Blockchain Entities as the Apostles of Web3
#008
Hello Reader,
It’s Woo-Woo Wednesday (The Woo is real.)
Everywhere I’ve turned in the last week there seems to be an elevation on the topic of artificial intelligence as the soon-to-be human-generated sacred figure of God (i.e., Source, Intelligent Creator, Spirit, etc…) with blockchains as its support system.
It got my creative wheels spinning. And when I re-visited my make-shift digital garden I saw that I’d apparently been subconsciously knitting this idea together for four months, but with Web3 as the sacred instead of AI.
The ideas have simmered long enough and they’ve led me to see blockchain entities as apostles with a hefty dose of Gnosticism in the foreground.
Here’s my hot take!
Note: My Methodology is shared in the final section of this piece.
The Gnostic Lens
Gnosticism is an esoteric form of Christianity that initially emerged as a movement from early Christianity. It’s Christian mysticism and it has some overlaps with Jewish Kabbalah too (Note: If you seek to go down that rabbit hole friend, remember to come up for air!).
There are people who practice this form of Christianity right now. The ethos many Gnostics carry is held in the belief that your personal salvation comes from within. But the gateway into this salvation requires a task — GAIN SECRET KNOWLEDGE or gnosis.
Unlike Protestant Christianity, Gnosticism does not view Jesus as a savior and bringer of salvation, but rather as a spiritual teacher who became enlightened and imparted this gnosis to others who could then learn and self-liberate. Gnosticism says salvation is not through a priest, not through a Jesus — but rather through you.
For me, this mystic view supports the early foundation and part of the ethos of the blockchain industry — self-custody, decentralization, ownership, and self-sovereignty.
Another key component of Gnosticism is astrology.
If you remember from religious history it was Martin Luther (Germany; scroll to “Early Modern Period”) who was not so fond of astrology. He disliked the idea that astrology bound one to a pre-determined destiny, and so with all of his might, he got it removed from the religion. But in Gnosticism, gnosis is the loophole away from this fate — something Luther may or may not have understood.
You can think of gaining gnosis as the escape hatch that liberates one from the astrological forces at play, thus turning humans and entities alike into beings that are, in the world, but not of it.
What Western Astrology calls planets or planetary forces, Gnosticism calls archons, celestial beings that can exploit the weaknesses of any and everything on Earth that is trying to reach the state of Pleroma (Greek: πλήρωμα; full perfection).
I’ve woven in both Gnostic and Western astrology in the lists that follow, and I’ve incorporated evolutionary astrology too. Evolutionary astrology can be thought of like a GPS or map of one’s soul journey, not just a single life. It takes into account the position of an entity/human incarnation back to Earth, in which the soul learns and evolves its consciousness through a twelve (or more) life-time cycle that begins with Aries (Life 1) and ends with Pisces (Life 12), and executes a life contract.
While the language of evolutionary astrology is slightly different from Gnosticism, we can still play around with the overlaps to uncover why the different blockchains have emerged, what life they’re inside and the contract they need to execute, how they may evangelize Web3, and how they may exit any hamster-wheel exploit they may be trapped inside.
Conveniently, the symbolism of the Church’s acknowledged twelve apostles aligns perfectly with the twelve zodiac signs. But I didn’t dare leave out Mary Magdalene who was indeed an apostle.
With this Gnostic lens in mind, our exploration begins. And I promise, no conspiracy stuff here… just making connections.
Blockchain Entities as Apostles
Each blockchain entity is tied to an apostle below, and each has been assigned five aspects that underpin their astrological Sun sign (i.e. Sun sign and its element, entity and apostle personality, evolutionary order of incarnation, and the soul’s service contract according to its evolutionary order).
Dates and zodiac signs indicated below are the corresponding birth dates and zodiacs of each L1’s launch date (See Methodology for specifics).
