Mythology and encryption

Humans throughout time have sought ways to store information that can be passed down to future generations. This is why religion is so powerful—it preserves information over long periods. Information is vital to the survival of living beings on this planet, and it’s carried even in our DNA.

Information is not physical; it transcends the physical realm. Take mythology, for example. Information is passed down from our ancestors to us through stories or mythologies.

Mythology is an ideal way to store information because it is difficult to change. It relies on collective human memory. Every mythology is accompanied by symbols and key events that have remained unchanged for centuries. Since mythology is embedded in collective human memory, any attempt to alter its key events or symbols would be easily noticed. Imagine if someone tried to change the story so that Hercules was not the son of Zeus, or Sita was not abducted by Ravana. People would immediately and intuitively recognize the story as false.

Mythology is also invaluable for recording cosmic and astronomical events. At a basic level, understanding astronomy allows for better decision-making about when to plant or harvest crops, or how to navigate a ship across the ocean. At a higher level, deciphering mythology can unlock secrets of the universe. In the end, it’s all about survival.

Information is precious, and an enemy can use it against you. That’s why information needs to be encrypted. Mythology uses symbols and key events as a form of encryption. Mythology is multi-layered. First, you must understand the key events, then the symbols, then what the symbols represent, and finally, you can apply this understanding in multiple interpretations. People who don’t know the symbols may think mythology is just a collection of strange stories our ancestors told their children and grandchildren. But if you understand the symbols, suddenly each event takes on a deeper meaning.

Let’s take the example of the story of Orion in Hinduism.

In Hinduism, Orion is represented as Prajapati, the lord of creation. Prajapati developed a desire for his own daughter, Usha. Because of this incestuous desire, the other gods were appalled. They approached Rudra to prevent this incest from occurring. Meanwhile, Usha, embarrassed by this unwanted attention, kept changing her form, but each time, Prajapati followed her and took the equivalent male form out of his desire for her. Prajapati turned into an antelope, and Usha into a deer. Rudra intervened and pierced Prajapati with an arrow.

Prajapati is represented by Orion, and the three stars that form Orion’s belt represent the arrow that pierced him. Usha is represented by Taurus, and Rudra by Sirius, who shot the arrow. From this mythology alone, you can begin to navigate Orion. Orion is one of the brightest constellations and is used for navigation. By knowing the mythology, humans can locate each constellation.

Each region will have its own version of mythology, but the key events and symbols remain the same. For example, in Sumerian mythology, Orion is represented as the hero Gilgamesh, fighting the Bull of Heaven.

Mythology is effective because it doesn’t have a physical form. While people try to write down these stories in the form of texts or books, text relies on a central authority. Someone has to be the author; texts can be edited, and publishers decide whether or not to publish them. When stories are documented, people may lose their ability to absorb and internalize the information, relying instead on a singular truth found in books, rather than processing the information themselves. A text has a physical form, making it easily destroyed by unwanted parties. For example, the people of Easter Island documented their wisdom and knowledge on wooden tablets. When colonizers arrived, they forced the people to burn these tablets, turning centuries-old wisdom to ashes.

No one really knows how mythology was created. It’s safe to say that it is a collective effort from the collective consciousness. Our planet is a giant database, storing vast amounts of information, and each living being exchanges information with one another. When we eat vegetables, we take their information along with us. When we die, the trees and bugs take our information with them. Everything is interconnected. Since everything is connected and conscious, it is difficult to erase memories. People will intuitively know the truth if they are willing to trust their ability to absorb information, rather than relying on a central authority.

Bitcoin and Mythology

At its core, Bitcoin is just information. Like mythology, Bitcoin uses language to store information. We have seed phrases that can unlock the private key, and these seed phrases can also be passed down through generations. There is no standard for how this information should be stored.

Bitcoin also relies on collective effort through a distributed ledger. Everyone can verify the ledger. If there is any false input, the nodes will easily detect it. Bitcoin is open to anyone, but only those with the key can access and spend Bitcoin, or, in other words, reap its benefits.

Bitcoin, like mythology, doesn’t have a physical form and doesn’t belong to the physical realm, making it difficult to destroy by unwanted parties. Bitcoin is a collective effort. It’s not a new invention, but rather a collective creation born from years of dreams and desires, not only from cypherpunks but from humanity as a whole.

No one could truly own something non-physical until Bitcoin was born. Now that we have this wisdom, it’s up to us to decide how to use it and how to pass it on to future generations.