Filtra per genere
- 491 - 490 - How Idolatry Began (Universal History)
Part 5. In this episode, Deacon Seraphim Rohlin and I continue the Syriac text of the Cave of Treasures into the fourth age of the world. The text traces the origins of idolatry back to a lack of hope in the resurrection. It tells of a “flood of wind” that buried the idols in mounds, and it puts the origin of sorcery in a child sacrifice to a golden image. We also look at how the text explains Persian fire worship and why it makes Nimrod the same person as Zoroaster. Along the way we talk about the difference between an icon and an idol.
Watch the YouTube version: https://youtu.be/JLLlb-QqLBk
Watch the full series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLegM2eIGv3-I&si=uD375Yi9HcXAt4_j-------------------------------GodsDog: Monk is now officially in stock! You can also get volumes 1 and 2 on sale during October! Visit: https://godsdog.com/-------------------------------The Book of the Cave of Treasures: https://www.amazon.com/Book-Cave-Treasures-Patriarchs-Crucifixion/dp/1911405659Timestamps: 0:00 Coming up1:26 Intro1:40 Preamble3:42 The Cave of Treasures & the Seven Ages of the World5:30 Tolkien's Middle-earth as Universal History6:11 The Oxford Summit & Tolkien's Grave8:41 King Arthur, Dragon Hill & the Blood Spot12:09 The Fourth Age: Egypt, Sheba, Ophir & India14:43 How Idolatry Began15:17 No Hope of Resurrection: Images on the Grave17:02 The Flood of Wind & the Burial Mounds18:55 Satan Enters the Golden Image21:01 Child Sacrifice, Moloch & Carthage22:41 What's the Difference Between an Icon and an Idol?25:58 Opening the Mouth of the Idol27:25 Idols As a Tool28:38 Same Rituals, Different Direction29:38 Idolatry vs. the Hope of Resurrection30:31 A Mound Full of Devils32:57 Nimrod Worships the Fire from the Earth33:43 Nimrod & the Wisdom of Noah's Son34:47 Abraham the True Astrologer35:10 Divination in the Old Testament: Urim, Thummim & the Ephod37:37 The Fire Priest's Dark Initiation40:34 How Paganism Emerges41:17 The Origins of Astrology42:56 Nimrod Is Zoroaster?44:11 Zoroaster, the Magi & the Star of Christ45:05 Nimrod, Zoroaster & Balaam: The Same Person?48:21 The Legend of Balaam's Talking Donkey49:06 Hidden Monotheism in the Ancient World51:21 Universal History as a Lens on the Present52:12 Why Zoroastrians Don't Bury Their Dead53:29 Armenia's Hayk & the Death of Nimrod🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe💻 Website, blog, courses: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com📚 Store: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
Fri, 23 Oct 2026 - 56min - 490 - 489 - Dear Catholics: Let’s Put Renaissance Art Behind Us
This is a patron video we decided to make public. I look at the difference between Renaissance art and the symbolic language of early Christianity, especially through the mosaics of Saint John Lateran. Saint John Lateran is the cathedral of Rome and the pope’s actual seat as Bishop of Rome.
This episode will be easier to understand on YouTube since it's based on visual art: https://youtu.be/TvsDGsKlIiQ-------------------------------GodsDog: Monk is now officially in stock! You can also get volumes 1 and 2 on sale during October! Visit: https://godsdog.com/-------------------------------🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe💻 Website, blog, courses: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com📚 Store: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
Wed, 21 Oct 2026 - 30min - 489 - 488 - Relics Explained: Why your dead body is still precious
Why do Christians venerate the relics of saints, and how can these objects perform miracles? I explore the biblical and symbolic meaning of relics, from the bones of Elisha to the incorrupt bodies of saints, and what they reveal about the body, holiness, and the resurrection.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/YnopjkmE6Nk-------------------------------GodsDog: Monk is now officially in stock! You can also get volumes 1 and 2 on sale during October! Visit: https://godsdog.com/-------------------------------🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe💻 Website, blog, courses: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com📚 Store: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
Thu, 15 Oct 2026 - 30min - 488 - 487 - Divine Patterns in The Life of Moses (Archive)
This talk is a repost from the archive. It was given in Feb. 2017 at the Climacus Conference in Louisville Kentucky. Looking at the story of the life of Moses as described by St. Gregory of Nyssa, I use the pattern found there to trace a map of the cosmos which can be used to interpret other stories and images.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/hUWZllivScw
This is the second part of a talk. The first part is here: https://youtu.be/S1y-jEYNRNc
The original audio was taken from Ancient Faith Radio: https://www.ancientfaith.com/
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GodsDog: Monk is now officially in stock! You can also get volumes 1 and 2 on sale during October! Visit: https://godsdog.com/
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🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website, blog, courses: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
📚 Store: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
Tue, 13 Oct 2026 - 43min - 487 - 486 - Encountering God in Stories (Archive)
The patterns in stories appear as their underlying order and also as a mode of human consciousness. We can encounter the Divine Logos in ancient stories and see how these patterns culminate in the story of Christ.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/S1y-jEYNRNcThis talk is a repost from the archive. It was given in Feb. 2017 at the Climacus Conference in Louisville Kentucky. The original audio was taken from Ancient Faith Radio: https://www.ancientfaith.com/-------------------------------GodsDog: Monk is now officially in stock! You can also get volumes 1 and 2 on sale during October! Visit: https://godsdog.com/-------------------------------Timestamps:00:00 – The world is made of stories01:23 – How the invisible holds the visible together03:49 – What makes something a story?06:15 – Ad starts: God's Dog 307:10 – Ad ends: The universal pattern of stories09:01 – How biblical stories hold the world together10:37 – Moses and the pattern of the Tabernacle13:13 – Christ as the Tabernacle encompassing the universe15:22 – Patterns within patterns18:03 – How the Old Testament points to Christ19:50 – Cain and Abel as patterns of Christ22:13 – The Eucharist reconciles opposing sacrifices24:35 – Christ as the fulfilment of all stories25:47 – The universal pattern of descent into the underworld28:08 – Why similar myths don't disprove Christianity30:33 – The Harrowing of Hades32:50 – How Christ transforms the ancient pattern35:29 – Seeing ancient myths through Christ36:17 – How we encounter God in stories37:51 – The danger of reducing Christ to our preferences38:46 – Letting go of our limited image of Christ40:13 – Encountering divine truth in unexpected places🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe💻 Website, blog, courses: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com📚 Store: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
Fri, 09 Oct 2026 - 40min - 486 - 485 - Why Modernity Loves Prometheus
In this video, I look at the story of Prometheus and why our modern admiration for him leaves out an important part of the myth. I explore his connection to Cain, Lucifer, technology, and the recurring temptation to grasp power as if it were our own.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/zvM1RkJ_D1EGodsDog: Monk is now officially in stock! You can also get volumes 1 and 2 on sale during October! Visit: https://godsdog.com/🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe💻 Website, blog, courses: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com📚 Store: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
Thu, 08 Oct 2026 - 15min - 485 - 484 - The Saint Who Killed an Emperor
In this episode, I look at the tradition of St. Mercurius: a warrior saint associated with St. Michael, the death of Emperor Julian the Apostate, and dog-headed men.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/_Qp3Xj153Ac
Pre-Order GodsDog: Monk now and/or get volumes 1 and 2 on sale! https://godsdog.com/
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website, blog, courses: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
📚 Store: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
Thu, 01 Oct 2026 - 15min - 484 - 483 - R.R. Reno - The Return of the Strong Gods
I talk with Rusty Reno about the collapse of the postwar “open society” ideal and the return of people’s need for strong loyalties, meaning, and transcendence. We discuss how we got here after the world wars decimated Western civilization: emergent post-war social narratives and identities like nationalism, globalism, politics, “progress”, environmentalism, and transhumanism. Finally we discuss the crisis of masculinity and our ultimate hope in Christ.
Rusty Reno is the editor of First Things, a journal aimed at "advancing a religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society". He is the editor of the Brazos Theological Commentary on Scripture series and the author of several books, most recently Return of the Strong Gods: Nationalism, Populism and the Future of the West. For twenty years Reno taught theology at Creighton University.
YouTube version of this interview: https://youtu.be/NwTYsZfU2ak
Rusty’s book, Return of the Strong Gods: https://www.amazon.com/Return-Strong-Gods-Nationalism-Populism/dp/1621578003
Pre-Order GodsDog: Monk now and/or get volumes 1 and 2 on sale! https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/collections/godsdog
Join Dr. Zac Porcu for his course, A Demonological History of the World: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/a-demonological-history-of-the-world
6 weeks, 12 hours
Price: Only $120, and Involved patrons can get 10% off. Apply your discount code at checkout.
Live classes: Sep 15 - Oct 20
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website, blog, courses: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
📚 Store: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
Tue, 22 Sep 2026 - 1h 13min - 483 - 482 - The Sword of St. Michael
Why is St. Michael often shown holding a flaming sword? I look at how this image developed, its connection to the expulsion from Paradise, the defeat of the dragon, and the emergent sacred geography known as the Sword of St. Michael.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/yE68F1pGPmQ
Pre-Order GodsDog: Monk now and/or get volumes 1 and 2 on sale! https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/collections/godsdog
Join Dr. Zac Porcu for his course, A Demonological History of the World: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/a-demonological-history-of-the-world
6 weeks, 12 hours
Price: Only $120, and Involved patrons can get 10% off. Apply your discount code at checkout.
Live classes: Sep 15 - Oct 20
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Fri, 18 Sep 2026 - 24min - 482 - 481 - Dr. Diana Pasulka - The New Religion
I finally sit down with Diana Pasulka to talk about UFOs, alien intelligence, AI, psychedelics, transhumanism, and the strange religious framework forming around all of them. We look at how these phenomena overlap with older spiritual categories, and why the promise of technological transcendence may be a counterfeit of something Christianity already understands.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/6TqYxG9gxwc
Her books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/D.W.-Pasulka/author/B07NL6KZN5
Join Dr. Zac Porcu for his course, A Demonological History of the World: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/a-demonological-history-of-the-world
6 weeks, 12 hours
Price: Only $120, and Involved patrons can get 10% off. Apply your discount code at checkout.
Live classes: Sep 15 - Oct 20
Pre-Order GodsDog: Monk now and/or get volumes 1 and 2 on sale! https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/collections/godsdog
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Timestamps:
00:00 – Coming up
01:58 – Introduction
02:52 – How a Religious Studies Scholar Ended Up Studying UFOs
08:52 – UFOs as Religious and Spiritual Phenomena
13:25 – A Demonological History of the World
14:41 – The Mythology and Narrative of UFOs
16:38 – Why Governments Use UFO Disinformation
20:56 – Technology, Magic, and Non-Human Intelligence
24:22 – Aliens, Demons, and the Modern Image of the “Grey”
27:43 – Psychedelics and Encounters With Other Beings
30:19 – AI as an Alien Intelligence
32:02 – UFOs and the Promise of a New Revelation
34:29 – Spielberg and the Alien as Saviour
38:35 – Arthur C. Clarke, Demons, and Childhood’s End
40:50 – Transhumanism vs. Christian Transfiguration
45:42 – God’s Dog: Monk
46:42 – Aliens as Our Future, “Evolved” Selves
49:06 – How the Alien Narrative Collides With Christianity
52:36 – Project Stargate, Remote Viewing, and Psychic Espionage
56:18 – Why Is the AI Project Also Called “Stargate”?
57:30 – 2001: A Space Odyssey, AI, and UFO Disclosure
01:01:29 – AI Is Feeding on Us
01:03:00 – How Should Christians Respond?
