{"podcast":{"title":"Ancient Futures","slug":"ancient-futures-6182152","podcast_index_feed_id":6182152,"rss_url":"https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/1068782.rss","website_url":"https://ancientfutures.substack.com/podcast","image_url":"https://substackcdn.com/feed/podcast/1068782/edbcba5c4f94b345246932e5d783e898.jpg","author":"Daniel Simpson","episode_count":87,"summary":"Timeless wisdom for modern dilemmas, combining yoga philosophy, practical insight and critical thinking.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-17T16:20:03.067668+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ancient-futures-6182152"},"episode":{"title":"The Path is a Spiral – Daniel Simpson","slug":"the-path-is-a-spiral-daniel-simpson","published_at":"2026-02-11T07:51:26+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ancient-futures-6182152/the-path-is-a-spiral-daniel-simpson","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ancient-futures-6182152","url":"https://ancientfutures.substack.com/p/siddhartha-spiral","audio_url":"https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/184424048/333232da2516508dc41c4cdeabcb1589.mp3","summary":"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 different sort of podcast to the usual interview – my guest today is my younger self. Responding to a listener’s question, I reflect on how to deal with the challenging “ups and downs of the yogic journey”. To help with that, I turn to the writings of Hermann Hesse – particularly his novel Siddhartha , which features a character whose strong-willed independent streak reminds me of mine… When Siddhartha complains to his companion Govinda that they’ll never get enlightened by ascetic austerities, he’s urged to rethink. “We have learned a lot,” Govinda reminds him. “We are not going around in circles, we are moving up, the circle is a spiral, we have already ascended many a level.” Siddhartha disagrees and departs – a recurring pattern. Having done something similar myself a few too many times for comfort, I share what I’ve learned about commitment and detachment – and the need to strike a balance. In the process, I mention an interview I did a little while ago, a Siddhartha book club , and a recent podcast episode inviting listeners to ask me anything . 🔎 To explore yogic wisdom in context, join me for a course at truthofyoga.com 🙏 Donations make this podcast sustainable – please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee ... Your support is greatly appreciated!","meta_description":"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? 🎢 Th…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1941,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ancient-futures-6182152/episodes/the-path-is-a-spiral-daniel-simpson/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ancient-futures-6182152/the-path-is-a-spiral-daniel-simpson.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}