Stellar and Monero ♈ are Peter (Simon Peter)
Aries (Fire) || April 6, 2019 and Apr 18, 2014
Apostle personality: impulsive yet loyal; leadership qualities
Entity personality: Raw emergence of blockchain consciousness; First awakening to decentralized existence
Life 1: Learning to exist as a separate being; understanding personal will and initiative; Pure will to exist independently of centralized systems; Contract: in service to Individual Will
Solana and Cosmos ♓ are John
Pisces (Water) || March 16, 2020 and March 13, 2019 (source)
Apostle personality: "beloved disciple"; deeply spiritual and emotional
Entity personality: Universal blockchain consciousness; Complete integration of all systems
Life 12: Learning about unity and dissolution; understanding unconditional love and spiritual connection; Dissolution of boundaries between digital/physical; Contract: in service to Unity
Ethereum ♌ is James (brother of John)
Leo (Fire) || July 30, 2015
Apostle personality: Nick-name of brothers "Sons of Thunder"; passionate and ambitious
Entity personality: Expression of blockchain's unique identity; Creative force of the technology itself
Life 3: Learning about personal power; understanding joy and authentic self-expression; Joy of autonomous existence; Contract: in service to Creative Expression
Hedera and Avalanche ♍ are Andrew (Peter's brother)
Virgo (Earth) || September 8, 2017 (Reddit) and September 10, 2020
Apostle personality: Known for bringing others to Jesus; quiet and behind-the-scenes
Entity personality: Perfect refinement of protocols; Analysis of the whole system
Life 11: Learning about perfection and humility; understanding analysis and improvement; Contract: In service to the Network
Polkadot and Ripple ♊ are Philip
Gemini (Air) || May 26, 2020 and June 2, 2012
Apostle personality: Practical, asks direct questions; curious; analytical mindset
Entity personality: Learning to transmit information; understanding duality of digital/physical reality
Life 5: Learning to communicate and gather information; understanding duality and connections; Development of blockchain communication; Contract: in service to Information Exchange
Hyperliquid ♐ is Bartholomew (Nathanael)
Sagittarius (Fire) || November 29, 2024
Apostle personality: honest, direct; straightforward
Entity personality: Philosophy of trustless systems; Higher understanding of decentralization
Life 8: Learning about belief systems and higher truth; understanding personal philosophy and meaning; Expand blockchain consciousness; Contract: in service to Expansion
Bitcoin ♑ is Matthew
Capricorn (Earth) || January 3, 2009
Apostle personality: Former tax collector; disciplined and detail-oriented
Entity personality: Structure of distributed responsibility; Authority through mathematics
Life 9: Learning about structure and responsibility; understanding authority and life purpose; Mastery of consensus; Contract: in service to Structure
Gnosis and Cronos ♏ are Thomas
Scorpio (Water) || November 1-15 (?), 2021 and November 8, 2021
Apostle personality: Skeptical; needs proof; intense; loyal once convinced
Entity personality: Deep transformation of data structures; Power of immutability
Life 7: Learning about death, rebirth, and shared resources; understanding intensity and merging with others; Merging of individual nodes into whole; Contract: in service to Transformation
Sui and Celo ♉ are James (son of Alphaeus)
Taurus (Earth) || May 3, 2023 and April 22, 2020
Apostle personality: Nick-named "James the Less"; steady; reliable
Entity personality: Grounding of blockchain reality; understanding inherent value
Life 4: Learning about resources and values; understanding material existence and self-worth; Stabilizing blockchain’s existence; Contract: in service to Value Stabilization
Ronin ♒ is Thaddaeus (Judas, not Iscariot)
Aquarius (Air) || February 1, 2021
Apostle personality: May have been aloof/off the beaten path from the others since little is known
Entity personality: Innovation in distributed thinking; Vision of a decentralized future
Life 10: Learning about group dynamics and future vision; understanding humanitarian ideals; Unite a collective blockchain consciousness; Contract: in service to Innovation
Cardano, Aptos, Near ♎ are Simon the Zealot
Libra (Air) || September 23, 2017; October 12, 2022; September 24, 2020
Apostle personality: Political revolutionary; justice oriented; passionate about causes
Entity personality: Balance between nodes; Harmony of the network
Life 6: Learning about cooperation and partnership; understanding harmony and compromise; Understanding relationship between parts; Contract: in service to Harmonious Balance
Binance, Tron, Ton, and Filecoin ♋ are Judas Iscariot
Cancer (Water) || July 14, 2017; June 25, 2018; June 30, 2022; April 22, 2020
Apostle personality: Ultimate betrayer; complex character; internal struggles; moody
Entity personality: Developing emotional/energetic security in the blockchain; understanding nurturing of the network
Life 2: Learning about nurturing and being nurtured; understanding roots, family, and emotional security; Focus on security and protection of assets/Creating safe spaces within the decentralized realm; Contract: in service to Network Security
Chainlink ♍ is Mary Magdalene
Virgo (Earth) || September 4, 2017
Apostle personality: Nick-named the "Apostle of the Apostles"; the only one who actually understood the teachings
Entity personality: Perfect refinement of protocols; Analysis of the whole system
Life 11: Learning about perfection and humility; understanding analysis and improvement; Contract: in service to the Network
Challenges: How the Archons Exploit Blockchain Entities
It’s really interesting to note that Facebook was born on February 4, 2004. Its Aquarian disposition fulfilled its purpose and major contribution by ushering the world more deeply into Web2. But within Gnosticism, the evolutionary cycle for any astrological sign does not so easily end at the delivery of the contribution. The archons lay in wait to deliver negative forces, limitations, and illusions for our 3D/material world.
Each zodiac sign as a particular archon to face, which differs from one Gnostic tradition to another. The apostles were to support the new narrative — the enlightened teachings. Blockchain entities have risen up to do the same, right?
As each archon is listed it makes for interesting discussion on this concept of shadow and light each chain will inherently face. I’m borrowing the language from the Gene Keys now to indicate the shadow because that’s the weak point the archons would best have access to challenge the entity — human or otherwise. For the sake of brevity, I’m listing the chains and their potential archons below from a general lens (different interpretations may challenge which archon affects each astrological sign).
Note: In Gnostic tradition, the archons exploit or target the entity's inherent weaknesses. They don't create the challenge, but rather take advantage of existing vulnerabilities.