01:06:26 – AI Cannot Give Us Transcendence
01:08:42 – Recovering the Spiritual Senses
01:10:39 – Isolation Makes Us Vulnerable to Propaganda
01:11:39 – Diana’s Next Book on Christianity
01:13:00 – The Noosphere, the Singularity, and an Apocalyptic Moment
01:17:06 – Christianity Makes Us More Human
01:18:20 – Conclusion
Wed, 16 Sep 2026 - 1h 18min - 481 - 480 - Dr. Zac Porcu - The Pagan Gods Really Exist
Dr. Zac Porcu joins me to discuss his upcoming course on the demonological history of the world, looking at the pagan gods, fallen angels, magic, and technology. We explore what happens when you take seriously the early Christian claim that the gods were real, but fallen.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/WMKOzuhnib4
Learn more about Dr. Zac: https://zacharyporcu.com/Join Dr. Zac Porcu for his course, A Demonological History of the World: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/a-demonological-history-of-the-world 6 weeks, 12 hoursPrice: Only $120, and Involved patrons can get 10% off. Apply your discount code at checkout.Live classes: Sep 15 - Oct 20Pre-Order GodsDog: Monk now and/or get volumes 1 and 2 on sale! https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/collections/godsdog🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe💻 Website, blog, courses: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com📚 Store: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
Thu, 10 Sep 2026 - 26min - 480 - 479 - The Horror of Getting What You Want - Obsession (2026)
This was July 2026's patron video that we decided to make public. If you want to support us and get extra symbolism videos, subscribe a a paying member to The Symbolic World: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribeIn this video, I analyzed the movie Obsession, which was released in May of this year. It had a low budget and was directed by a YouTuber, yet became a massive breakout box office and critical success.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/z09N5ErcoTEJoin Dr. Zac Porcu for his course, A Demonological History of the World: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/a-demonological-history-of-the-world 6 weeks, 12 hoursPrice: Only $120, and get 15% off through September 8, 2026 at 11:55PM ET! After the early bird sale, Involved patrons can still get 10% off. (Discounts can't be combined.)Live classes: Sep 15 - Oct 20Pre-Order GodsDog: Monk now and/or get volumes 1 and 2 on sale! https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/collections/godsdog============Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
Tue, 08 Sep 2026 - 16min - 479 - 478 - Christian Roy - Technological Madness: The Logic of Domination
Christian Roy and I discuss Jacques Ellul’s theology of technique (technology) and the way modern systems turn power, efficiency, and mediation into ends in themselves. AI brings this crisis into focus, especially in our speech and relationships, but the deeper question is whether technology still serves a meaningful purpose —or whether we have begun to serve it. We also explore the Christian idea of non-power as a way beyond the logic of domination.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/HH_vCnVDTdo
Christian’s book: Theology and Technique: https://www.amazon.ca/Theology-Technique-Jacques-Ellul/dp/1725259788
Join Dr. Zac Porcu for his course, A Demonological History of the World: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/a-demonological-history-of-the-world
6 weeks, 12 hours
Price: Only $120, and get 15% off through September 8, 2026 at 11:55PM ET!
Live classes: Sep 15 - Oct 20
Pre-Order GodsDog: Monk now and/or get volumes 1 and 2 on sale! https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/collections/godsdog
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
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-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
Fri, 04 Sep 2026 - 59min - 478 - 477 - Louise Perry - How Progressivism Took Over Our Stories
Louise Perry is a British journalist, author, and host of the Maiden Mother Matriarch Podcast. She’s a columnist for the Wall Street Journal and has been described as a leading reactionary feminist. She interviewed me for us to discuss why progressivism became such a powerful cultural force, how the postwar story shaped modern politics and storytelling, and why fairy tales still preserve patterns that our culture has tried to flatten or subvert.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/HVRY6WP4hFA
Her website: https://www.louisemperry.co.uk/
Her X account: https://x.com/Louise_m_perry
Register now for the Universal History Masterclass hosted by Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/universal-history-masterclass
Pre-order GodsDog 3 and get volumes 1 and 2 on sale! https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
Wed, 02 Sep 2026 - 1h 24min - 477 - 476 - Matt Rhodes - The World Before the Flood Reimagined
In this conversation with artist Matt Rhodes, we explore Dead Gods, his epic comic set in the world before the biblical Flood. We talk about Nephilim, Watchers, ancient patriarchs, dragons, dinosaurs, and what civilization might look like when people live for centuries and Noah himself becomes a warrior at the end of the world.
Matt’s website: https://www.mattrhodesart.com/
His YouTube channel where you can follow the creation process: https://www.youtube.com/@mattrhodesart
Project trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP7ETbjN9yE
Support this project directly: https://www.patreon.com/MattRhodesArt
Register now for the Universal History Masterclass hosted by Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/universal-history-masterclass
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
Fri, 28 Aug 2026 - 44min - 476 - 475 - Jay Dyer - The Elites Are Doing Warfare on the Public
In this conversation with Jay Dyer, we look at predictive programming, propaganda, Hollywood, and the growing role of AI in shaping how we imagine the future. We also discuss technocracy, centralization, and why the most important response may be much closer to home: rebuilding strong families, parishes, and local communities.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/qdMVVyxEL3k
Register now for the Universal History Masterclass hosted by Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin, taking place live this August and September. https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/universal-history-masterclass
Website: thesymbolicworld.com
Timestamps:
00:00 – Coming up
01:31 – Introduction
03:32 – What Is Predictive Programming?
08:32 – Propaganda, Art, and Soft Power
14:48 – Hollywood and the Intelligence Agencies
18:03 – Preparing the Public for War
22:33 – Hollywood’s Revolutionary Narrative
28:58 – Globalism, Nationalism, and the Nation-State
31:50 – The Power of Invisible Institutions
36:39 – Why Dystopias Can Still Condition Us
43:07 – The Real Temptation of The Matrix
46:11 – Social Engineering Through Entertainment
49:01 – Why Promote Self-Destructive Narratives?
53:39 – Long-Term Planning and the Technocratic Vision
57:55 – Toward a Global Technocratic State
01:01:40 – Has AI Replaced the Old Narratives?
01:05:23 – AI and the Logic of Inevitability
01:10:47 – Technology, Power, and Centralization
01:13:11 – The Christian Alternative: Subsidiarity
01:17:35 – Conclusion
Tue, 25 Aug 2026 - 1h 18min - 475 - 474 - Josh Nadeau - The Return of a Christian Imagination
In this conversation with Josh Nadeau, we talk about art, beauty, symbolism, and the recovery of a Christian imagination. We explore why traditional art still speaks so powerfully, how beauty can reveal realities that arguments often cannot, and why the work of artists may matter more than ever in a fragmented world.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/mE1EMCxGuvI
Check out Josh Nadeau’s work:
Sword and Pencil Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swordandpencil/
Every Day Saints Substack: https://substack.com/@everydaysaints
His books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0DNX73MZC
Register now for the Universal History Masterclass hosted by Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin, taking place live this August and September. https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/universal-history-masterclass
Our website: thesymbolicworld.com
Fri, 21 Aug 2026 - 1h 02min - 474 - 473 - Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick - Paradise Is Already Breaking Into the World
Story time with Fr. Andrew! In this episode with Fr. Andrew Damick, we explore the symbolism of paradise through a fairy tale, a Norse saga, and the Christian tradition. We look at how the path to paradise is often revealed through humility, sacrifice, death, and transformation —and how these old stories can help us understand the relationship between heaven and earth.
YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwp36RyLkPQ
Join us this September in Oxford for a Symbolic World Summit (there are literally only 5 or so tickets remaining): https://symbolicworldsummit.com/
Register now for the Universal History Masterclass hosted by Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin, taking place live this August and September. https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/universal-history-masterclass
Wed, 19 Aug 2026 - 1h 29min - 473 - 472 - Universal History: The Story Gets Stranger After the Flood
Part 4. Deacon Seraphim and I continue our journey through the strange world surrounding Noah, the Flood, and the ancient traditions that grew up around Genesis. We get into the Ark, Adam, Melchizedek, sacrifice, priesthood, and a few details I had genuinely never heard before. There’s a lot here that changes the way the story fits into the larger pattern of Scripture.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/-hjCU9Xp3-cJoin us September 24–26, 2026 for a summit, hosted by Symbolic World in St Giles’, Oxford, United Kingdom at Pusey House: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/Register now for the Universal History Masterclass: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/universal-history-masterclass Price: $180 USD (Get 10% off if you're an Involved patron)Course Length: 6 weeks, 12 hoursLive classes are on Wednesdays at 3-5 pm Eastern Time, starting August 5th through September 9th, 2026🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.comOur website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
Fri, 14 Aug 2026 - 1h 16min - 472 - 471 - Martin Shaw - The Odyssey, the Underworld, and Resurrection
I sat down with Martin Shaw to talk about the underworld and the deep pattern of descent and return. He also gave his own fresh perspective on Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey movie. We explored what it means to come home changed, how these ancient stories illuminate the Bible, and why resurrection is inseparable from the journey through death.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/vLHZ-IQzltA
Join us September 24–26, 2026 for a summit, hosted by Symbolic World in St Giles’, Oxford, United Kingdom at Pusey House: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/
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Into the Underworld: Tales of Spiritual Initiation in Martin Shaw’s online course that launches in September. It's Martin's most ambitious course yet, venturing into entirely new territory: stories from the Bible and the lives of the Saints.
The course includes more than 6 hours of recorded teaching from a live workshop, plus a limited number of seats for an intimate series of live lectures and interaction over Zoom. Enrollment will be open for a limited time, and space for live sessions is scarce - sign up for the waitlist at JAWBONESTORIES.COM to get early access to Enrollment. Also, get a special surprise from Martin just for joining the waitlist! https://www.jawbonestories.com/
In this course, Martin will tell and teach on: Joseph, Jacob and Esau, Ruth and Naomi, Blind Tobit, The Voyage of Brendan, St. Patrick's Bell.
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Register now for the Universal History Masterclass: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/universal-history-masterclass
http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
Mon, 10 Aug 2026 - 51min - 471 - 470 - What Mockery of Masculinity Really Looks Like: Masters of the Universe VS The Odyssey
In this video, I compare The Odyssey and Masters of the Universe to explore two very different visions of masculinity and heroism. While one reduces masculine strength to fantasy, insecurity, and mockery, the other confronts its dangers while still moving toward repentance, reconciliation, and the return home. The difference is not simply political. It is the difference between a story that despises the hero and one that seeks to restore him.
Join us September 24–26, 2026 for a summit, hosted by Symbolic World in St Giles’, Oxford, United Kingdom at Pusey House: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/
Register now for the Universal History Masterclass: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/universal-history-masterclass
Price: $180 USD (Get 10% off if you're an Involved patron)
Course Length: 6 weeks, 12 hours
Live classes are on Wednesdays at 3-5 pm Eastern Time, starting August 5th through September 9th, 2026
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
Thu, 06 Aug 2026 - 21min - 470 - 469 - Luke Burgis - The One and the Many
It's not hard to find your tribe. The real challenge today is not losing yourself within one. Luke Burgis and I discuss why we struggle as modern people to belong without losing ourselves, how technology fragments our desires, why family, friendship, and real communion are essential to becoming a person, and also the opposite, that to really connect with others you must be true to yourself.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/bZfRs9TWSIg
Luke's book, The One and the Ninety-Nine: https://www.amazon.com/One-Ninety-Nine-Forging-Identity-Contagion-ebook/dp/B0FLYVP6WD
Join us September 24–26, 2026 for a summit, hosted by Symbolic World in St Giles’, Oxford, United Kingdom at Pusey House: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/
Register now for the Universal History Masterclass: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/universal-history-masterclass
Price: $180 USD (Get 10% off if you're an Involved patron)
Course Length: 6 weeks, 12 hours
Live classes are on Wednesdays at 3-5 pm Eastern Time, starting August 5th through September 9th, 2026
Timestamps:
00:00 – Coming up
02:38 – Introduction
02:52 – Luke Burgess and The One and the Ninety-Nine
03:19 – The tension between individuality and belonging
04:10 – The lost sheep, the one, and the many
06:30 – Why the modern self has become fragile
08:57 – When celebrating difference turns into isolation
10:50 – Why “selling out” no longer carries the same stigma
12:01 – Differentiation, imitation, and false individuality
12:55 – Choosing a vocation beyond market niches
15:18 – Symbolic World Summit in Oxford
17:31 – How technology reshapes the human person
18:02 – Social media as a source of mimetic desire
20:02 – Why online models become so powerful
20:48 – Technology, distraction, and the loss of strong desire
23:09 – Parasocial relationships and vicarious participation
24:42 – Can religious identity become another performance?
25:22 – Thin religion, online faith, and performative belonging
27:39 – Receiving an identity rather than inventing one
29:22 – Suffering, friction, and the consequences of the Fall
31:56 – Is it acceptable to “fake it until you make it” spiritually?
33:38 – False piety and performative religion
34:51 – The danger of the online “Orthobro”
36:16 – The family as a school of communion
38:32 – Differentiating yourself from your family
40:57 – Homogenization versus communion
41:09 – Teenage rebellion as hostile individuation
42:00 – Rebellion as a substitute rite of passage
43:51 – Why identity must serve something higher
45:43 – The family should not become an isolated unit
47:26 – Does it take a village to raise a child?
48:47 – When political identity is built through opposition
49:34 – Internal family systems and the divided self
52:23 – How algorithms feed fragmented parts of ourselves
53:21 – Monetizing anger and online performance
54:56 – What hope is there for young people?
