The mind grows from birth to death by absorbing parts of the existing culture available to it, with selections guided through epigenetic rules inherited by the individual brain. To visualise the coevolution of genes and culture more concretely, consider the example of snakes and dream serpents. Poisonous snakes have been an important source of mortality in almost all societies throughout human evolution. Close attention to them, enhanced by dream serpents and the symbols of culture, undoubtedly improves the chances of survival. The innate tendency to react with both fear and fascination toward snakes is the epigenetic rule.
Culture draws on that fear and fascination to create metaphors and narratives.
As part of gene-culture coevolution, culture is reconstructed by each generation collectively in the minds of individuals. When oral tradition is supplemented by writing and art, culture can grow indefinitely and it can even skip generations. But the fundamental biasing influence of the epigenetic rules, being genetic and ineradicable, stays constant. So, the prominence of dream serpents in the legends and art of the Amazonian shamans enriches their culture across generations under the guidance of the serpentine epigenetic rule. Some individuals inherit epigenetic rules which enable them to survive and reproduce better in the surrounding environment and culture than individuals who lack those rules, or at least possess them to a lesser extent.