Compiled by Winged Wolf from extensive observations and research by Anka (and students)
Introduction: Read This First
Due to repeated misunderstandings of the following document, it has become necessary to put up some clarifications of the most important points. Note that this document represents the experiences of its authors, and not necessarily The Psion Guild as a whole.
First, nearly anyone can learn psi. The difference between learning something and having it innate is simply whether you do it deliberately, or “accidentally”–without thought.
Nons are not inferior in any way to born-psis. In fact, because they have no hardwired abilities spectrum, they are more flexible than born-psis.
Second, Birth-Switch is unrelated to Potential. A person’s potential is how good they MAY become with psi, with training. Potential varies from person to person, and while all born-psis have SOME potential, the vast, vast majority of Nons also have some potential–and may have equally as much as any born-psi…OR MORE.
Third, all of this is theoretical. It is based on observations. If something comes up to contradict these observations then we need to rethink the theory. This is not a limiting device–if there are any limitations, find them for yourself, do not borrow them from here. It was generated from a limited base of individuals, and could be subject to change at any moment.
Please do not use the Traits list as a checklist to find out what your birth-switch is. It is a trend, but it is FAR from set in stone. Having all of the traits does not mean you are a specialty, and having only a couple doesn’t mean you’re not. The research on this is incomplete–it is a trend, only.
Partials are not lesser than born-ons, and specialties are not better than Nons. The more specialized a person is, the more their abilities are hardwired in…which means that they are stuck with what they were born with, and often cannot learn abilities outside of the high point of their spectrum. This does not mean that the abilities they do have will not be at a higher level AFTER they develop them. A Non might very well surpass them! That is an individual thing.
Just because hautès have blond hair and blue eyes, does not mean that all blue-eyed, blond-haired psis are hautès. Nor is it some sort of bizarre Aryan statement…hautès are usually low on drive, and few develop their abilities to a useful level. Likewise, just because you have physical traits of one of the specialties does not imply you are one. All oranges are fruits, not all fruits are oranges. We might find a dark-haired hautè tomorrow, and have to throw that out the window anyhow.
All of the Generators we have found thus far have unusual eyes. I’m working on getting up enough illustrations to clearly indicate this, one of the ones there already isn’t all that clear. Of course, there aren’t too many Generators around to provide pictures. They are very rare–all of the specialties are very rare. If we find one tomorrow who doesn’t fit the pattern, the theory will have to be revised.
Race is largely immaterial. Partials and born-ons could really be any race, a thing which seemed obvious enough not to need to mention it, though here I am doing so. Generators tend to have an incredible mixture of racial backgrounds. Obviously if some of the specialties are the result of very specific genetic combinations, then the trend will be for persons with that specialty to be of the same race. Unless we turn out to be wrong. I would dearly love the opportunity to search for more specialties in the population bases of other countries.
Since we are in the US, the base we have to work from is obviously the typical US population base. That is, primarily Caucasian, with a minority population of Hispanic and African descent, and even smaller Asian and other populations. Some cultural realities mean that people of certain cultural backgrounds are more likely to admit to and work with psi openly than those of other backgrounds. This puts quite a limit on observations. Until we can put together an IN-DEPTH research project on psi genetics, this article remains highly speculative, and obviously incomplete.
Now, and ONLY now, if you have read this introduction, proceed on to the psi genetics theory paper:
Factors involved in the pre-natal development of psi talents.
A) Genetics.
Birth-switch determines the minimums for how many talents, and propensities for which areas they fall into, as well as some other set abilities and traits associated with the birth-switch.
B) Exposure to psionic energy.
High energy exposure seems to be able to induce ability development or increase the strength of ability in a fetus.
Nons born into families where members use psi energy are more likely to have active psi abilities, and other birth switches have more active abilities when born to parents who use psi actively.
In most born-psis, abilities will awaken naturally around age 5, or around puberty, unless the individual is exposed to psi activity.
Birth-Switch Characteristics
Please note: The information below is meant to illustrate a pattern of tendencies, not a strict outline of the traits and capabilities of individuals. Individual persons may deviate from these patterns. As we research more on this topic, some of the information assumed below may change.
Levels:
Abilities are arranged on a 1 to 10 scale, with 1 being minimal usage and 10 being mastery.
An Ability is an individual basic psi ability, such as “emotion sensing/projecting”. An Aspect is a category of abilities which is based on what they effect–aspects are Mental, Physical, Psi-Energy Manipulation, and Psi-Energy Constructs. An Area is a category of abilities which are associated with the same format of energy under the same Aspect–for example, Emotion sensing and projecting is in the Emotion area–it is associated with the beam format of energy, which is produced by the sternum nerve cluster, and it is under the Mental aspect.
Drive is the will and self-discipline to develop and work with psi abilities.