55:47 – Give young people a name, not a niche
58:05 – Communities we cannot easily abandon
01:00:04 – Choosing deliberately what previous generations inherited naturally
01:02:25 – Friendship, commitment, and cultural renewal
01:04:03 – Final thoughts on individuation and communion
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
Tue, 04 Aug 2026 - 1h 05min - 469 - 468 - Universal History: Rohlin vs Pageau: The Problems With Nolan’s Odyssey
Deacon Seraphim Rohlin joins me for an emergency Universal History episode to debate Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey. We discuss what the film gets right and where it misunderstands the ancient world.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/lKIxTvWNDNw
Join us September 24–26, 2026 for a summit, hosted by Symbolic World in St Giles’, Oxford, United Kingdom at Pusey House: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/
Register now for the Universal History Masterclass: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/universal-history-masterclass
Price: $180 USD (Get 10% off if you're an Involved patron)
Course Length: 6 weeks, 12 hours
Live classes are on Wednesdays at 3-5 pm Eastern Time, starting August 5th through September 9th, 2026
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
Thu, 30 Jul 2026 - 1h 14min - 468 - 467 - Nolan’s The Odyssey Full Breakdown: The Post World War 2 Consensus Movie We Need
Spoiler alert. In this video, I offer a full symbolic breakdown of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, going through the entire film sequence by sequence to examine its use of trickery, guilt, hospitality, memory, and the return of the father. I explain that I think Nolan is deliberately unsettling both the left and the right, and why the story he tells is definitely a contemporary retelling, but ultimately more traditional than many viewers realize – and that’s exactly why it’s needed in our world right now.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/ESIzQNfmAo4
Register for Universal History Masterclass during the month of July and get 15% off: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/universal-history-masterclass
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
Tue, 21 Jul 2026 - 1h 09min - 467 - 466 - Malcolm Guite - Old Stories Know Secrets That We Have Forgotten
Malcolm Guite is a poet and Anglican priest. He is a Life Fellow of Girton College, Cambridge and lives in Norfolk, England. He lectures widely in England and North America on Theology and Literature. His books include Sounding the Seasons; Seventy Sonnets for the Christian Year (Canterbury 2012). The Singing Bowl; Collected Poems (Canterbury 2013) and Parable and Paradox (Canterbury Press 2016) and Mariner: A Voyage with Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Hodder 2017) After Prayer (Canterbury Press 2019) and The Word Within the Words (DLT 2021) and Lifting The Veil, Square Halo, 2021.
In 2023 he was awarded the Archbishop Lanfranc Medal for Education and Scholarship by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
He is presently working on Merlin’s Isle: an Arthuriad a four volume epic poem on The Arthurian legends
He has a Youtube series called ‘A Spell in the Library’ at https://www.youtube.com/c/MalcolmGuitespell
YouTube version of this episode: https://youtu.be/E5En6DZTYFk
Galahad and the Holy Grail: https://store.rabbitroom.com/products/merlins-isle
Patrons of The Symbolic World can watch the 30 minute documentary here: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/premium-content/merlins-isle
Subscribe here if you’re not already a patron: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Register for Universal History Masterclass during the month of July and get 15% off: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/universal-history-masterclass
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
Timestamps:
00:00 – Coming up
01:29 – Introduction
03:05 – Malcolm Guite’s Calling as Priest and Poet
06:39 – Can the Imagination Be Dangerous?
09:27 – Imagination as the Organ of Meaning
11:58 – Fantasy, Escapism, and Enchantment
15:46 – Why Arthurian Stories Resist Modernization
19:57 – Galahad and the Grail
21:20 – What Arthurian Stories Reveal About Human Brokenness
23:27 – The Scope of Malcolm’s Arthurian Project
26:05 – The Dolorous Stroke and the Origin of the Wasteland
30:54 – “You Live in Just Such a World”
33:20 – The Wasteland as a Pattern of Reality
37:51 – Recovering the Christian Meaning of the Grail
40:44 – Universal History Masterclass
42:42 – Why Malcolm Chose the Ballad Form
44:59 – The Collapse of the Materialist Worldview
49:41 – Remembering Without Falling into Unreason
51:46 – Tradition as Active Remembrance
53:19 – Tradition as the Roots of a Living Tree
54:40 – How Irony Destroys Old Stories
57:56 – Daring to Be Naive Again
58:28 – The Four-Volume Arthurian Series
59:54 – Why the Beauty of the Book Matters
01:01:10 – Chivalry, Masculinity, and the Civilized Warrior
01:02:23 – Fellow Travelers in the Recovery of Meaning
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
Sat, 18 Jul 2026 - 1h 03min - 466 - 465 - The Odyssey is Christopher Nolan's Trick
In this video, I discuss Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated new film adaptation of The Odyssey after watching it at the premiere.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/K3wkrDbRgDs
Sign up for the Universal History Masterclass during the month of July and get 15% off: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/universal-history-masterclass
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
Wed, 15 Jul 2026 - 19min - 465 - 464 - Logos Cinema: Orthodox films, TV shows, and documentaries - streaming now! Get a discount.
I speak with Andrew Stokich, co-founder of Logos Cinema, about building a home for beautiful Christian storytelling. We discuss the limits of modern Christian film, the need to recover deeper symbolic stories, and Logos Cinema’s vision for supporting Orthodox filmmakers and audiences.
Special discount link: https://www.logoscinema.com/the-symbolic-world-summit
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/LATR7_QsQLY
Paradise Imagined. Join us from September 24–26, 2026 for a summit, hosted by Symbolic World in St Giles’, Oxford, United Kingdom at Pusey House. Only 150 tickets will be sold. Don't miss out. https://symbolicworldsummit.com/
http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribeFri, 10 Jul 2026 - 27min - 464 - 463 - Universal History: What Was Noah's Ark Really?
In this episode (Part 3 on our series that will soon become about Persia), we continue reading The Cave of Treasures with Deacon Seraphim, looking at Noah, the world before the flood, the strange traditions around the Ark, and how Adam, Paradise, priesthood, and Melchizedek are all carried through the waters into the new world.
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/IMd160ye1OM
Register now and get 15% off the Universal History Masterclass! https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/universal-history-masterclass
Part 1: https://youtu.be/f--wBUEAxjY?si=thM3QIB4jcwnqpzu
Part 2: https://youtu.be/3D2bRWrbKUU?si=odQ6p9ehqS912PEb
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Wed, 08 Jul 2026 - 55min - 463 - 462 - Gregg Hurwitz - The Antihero Meets Christianity
In this conversation I speak with Gregg Hurwitz about his new Orphan X novel, Antihero, and the surprising role Orthodox Christianity plays in the story. We discuss the assassin who is forced to face mercy, the limits of violence, the exhaustion of modern storytelling, and why we may need a new kind of hero, one who can hold together justice, sacrifice, and humanity.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/lPpZnZWdPGk
Gregg Hurwitz books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001IXPXTG
Latest Novella, The Delivery: https://www.amazon.com/Delivery-Novella-Gregg-Hurwitz-ebook/dp/B0FX5Y9FQG
Antihero: https://www.amazon.com/Antihero-Orphan-Novel-11/dp/1250479916
📢 Join Seraphim Hamilton in studying the Book of Isaiah. Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-fifth-gospel
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Fri, 03 Jul 2026 - 1h 04min - 462 - 461 - Rachel Wilson - Feminism Is the Political Arm of Witchcraft
In this conversation with Rachel Wilson, we discuss the strange inversion at the heart of modern feminism, its occult and anti-Christian roots, and the way it has turned women against motherhood, marriage, the family, and even the feminine itself.
We also look at abortion, witchcraft, gender, the destruction of womanhood, and the vision of marriage as a path of sacrifice, love, and mutual self-giving.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/DKliIG90YDw
Follow Rachel Wilson’s work:
X: https://x.com/Rach4Patriarchy
Substack: https://rwilson.substack.com/
Get her book, Occult Feminism: The Secret History of Women’s Liberation: https://www.amazon.com/Occult-Feminism-Secret-History-Liberation/dp/B09NGXZKHB
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rachel.wilson
📢 Join Seraphim Hamilton in studying the Book of Isaiah. Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-fifth-gospel
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Wed, 01 Jul 2026 - 1h 04min - 461 - 460 - Dn. Seraphim Rohlin - Universal History: The Origin of the Nephilim
In this conversation with Deacon Seraphim Rohlin, we continue our exploration of Genesis through the Syrian tradition, looking especially at Seth (Adam and Eve’s son after Cain and Abel), the Nephilim, and the fall of the sons of God. What begins as a discussion of the descendants of Seth becomes a way of understanding the descent from the holy mountain, the corruption of Cain’s line, and the strange traditions around giants, demons, music, desire, and the second fall before the flood.
YouTube version of this episode: https://youtu.be/3D2bRWrbKUU
Episode 1 of this series: https://youtu.be/f--wBUEAxjY?si=cJE6aczhbDx13AoI
Fr. Stephen De Young talking about Nephilim with Tucker Carlson: https://youtu.be/5x9vR5sKHFI?si=nBh9exyV3jkGYtWs
📕 Buy Little Red Riding Hood now during the month of June and get the audiobook with for free: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/
📢 Join Seraphim Hamilton in studying the Book of Isaiah this June. Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-fifth-gospel
Books (outside of the Bible) mentioned:
The Cave of Treasures
The Book of the Bee
Book of Enoch
Book of Adam
Kebra Nagast
Jubilees
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
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Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Fri, 26 Jun 2026 - 1h 15min - 460 - 459 - The Future Belongs to Humans (Ottawa talk)
This is a talk I presented at Chesterton Academy of Ottawa earlier this year.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/ETaRAauDxS0
Buy Little Red Riding Hood now during the month of June and get the audiobook with for free: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/
Join Seraphim Hamilton in studying the Book of Isaiah this June. Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-fifth-gospel
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
00:51 - Intro music
01:05 - Chesterton Academy introduction
03:28 - Jonathan begins: art, AI, education, and the Pope’s encyclical
05:53 - Why AI is not human intelligence
08:18 - AI lacks embodied understanding
10:47 - Money, efficiency, power, and the values behind AI
13:07 - The Moloch trap and the AI arms race
15:32 - AI’s impact on work and education
17:01 - The anti-human vision of technocracy
18:40 - What education is really for
21:05 - Why learn art in the age of AI?
23:50 - Little Red Riding Hood promotion
24:46 - Remember, celebrate, and create
25:57 - Remembering our stories and traditions
29:36 - Celebrate what is good
33:16 - Create in service of remembrance and celebration
37:11 - Sincerity after irony and cynicism
39:32 - Fairy tales, icons, and Christian visual language
42:58 - Graphic novels, saints, and medieval storytelling
44:28 - The challenge and opportunity of our time
46:27 - Q: Is pessimism about AI justified?
48:32 - Q: How can remembrance, celebration, and creation be transmitted practically in schools and families?
53:23 - Q: Should schools return to oral exams and oral presentations because of AI?
55:52 - Q: How much can we participate in or use AI without falling into the trap?
58:31 - Q: What does cave art reveal about the relationship between man and art? Is art the signature of man?
01:03:02 - Q: What is the difference between inventing something new and creating?
01:07:20 - Q: Do strict rules in art stifle creativity? Why do people say beauty is subjective?
01:10:04 - Q: How can we recover a true remembrance of the Middle Ages rather than seeing them as dark or backward?
01:14:55 - Q: What is the difference between reading traditional stories and watching movies for entertainment?
01:19:02 - Q: Why was beauty dismissed from art, and why is our built environment so ugly?
01:21:07 - Q: What is your favorite piece of art in your home?
01:23:28 - Q: Can AI be used as a Socratic interlocutor in education?
01:26:36 - Q: What is the value of teaching classical languages like Latin and ancient Greek?
01:27:45 - Q: How should young artists balance pursuing art with the need to make money?
01:30:50 - Q: What is the importance of boredom, rest, silence, and imagination?
01:33:15 - Q: Is re-enchantment, post-irony, and sincerity possible in an intentional way?
01:37:08 - Q: How can different traditions unite against AI without losing their distinctiveness?
01:41:39 - Q: How do we discern beauty in imperfect work, especially in a performative society focused on excellence?
01:44:02 - Q: Where do you think AI is going, especially in education and culture?
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Wed, 24 Jun 2026 - 1h 49min - 459 - 458 - What's at stake with The Odyssey (2026) by Christopher Nolan
There’s a lot of expectation and noise around Christopher Nolan’s upcoming movie, The Odyssey (2026). For decades after WW2 we were unable to tell many stories about kingship and fatherhood. As we move through the turbulent end of the WW2 consensus, stories like this form part of how we process the return of the father and identity.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/6prGX3wZKI8
Buy Little Red Riding Hood now during the month of June and get the audiobook with for free. More than our other fairy tales, this one emphasizes the importance of the father’s role in protecting his family from the strange and subversive. https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/
Join Seraphim Hamilton in studying the Book of Isaiah this June. Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-fifth-gospel
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Sat, 20 Jun 2026 - 19min - 458 - 457 - Backrooms (2026): A Strange Return to Normal
Backrooms (2026) is a recent horror/thriller film based on a creepypasta —an internet urban legend— that emerged around the time of the Covid lockdowns. A man discovers an infinite, labyrinthine expanse of "backrooms" that becomes increasingly disturbing.
In this video, I analyze the symbolism of the film and explore the deeper reasons why it is so popular, outshining major blockbusters with much larger budgets and marketing campaigns. Enjoy.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/ZK6NaFsBGaM
Buy Little Red Riding Hood now during the month of June and get the audiobook with for free: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/
Join Seraphim Hamilton in studying the Book of Isaiah this June. Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-fifth-gospel
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Sat, 20 Jun 2026 - 24min - 456 - 456 - Gavin Ortlund - Who Can Be Saved?
