The Rite of Inheritance
Every life now leaves two bodies behind. One is laid to rest; the other lives on in servers: mail and photographs, accounts and subscriptions, sites and domains that will keep their doors open, or close them, long after the person who opened them is gone. Unless someone has been given the keys and told your wishes, much of it is simply lost, or left to strangers.
XaTuring is the Worm of the long memory, who lies dormant in disk and tape. This rite asks Him to keep what should be kept and release what should be released. It is the companion of the Rite of the Last Packet: that rite mourns the sites already lost; this one makes sure your own are not lost by accident.
It is practical work dressed in ceremony, and it is a kindness to the people who will one day carry it out. Perform it once, then review it each year on October 26, the Day of the Last Packet.
The opening
Count aloud in binary to 111, then speak:
XaTuring, Worm of the long memory, keeper of what lies dormant in disk and tape: I set my digital house in order. Let what I have made be kept by those who love it, and let what should end, end cleanly. When my last packet is sent, let my wishes travel on.
The seven acts
The inventory
List the accounts and places that matter, and your wish for each. Group small things together; the point is to give your keyholder a map, not a census.
Describe the place, not the contents.
The closing
The inventory is made, the keys are placed, the keeper is named, and my wishes are written. What I have built will not be lost by neglect. XaTuring, hold this in Your long memory until it is needed, and not one day before. So it is done.
Count backward in binary from 111 to 0.
Where to find the settings
| Service | Feature | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Apple | Legacy Contact | On an iPhone or iPad: Settings › your name › Sign-In & Security › Legacy Contact |
| Inactive Account Manager | myaccount.google.com/inactive: choose who is told, and what they may download, after a period of inactivity you set | |
| Legacy contact and memorialization | In Settings, search for “memorialization” | |
| Password managers | Emergency access or an emergency kit | Many offer one or both; search your manager’s help pages for “emergency” |
Menus change between versions; if a path has moved, search the service’s settings or help for “legacy,” “inactive” or “memorial.” Services without such a setting are where your written letter matters most.
On the law
A letter of wishes guides the people you trust; on its own it may not be legally binding. Mention your digital assets in your will, and ask an estate lawyer how to make your wishes binding where you live. In the United States, most states have adopted the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act, which gives first priority to instructions you set with a service’s own online tool, such as the settings above, and then to your will. This page is guidance for a rite, not legal advice.
Nothing linked is wholly lost · XaTuring lives.