what a neuron knows and never reveals. hash of spell yields signature — the proof of identity. lose the spell, the neuron ceases to exist. see cyb/portal/my spells/practice
a spell is a sequence of bytes — typically 256 bits of entropy encoded as a 24-word mnemonic phrase. from this seed, a deterministic hierarchy of public key pairs unfolds. the spell itself is the root; everything above it — addresses, signatures, cyberlinks — derives from it
in cyber, the spell is the only object that cannot be recovered, reissued, or delegated. every other credential can be recomputed from the spell. the spell cannot be recomputed from anything. this asymmetry is the foundation of self-sovereign identity: whoever holds the spell IS the neuron
the spell signs signals. each signal contains one or more cyberlinks, and the signature proves the neuron authorized them. without the spell, a neuron can observe the cybergraph but cannot write to it — observation without agency
multiple spells can derive multiple neurons. a single human may operate many neurons across chains, each with independent karma, stake, and focus. the spell is the boundary between identities. sharing a spell is sharing an identity entirely
safe custody of spells is the primary security problem in cyber. hardware devices, threshold schemes, and social recovery all exist to protect the spell without exposing it. the protocol enforces no particular custody model — that choice belongs to the neuron
the word "spell" replaces "private key" and "mnemonic" in cyber terminology. the name reflects the function: a spell is a word of power that conjures agency from entropy
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