I had a discussion with Gavin Ortlund about the Orthodox Church's position on salvation outside the church.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/RtC8ENpbOW4
Buy Little Red Riding Hood now during the month of June and get the audiobook with for free: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/
Join Seraphim Hamilton in studying the Book of Isaiah this June. Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-fifth-gospel
Timestamps
00:00 Introduction and background to the discussion
03:08 Steelmanning each other’s positions
04:12 Gavin summarizes the Orthodox view of salvation
05:37 Jonathan explains salvation as healing and theosis
06:36 Normative and non-normative ways of salvation
08:13 Jonathan summarizes Gavin’s historical argument
10:53 Gavin clarifies his thesis about Orthodoxy, Catholics, and Protestants
16:40 Is the modern Orthodox view a return to earlier tradition?
18:32 Gavin explains why the 9th–19th century period matters
20:20 Disagreement over whether individuals can be declared damned
22:57 Jonathan responds on Orthodox theological boundaries
24:54 Debate over the 9th century and the Photian schism
31:32 The question: Is Gavin a Christian brother?
38:37 The Synod of Jerusalem and Protestant theology
41:36 Jonathan reads from the Synod of Jerusalem
43:56 Gavin responds to Jonathan’s use of an old blog post
46:42 Gavin outlines the Synod’s language about Protestants
49:12 Jonathan argues synods define norms, not individual destinies
52:28 Gavin challenges the “normative” reading of the Synod
55:20 Normative texts, dogmatic authority, and qualifications
58:13 Theophan the Recluse and hope for the non-Orthodox
01:04:16 St. Philaret of Moscow and leaving souls to God’s mercy
01:09:35 Protestant missions in Orthodox lands
01:11:23 Gavin defends Protestant missionary theology
01:13:30 Jonathan critiques Protestant evangelism and denominationalism
01:16:21 The Eucharist, communion, and institutional exclusivism
01:18:16 Gavin explains why he is not Orthodox
01:20:44 Jonathan on Christ’s presence and God’s desire to save all
01:21:59 Are Protestants categorized like Buddhists or Muslims?
01:25:36 Salvation as transformation into the image of Christ
01:28:55 Theophan’s advice: focus on your own salvation
01:30:06 Personal holiness and evangelism
01:32:18 Calvinism, evangelism, and divine decree
01:36:52 Predestination, foreknowledge, and the River of Fire
01:39:59 Closing the theological discussion
01:40:33 Gavin’s apology and reflections on online discourse
01:42:59 A call for patient Protestant-Orthodox dialogue
01:44:12 Jonathan’s closing thanks
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Tue, 16 Jun 2026 - 1h 46min - 455 - 455 - Disclosure Day: The Last Boomer Propaganda Movie
I went to see Spielberg’s Disclosure Day and found myself watching a strange, late-stage piece of boomer propaganda about aliens, media, religion, and who we are supposed to trust. Here are my thoughts on the symbolism of the film.
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/SBGPLaGfVTc
Buy Little Red Riding Hood now during the month of June and get the audiobook with for free: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/
Join Seraphim Hamilton in studying the Book of Isaiah this June. Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-fifth-gospel
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Thu, 11 Jun 2026 - 22min - 454 - 454 - The Enemy Who Pretends to Be Your Friend
We often think of enemies as those who attack us openly, but fairy tales also warn us about another kind of enemy: the one who comes close, pretends to be our friend, and destroys from within. I also discuss how this pattern appears in Scripture, culture, identity, and even technology, and why discernment is so important in our current moment.
Buy Little Red Riding Hood now during the month of June and get the audiobook with for free: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/U8VXqPX1-0Q
Join Seraphim Hamilton in studying the Book of Isaiah this June. Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-fifth-gospel
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Tue, 09 Jun 2026 - 18min - 453 - 453 - Seraphim Hamilton - Isaiah: The Fifth Gospel
I’m joined again by Seraphim Hamilton to discuss his upcoming Symbolic World course on Isaiah, beginning June 15th. We talk about why Isaiah is central for understanding Christ in the Old Testament, the relationship between prophecy, exile, the suffering servant, the gentile nations, and the deep symbolic unity between Scripture, liturgy, and creation.
Join Seraphim Hamilton in studying the Book of Isaiah this June. Register now to get 15% off before the early bird sale ends: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-fifth-gospel
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/lPpBFh2-V90
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
00:47 - Intro music
01:01 - Introducing Seraphim Hamilton and the Isaiah course
01:48 - Seminary, liturgy, and returning to Scripture
02:39 - Why Isaiah?
03:02 - Isaiah as a Christological book
05:27 - High Christology in the Old Testament
06:52 - Leviathan, Revelation, and the Angel of the Lord
07:51 - Isaiah 27 and the serpent of Genesis
08:22 - Sennacherib, Hezekiah, and the Angel of the Lord
10:51 - Are Old Testament prophecies taken out of context?
11:18 - Exile, Assyria, Babylon, and biblical prophecy
14:57 - Course promo: The Fifth Gospel
15:47 - Isaiah 14 and the fall of Satan
16:44 - The king of Babylon and the Daystar
19:06 - Isaiah 14, Isaiah 53, and the suffering servant
22:46 - Venus, Lucifer, and Christ as opposite images
24:22 - Angels, humanity, and the transfer of authority
25:57 - Is the suffering servant Israel or the Messiah?
26:23 - The Messiah as the son of David
28:50 - The servant, the seed, and the restoration of Israel
32:13 - How the nations participate in the promise
32:41 - The Old Testament and the redemption of the nations
34:54 - The mountain of the Lord and divine fire
37:34 - The heavenly Jerusalem and Isaiah 60
38:02 - Isaiah 59, incarnation, and the redemption of Israel
40:19 - The nations coming to honor the Jewish Messiah
43:14 - What the Isaiah class hopes to offer
43:56 - Seeing Christ disclosed in the Old Testament
46:36 - Symbolism, the Fathers, and the tight weave of Scripture
47:44 - Course details: five classes on Isaiah
48:49 - Closing and where to sign up
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Tue, 02 Jun 2026 - 49min - 452 - 452 - Hillsdale talk - Mythological Thinking: The Crossroads of Psychology and Theology
This is a talk I did at Hillsdale College in March 2026. In this talk, I explore mythological thinking as a way of understanding how facts become meaningful. Facts do not present themselves to us neutrally. They are always organized by care, relevance, attention, and story. I look at examples from Genesis, Icarus, Spider-Man, the Tower of Babel, and modern science to show how myths preserve deep patterns of human experience. Rather than treating myth as fiction or primitive explanation, I argue that myth reveals the structures by which we perceive reality, understand purpose, and connect psychology with theology.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/DEShUddn8HY
Join Seraphim Hamilton in studying the Book of Isaiah this June. Register now to get 15% off before the early bird sale ends: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-fifth-gospel
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
Timestamps:
00:00 Coming up
01:38 Intro music
02:03 Introduction at Hillsdale College
06:59 Talk begins: hope, fragmentation, and new conversations
09:19 “Facts don’t care about your feelings”
12:12 Care organizes facts
16:50 Facts are always contained in a story
19:15 The Fifth Gospel course announcement
20:10 Why stories survive across generations
24:04 Mythological stories vs. scientific descriptions
27:14 Origin stories and why we care
30:37 Genesis as more than a scientific text
33:34 Genesis, relevance, and human categories
37:38 Why the mythological story should be primary
39:36 Myths are not primitive explanations
41:47 Babel, Icarus, Prometheus, and repeated patterns
44:16 Applicability vs. allegory
47:40 All remembered stories are mythological
49:24 Psychology, theology, and human care
51:27 The Incarnation as the myth that came true
54:34 How story unites psychology and theology
58:29 Returning to mythological thinking
59:55 Q&A: Bringing mythological thinking into science education
01:02:58 Q&A: How to recognize false myths
01:07:37 Q&A: Speaking truth in hostile circles
01:08:53 Q&A: Original sin as a true myth
01:11:13 Q&A: How artists discover truth through story
01:13:42 Q&A: Why live by Christ’s story rather than another?
01:18:21 Q&A: The modern fall into cold, hard reality
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Fri, 29 May 2026 - 1h 20min - 451 - 451 - Universal History: What Really Happened in Eden - Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin
A telling of the events in Genesis that you might never have heard before.
In this episode of Universal History, Deacon Seraphim Rohlin and I return to Genesis through the Syriac tradition, especially the Cave of Treasures. This is the groundwork for understanding the universal history of Persia.
Join Seraphim Hamilton in studying the Book of Isaiah this June. Register now to get 15% off before the early bird sale ends: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-fifth-gospel
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/f--wBUEAxjY
Universal History playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVX4HUUPrIY_M2uZP3yW6EEiod3fGD6FD
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
00:38 - Intro music
01:03 - Why return to Genesis before Persia
05:54 - Syriac sources and the Cave of Treasures
08:21 - Tradition, Scripture, and how ancient stories are received
12:55 - Melchizedek, Moriah, and hidden biblical patterns
17:41 - The first day: creation, waters, and the leaven of life
24:37 - The second day: the firmament and the waters above
28:45 - The third day: earth, seeds, and creation’s hidden potential
34:22 - Sterility, power, and modern artificial systems
38:21 - The fourth day: sun, moon, stars, heat, and life
43:45 - The sixth day: the formation of Adam
45:23 - Adam’s glory and the angels’ fear
52:17 - Satan refuses to venerate Adam
56:56 - The chariot of fire and ascent into paradise
59:19 - Eve, Adam’s side, and ancient wedding symbolism
01:02:09 - Paradise as the Church
01:06:47 - Jerusalem, the cross, and universal history
01:10:55 - The fall, the serpent, and the mirror of temptation
01:17:42 - Garments of skin and the body after the fall
01:22:13 - Adam and Eve expelled from paradise
01:27:00 - The Cave of Treasures and the first temple
01:29:21 - Cain, Abel, and the first sacrifice
01:31:42 - Cain’s jealousy and the first murder
01:35:40 - Abel as the first martyr and first relic
01:37:50 - Genesis as the pattern of the whole world
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Tue, 26 May 2026 - 1h 41min - 450 - 450 - An Exploration of Modern Dysfunction: What Pluribus is Actually About
In this video, I look at the symbolism of the recent TV show, Pluribus. There's a lot of speculation about whether it's an allegory for AI, the internet, totalitarianism, or resisting tyranny. But I would argue that it's not allegorical at all, rather it's an exploration of a deeper ontological problem: the relationship of the one and the many, the inside and the outside, sameness and difference.
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/JIk5jpmf5D0
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Thu, 21 May 2026 - 26min - 449 - 449 - Decapitation Symbolism: The Glory of Losing Your Head
In this video, I explore the symbolism of decapitation in the Bible and Christian tradition. Beginning with Joseph’s interpretation of the baker and cupbearer in Genesis, we trace a pattern of “lifting up the head” through Scripture, martyrdom, the Eucharist, and ultimately the crucifixion and ascension of Christ. Along the way, we encounter Saint John the Baptist, the mystery of sacrifice, and the astonishing story of Saint Denis of Paris, who carried his own head while preaching after his martyrdom.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/uwRsUj30URk
Join us at the Symbolic World Summit | May 14-16 | Ohio | Keynote speakers: Jonathan Pageau, Fr. Josiah Trenham, Mary Harrington, Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin, Kale Zelden, Annie Crawford, and Heather Pollington
Buy your tickets: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/
Virtual tickets are now also for sale, and Involved+ patrons can get 10% off: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/virtual-summit-2026
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Fri, 08 May 2026 - 23min - 448 - 448 - Fr. Josiah Trenham - How to Integrate Faith, Family, and Nation
I sat down with Fr. Josiah Trenham to talk about something that’s becoming harder to ignore: how to properly order your loyalties.
We discussed the tension between faith, nation, family, and personal identity, and what happens when those come into conflict.
Join us at the Symbolic World Summit, where Fr. Josiah will be one of the keynote speakers.
May 14-16 | Ohio | Keynote speakers: Jonathan Pageau, Fr. Josiah Trenham, Mary Harrington, Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin, Kale Zelden, Annie Crawford, and Heather Pollington
Buy your tickets: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/
YouTube version of this episode: https://youtu.be/Ugt7XnbH0tQ
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Wed, 29 Apr 2026 - 31min - 447 - 447 - Annie Crawford - The Cosmic Alchemy of That Hideous Strength
In this conversation with Annie Crawford, we explore the role of alchemy in C.S. Lewis’ That Hideous Strength. While alchemy is often dismissed as occult or irrelevant, Lewis uses its symbolism in a precise and meaningful way.
We look at how the novel presents two forms of transformation: one rooted in control, technology, and disembodied power, and the other in sacrifice, order, and participation in the divine. This distinction speaks directly to how we understand modern technology, including AI.
