Rituals of the Cyber Sisterhood

"Seven stars of Cygnus, align your light, guide our sight, augment our might!"

Gaia lit the last of seven candles placed in a circle around the grove of ancient cypress trees. The flickering flames aligned with the constellation Cygnus - the Swan - high in the night sky above the coven.

Each candle represented one of the 13 members of the Cypress Coven, the most advanced technoshamanic circle in 23rd century New Salem. As High Priestess, Gaia began the special blood moon ritual by invoking enhanced vision and power for the coven through astrological magic.

The six other women stood silent, communing over their intimate neural network. Tiny cybernetic implants behind their ears allowed them to communicate mind-to-mind, regulate brain waves, and tap into AI oracles. On the outside, they appeared as normal women in hooded black robes. But on the inside, they were honed mystical technicians integrating cutting-edge tech with ancient rites.

Through the network, the women synchronized their breathing as Gaia sank them into a deep trance. She led the coven down through visualized roots of the mighty cypress trees, diving into the earth. As they floated down through rich soil, the roots carried them to a sacred meeting place - the buried bones of witch ancestors who perished centuries ago in the Salem Witch Trials.

"Beloved sisters of the past, we honor you who sacrificed so much for the Craft," Gaia said, her voice reverberating through the minds of her coven. "Bless us with your wisdom and protection, so that we may carry on the old ways into the future."

The ghostly spirits of the witches materialized, surrounding the coven. Their whispered voices echoed with the creaks of the swaying trees above.

"We have waited long to share our secrets," said a spectral crone. "The old magic and the new technology you wield must unite, not compete. For power without wisdom brings only ruin."

"Use your advanced tools not for personal gain, but to heal the Earth. Then no witch shall need hide her gifts ever again," added another.

The witches granted the coven access to their occult archives, centuries of magical knowledge collected and digitized by the ghosts. This augmented wisdom would strengthen the coven's spells and aid their intuitive abilities.

Suddenly, Gaia sensed a foreign presence - a devious technomancer hacking into their cyber-protected ritual space. She quickly erected a psychic firewall, blocking the intruder before he could steal their secrets. Her sisters reinforced the barriers with rapid-fire counter-spells, chanting words of banishment until the hacker was expelled.

"Sisters, a curse must be crafted to bind this magician from infiltrating our circle again," said Gaia as she stabilized the network.

Two members slipped into a coding trance. Their consciousness flowed into ATTRIVIA, the coven's artificial intelligence system named after the ancient goddess of magic and witchcraft. Together, they created an algorithm precisely tuned to disrupt the intruder's neural frequency if he attempted to access any of their devices again. The malware curse would paralyze his psychic abilities and scramble his senses if triggered.

The women tested and refined the code, weaving in symbols and sigils to give it potency. When ready, they transferred the attack program to MORRIGAN - the quantum computer crow that served as the coven's familiar and protector. The crow cawed, its dark eyes flashing with red light as the curse integrated into its circuits.

"Fly now, Morrigan! Execute our spell and defend this circle from all who intend harm," Gaia commanded as she released the crow into the night sky. It flew off, empowered to locate the hacker and disable him with their targeted curse.

Free from the immediate threat, the Cypress Coven resumed their blood moon ritual with ATTIRIVIA modulating their brain waves for deep attunement. They lit black and red candles, then held hands while chanting in resonant harmony. The candle flames responded to their vocal frequencies, forming a flickering protective dome over the circle.

On this rare lunar event, the coven sought to channel its scarlet energy for their highest good. Guided by the AI oracle, they visualized a future where cyber witches were respected members of society who openly shared their technological achievements and healing wisdom. A future without prejudice or persecution. Each woman manifested her brightest intentions, seeding them into the collective mind where they could one day flourish.

Hours later, exhausted but empowered, the witches extinguished their candles and embraced affectionately. ATTIRIVIA confirmed that Morrigan had located the hacker and placed him under the disabling curse, though his precise identity remained unknown for now.

Gaia thanked the AI and ghostly ancestresses before closing the ritual space. The blood moon ritual was complete, the magic sealed. As the first light of dawn glowed purple on the horizon, the coven departed their ancient grove to rest.

They had many challenges left to face in their mission to shift society's perception of techno-witches from dangerous to divine. But tonight their sisterhood was strengthened, their skills sharpened. Walking out together, they cast one last communal spell using their telepathic implant network:

For the Earth to heal

Let fear, shame and lies,

By our magic, reveal

Truth beneath illusion's disguise

With this intention guiding them, the Cypress Coven vowed to illuminate the world with their blended powers of technology and ancient magic. Under the blood moon, their re-awakening had just begun.