Whoa! Download Alert 🤯

I'm not yet sure where this is going yet, but thought you deserve an early heads-up

Why this out-of-the-blue heads-up? A ‘download’ is a sudden burst of deep insight or a feeling of total connection. It feels like your mind instantly receives a massive file of new ideas, grand truths, or creative visions all at once, rather than learning them step-by-step. Academically, it’s known as an ‘expanded awareness event.’ I’m currently processing just such an event. These are my raw, as-yet-nonsensical field observations. Forgive what doesn’t make sense. More to come.

Background

I’ve been fortunate enough to receive a number of ‘downloads’ since my first in 2004 in Thailand, which I’ve written about before:

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I’ve received three major downloads since then, and many more minor ones. My overly analytical (some would say left-brained) mind and my ability to spot patterns has identified the following variables that can stimulate/enhance such events:

1. The foundation is newly-formed neural pathways (known as neuroplasticity). It results in an expanded cognitive repertoire that boosts creative problem-solving. The process allows your brain to combine distant concepts, generate novel ideas faster, and adapt to unfamiliar challenges by drawing on a richer, more flexible network of stored memories and skills. AI can significantly help in this phase.

2. A radical change of situation. The science says that novel surroundings provide diverse sensory inputs, trigger the release of neuromodulators like alertness-boosting acetylcholine, and spark the growth of fresh synaptic connections as you navigate and learn new spatial or social cues. AI cannot help here.

3. Grounding in Nature. Nature forces the brain to process raw, unpredictable data from the real world. This physical interaction builds strong, lasting neural pathways that abstract concepts cannot create on their own. AI cannot help here.

All three factors have come into play over the past 48 hours for me personally, unsurprisingly triggering a ‘download’:

1. I’ve recently been using AI extensively to build the case for a Bio-revolution, which differs vastly from the

   1. Agri-revolution (12,000 years ago, which mechanized farming and high-yield crops)

   2. Indus-revolution (250 years ago, which scaled manufacturing via steam, coal, and automation)

   3. Digi-revolution (50 years ago, which connected the world through computers, the internet, and data, changing how we share information, run businesses, and automate tasks)

   
   New neural connections have exploded, thanks to a BioHub seed planted by Ernesto Van Peborgh and recently formalized by Metabolic,¹ which builds on the idea of Bioregional Financing Facilities from Samantha Power and Leon Seefeld.² The core of the Bio-revolution is grounded in the evolution of human coordination, as laid out in David Ronfeldt’s TIMN model.³
   
   What started the exploration was a dream last night about swimming with orcas — go figure. I suspect the dream came from watching a recent documentary called Time and Water, a somewhat bizarre recounting of the history of the Icelandic glaciers.⁴ I have previously swum with dolphins in Hawaii in 1990 with — do I have to admit this — Anthony Robbins (who no longer offers this experience but you can google it).⁵ This dream was radically different, which probably opened the portal to what followed.

2. For reasons I won’t go into here, I’m spending the week in Hermanus, a coastal town 50kms south-southwest of the Valley of Grace.⁶ This change of location has switched my brain from a quiet, predictable inland mountain routine to a highly stimulating coastal environment. The shift has forced my brain out of autopilot by demanding active navigation of rugged cliff paths, processing intense maritime sensory inputs, and engaging with lively public spaces. Very different to what I’m comfortably numbed into by the valley.

3. Transitioning from hours behind a computer screen and engaging in local politics to hiking the Hermanus Cliff Path has (predictably) forced a radical shift in how my brain processes data. It has shifted my brain from an artificial state of predictable restriction to a natural state of unpredictable expansion, forcing dormant neural pathways to reactivate. While walking the cliffs this morning, a strong westerly wind came up, during what was a very calm, sunny morning. The rapid change in weather no doubt played a role.

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As I said at the beginning, I have absolutely no idea where this is going, but I can sense something profound shifting. I hope to distill it all by Sunday’s newsletter, but until then…

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That’s all for now. Thanks for being with me as I process this. 🤗

Michael 💚

1. See BioHubs: A Pathway to Regional Resilience from Metabolic: https://bit.ly/Biohubs

2. See Bioregional Financing Facilities - Reimagining Finance to Regenerate Our Planet: https://bit.ly/BFF-Power

3. See Tribes, Institutions, Markets, Networks: https://bit.ly/TIM-N

4. Time and Water is a 2026 documentary film which explores life and work of Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason. You can find official details here and you can download a torrent here.

5. See swimming with dolphins Anthony Robbins hawaii: https://share.google/aimode/LoPWIFENcEmUgvZiw

6. Hermanus, known as the Whale Capital of the World, is a vital conservation hub in South Africa’s Western Cape. It sits between the Walker Bay marine reserve and the mountains of the Cape Floral Kingdom, protecting rare marine mammals and endangered plant life. See https://hermanus.org. Shown below is a map placing The Valley of Grace and Hermanus in perspective — the top arrow is the Valley and the bottom arrow is Hermanus. Note the commercial agricultural land use between the two.