Non:
Persons with this birth switch have no genetically linked talents for using psionic abilities, and variable ability to develop them. Developed nons may have any number of abilities in any aspect or area, and usually only have one or two of the non-psi-talent related traits. Potential ability in nons varies from person to person, of course, but they are fully capable of reaching the same potentials as born-psis in the vast majority of cases. Nons have all of the basic “equipment” to learn psi, they simply must learn it from scratch, much as a musician must learn music. A Non who decides to learn psionics usually has excellent drive.
Born-Psi characteristics:
The following is a listing of non-psi traits typically possessed by born-psis (in general order of commonality):
1) Headaches (often migraines).
2) Shorting out or interfering with the function of electronic devices.
3) Abnormal body temperature.
4) Abnormal thinking processes (lucid dreaming, odd information sorting), high neurological activity {often seen in higher intelligence and related skills, also seen in nerve spasms}).
5) Social problems (often outcasts, or “oddballs”).
6) Abnormally low or high temperature comfort level.
7) Abnormal metabolism, healing rate.
8) Stomach/heart problems.
9) Abnormal body structure (double joints, etc).
10) Abnormal senses (sunlight sensitivity, hearing sub or super-sonics, acute senses) Usually this is a shift in the range their senses can pick up.
11) Abnormal aging rate and/or apparent age.
12) Abnormal growth rate and related functions (three sets of teeth instead of the normal two, etc).
13) Tendency to be nocturnal.
14) Abnormal blood pressure.
15) Strong-willed or stubborn personality.
16) Psychological problems.
17) Relationship problems.
18) Abnormal instincts (weaker, gone, stronger, unbalanced, atypical).
19) Abnormal adolescence (early, late, shorter or longer than normal).
20) Synaesthesia
21) Fibromyalgia, or other auto-immune-related disorders (lupus, etc).
Partial:
Persons with this birth switch generally have 4 talents, one from each Aspect, usually spectral (all sternum, for example, or head sternum skin). These are generally level 1, except for the primary, which is 1 to 2. Partials have very few problems with further development. Partials are usually able to sense the level of ability in other psi-users. Partials usually exhibit 2 to 5 of the non-psi-talent related traits. Some partials have the capability of suppressing their psi abilities and becoming inactive. Partials have not only the “equipment” necessary to learn psi, but they also have a “basic operating system”, to continue a computer metaphor. They must still learn how to use their abilities and develop them, but the abilities are already there and are functional. Of course they may learn abilities which are not active, or not high in their spectrum, when they begin developing their psi, just as a Non may learn new abilities, but they may experience more problems with this than they would in developing their innate abilities.
Born-on:
Persons with this birth-switch usually have at least 4 talents, one from each Aspect, usually spectral. These are generally level 2, except for the primary, which is level 2 to 3. Born-ons have some problems with development. Born-ons are almost always able to sense the birth-switch of other people, and usually the level of ability. Born-ons generally exhibit at least some of the non psi-talent related characteristics of psions, usually at least 4 to 10. The vast majority of Born-ons are unable to suppress their psi abilities, and are always active (hence, “born-on”). Continuing the computer analogy again, born-ons not only have the equipment and the basic operating system, but they also have a few specific programs. They have abilities which are not only active, but which can be used in practical situations on an instinctive level. Just as partials may have some difficulties with abilities outside of their spectrum, so it is too with born-ons. In addition, because their abilities are used instinctively, they may have a bit of difficulty learning to control them deliberately. These are not truly major difficulties, in most cases, and development can put all of the birth-switches on an even footing. It all depends on how much drive a person has.
Specialties:
The Specialties are among the most obvious of the genetic psis, as not only do they have innate abilities which are not found naturally in any other known birth switches, but so far they seem to exhibit some physical and psychological characteristics which are relatively uniform, as well. In the computer metaphor, specialties have all of the same capabilities of born-ons, plus a few unique programs which in some cases may interfere with the functioning of some of the other programs (or programming attempts). Specialties ARE born-ons, with a twist–they have an extra “tone” in their field over top of the “active” and “born-on” tones. All of the specialties are extraordinarily rare, and so the base for the information below is of necessity extremely small. Therefore the information listed is highly subject to change as more data is gathered.
Specialty born-ons generally exhibit 5 to 15 of the non-psi-talent related characteristics of psions.
Switcher:
Persons with this specialty usually have at least 4 talents, one from each Aspect, usually spectral. These are generally level 2, except for the primary, which is level 4. Switchers have some problems with development. In addition to this, Switchers are able to mimic other birth-switches, and to become “invisible” to psi sensing. Switchers do not have a recognizable tone that sets them apart from other born-ons. Switchers have heavy builds, brown hair, and brown or hazel eyes. Common abilities active in their spectrum include Time input ability (precognition) and emotion input ability. They can also read the ‘hardwiring’ of innate psis, and tamper with some of the functions of abilities, and overall psi functioning, in other innate psis. Their drive is often sporadic (periods of high drive alternating with periods of low drive).
