Abstract

The Ideon Cave in Crete carries a memory of the first apocalyptic passage of the gods that portends each technical recreation of the world. Hesiod tells of how the goddess Rhea “hid [Zeus] in a remote cave beneath the secret places of the holy earth”, before Zeus led the Olympian gods to overthrow the old king Cronos and cast out the Titans. In the Statesman (269c-274d), Plato presents a new version of this myth, in which the ‘Divine Pilot’ (Theios Kybernētēs) rationally controls a cosmic “living creature” (Anima Mundi), “endowed with reason” by the divine Mind (Nous), and “framed” by the architecture of celestial mechanics. The collapse of this cybernetic system - from the first age of Cronos, when “God was supreme governor”, to this subsequent age of Zeus, when “the pilot of the ship of the universe” has “let go the handle of its rudder” - results in the “cosmic crisis” of mortality, and of an intergenerational loss of memory, which requires - as both a remedy and poison - Prometheus to steal the gift of fire, and Haphaestus to invent technology. Yet, as Plato warns (Phaedrus, 274b–279b), the invention of writing, as an external aid to memory (hypomnēsis), can, in contrast to living recollection (anamnēsis), also become an occasion for increased forgetting, and, in our age of digital computer writing, for the compounding meta-crises that afflict modernity.

Drawing on Diotima’s speech in Plato’s Symposium (201e-205e), Simone Weil developed a theory of mediation as the aesthetic self-limitation of cycles of destructive force, which she observed reaching their height in the technical-bureaucratic apparatuses of the 20th century. While the erotic foundations of beauty are always structured around a lack, Weil calls for this lack to be oriented again towards its fulfillment in agapeic transcendence, which is preserved through a mystical decreation of our narcissistic imaginations, and which becomes ever-more concrete through an incarnational mediation of sacred harmonic and geometric correlations. Drawing, in a similar way on Henri Bergson’s ‘creative evolution’, Teilhard de Chardin prophesied that the evolution of technical nature would culminate in the ‘Omega-point’ reversal of thermodynamic entropy, an ever-more ecstatic growth in the ‘Noosphere’ of celestial intelligence, and in the ultimate overcoming of Plato’s ‘cosmic crisis’ through a free recognition of the ‘hyperpersonality’ that abides at the center of cosmotechnics and every cybernetic system.

From June 23rd - July 3rd, join Ætheria Symposia I, virtually or on the majestic island of Crete, where we are gathering polymaths, scholars, mystics, and technologists at the crossroads of techne, psyche, and cosmic intelligence.

Ætheria serves as Black Sky Society's prototype Skylab, a transcendence-focused creative research center nestled between olive groves near the base of Mt. Ida. Set beneath the Mediterranean sky, this sanctuary provides the atmosphere where deep work and inner exploration converge, bridging the material and metaphysical through avant-garde science, art, and technology.

​Our first Symposia—a series of symposium-style gatherings inspired by Ancient Greek tradition—invites you to experience thought-provoking seminars, socratic dialogues, workshops, and banquets where ancient wisdom meets the frontiers of science, consciousness, and cosmic evolution

​Join fellow architects of emerging transcendent pathways in Crete, or be a virtual witness. Full immersion or selective sessions—the cosmos invites your methexis.​

Please register here. There is no cost to attend, virtually or in-person, but donations (blackskysociety.eth) or BLAXXKY subscriptions of support are appreciated. Virtual access instructions will be emailed to those who register at the link, or you can check out blaxxky on x.com tomorrow for more details.

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SCHEDULE

​June 23: Our opening establishes the foundational groundwork for interdisciplinary inquiry. Stella R. Magnet introduces Black Sky Society and the metaphysical architecture guiding its investigations, while Giulio Prisco virtually explores the street science of irrational mechanics. Anastasia Kriuchkova presents her analytical approach to astrological phenomena, and Giek (Stephanie Smit) explores innovative methods for investigating reincarnation & past-life phenomena. This follows into Socratic dialogue with Ætheria participants examining intersections of ancient wisdom, frontier exploration, & human potential. (Doors open at 17:30, and symposium begins at 18:30 with first two talks, then an intermission banquet at 20:00, with subsequent segment beginning at 21:00)

​June 25: Noumenia, the ancient Greek celebration welcoming each lunar month, becomes our inspiration. With the new moon as our guide & the black sky as our backdrop, we gather on the rooftop for our inaugural monthly gathering — Noumenia Oneira — to remember, reimagine, & realign. (Facilitated by Stella R. Magnet and Giek. Doors open at 19:30, and ritual starts at 20:00. In-person only.)

​June 26: Journey to Mount Ida's Ideon Cave, the legendary where Titan Rhea hid Zeus from Cronos. Admire stunning stalactites while investigating the mythological resonance and documenting intuitive impressions of the cave's energetic qualities. (Crete expedition - In-person only. Meet at site at 13:00)

​June 28: Anna K. Winters & Dr. Ryan Haecker take you on a pilgrim's journey from Simone Weil's modern re-activation of ancient insights to Teilhard de Chardin's techno-mystical vision of the hyperpersonality at the center of our world that sails on the vast ocean of spirit & life. (Doors open at 18:00, and symposium begins at 19:00. Snacks and refreshments provided. Feel free to bring a dish or drink to share, potluck-style.)

June 29: Explore the 16th-century Orthodox Gouverneto Monastery, one of Crete's oldest functioning monasteries with fortress-like architecture. (Crete expedition - In-person only. Meet at site at 12:00)

​July 1: Earth's intelligence meets human potential through ancient practices. Max Konstantinovsky and Felipe Rocha Campos examine how geospatial intelligence evolves into technologies that enhance Noospheric coherence and planetary awareness. MN Finkelstein explores plant meditation as somatic and molecular practice. Anahaa virtually lectures on Kriya Yoga then guides participants through unlocking dormant capacities. (Doors open at 17:00, and symposium begins at 18:00. Snacks and refreshments provided. Feel free to bring a dish or drink to share, potluck-style.)

​July 2: Journey to Matala's ancient cliff caves, where Zeus brought Princess Europa according to legend. These caves also housed Roman generals & 1960s hippies seeking alternative living. Explore where mythological heritage & bohemian rebellion converge over a seaside picnic (Crete expedition - In-person only. Meet at site at 13:00, and bring your own meal.)

​July 3: Final investigations explore sovereignty beyond current digital/political structures, envisioning Agape-guided autarkic systems. The symposia end with a banquet featuring Giek's performance & a rooftop ritual beneath stars—sharing visions & psychodestined trajectories (Doors open at 16:00, and symposium begins at 17:00. More schedule details provided next week)

​New catalytic horizons in our synthesis of psyche, techne, & cosmic intelligence await.

​For more details, including participant biographies, refer to the event website.

Exact location details will be emailed to those attending on-site.

Notes

• ​Register as a virtual guest if you can't attend in person: we will have a free livestream for the June 23, June 28, July 1, and July 3 segments.

• ​June 26th, June 29th, & July 2nd are self-organized expeditions. You must arrange your own transportation and pay any entry fees.

​Join Ætheria

​If this intrigues you, consider applying to join Ætheria's residency program, so you can co-create future symposia with us: https://blacksky.network/aetheria.html

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