Ancient Futures

Self-Compassion – Justin Michelson

What distinguishes self-centredness from care for oneself? To what extent is emotional healing a spiritual practice? How might an inner sense of safety and connection fue

Spiritual Catalysts – Don Lattin

What inspired the idea of being “spiritual but not religious”? Modern quests for experiential insight have diverse roots. Influences range from the work of Aldous Huxley

Animal Magic – Elizabeth Sulis Kim

How might humans relate to other beings if we saw ourselves as animals? What if beastliness had positive qualities, instead of being seen as a defect to exorcise? Which n

What is Awakening? – Matthew Green

Practically speaking, what does it mean to wake up? It’s literally the opposite of falling asleep, so it involves being aware. But since the Buddha’s name means he awaken

Evolution in Action – Daniel Simpson

How much has yoga changed over the past 2,000 years? 🤔 In one sense, very little – assuming yoga means a state beyond mental activity, as ancient texts teach. However, n

Liberating Insights – Tamara Cohen

What if everything we think is a dream? Would nothing be real? Or might it reveal how to live in infinity, untroubled by suffering? 🤯 Tamara Cohen wrote her PhD about th

The Odyssey Mindset – Sam Akbar

What might we learn about mental resilience from ancient Greek mythology? 💭 Sam Akbar is a clinical psychologist and Oxford-trained classicist. Her new book is The Odyss

Building Bridges – Daniel Simpson

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com What if yoga meant technology, jihad or sex with multiple partners? 😳 That’s

Yiddishland – David Mazower

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com How might we be inspired by a worldwide community of Yiddish-speaking Jews, who

Ethics and Yoga – Brett Parris

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com What defines the right thing to do, and how helpful is yoga in doing it? 🤔 Yog

Propagandananda? – Ian Alexander

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com How reliable are articles on yoga by contributors to Wikipedia? 🤷‍♂️ More than

Human Technology – Dan Turello

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com What does it mean to be human in the age of AI? 🤖 How old is the fear of machi

Ways of Seeing – Daniel Simpson

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com How do we know what we think we know? Are our opinions our own, or are they con

Beyond McMindfulness – Ron Purser

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com If mindfulness has drawbacks, what’s the alternative? 🤔 Ron Purser is perhaps

Buddhist Violence – Sonia Faleiro

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com Although Buddhism is widely considered a peaceful tradition, some of its monks

The Path is a Spiral – Daniel Simpson

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com How do I interpret my rollercoaster ride on the yogic path? 🎢 This is a differ

The Love of Wisdom – Valentin Gerlier

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com Can wisdom be taught? What if it were more about questions than finding "the an

Contemporary Tantra – Tova Olsson

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com What exactly is Tantra, and how do modern teachings relate to traditions? Which

Ask Me Anything – Daniel Simpson

What would you like me to talk about in 2026? 🗣️ As another year draws to a close, I’m reflecting on new types of podcasts. Today marks my 75th episode and while I plan

Enlightened Choices – Simon Haas

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.com What does it mean to choose wisely? Which kinds of values support this? To what