Freedom, Determinism, and the Dance of Will Are we really free, or just riding the current? Focus: Neurological studies of decision-making (Libet, Eagleman, etc.) Free energy principle and prediction loops Compatibilism vs. hard determinism vs. libertarian free will Spiritual interpretations of will Artificial intelligence and the illusion of autonomy Optional Cheatsheet: “Free Will: What’s Real, …
Author Archives: Jay Downes
The Web of Meaning
The Web of Meaning How do we create meaning in a potentially meaningless universe? Focus: Existentialism (Nietzsche, Frankl) Panpsychism and cosmopsychism Indigenous relational ontologies Narrative creation and meaning-making The interplay between entropy, chaos, and purpose Optional Cheatsheet: “Meaning Is a Verb: How Humans Make Sense”
Expanded States of Being
Expanded States of Being What can altered states teach us about reality? Focus: Dreaming, meditation, psychedelics, breathwork Lucid states and access consciousness Flow states (Csikszentmihalyi, Greene) Precognition, mystical experiences, and threshold states Biological underpinnings: default mode network, entropy and integration Optional Cheatsheet: “Exploring the Mind: A Guide to Altered States”
The Self
The Self in Flux What makes “you” you? Focus: Identity as emergent and adaptive Neuroplasticity, culture, and perspective shifts Self vs. observer vs. witness consciousness Indigenous and Eastern notions of identity (e.g. mauri, anatta) The narrative self vs. the embodied self Optional Cheatsheet: “Who Am I, Really?” – The Layers of Selfhood
The Architecture of Awareness
The Architecture of Awareness What is consciousness and how does it arise? Focus: Theories of consciousness (IIT, GWT, HOTs, etc.) The “hard problem” of consciousness Neural correlates vs. emergence vs. panpsychism Enactivism & embodied cognition Consciousness as entropy management (Friston, predictive processing) Optional Cheatsheet: “Consciousness Theories Explained”
The Signal Path
The Signal Path 10 Principles for a Coherent Life In the last three entries (Fear or Growth -> The Undercurrent -> Return to Signal), we explored how modern life fractures our sense of internal rhythm, and how practices like the Undercurrent, the Room with No Walls, and the Return help us remember what’s true beneath …
Return to Signal
Return to Signal The Physiology of Escaping Static & Finding Coherence Again You don’t need to find your purpose. You need to find your signal. That’s a distinction I didn’t always know how to make. In the past, I tried to think my way to clarity by structuring a perfect plan, fixing my mindset, and …
The Undercurrent
The Undercurrent Returning to the Room With No Walls This is a personal philosophy I’ve never publicly articulated. An internal compass I’ve started to return to when belief systems and frameworks fall short. It isn’t rooted in faith, spirituality, or reverence for a higher being. It asks for no worship, prescribes no moral code, and …
Fear or Growth
Fear or Growth The Two Roads Behind Every Excuse Every choice to delay, perform, and plan endlessly reflects either a desire to protect the self (fear) or to evolve the self (growth). Even the act of “improving” ourselves can be a disguise for fear if it’s driven by a need to escape who we are. …
Nasal Breathing
Nasal Breathing The Gateway to Better Oxygenation Why Nasal Breathing Matters Your nose is a high-performance breathing tool, designed to filter, humidify, and optimize every breath you take. Your mouth? That’s for eating, talking, and emergencies – not for breathing 24/7. Yet, thanks to modern lifestyles, processed diets, chronic stress, and poor posture, mouth breathing …