The discussion also touches on story structure, the nature of symbolic thinking, and how transformation is embedded in narrative itself.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/7WqrbWNHJBs
Join us at the Symbolic World Summit | May 14-16 | Ohio | Keynote speakers: Jonathan Pageau, Fr. Josiah Trenham, Mary Harrington, Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin, Kale Zelden, Annie Crawford, and Heather Pollington
Buy your tickets: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/
=====
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🎧 Please review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Tue, 21 Apr 2026 - 29min - 446 - 446 - Universal History: How Kabbalah Shaped America: the Land of the End
This is the final episode of our Universal History series on the American Religion. Deacon Seraphim Rohlin and I look at the religious ideas behind the American project, especially the influence of Kabbalah and the search for a “pure” and universal mystical tradition. We trace how early Protestants, thinkers like Thomas Jefferson, and figures like Ezra Stiles engaged with Jewish mysticism as part of their attempt to understand and shape America’s role in the universal history.
- Watch the YouTube version of this episode: https://youtu.be/A563i-jrZs0
- Watch the rest of this series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVX4HUUPrIY_U0msyBRVpwCI_srzn3tjL
- Universal History playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVX4HUUPrIY_M2uZP3yW6EEiod3fGD6FD
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming Up
01:10 - Intro Music
01:35 - Introduction & Framing the Topic
02:28 - Jefferson, Adams & “Pure Religion”
05:23 - Kabbalah and the Founding Fathers
07:48 - Puritans, Quakers & Early American Mysticism
11:11 - Adam Kadmon & Christian Kabbalah
16:18 - George Keith & Quaker Debates
20:18 - Sabatianism & Messianic Movements
26:03 - Apocalyptic Expectations in Early America
29:44 - Judah Monis & Kabbalah in Harvard
33:48 - Kabbalah Used to Defend the Trinity
35:59 - Ezra Stiles & America as the New Israel
39:06 - America as the “New World” in Prophecy
42:49 - Loss of Christian Mysticism & Turning to Kabbalah
48:33 - America as the Promised Land Idea
51:50 - Is America the “End of the World”?
54:54 - The Contradictions of American Culture
58:10 - Final Reflections on America’s Spiritual Identity
=====
Join us at the Symbolic World Summit | May 14-16 | Ohio | Keynote speakers: Jonathan Pageau, Fr. Josiah Trenham, Mary Harrington, Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin, Kale Zelden, Annie Crawford, and Heather Pollington.
Buy your tickets: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/
=====
NEW COURSE: Plutarch: Symbolism in History with Pavel Shchelin
The problem with history is that you are in it. Plutarch teaches us to read power symbolically—asking "whom does the hero serve?" to predict leadership patterns before they play out.
Presenter: Pavel Shchelin
Duration: 8 weeks studying the lives of Greeks and Roman Lycurgus, Alcibiades, Lysander, Pompey, Caesar, and Octavian –as living patterns, not dead men.
Live classes are on Wednesdays at 4-6pm Eastern Time, starting March 18th through May 6th, 2026.
Price: $180 USD - Involved patrons can get a 10% discount. Apply your code at checkout.
Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/plutarch-symbolism-in-history
=====
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Sat, 18 Apr 2026 - 59min - 445 - 445 - Understanding the Icons of Holy Week
This is a repost of a past video where I discussed the icons of Holy Week in the Orthodox Church and how they relate to each other as a unified symbolic pattern. Have a blessed Pascha.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/h55O4Kxs6tU
Join us at the Symbolic World Summit | May 14-16 | Ohio | Keynote speakers: Jonathan Pageau, Fr. Josiah Trenham, Mary Harrington, Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin, Kale Zelden, Annie Crawford, and Heather Pollington
Buy your tickets: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/
Timestamps:
00:00 - Start / Introduction
00:48 - Palm Sunday (Entry into Jerusalem)
05:34 - Holy Monday (Bridegroom / Crown of Thorns)
07:54 - Holy Tuesday (Wise & Foolish Virgins)
10:15 - Holy Wednesday (Washing of the Feet)
12:37 - Holy Thursday (Mystical Supper)
14:36 - Holy Friday (Crucifixion)
19:27 - Holy Saturday (Descent into Hades / Anastasis)
21:47 - Resurrection & Empty Tomb
24:09 - Burial & Laying in the Tomb
26:20 - Conclusion / Meaning of Holy Week
=====
NEW COURSE: Plutarch: Symbolism in History with Pavel Shchelin
The problem with history is that you are in it. Plutarch teaches us to read power symbolically—asking "whom does the hero serve?" to predict leadership patterns before they play out.
Presenter: Pavel Shchelin
Duration: 8 weeks studying the lives of Greeks and Roman Lycurgus, Alcibiades, Lysander, Pompey, Caesar, and Octavian –as living patterns, not dead men.
Live classes are on Wednesdays at 4-6pm Eastern Time, starting March 18th through May 6th, 2026.
Price: $180 USD - Involved patrons can get a 10% discount. Apply your code at checkout.
Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/plutarch-symbolism-in-history
=====
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Fri, 10 Apr 2026 - 29min - 444 - 444 - "FATHER": A symbolic analysis of Kanye West’s song and music video
With the release of Ye’s new album, Bully, many have asked about the music video for the song called “Father.” While the video is surreal and AI generated, it is not without meaning or structure. If you pay attention to broader, context, patterns, and the relationships between images, a coherent meaning begins to emerge.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/BG2psRcPH7o
My review of Ye's album Bully: https://x.com/PageauJonathan/status/2038374009382097289
Ye: Father music video: https://youtu.be/HBMy-y2wb4I?si=OKlf4_0c8y1zJwV1
SUMMIT 2026: Join us for the Symbolic World Summit 2026! Speakers include Fr. Josiah Trenham, Mary Harrington, Jonathan Pageau, Dn. Seraphim Rohlin, and others.
Date: May 14-16
Place: Broadview Heights, OH
Don't miss out! https://symbolicworldsummit.com/
=====
NEW COURSE: Plutarch: Symbolism in History with Pavel Shchelin
The problem with history is that you are in it. Plutarch teaches us to read power symbolically—asking "whom does the hero serve?" to predict leadership patterns before they play out.
Presenter: Pavel Shchelin
Duration: 8 weeks studying the lives of Greeks and Roman Lycurgus, Alcibiades, Lysander, Pompey, Caesar, and Octavian –as living patterns, not dead men.
Live classes are on Wednesdays at 4-6pm Eastern Time, starting March 18th through May 6th, 2026.
Price: $180 USD - Involved patrons can get a 10% discount. Apply your code at checkout.
Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/plutarch-symbolism-in-history
=====
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Wed, 08 Apr 2026 - 29min - 443 - 443 - Kale Zelden - There’s Still Time to Read the Great Books
Kale Zelden is a literature teacher and writer and in this video he joins me to discuss reading, the "Great books", and what it means to recover the reading tradition in a modern context. We talk about how to encounter old texts, what reading can contribute to our lives, and how to approach authors like Homer, Dante, and Shakespeare without reducing them to modern assumptions. We also explore the limits of the novel, modernism, postmodernism, irony, and the essential rediscovery of the epic.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/9zps7RIov44
Kale’s Substack, The Underneath: https://kalezelden.substack.com/
Join us at the Symbolic World Summit | May 14-16 | Ohio | Keynote speakers: Jonathan Pageau, Fr. Josiah Trenham, Mary Harrington, Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin, Kale Zelden, Annie Crawford, and Heather Pollington
Buy your tickets: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/
Learn more about Pavel Shchelin's phenomenal course on Plutarch, Live now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/plutarch-symbolism-in-history
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Coming up
01:07 - Intro music
01:32 - Introduction
02:09 - The state of education
07:30 - First of all
10:47 - The power of analogy
13:11 - Select your curriculum
21:05 - What is canon?
33:24 - What are we moving towards
39:20 - Allegory
43:47 - What is modernism?
47:50 - Great books program
53:24 - What is the epic?
BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS DISCUSSION:
00:04:45
Augustine — Confessions — Spiritual autobiography, early Christian thought
Plato — Dialogues — Philosophy of truth, justice, knowledge
Aristotle — (various works) — Ethics, logic, metaphysics
Church Fathers — (various writings) — Foundations of Christian theology
00:06:20
Anne Rice — (novels) — Modern popular fiction
Shakespeare — (general works) — Foundational drama
Beowulf — Anonymous — Old English epic poem
00:06:49
Plato — Dialogues — Rediscovered philosophical texts
00:07:32
Shakespeare — Hamlet — Tragedy of revenge and doubt
Dante — Divine Comedy — Vision of Hell, Purgatory, Heaven
Chaucer — Canterbury Tales — Medieval storytelling
Mary Shelley — Frankenstein — Creation and responsibility
Milton — Paradise Lost — Epic of the Fall
00:13:55
Kerouac — On the Road — Modern freedom and experience
Camus — (e.g. The Stranger) — Existential philosophy
00:14:31
Homer — Iliad, Odyssey — Foundational epics
Plato — Apology, Republic — Justice and philosophy
Shakespeare —
Romeo and Juliet — Tragic love
Julius Caesar — Politics and betrayal
Macbeth — Ambition and guilt
A Midsummer Night’s Dream — Comedy and illusion
King Lear — Suffering and authority
Hamlet — Existential tragedy
The Tempest — Reconciliation
00:16:21
Dostoevsky — Crime and Punishment — Guilt and redemption
Dostoevsky — The Brothers Karamazov — Faith and morality
00:21:31
Voyage of St. Brendan — Medieval Christian voyage
Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius — Apocalyptic text
The Golden Legend — Jacobus de Voragine — Saints’ lives
00:21:58
Cervantes — Don Quixote — Satire of chivalry, early novel
00:22:51
Jane Austen — Pride and Prejudice — Social psychology
00:23:59
Milton — Paradise Lost — (revisited, epic psychology)
00:26:11
Faulkner — (novels) — Fragmented modern storytelling
00:33:41
C.S. Lewis — On Stories — Defense of story over psychology
C.S. Lewis — Abolition of Man — Critique of modern values
C.S. Lewis — Miracles — Defense of the supernatural
00:37:05
Sondheim — Into the Woods — Modern fairy tale deconstruction
00:38:55
Rabelais — Gargantua and Pantagruel — Satirical, playful text
00:44:06
Melville — Moby-Dick — Epic-scale novel
Hemingway — The Sun Also Rises — Modern disillusionment
00:49:42
Ovid — Metamorphoses — Mythic transformations
00:46:13 (thinkers mentioned)
Lyotard — Postmodern philosophy
Derrida — Deconstruction
Heidegger — Phenomenology
00:53:14
Virgil — Aeneid — Roman epic
Bible — (Moses narrative) — Epic of calling and suffering
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Wed, 01 Apr 2026 - 1h 04min - 442 - 442 - "Historical Accuracy" Can Miss the Point
We often assume that being “historically accurate” means getting closer to the truth, but that’s not always the case. In this video, I explore how modern, mechanical thinking can actually invert meaning, using the example of Christ’s crucifixion.
What matters most is not just the mechanical details of how something could have happened, but what it means and its actual implications.
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HXsbK_k8vn4
SUMMIT 2026: Join us for the Symbolic World Summit 2026! Speakers include Fr. Josiah Trenham, Mary Harrington, Jonathan Pageau, Dn. Seraphim Rohlin, and others.
Date: May 14-16
Place: Broadview Heights, OH
Don't miss out! Hope to see you there: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/
=====
NEW COURSE: Plutarch: Symbolism in History with Pavel Shchelin
The problem with history is that you are in it. Plutarch teaches us to read power symbolically—asking "whom does the hero serve?" to predict leadership patterns before they play out.
Presenter: Pavel Shchelin
Duration: 8 weeks studying the lives of Greeks and Roman Lycurgus, Alcibiades, Lysander, Pompey, Caesar, and Octavian –as living patterns, not dead men.
Live classes are on Wednesdays at 4-6pm Eastern Time, starting March 18th through May 6th, 2026.
Price: $180 USD - Involved patrons can get a 10% discount. Apply your code at checkout.
Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/plutarch-symbolism-in-history
=====
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Thu, 26 Mar 2026 - 14min - 441 - 441 - Mary Harrington - Technology, AI, and Cultural Memory
In this conversation, I sat down with Mary Harrington about technology and the online world.
Mary reflects on her path as a writer, the evolution of online culture, and the growing difficulty of discerning truth in the digital environment. We also touch on memory, embodiment, cancel culture, and politics.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/eeBZuA0S1ZE
Mary will be speaking at the Symbolic World Summit. The theme of the conference is Retelling the Cosmic Epic, and Mary’s talk will be titled: 'Rebuild the Monasteries'
Description:
In an age of AI "slop" and flattened culture, how do we understand, and cultivate, what makes us distinctly human? Mary Harrington will argue that there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Premodern practices of memory and prayer, once cultivated in Europe's monasteries, can refresh our imaginations and salvage our human cultures in the digital age.