Other known names for Switchers: “Imago”.
Phase-Switcher:
A phase-switcher appears to be a variant of the Switcher. Rather than the ability to mimic other birth-switches well, instead phase-switchers are relatively poor mimics, but have the instinctive ability to shift their field’s frequencies into or out of phase with surrounding energy frequencies, and do so extremely well. Phase shifting is an ability which is not well-developed in ordinary Switchers, so this appears to be an example of a variant that takes the “opposite” end of the specialty ability to its extreme. Phase-Switchers have the highest energy-generation level outside of the Generator line, and may possibly have hypercapacity ability. Phase-switchers tend to have high level innate construct ability (both input and output), and tend to ADHD, impulsiveness, and sometimes volatile temperaments. Their physical appearance is typical of Switchers.
Psi-Vamp:
Persons with this specialty usually have at least 4 talents, one from each Aspect, usually spectral. These are generally level 2, except for the primary, which is level 4. Like Generators, all Psi-Vamps have a Psi-Energy Aspect primary. Psi-vamps have some problems with development. In addition to this, Psi-vamps are unable to use the energy generation psi ability, and must therefore acquire psi energy from other sources, which they have an innate ability to do. Without acquiring psi energy regularly, they generally become listless, fatigued, and susceptible to illness. This is a recently noticed birth-switch, so there have not been many individuals found from which to collect information yet. Psi-Vamps have some distinctive auric characteristics, if you know what to “look” for, and their energy fields are plasma-like in a way similar to the fields of Generators (but of course much much smaller). Originally thought to be a Generator variant, upon closer inspection, psi-vamps are Switcher variants, with a drifting birth-switch tone, and an indistinct, intermittent or missing third-tone. They have high capacity, in between switchers and phase-switchers in approximate level, and an ability to externally manipulate massive quantities of energy.
(No other known names for this birth-switch).
Hautè’s:
Persons with this specialty generally have at least one talent from each Aspect and area, and at least half of all talents, possibly all. These are generally level 1, except for the primary which is level 3, and the secondary, which is level 2. Hautè’s have some problems with development. In addition to this, Hautè’s have blond hair and blue eyes, and charismatic personalities, but generally little to no drive. Hautè’s have a very distinctive birth-switch tone, making them easily recognizable.
Other known names for Hautè’s: “Chosen Ones”.
Generators:
Persons with this specialty usually have at least 4 talents, one from each Aspect, usually spectral. These are generally level 2, except for the primary, which is level 4. Generators always have a Psi-Energy Aspect primary, and their primary ability is always related to psi-energy manipulation. In addition, aside from their level 4 primary, all generators can be considered to have a level 10 energy generation ability. Generators have some problems with development. In addition to this, Generators are able to convert their emotions and sensations into psi energy, resulting in a large plasma-like aura. Generators generally have aggressive, stubborn personalities, and are usually strongly territorial. They have dark or auburn hair, but this may turn out to not be a distinctive trait in the end, as the only hair color not seen thus far is blond. They usually have hazel eyes usually comprised of 3 rings (a very thin lighter or darker outer and inner ring, with a wide ring in between) including blue, green, and brown (which is mixed in, rather than being present in flecks). This is very hard to picture, so I am attempting to gather some photographs to illustrate just what I mean. A few Generators do not possess this iris pattern. Generators are easily recognized if their energy generation ability is activated, as their field contains anywhere from 100 to several thousand times the energy quantity of the average psi-active. Generators have Psi-Energy abilities high in their spectrum, usually with construct secondary, and frequently have very good drive….occasionally however, they have little to no drive.
Other known names for Generators: “Phoenixes”, “Phoenix Psychics”, “Energizers”, “Trex’ata”.
Immunes:
There are three types of immunes which have been identified so far…Repulsors, which have hyper-resistance ability, Conductors, which have hyper-conductivity ability, and Sinks, which appear to auto-ground energy (whatever they do, the energy sent at them simply is gone entirely). Immunes are extraordinarily difficult to affect with psi at all, and generally cannot learn psi, though they may have the innate capability for it somewhere…because the ability they have which is on at maximum does not allow them to manipulate energy. Sinks are represented thus far by only a single individual, so it is unknown if this individual is one of a kind, or if other exist.
Banshee:
We’ve encountered only one of these so far, so we know very little about them. A banshee emits a rising and falling psionic “scream”, a disruptive psychic feedback screech. This ability, unlike the similar ability which generators have, is continuous and is generally not under their control; they are usually unaware of it.
