Methodology & Philosophy
About TEK8
Pluriversal Design
TEK8 is a pluriversal framework — it holds multiple ontologies in creative tension without collapsing them into a single Western analytical framework. Rather than treating gaming, education, blockchain, and Indigenous knowledge as separate domains, TEK8 weaves them together through eight elemental correspondences.
The name "TEK8" references both Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the number eight — the eight elements, eight dice, eight guilds, eight seasons, eight dimensions of wellness, and eight forms of capital that form the system's core architecture.
The framework draws from Vedic/Hindu philosophy (the pancha mahabhuta five elements expanded), Daoist principles (wu wei, the Yijing's 64 hexagrams), Polynesian navigation and Makahiki traditions, Yoruba cosmology, Celtic seasonal wheels, Nahua tonalli, and contemporary Indigenous game design — all while maintaining scholarly rigor with 120+ annotated sources.
"The calendar is the first technology. Every culture's calendar IS their cosmology."
Five Core Insights
1. The Godz World Egg
Ritual-based character creation rooted in Vedic, Daoist, and Nahua philosophies. Players roll all 8 elemental dice in sets until reaching 360 degrees — a complete circle. Identity emerges from the rolling, not from a spreadsheet.
2. 64-Fold Symmetry
The system's 64 Gemstone Species reflect a mathematical elegance shared by the Yijing's 64 hexagrams, the Kama Sutra's 64 Kalas, and the genetic code's 64 codons. This is not coincidence — it is convergent pattern recognition across civilizations.
3. Renunciation as Power
Vairagya (Hindu), Dana (Buddhist), Faqr (Sufi), and the Celtic Cauldron of Plenty all teach that true power comes through release, not accumulation. TEK8 encodes this as a game mechanic.
4. Emergent Methodology
The system was not designed top-down. Through research, we discovered that the framework was already more culturally authentic than any imposed structure could be. The methodology emerged from the material itself.
5. Pluriversal Approach
Holding multiple ways of knowing simultaneously rather than collapsing them into Western analytical frameworks. Coast Salish, Hawaiian, Vedic, Yoruba, Celtic, Nahua, and Daoist traditions each illuminate different facets of the same wheel.
Who We Are
Join the Circle
TEK8 is an open framework. Whether you are an educator, game designer, community organizer, or curious learner — there is a petal for you.