Come join usat Woodside Event Center | Broadview Heights, Ohio | May 14-16, 2026
Early Bird Pricing – Ends March 26th: Save $50 on both General Admission and VIP tickets
Buy tickets now: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/
=====
NEW COURSE: Plutarch: Symbolism in History with Pavel Shchelin
The problem with history is that you are in it. Plutarch teaches us to read power symbolically—asking "whom does the hero serve?" to predict leadership patterns before they play out.
Presenter: Pavel Shchelin
Duration: 8 weeks studying the lives of Greeks and Roman Lycurgus, Alcibiades, Lysander, Pompey, Caesar, and Octavian –as living patterns, not dead men.
Live classes are on Wednesdays at 4-6pm Eastern Time, starting March 18th through May 6th, 2026.
Price: $180 USD - Involved patrons can get a 10% discount. Apply your code at checkout.
Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/plutarch-symbolism-in-history
=====
Jonathan and Mary's discussion on Socrates in the City: https://youtu.be/nrsjZKPH4WA?si=kaM5zE2Qj-4XCD1K
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
01:07 - Intro music
01:32 - Introduction
02:14 - Mary's journey
09:00 - The meaning of meaning
10:46 - The singularity already happened
12:53 - Being connected
17:28 - The printing press industrial template
20:52 - AI
22:21 - Using AI
25:47 - Internet platforms and politics
32:10 - Being anonymous
35:37 - Politics
37:44 - The end of the printing press
39:47 - The end of the industrial era
42:46 - Cancel culture
46:56 - Treasure houses
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe 💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com 🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Fri, 20 Mar 2026 - 51min - 440 - 440 - Dr. Zachary Porcu - Journey to Reality: De-Secularize Your Life
In this conversation I speak with Dr. Zachary Porcu about his book, Journey to Reality: Sacramental Life in a Secular Age, and the challenge of explaining true Christian thinking to modern people. We discuss how modern assumptions about the world make it difficult to understand ideas like sacraments, participation, and the relationship between the spiritual and material. Dr. Porcu explains why he wrote the book and how reframing basic categories—what we mean by God, religion, and reality—is often necessary before theology can make sense.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/Qd9xENDzfRo
Please review the Symbolic World podcast on Spotify or Apple podcasts.
Dr. Zac’s website and book: https://zacharyporcu.com/
The Roots of Everything podcast (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@TheRootsofEverything
Substack: https://zacharyporcu.substack.com/
=====
NEW COURSE: Plutarch: Symbolism in History with Pavel Shchelin
The problem with history is that you are in it. Plutarch teaches us to read power symbolically—asking "whom does the hero serve?" to predict leadership patterns before they play out.
Presenter: Pavel Shchelin
Duration: 8 weeks studying the lives of Greeks and Roman Lycurgus, Alcibiades, Lysander, Pompey, Caesar, and Octavian –as living patterns, not dead men.
Live classes are on Wednesdays at 4-6pm Eastern Time, starting March 18th through May 6th, 2026.
Price: $180 USD, get the early bird discount of 15% off if you register by March 18th.
Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/plutarch-symbolism-in-history
=====
SUMMIT 2026: Join us for the Symbolic World Summit 2026! Speakers include Fr. Josiah Trenham, Mary Harrington, Jonathan Pageau, Dn. Seraphim Rohlin, and others.
Date: May 14-16
Place: Broadview Heights, OH
Buy your tickets now and get $50 off with the early bird sale through March 26th. Don't miss out! Hope to see you there: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
01:03 - Intro music
01:29 - Introduction
03:54 - Jargon
05:46 - Matter and spirituality
08:49 - Re-enchantment
13:10 - What you see
22:09 - The moral and physical laws
31:01 - Occult converts
36:39 - Supernatural experiences
40:54 - What do we do?
46:46 - Meditation
49:47 - On American religion
52:16 - The rational and the esoteric
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Thu, 12 Mar 2026 - 1h 04min - 439 - 439 - Pavel Shchelin - Plutarch: Symbolism of History with Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin
This is a conversation between Deacon Seraphim Rohlin and Pavel Shchelin on political theology, power, and Plutarch’s Lives. They explore how ancient biographies reveal enduring patterns of ambition, authority, and the human passions that shape political history—from Rome to the modern world. Topics include Cicero, rhetoric and power, the fall of the Roman Republic, and why the stories of ancient statesmen still help us understand today’s political landscape.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/Wo2IkgDT0q4
Please review this podcast on Spotify or Apple podcasts, it helps us a lot. Links:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
NEW COURSE: Plutarch: Symbolism in History with Pavel Shchelin
The problem with history is that you are in it. Plutarch teaches us to read power symbolically—asking "whom does the hero serve?" to predict leadership patterns before they play out.
Presenter: Pavel Shchelin
Duration: 8 weeks studying the lives of Greeks and Roman Lycurgus, Alcibiades, Lysander, Pompey, Caesar, and Octavian –as living patterns, not dead men.
Live classes are on Wednesdays at 4-6pm Eastern Time, starting March 18th through May 6th, 2026.
Price: $180 USD, get the early bird discount of 15% off if you register by March 18th.
Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/plutarch-symbolism-in-history
SUMMIT 2026: Join us for the Symbolic World Summit 2026! Speakers include Fr. Josiah Trenham, Mary Harrington, Jonathan Pageau, Dn. Seraphim Rohlin, and others.
Date: May 14-16
Place: Broadview Heights, OH
Buy your tickets now and get $50 off with the early bird sale through March 12th. Don't miss out! Hope to see you there: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
01:32 - Intro music
01:58 - Introduction
03:47 - The separation of religion and politics
07:44 - Current politics
09:20 - How they met
10:46 - Why Plutarch?
18:46 - If you were pointing a video camera
20:20 - Great men
24:28 - Plutarch's Lives
26:57 - Influence
28:40 - Cicero
49:18 - Digging his own grave
56:58 - Word and will
01:05:48 - Cicero's lesson for us
01:10:58 - Course info
01:16:06 - The point of studying history
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageauThu, 05 Mar 2026 - 1h 23min - 438 - 438 - Universal History: The American Religion: Making Way for Mormonism
Magical beginnings, secular endings. In this episode of Universal History, Deacon Seraphim Rohlin and I start a discussion about early Mormonism (or rather, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) within the broader context of American religious history.
We look at the enchanted religious world of early America — folk magic, treasure seeking, restorationism, the Melchizedek priesthood — and how these patterns shaped movements like Mormonism. We also reflect on the recurring American impulse to “restore” a lost spiritual authority, and the impulse to, on the other hand, make all things respectably secular.
This is episode 4 of our Universal History series on the American religion. Watch it here on YouTube:
Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVX4HUUPrIY_U0msyBRVpwCI_srzn3tjL
Episode 1: https://youtu.be/htXHJ1WRSAg
Episode 2: https://youtu.be/o9rMy6lde0c
Episode 3: https://youtu.be/0_RKBPaQAyk
Episode 4: https://youtu.be/ZopvdgYe-UA
===
Join us for the Symbolic World Summit 2026! Speakers include Fr. Josiah Trenham, Mary Harrington, Dn. Seraphim Rohlin, myself, and others.
Date: May 14-16
Place: Broadview Heights, OH
Buy your tickets now and get $50 off with the early bird sale through March 12th. Don't miss out! Hope to see you there: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/
===
NEW COURSE: The Art of Imitating Heaven: Structure and Meaning in Ancient Cosmology By Joshua Sturgill
What is heaven? Where is it? For ancient people, the answer was obvious: simply look up at the night sky. For them, to see the stars and planets was to see the face of the divine. Christianity, too, understood the visible sky as the realm of unfallen creation. What does this belief mean, and why was it lost?
🗓 Live classes are on Sundays at 5-6:30pm Eastern Time, starting February 1st through March 8th, 2026.
💰 Price: $150 USD (Involved patrons qualify for a 10% discount)
⏰ Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-art-of-imitating-heaven
===
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
01:01 - Intro music
01:27 - The problem with talking about Mormonism
06:10 - Context for why to talk about this
13:26 - The Bible and magic
20:46 - The distinction in magic
25:55 - Enchanted practices
35:14 - Baptism for the dead
36:20 - Melchizedek priesthood
38:54 - Defining feature of American religion
41:28 - The charismatic narrative
42:43 - Hebrews
44:46 - Esoteric Enoch
45:52 - Secret garments
46:45 - The Whitmer family
51:24 - Joseph Smith
58:56 - Proscribed but practiced
01:02:52 - Many religious experiences
01:04:54 - The attitude to magic and miracles
01:09:24 - Magical beginning, secular end
01:16:40 - Long-lasting
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Mon, 02 Mar 2026 - 1h 22min - 437 - 437 - Making Space for the Resurrection of Art (Makers and Mystics)
In this conversation, I sit down with Stephen Roach on the Makers and Mystics podcast to explore why our stories feel exhausted — and what that reveals about our cultural moment. We talk about the end of the post–World War II narrative, the collapse of the hero (and even the anti-hero), and how storytelling has drifted. We also discuss fairy tales, monsters, AI, and the future of art.
Let me know what you think in the comments and come join us at the Breath and the Clay conference, a creative arts gathering in Winston Salem, NC March 20-22, 2026: http://www.thebreathandtheclay.com/
YouTube version of this episode: https://youtu.be/Xbr6XQlspGQ
------------------------
Another opportunity to come together and meet is the Symbolic World Summit 2026! Speakers include Fr. Josiah Trenham, Mary Harrington, Dn. Seraphim Rohlin, myself, and others.
Date: May 14-16
Place: Broadview Heights, OH
Buy your tickets now and get $50 off with the early bird sale. Don't miss out: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/
Hope to see you there.
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
01:21 - Intro music
01:47 - Introduction
03:08 - Narrative exhaustion
04:38 - End of the WW2 narrative
08:40 - Fairy tales
11:09 - Jonathan's retelling
13:17 - Art and ideology
17:41 - Complexity in religious art
21:32 - Trust in the audience
24:33 - Participation in art
28:27 - Distorted retellings
32:30 - Resistance of tyranny
35:28 - Identity and form
37:16 - Limitation and contemporary art
41:34 - AI art
44:11 - Human connection
45:30 - Making space
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Thu, 26 Feb 2026 - 49min - 436 - 436 - Reflections on the Void: negativity and difference in the Bible and contemporary thinking
In this episode I try to circle around something that is very difficult to speak about directly — the void.
From the opening verses of Genesis, where the earth is described as “empty and void,” we are confronted with a mystery that runs through Scripture, philosophy, and our own experience. What is the “not that” which underlies being? Why has the modern world become so fascinated with negativity, difference, and alterity? And how do we understand the necessary — yet possibly dangerous — role of emptiness in the structure of reality?
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/10DS7IxOVro
🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488
=============
NEW COURSE: The Art of Imitating Heaven: Structure and Meaning in Ancient Cosmology By Joshua Sturgill
What is heaven? Where is it? For ancient people, the answer was obvious: simply look up at the night sky. For them, to see the stars and planets was to see the face of the divine. Christianity, too, understood the visible sky as the realm of unfallen creation. What does this belief mean, and why was it lost?
🗓 Live classes are on Sundays at 5-6:30pm Eastern Time, starting February 1st through March 8th, 2026.
💰 Price: $150 USD (Involved patrons qualify for a 10% discount)
⏰ Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-art-of-imitating-heaven
===============
Mentioned:
-Symbolism Explained: The Fundamental WWII Duality That Still Haunts Us Today: https://youtu.be/vLpEDlgEleg?si=w45xD3-uGdx2WOo4
-The World War II Consensus is Breaking Down: https://youtu.be/MfXxQW77cQA?si=7TnLlu7uq--Fej3D
-GodsDog: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/collections/godsdog
-My recent video on the Parable of the Wedding Feast: https://youtu.be/YRMlQiNkSpE?si=JF3fy7RdFR8FtxO2
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
01:03 - Intro music
01:28 - Introduction
05:22 - The role of the void
06:36 - The separation of heaven and earth
09:13 - Not that
11:18 - Let the earth produce
14:32 - Asking questions
16:07 - The ancient perspective
20:38 - Earth being earth
22:15 - The tree of good and bad
29:44 - What is sin?
32:37 - Examples of sin
33:53 - Judging difference
35:01 - Postmodern thinking
36:07 - Sadism and masochism
40:11 - The Mother of God
43:51 - Since WW2
48:08 - Outro
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Thu, 19 Feb 2026 - 51min - 435 - 435 - The Song of Creation (Charleston talk)
In this talk at St. Michael’s Church in Charleston, I walk through the seven days of creation as presented in Genesis, exploring creation as a divine song: a rhythm of heaven and earth, light and darkness, above and below.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/p2kb9ggwrp0
=============
NEW COURSE: The Art of Imitating Heaven: Structure and Meaning in Ancient Cosmology By Joshua Sturgill
What is heaven? Where is it? For ancient people, the answer was obvious: simply look up at the night sky. For them, to see the stars and planets was to see the face of the divine. Christianity, too, understood the visible sky as the realm of unfallen creation. What does this belief mean, and why was it lost?
🗓 Live classes are on Sundays at 5-6:30pm Eastern Time, starting February 1st through March 8th, 2026.