Detonator:
Another single encounter….as with other singular specialties, there’s the possibility that the individual is one of a kind. It may also be that we simply haven’t run into any others yet. A detonator’s field is deceptively ordinary. They take stress, and convert it into psi, then condense it down into a single area in their core. This extraordinarily compact bundle then sits there until it reaches something like critical mass, at which point it releases in an explosive psi-blast. The detonator’s system appears to have a protective mechanism that engages at this point, and they do not seem to be aware of the detonation. More information is needed to determine if the reaction can be brought under control.
Synchronizer:
Synchronizers link to the people around them instinctively (synchronizing patterns and frequencies), and emulate all of their psi abilities. They are able to use these abilities just as the originator can, until the target being emulated moves out of range. Synchronizing causes an interlocking of their field with the target’s, and the synchronizer may retain some of the target’s energy as a result when the target moves away, but this should not be confused with deliberate or unconscious vamping. However, Synchronizers have the ability (though not the need) to vamp at will, and a hyper-capacity allowing them to store and utilize tremendous quantities of energy.
Wanted: Photos of specialty psis for research purposes (will be kept confidential to research staff only, identified by numbers).
Other Links Dealing With Links Between Psi and Genetics
Vernon Neppe
Has written papers on psi and its relationship to certain genetic disorders such as seizure disorders.
Pacific Neuropsychiatric Institute
Several links to articles on psi genetics.
Metaphysical Rambles
Ramble 5 deals with psychic abilities in terms of natural selection and genetics…not much research here, just thoughts, but well-documented and researched thoughts.
© Copyright, Winged Wolf & Anka 1998-2006
Reposting or reprinting without permission constitutes violation of this copyright, as does posting without due credit given to the author and sources.
Summary of Related Terms
Birth-switch: A term used in reference to the Psi Genetics Hypothesis, referring to a auric characteristic/tone possibly correlated to patterns of innate psi abilities.
- Non: A psi genetics term for a person who was not born with psi abilities and traits. Nons can learn psionics. A Non who has developed psi abilities is referred to as a Developed Non. A Non who has not developed any psi abilities is referred to as “Non, Non-Active”. Some nons are sensitive to psi-energy, but sensitivity is not considered by itself to be use of an ability.
- Partial: A psi genetics term for a person who was born with low-level psi abilities, and a few instincts to use them.
- Born-psi: A term used to describe persons who have psi abilities inborn, instead of simply having learned them. Being born-psi does not mean you do not need to develop your abilities, it simply means that you are not “starting from scratch” when you are learning them. Called “born-on” in the Psi Genetics Hypothesis.
- High-Psi: (slang) A term used to refer to persons who have high level innate or highly developed psi abilities.
- Transmutate: A person who, although not born a Generator, has been given a mental/construct program which causes them to take on the energy abilities, mindset, and instincts of a Generator.
- Specialties: Born-psis with specific sets of characteristics and abilities (rare):
- Banshee: A term used to describe born-psis who have an unusual innate ability that causes them to emit a rising and falling psionic “scream” similar to a feedback squeal. This is apparently unconscious on their part.
- Generator: A term used to describe born-psis who have a tremendous capacity and generation ability, as well as facility with other psi-energy abilities. Also known as “Phoenix Psychics”, “Phoenixes” (the oldest known term for Generators), “Trex’ata”, or “Energizers”.
- Hautè (pronounced “HAW-tay”): A term used to describe born-psis who have ALL psi abilities inborn at a low level. Also known in some obscure circles by the slang term “Chosen Ones”.
- Immune: A type of born-psi who cannot be affected by, or learn, psionics (without considerable and unusual effort). Immunes are quite rare. There are three types:
- Conductor:A type of Immune who has their psi-energy conductivity ability permanently set at its highest conductivity level. Psi-energy passes right through them without affecting them.
- Repulsor: A type of Immune who has their conductivity ability permanently set at its highest resistance level. Psi-energy which they did not generate will not enter their body, it simply bounces off, without affecting them.
- Sink: A type of Immune who instantly and automatically sends to ground any energy sent to them–what they do is unknown, but the energy seems to just disappear.
- Psi-Vamp: A term used to describe a type of born-psi who does not have a functional generation ability, but does have facility with energy working. Psi-vamps take psi-energy from other sources in order to use their abilities. They do not generate their own energy on a level beyond that of a non who is non-active, and sometimes even less. (See “Non”). This term used more loosely outside of the guild, as an alternative term for psychic vampires. However, the Guild makes a distinction between true Psi-Vamps, and psychic vampires (who may take any energy for any number of reasons, and who do not necessarily have inborn psi abilities).
- Switcher: A term used to describe a type of born-on specialty which has the ability to alter the way their field is perceived by other psis or sensitives. They may make themselves appear to be of another birth-switch, a non-living spirit, or even disappear altogether, becoming “invisible” to psi senses. They cannot physically disappear, these effects occur only on a psychic level. Also known as “Imago”.