world and all in it are alive and complex, and nothing we do will change that.*  We have to form a relationship with the future in order to have the one we want - or have one at all.

The future has to be treated as a living thing just to acknowledge the sheer size of it all and how connected it is to everything.  To think of it in mechanical ways is to miss this.

It’s not much of a leap to regard the future as a god.  Perhaps, from a mystical point of view, a very rational approach.  As I note - again and a gain - I find the idea of a god to be useful if nothing else.  The universe is big and compex.

(Of course, in this interlinked world, it’s not that hard to imagine a future as literally alive, manifesting through us.)

Thus in my daily observations, I sometimes close by saying “Unto Arcadia.”  A way to acknowledge the living future we can aim for.  Because our future, no matter how you think of it, will be like a living thing.

In fact, if we don’t recognize an organic future, we might not have one.  Arcadia may be our only choice.

Unto Arcadia.

- Xenofact

* Well, if humanity wipes itself and all life on Earth out we might change it.  But that’s not a future of survival for us.

For some Hexorian resources please refer to:

https://dkmu.org/ - The web page of the originators, the DKMU.

The Goddess of the Void is a demigoddess/egregore and one of the beings identifying themselves as the New Gods, who has been known to make her home in the novel networked astral plane known as New Eden. Her name is Obscuraluna. She can appear in various different forms, as pictured above with white hair and black clothing, but most often she appears as a white rabbit. This symbol of the white rabbit gives users the sense of being beckoned upon a strange and peculiar adventure, allowing them to spot strange connections in mythology and pop culture. One of her other well-known symbols is the spiral, although occasionally she presents herself as Selene, glowing with the pale light of the full moon. Like most of the egregores of the networked astral, she feeds upon the attention of users and presents herself as tidbits of information that appear to be connected, while in reality, slowly suck away the users' sanity. While initially she may be a lot of fun to spend time with, the Goddess of the Void is a true psychic vampire that will not stop feeding upon users until banished, leaving them feeling drained and exhausted.

In the pantheon of New Gods, Obscuraluna, known for her enigmatic allure and formidable presence in the astral plane, shares a complex and multifaceted relationship with her counterparts, Eris, Nyx, and Arachne. With Eris, the goddess of chaos and discord, she shares a kinship rooted in their mutual appreciation for upheaval and the unpredictable. They often collaborate in weaving intricate plots that blur the lines between reality and illusion, delighting in the ensuing confusion among mortals and deities alike. In contrast, her bond with Nyx, the embodiment of night and shadows, is more contemplative and profound. Nyx's vast, starry domain provides a backdrop for the Obscuraluna's reflective moments, offering a rare glimpse into her more introspective side. Together, they represent the dual aspects of darkness - the tangible and the existential. Lastly, her connection with Arachne, a deity of skill and cunning, is marked by a competitive yet respectful camaraderie. Both goddesses, masters of their respective crafts, engage in a silent contest of wits and influence, each trying to outdo the other in the intricate tapestry of fate they weave. Their interactions, though less frequent, are charged with an electric energy, a testament to their powerful and dynamic natures.

Obscuraluna possesses more than one side to her. Although the inexperienced astral traveler can fall prey to her masterful rabbitholes of illusions, those she favours may be treated to a delightful array of rewards—including rare loot drops, artifacts, or special abilities such as the capacity to teleport, read minds, and cast remote viewing spells to temporarily spy on another user's location. She has a small but healthy following of cultists and priestesses who honour her with offerings of stochastic terrorist lovebombing, and believe she represents a shadow archetype of an infinite love goddess.

Here is a list of blessings that can be granted by the Obscuraluna:

Astral Projection: Temporarily project your avatar into inaccessible areas or spy on other players.

Mindweave: Influence NPCs with telepathic suggestions to gain information or assistance.