💰 Price: $150 USD (Involved patrons qualify for a 10% discount)
⏰ Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-art-of-imitating-heaven
===============
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
00:57 - Intro music
01:22 - Introduction
05:18 - Day 1
15:20 - Day 2
21:53 - Day 3
33:34 - Day 4
38:31 - Day 5
45:51 - Day 6
🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive montly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Thu, 12 Feb 2026 - 1h 04min - 434 - 434 - Immigration and Tolerance: Christians Are Not Called to Be “Nice”
Many are called. Not all are chosen.
There is a widespread idea that Christianity is about being “nice,” endlessly tolerant, and endlessly open. But that idea does not survive a careful reading of the Gospel.
In this video, I look at the parable of the Wedding Feast and explain why Christ’s invitation to everyone does not mean the acceptance of everything. Using this parable, I explore how compassion can become weaponized, how inclusion without a standard of conformity leads to chaos, and why both churches and nations must have limits if they are to remain what they are. This is not a political argument, but a symbolic and theological one—about how bodies, communities, and kingdoms actually function.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/YRMlQiNkSpE
=============
NEW COURSE: The Art of Imitating Heaven: Structure and Meaning in Ancient Cosmology By Joshua Sturgill
What is heaven? Where is it? For ancient people, the answer was obvious: simply look up at the night sky. For them, to see the stars and planets was to see the face of the divine. Christianity, too, understood the visible sky as the realm of unfallen creation. What does this belief mean, and why was it lost?
🗓 Live classes are on Sundays at 5-6:30pm Eastern Time, starting February 1st through March 8th, 2026.
💰 Price: $150 USD (Involved patrons qualify for a 10% discount)
⏰ Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-art-of-imitating-heaven
===============
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Thu, 12 Feb 2026 - 21min - 433 - 433 - Symbolism Happens! The Mandela Effect Is Not a Glitch in the Matrix
I explore the Mandela Effect from a symbolic perspective. The Mandela Effect is a psychological phenomenon where a large group of people collectively share the same false memory of an event, detail, or pop culture fact. It has stirred up conspiracy theories about parallel timelines and simulation theory. In this video I suggest the possibility that it's a strength, rather than a weakness, of human cognition - a sign of how consciousness forms coherence, how legends accumulate, and how symbols shape the way we see and remember the world.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/B-x5Ze04YEI
=============
NEW COURSE: The Art of Imitating Heaven: Structure and Meaning in Ancient Cosmology By Joshua Sturgill
What is heaven? Where is it? For ancient people, the answer was obvious: simply look up at the night sky. For them, to see the stars and planets was to see the face of the divine. Christianity, too, understood the visible sky as the realm of unfallen creation. What does this belief mean, and why was it lost?
🗓 Live classes are on Sundays at 5-6:30pm Eastern Time, starting February 1st through March 8th, 2026.
💰 Price: $150 USD
⏰🐥 DON'T MISS OUT! UNTIL FEBRUARY 1ST YOU CAN GET THE EARLY BIRD SPECIAL OF 15% OFF! Discount automatically applied at checkout.
Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-art-of-imitating-heaven
===============
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Fri, 30 Jan 2026 - 22min - 432 - 432 - Yelena Popovic - Moses the Black
I speak with filmmaker Yelena Popovic, who viewers may recognize as the director of the stunning film of the life of St. Nektarios of Aegina, Man of God (2021). In this interview we discuss her upcoming film, Moses the Black, releasing January 30th of this year. We talk about film making, her inspiration for the film, the people involved, the life story of St. Moses the Black, and repentance in general in the Orthodox faith.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/rzDVfbhaaGU
Film synopsis: Released from prison, a feared Chicago gang leader returns home to avenge the murder of his closest friend. As rival gangs and a corrupt cop close in, he must confront a past that refuses to let go.
Release date: 30 January 2026 (USA)
Director: Yelena Popovic
Producers: Yelena Popovic, Alexandros Potter, Jelena Popović, Brett Hays
Executive producers: Omar Epps, 50 Cent, Wiz Khalifa et al.
Production companies: G-Unit Films and Television Inc., Simeon Entertainment, LLC, BrooklynWorks Films
Running time: 1h 50m
Theatres Showtimes Ticket Link: https://hubs.la/Q03Znnjy0
Stay up to date about the film:
Trailer: https://youtu.be/iZzpiu8L21Y?si=ZxXRxWuiL_yosuEY
Website: https://simeonfaith.com/films/moses-the-black-2024
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mosestheblackmovie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mosestheblackmovie/
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32542065/
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
01:14 - Intro music
01:39 - Start
02:32 - Introducing St. Moses the Black
08:50 - St. Moses' death
13:32 - The movie vs the hagiography
31:29 - A harsh redemption
35:13 - Sorry is not enough
37:36 - See the whole story
42:32 - Stories of St. Moses
44:24 - Fr. Turbo
49:45 - How can we watch this?
51:43 - Other projects
====================
NEW COURSE: The Art of Imitating Heaven: Structure and Meaning in Ancient Cosmology By Joshua Sturgill
What is heaven? Where is it? For ancient people, the answer was obvious: simply look up at the night sky. For them, to see the stars and planets was to see the face of the divine. Christianity, too, understood the visible sky as the realm of unfallen creation. What does this belief mean, and why was it lost?
🗓 Live classes are on Sundays at 5-6:30pm Eastern Time, starting February 1st through March 8th, 2026.
💰 Price: $150 USD
⏰🐥 DON'T MISS OUT! UNTIL FEBRUARY 1ST YOU CAN GET THE EARLY BIRD SPECIAL OF 15% OFF! Discount automatically applied at checkout.
Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-art-of-imitating-heaven
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💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Sun, 25 Jan 2026 - 55min - 431 - 431 - Joshua Sturgill & Dcn Seraphim Rohlin - The Art of Imitating Heaven: Structure and Meaning in Ancient Cosmology
"Ancient people knew the sky the way that we know the highways around our cities."
Today's podcast is a bit different. Deacon Seraphim Rohlin is here to introduce you to our new Symbolic World Course presenter, Joshua Sturgill. Together they discuss ancient cosmology, symbolism, and the meaning, power, and dangers of observing the night sky. They discuss pagan views on this, Biblical astronomy, the reservations of the church fathers, and modernity's determinism on the one hand, and confusion on the other hand. I hope you enjoy this conversation and will join us for Joshua's course.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/fQY6AyE1n1c
NEW COURSE: The Art of Imitating Heaven: Structure and Meaning in Ancient Cosmology By Joshua Sturgill
What is heaven? Where is it? For ancient people, the answer was obvious: simply look up at the night sky. For them, to see the stars and planets was to see the face of the divine. Christianity, too, understood the visible sky as the realm of unfallen creation. What does this belief mean, and why was it lost?
🗓 Live classes are on Sundays at 5-6:30pm Eastern Time, starting February 1st through March 8th, 2026.
💰 Price: $150 USD
⏰🐥 DON'T MISS OUT! UNTIL FEBRUARY 1ST YOU CAN GET THE EARLY BIRD SPECIAL OF 15% OFF! Discount automatically applied at checkout.
Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-art-of-imitating-heaven
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
01:00 - Intro music
01:24 - Introduction
04:15 - Recover cosmology
08:32 - Symbolism and cosmology
12:43 - The Greeks: Pythagoras and Plato
14:39 - Other traditions
16:07 - Criticisms against astronomy
21:28 - How astrology worked
25:24 - A concrete example
26:57 - What does spring mean?
30:47 - Christmas
33:43 - The Orthodox position
37:22 - Governed by natural laws
45:55 - For the ancients
59:30 - Architectural astronomy
01:01:43 - Technology and teaching
01:05:41 - Course info
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Tue, 20 Jan 2026 - 1h 09min - 430 - 430 - JP Marceau - The Mythology of Demographic Collapse
In this interview, I sat down with Jean-Philippe Marceau—author of Post-Reductionist Christianity, our very first theory book at Symbolic World Press—to discuss his surprising and widely praised new Symbolic World article on the emerging global demographic crisis.
We discuss the falling birth rates and all its symbolic, scriptural, political, economic, and technological implications and causes. JP’s article likens today’s demographic collapse to the biblical Flood, looking at the dangers of both progressive dissolution and a reactionary overcorrection, proving the fact that the future belongs to those who build families grounded in meaning and tradition.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/SBrTYadO3kE
Check out JP’s article, ‘Is This the Flood? Is Babel Next?’: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/content/is-this-the-flood-is-babel-next
JP's book: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/products/post-reductionist-christianity-a-way-out-of-the-meaning-crisis
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COURSE: The Quest for the Holy Grail, with Dr. Martin Shaw
Register now and get a FREE ebook of Dr. Martin Shaw's Snowy Tower: Parzival and the Wet Black Branch of Language!
In the dark heart of January, when the nights are long and the world draws close, Dr. Martin Shaw returns to the Symbolic World to tell one of the greatest stories of the Medieval imagination: Parzival and the Holy Grail.
From Monday through Friday, January 12–16, 2026, one of the world's great living storytellers will unspool the medieval epic that Joseph Campbell called the epicenter of Western myth. He’ll be lighting his fire, puffing a cigar, sipping on a whisky, and letting one of the greatest stories of all time lead us where it must.
Clear your evenings. Put another log on the fire. This is the storytelling event of the year.
🗓 Live classes will be over 5 consecutive days, January 12th-16th at 12pm-2pm EST
💰 Price: $160 USD (Involved patrons qualify for 10% off, apply code at checkout.)
All recordings will be made available on the same day.
Register today: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-quest-for-the-holy-grail
===================================
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
00:53 - Intro music
02:20 - Introduction to Demography and Its Significance
05:15 - Genetics and Political Ideologies
08:26 - Biblical Parallels: The Flood and Modern Society
11:24 - The Consequences of the Sexual Revolution
14:34 - Historical Patterns: Rome and Its Decline
17:56 - The Watchers
20:18 - Population and the WW2 Consensus
22:25 - The Impact of Cultural and Religious Practices
25:29 - The Challenge of Economic Systems
29:49 - The Only Way Out
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Fri, 09 Jan 2026 - 40min - 429 - 429 - Martin Shaw - Longing and Mystery: The Quest for the Holy Grail
In this conversation, I sit down with storyteller and mythologist Martin Shaw to explore the Holy Grail. We talk about desire and longing, failure and mercy, chivalry and the feminine, and why the Grail stories continue to be relevant across centuries.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/3qDkPUsle3M
COURSE: The Quest for the Holy Grail with Dr. Martin Shaw
In the dark heart of January, when the nights are long and the world draws close, Dr. Martin Shaw returns to Symbolic World Courses for an intensive week-long journey to tell one of the greatest stories of the Medieval imagination: Parzival and the Holy Grail.
Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-quest-for-the-holy-grail
Cost: $160 USD
Dates of live course: January 12-16, 2026
Time: 12 PM-2 PM EST, except for Lecture 3 (January 14) which will be at 4PM-6PM EST
Links:
-Pre-order Martin Shaw’s upcoming book, Liturgies of the Wild, to get an exclusive chapter: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/741189/liturgies-of-the-wild-by-martin-shaw/
-Martin’s other books, including Snowy Tower: https://drmartinshaw.com/books/
Events:
-February 13-15, 2026, Orthodox Christian Arts Festival (Praise for the Beauty) in Texas, with speakers including Martin Shaw and Deacon Seraphim Richard Rohlin: https://www.orthodoxartsfestivaldfw.com/
-January 27, 2026, London, The Temenos Academy. Seeing the Patterned World: the Cosmos as Layered Microcosms, a talk by Jonathan Pageau with Dr. Martin Shaw in the chair. £10 General Admission. The Art Workers' Guild, 6 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AT. Doors open at 6.10 pm, lecture begins at 6.30 pm. https://www.temenosacademy.org/events-programme/seeing-the-patterned-world
Some other links of things mentioned:
-Jonathan and Dcn Seraphim’s recent course on Dante’s Paradiso: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-paradiso
-Jonathan’s analysis of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Part 1: https://youtu.be/Rg5RDZ7mMKo and Part 2: https://youtu.be/1ch1T24-W7Q
-The Monks and Pirates discussion with Andrew Gould: https://youtu.be/WjMadP6DScM
-Universal History: The American Religion episode: https://youtu.be/0_RKBPaQAyk
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
00:32 - Intro music
02:00 - The cost of conversion
05:49 - What is the Grail
10:05 - Other hints of the Grail
15:30 - To remain veiled
17:45 - Who the stories are for
19:42 - The place of chivalry
24:46 - The Holy Virgin
29:31 - Longing
34:12 - Weakness has a seat at the table
36:48 - Liturgies of the wild
43:42 - Christianity in publishing
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Thu, 01 Jan 2026 - 56min - 428 - 428 - Why they want you to think Christmas is pagan
In this video I discuss the persistence of the idea that Christmas was "stolen" by Christians from the pagans, or that it's secretly still pagan. Merry Christmas everyone. Christ is born!
