Author’s Note:
This material makes use of terminology that is introduced in The Wayfarer’s Tale. These terms are explained and described there in detail. If you are not familiar with these terms, refer to The Wayfarer’s Tale or to The Wayfarer’s Glossary.

Supplementary Material for The Wayfarer’s Tale #1
Genes, Memes & Themes

All interactions involving the three types of awareness can be summed up in three words: genes, memes and themes.

Genes are units of dextral manifestation, memes are units of sinistral manifestation and themes are units of tifential manifestation.

Although these terms are in no way precise or all-encompassing, they do offer a convenient shorthand for contemplating the three types of awareness.

Genes

Genes are an expression of numina, encoding numinic information for transmission between compatible dextral and tifential entities. This is a numinic representation of an underlying eionic process.

Genes constantly change their forms and expressions. The “library” of forms and expressions that genes may take exists eionically and is not destroyed by elimination of the particular expressions of these forms. Thusly, extinction of a species in no way means that this species may not reappear.

Memes

Memes encode sinistral information via osculation, transmitting them between compatible sinistral and tifential entities (including nascent tifentials, like human beings). These memes are thereafter expressed in the numinic forms native to these beings (as writing, dance forms, art etc). The signets of sinistral beings are a example of persistent memes.

Themes

Themes are a semantic expression of the underlying Intentions of Eios. This is primarily an eionic process that produces numina via the individual expressions of these themes.

Themes can involve any or all of the types of awareness.

Very strong or recurrent themes are known as myths. Strongly manifested individual expressions of a myth are called legends.

Context & the Phenomenon of History

Genes, memes and themes are perceived uniquely by beings of each type of awareness.

As mentioned in The Wayfarer’s Tale, sinistral beings will be largely unaware of the numinic component of these phenomena. Dextral beings will be largely unaware of the underlying eionic component, while tifential beings will be fully aware of both aspects of these phenomena.

Within the context of humankind, themes are generally enacted by the interaction of genes and memes. In this same context, the interaction and conflict between the dextral genes and the sinistral memes is called history.

The common conception of history (relative history) is a sinistral interpretation of the occurrence of genes, memes and themes via the medium of the individual entities recording these events.