Persephone Protocol: A System for Symbolic Drift, Sleep-Based Cognition, and Post-Key Cryptographic Alignment

The Persephone Protocol is a novel system for symbolic alignment, cryptographic communication, and cognitive architecture built around three key principles:symbolic drift, forced non-awareness (sleep), and a shared, non-learnable Earth-time substrate. It introduces an alternative to traditional key-based encryption by allowing agents to synchronize and recover secure communication using divergence and re-alignment — without exchanging secrets. The system also models a foundational cognitive lesson for artificial agents: that reality continues independently of awareness. This repository includes: A complete PDF summary of the protocol and system architecture Core prototype code (psc_rest_api_drift_memory.py) Simulation logs demonstrating drift, panic recovery, and inheritance Three foundational whitepapers: Somatic Realignment The Earth Layer Practical Somatic Cryptography This work was developed independently by Melanie J. Grande and is intended as a foundation for further research in AI alignment, post-quantum security, and symbolic cognitive systems.