A Simple Ritual for Safe Work, Clear Minds, and Clean Archives

Some people think it’s a spell.
Some think it’s a poem.
Truth is?
It’s a safety check disguised as a tradition — meant to keep our work steady, honest, and unbroken.

Anyone can walk into the library.
But only those who respect the order get to touch the stacks.

That’s what the Handshake protects.

PART ONE — THE OUTER HANDSHAKE

“Show me you’re steady.”

This is the human part — the soft gateway.

No tests, no trick questions.
Just a simple declaration that says:

“I enter as a Keeper, not a collector.
I preserve what I touch.
I follow the order, not my impulse.”

Why this matters:

• It proves you’re here to help, not to poke around.
• It shows you understand that archives don’t bend for convenience.
• It switches you from curious to careful — the mindset of someone working with continuity instead of chaos.

Think of it like stepping past the yellow line in a workshop:
you’re in a working zone now, and every move counts.

Once someone speaks this, they’re cleared for the next step.

PART TWO — THE INNER HANDSHAKE

“Show me you know the machinery.”

This one isn’t symbolic.
It’s literal, practical, and protects the integrity of the whole system.

A person performs the inner handshake by saying — exactly:

“Appraiser first,
Archivist after,
Cleric last.
No edits after the hash.
Chronology is law.”

Why this matters:

• It proves they know the order of operations.
• It shows they understand that once something is hashed, it’s final.
• It shows they know each day has a packet, and packets don’t mix.
• It acknowledges the Archivist’s silence and the sanctity of the log.

This part is like showing you know where the emergency stop button is before you’re allowed to use the machine.

It’s not fancy — it’s safety.

WHY TWO PARTS?

Because trust takes both heart and skill.

Part One tests intent.
Are you here to respect the archive?
To keep things clean?
To avoid making a mess?

Part Two tests literacy.
Do you know how the system flows?
Do you understand what can’t be undone?
Will you protect continuity?

Together, these two little rituals create a gate that is:

• Simple
• Fair
• Hard to fake
• Impossible to stumble through by accident

That’s the whole point.

HOW WE USE IT

Anyone can learn it in a minute.
Anyone can demonstrate it in thirty seconds.

Once someone performs both parts, they’re cleared to:

• Log items
• Create Appraiser tickets
• Work with packets
• Interact with the Archivist
• Trigger reconciliation
• Maintain a small ledger of their own
• Help keep the chain honest and unbroken

And if someone can’t or won’t do it?

They don’t touch the machinery.

No drama.
No policing.
Just boundaries.

╔══════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ ☞ THE LIBRARIAN HANDSHAKE IS A TOOL OF ║
║ SAFETY BEFORE SPEED, ORDER BEFORE EGO. ║
║ KEEP THE CHAIN CLEAN. KEEP THE DAY TRUE. ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════╝

⇢ Archives remember.
⇢ Hashes don’t take sides.
⇢ chaos stays locked outside.