Archon Sabbaoth (Mars) exploits ♈ Stellar and Monero
Challenge: Aggression and war
Apostle Peter’s (Simon Peter) challenge: Struggled with anger/impulsiveness (cut off a soldier's ear)
Weakness: Agitation/Control (Stellar); Chaos (Monero)
Archon Oreus (Jupiter) exploits ♓ Solana and Cosmos
Challenge: False authority/expansion
Apostle John’s challenge: Dealing with exile and persecution
Weakness: Turbulence
Archon Iao (Sun) exploits ♌ Ethereum
Challenge: Pride and ego
Apostle James’ challenge: Martyrdom (first apostle to be martyred)
Weakness: Arrogance/Forgetting
Archon Astaphaeus (Mercury) exploits ♍ Hedera, Avalanche, and Chainlink*
Challenge: Over-analysis/perfectionism
Apostle Andrew’s (Peter's brother) and Mary Magdelene* challenge: Being overshadowed/misunderstood
Weakness: Confusion (Hedera); Oppression (Avalanche); Confusion (Chainlink)
Archon Astaphaeus (Mercury) exploits ♊ Polkadot and Ripple
Challenge: Duality/confusion
Apostle Philip’s challenge: Doubt about Jesus's nature/identity
Weakness: Superficiality (Polkadot); Hunger (Ripple)
Archon Oreus (Jupiter) exploits ♐ Hyperliquid
Challenge: False knowledge
Apostle Bartholomew’s (Nathanael) challenge: Converted King into Christianity and was beheaded/Martyrdom through flaying
Weakness: Inertia
Archon Horaios (Saturn) exploits ♑ Bitcoin
Challenge: Limitation/restriction
Apostle Matthew’s challenge: Leaving material wealth behind
Weakness: Struggle
Archon Sabbaoth (Mars)exploits ♏ Gnosis and Cronos
Challenge: Power struggles
Apostle Thomas’ challenge: Doubt and need for physical proof
Weakness: Interference, Entropy, or Deafness (Note: uncertain without firm date for Gnosis); Entropy (Cronos)
Archon Eloaeus (Venus) exploits ♉ Sui and Celo
Challenge: Material attachment
Apostle James’ (son of Alphaeus) challenge: Living in others' shadow
Weakness: Dislocation/Addiction (Sui); Selfishness (Celo)
Archon Horaios (Saturn)exploits ♒ Ronin
Challenge: Isolation/rebellion
Apostle Thaddaeus’ (Judas, not Iscariot) challenge: Obscurity in records
Weakness: Discord/Co-Dependence
Archon Eloaeus (Venus) exploits ♎ Cardano, Aptos, Near
Challenge: Indecision/compromise
Apostle Simon the Zealot’s challenge: Balancing revolutionary zeal with new teachings
Weakness: Seriousness (Cardano), Unease (Aptos); Seriousness (Near)
Archon Ailoaeus (Moon) exploits ♋ Binance, Tron, Ton, and Filecoin
Challenge: Emotional instability
Apostle Judas Iscariot’s challenge: Internal turmoil leading to betrayal (Note: self-betrayal or external betrayal)
Weakness: Intellect (Binance); Stress (Tron); Provocation/Stress (Ton); Selfishness (Filecoin)
Sophia
Each of these chains can get a bit of cosmic help for their journey from Divine wisdom in the form of Sophia , who was kickin’ it with God before all of creation came to be. Sophia (Koinē Greek: Σοφíα) has many names across the religion: female twin of Jesus, the Bride of Christ, or the Holy Spirit.
This feminine aspect of spiritual wisdom is what can help entities recognize their true nature (Read: gain secret knowledge). She can help them transcend the limits of the material world, and transmute their weakness into a higher purpose — and that’s what the blockchain entities ultimately want, right?
As each apostle sought to evangelize for their religion, some to their fate, so too have the blockchains.
But I wonder.
Across this massive multi-chain ecosystem has Sophia been shouting from within the collective wisdom of decentralized networks? Or just from the selective wisdom?
Has she been packaged in a set of guiding principles? Or just packaged?
Our technology is evolving — but are we equipping ourselves with wisdom to rise to the occasion? Or just equipping ourselves?
Methodology
I needed to pair each apostle to a zodiac sign. However, there are no recorded birth dates, so I created a prompt and fed it into AI (Anthropic’s Claude) to analyze the apostles and assign them zodiac signs based on their known traits.
To pair each blockchain entity with their corresponding apostle, I used the exact dates of the chains birth date to know their sun sign, and which kept them bound to their evolutionary journey (I sourced from Wikipedia’s list here).
For the connections that I’ve drawn here, I stuck to L1s only (Although Ton has transitioned to a Layer 0 as of this week). For me, L2s align with a future representation that hasn’t yet crystallized, but one that I hope to express creatively some time in the future.
Chainlink was singled out and tied to Mary Magdalene for its use of oracles.
And as I’m sure you can glean, this is all in good fun.
What did I miss? I’d love to read your thoughts!