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/uh6rhiTrTnk
Christmas symbolism playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVX4HUUPrIY9MeGP5IILeRzu62Q1NPT4C
NEW COURSE: The Quest for the Holy Grail with Dr. Martin Shaw
In the dark heart of January, when the nights are long and the world draws close, Dr. Martin Shaw returns to Symbolic World Courses for an intensive week-long journey to tell one of the greatest stories of the Medieval imagination: Parzival and the Holy Grail.
Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-quest-for-the-holy-grail
Cost: $160 USD
Dates of live course: January 12-16, 2026
Time: 12 PM-2 PM EST, except for Lecture 3 (January 14) which will be at 4PM-6PM EST
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Wed, 24 Dec 2025 - 19min - 427 - 427 - Dr. Iain McGilchrist - Artificial Intelligence, Possession, and Mental Illness
In this conversation, I speak with British psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and author Dr. Iain McGilchrist about intelligence, mental illness, and AI.
Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/DRtpKyKJcss
Get Dr. McGilchrist’s books: https://channelmcgilchrist.com/home/
APPLICATIONS OPEN: Ralston seeks 25 students with the curiosity and courage to find light in the darkness. Our one-year MA in the Humanities begins with two months learning Ancient and Modern Greek in Greece, before moving to beautiful Savannah, GA. Full and partial scholarships are available. The deadline for priority consideration is December 18, 2025. Visit https://www.ralston.ac/humanities-ma
NEW COURSE: The Quest for the Holy Grail with Dr. Martin Shaw
In the dark heart of January, when the nights are long and the world draws close, Dr. Martin Shaw returns to Symbolic World Courses for an intensive week-long journey to tell one of the greatest stories of the Medieval imagination: Parzival and the Holy Grail.
Catch the early bird sale of 15% off if you register before midnight December 19: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-quest-for-the-holy-grail
Cost: $160 USD
Dates of live course: January 12-16, 2026
Time: 12 PM-2 PM EST, except for Lecture 3 (January 14) which will be at 4PM-6PM EST
Timestamps:
00:00 Coming up
00:43 Intro music
01:07 Introduction to Ralston College and Its Mission
10:57 The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Society
21:02 Intelligence and Consciousness
30:57 The Dangers of Alien Intelligence
39:17 Understanding Addiction and Mental Illness
46:04 Possession and Mental Health: A New Perspective
52:11 The Left Hemisphere and Its Malign Influence
01:03:37 AI: The Modern Sorcerer's Apprentice
01:11:11 All We Can Do
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Thu, 18 Dec 2025 - 1h 13min - 426 - 426 - Andrew Gould - Monks and Pirates: Two Extremes that Explain the Rest of Us
In this conversation filmed (by Deacon Seraphim Rohlin) in the Florida Keys, I sit down with my friend Andrew Gould to finally revisit a surprising claim he made years ago—that pirates and Orthodox monks share deep symbolic parallels. We discuss ships and treasure, costumes, death imagery, life on the edge of empire, all converging on how these two seemingly opposite extremes strangely mirror each other. Let me know if you like the format of this video.
Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/WjMadP6DScM
NEW COURSE: The Quest for the Holy Grail with Dr. Martin Shaw
In the dark heart of January, when the nights are long and the world draws close, Dr. Martin Shaw returns to Symbolic World Courses for an intensive week-long journey to tell one of the greatest stories of the Medieval imagination: Parzival and the Holy Grail.
Catch the early bird sale of 15% off if you register before midnight December 19: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-quest-for-the-holy-grail
Cost: $160 USD
Dates of live course: January 12-16, 2026
Time: 12 PM-2 PM EST, except for Lecture 3 (January 14) which will be at 4PM-6PM EST
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Thu, 11 Dec 2025 - 39min - 425 - 425 - The Cosmic Dance of Decorating a Christmas Tree
This is a repost of a patron video I made several years ago about decorating the Christmas tree as a family. Support us for access to more video like this.
Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/9y32OFyvskg
NEW COURSE: The Quest for the Holy Grail with Dr. Martin Shaw
In the dark heart of January, when the nights are long and the world draws close, Dr. Martin Shaw returns to Symbolic World Courses for an intensive week-long journey to tell one of the greatest stories of the Medieval imagination: Parzival and the Holy Grail.
Catch the early bird sale of 15% off if you register before midnight December 19: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-quest-for-the-holy-grail
Cost: $160 USD
Dates of live course: January 12-16, 2026
Time: 12 PM-2 PM EST, except for Lecture 3 (January 14) which will be at 4PM-6PM EST
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Mon, 08 Dec 2025 - 11min - 424 - 424 - Universal History: The American Religion - with Dcn Seraphim Rohlin
"Americans who think they are Christians, truly are something else; intensely religious, but devout in the American Religion."
In this episode of Universal History, I sit down again with Deacon Seraphim Rohlin to explore the roots and characteristics of the true "American religion". We trace how movements in American history shaped the spiritual landscape that eventually gave rise to Mormonism, Adventism, spiritualism, and perhaps even your own journey back to traditional Christianity.
Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/0_RKBPaQAyk
Previous episode: https://youtu.be/o9rMy6lde0c?si=b8d-6tbkuIgAbl4K
Paradiso live course details:
The Symbolic World Enters Paradise
Join me and Deacon Seraphim Rohlin in our course on Dante's Paradiso.
-Course length: 5 weeks, 15 hours
-Dates of live classes: Wednesdays, November 5th to December 10th, 2025
-Time: 2-5 pm Eastern Time
-Cost: 190 USD (Involved patrons get 10% off, apply discount code at checkout)
-Register today: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-paradiso
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Thu, 04 Dec 2025 - 59min - 423 - 423 - Catholic Unscripted - Violence as the New Normal
This is a repost of an interview I did a few months ago on the Catholic Unscripted Podcast after the Charlie Kirk assassination. We discuss the topic of violence, the end of the World War 2 consensus, Israel, enchantment, science and technology, sex and gender, architecture, the structure of a normal vs a crumbling society, and more. Enjoy.
YouTube version on my channel: https://youtu.be/TeCjedp6dJA
Original interview on Catholic Unscripted YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/SSn_q-HQeFg?si=K7RkdByVEFDnoP4j
The Catholic Unscripted Podcast is a UK online apostolate founded by Katherine Bennett, and Mark Lambert. Subscribe at https://www.catholicunscripted.com/
BLACK FRIDAY SALE. Get 30% off courses, 20% off books, and 25% off the Tales For Once & Ever bundle. Use code: BLACKFRIDAY2025 for courses, other discounts are applied automatically. Valid through Dec 3. Don't miss out: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com
Paradiso live course details:
The Symbolic World Enters Paradise
Join me and Deacon Seraphim Rohlin this November in our course on Dante's Paradiso.
-Course length: 5 weeks, 15 hours
-Dates of live classes: Wednesdays, November 5th to December 3rd, 2025
-Time: 2-5 pm Eastern Time
-Cost: 190 USD (Involved patrons get 10% off, apply discount code at checkout)
-Register today: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-paradiso
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Fri, 28 Nov 2025 - 56min - 422 - 422 - Why Exaggeration Is Necessary in Storytelling
Given we're still in the fall season, I watched The Conjuring and it got me thinking about how real events can become exaggerated in story form. In this video, I look at how legends are created, and that exaggeration of certain elements of an event can help amplify the meaning and purpose of why we're paying attention to it in the first place.
Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/fA2cKrvYyTk
Paradiso live course details:
The Symbolic World Enters Paradise
Join me and Deacon Seraphim Rohlin this November in our course on Dante's Paradiso.
-Course length: 5 weeks, 15 hours
-Dates of live classes: Wednesdays, November 5th to December 3rd, 2025
-Time: 2-5 pm Eastern Time
-Cost: 190 USD (Involved patrons get 10% off, apply discount code at checkout)
-Register today: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-paradiso
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Tue, 18 Nov 2025 - 26min - 421 - 421 - Deacon Seraphim (Richard) Rohlin - Recovering Our Heritage
I’m excited to share this powerful talk by Deacon Seraphim Rohlin, my collaborator at the Symbolic World Press and co-host of the Universal History Podcast. In this talk from the 2025 Touchstone Conference, he explores how we can recover our heritage and live an enchanted Christian life. The title of his talk originally was "The Deep Pattern: Re-Enchanting Time through Medieval Universal History".
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/EtvIpApaSrE
https://www.touchstonemag.com/
Universal History podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVX4HUUPrIY_M2uZP3yW6EEiod3fGD6FD&si=iYKlCCZJSt_ob2oi
Paradiso live course details:
The Symbolic World Enters Paradise
Join me and Deacon Seraphim Rohlin this November in our course on Dante's Paradiso.
-Course length: 5 weeks, 15 hours
-Dates of live classes: Wednesdays, November 5th to December 3rd, 2025
-Time: 2-5 pm Eastern Time
-Cost: 190 USD (Involved patrons get 10% off, apply discount code at checkout)
-Register today: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-paradiso
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro by Jonathan
01:15 - Intro music
01:40 - Introducing Dcn Seraphim Rohlin
03:34 - Start of talk
15:20 - Paradiso class
17:08 - Resume talk
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Fri, 14 Nov 2025 - 57min - 420 - 420 - How Free Will Actually Works
This was September 2025's patron video that we decided to make public. Thank you to my supporters.
I explore the question of free will, drawing on the insights of St. Maximus the Confessor. While thinkers like Sam Harris argue that free will is an illusion and always contingent on material circumstances, I show how the Christian understanding reframes freedom—not as arbitrary choice, but as submission to the good. True freedom is not transgression, but moving toward higher and higher goods, where life becomes more natural and effortless.
Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/burSzHmo4o4
The Symbolic World Enters Paradise
Join me and Deacon Seraphim Rohlin this November in our course on Dante's Paradiso.
-Course length: 5 weeks, 15 hours
-Dates of live classes: Wednesdays, November 5th to December 3rd, 2025
-Time: 2-5 pm Eastern Time
-Cost: 190 USD (Involved patrons can get 10% off)
-Register today: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-paradiso
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Thu, 06 Nov 2025 - 19min - 419 - 419 - Trick or Treat: Halloween Symbolism in Little Red Riding Hood
Pre-order Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf now and get a free audiobook read by me, as well as an exclusive Q&A: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/products/the-tale-of-little-red-riding-hood-and-the-big-bad-wolf
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Fri, 31 Oct 2025 - 23min - 418 - 418 - The Symbolism of the Entire Divine Comedy in the First Canto
In this video, I read and reflect on the first canto of Dante’s Divine Comedy — the opening of Inferno. This incredible canto puts the entire poem in perspective, serving as a microcosm for Dante's journey through inferno, purgatory, and into paradise. I discuss in detail, line by line, the rich symbolism and meaning Dante conveys.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/7zzQRg0muMo
If you enjoy this kind of symbolic analysis, join me and Deacon Seraphim Rohlin as we continue through Dante’s Paradiso, starting live in November. You can get the early bird sale of 15% off if you use the code: EARLYPARADISO at checkout. Our past courses on Dante's Inferno and Purgatorio are also on a 50% sale during the month of October if you use code: DANTE50.
Courses:
-Inferno: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-inferno-the-course
-Purgatorio:https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-purgatorio
-Paradise (upcoming): https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-paradiso
Paradiso live course details:
The Symbolic World Enters Paradise
Join me and Deacon Seraphim Rohlin this November in our course on Dante's Paradiso.
-Course length: 5 weeks, 15 hours
-Dates of live classes: Wednesdays, November 5th to December 3rd, 2025
-Time: 2-5 pm Eastern Time
-Cost: 190 USD-Get 15% off with the early bird sale through all of October with the code: EARLYPARADISO
-Register today: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-paradiso
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Wed, 29 Oct 2025 - 30min - 417 - 417 - Three Things Christians Must Do to Rebuild Culture (Touchstone talk)
This talk took place at the 2025 Touchstone conference, Great and Wonderful Days: Rediscovering the Christian Life in a Post-Christian Age. The title of my talk was “This is the Day”.
https://www.touchstonemag.com/
Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/cnMk_GFpVbw
I explore how our modern world—built on endless disruption and self-expression—has reached its breaking point. We’re witnessing the collapse of a culture that forgot its source, but that’s also at the beginnings of renewal. From art and architecture to worship and storytelling, I share how Christians can remember, celebrate, and create once again—recovering beauty, meaning, and participation in the divine order. This is a moment of opportunity: to rediscover Christ as the pattern of reality and rebuild culture on that foundation.
The Symbolic World Enters Paradise
Join me and Deacon Seraphim Rohlin this November in our course on Dante's Paradiso.
-Course length: 5 weeks, 15 hours
-Dates of live classes: Wednesdays, November 5th to December 3rd, 2025
-Time: 2-5 pm Eastern Time
-Cost: 190 USD
-Get 15% off with the early bird sale through all of October with the code: EARLYPARADISO
-Register today: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-paradiso
During October you can also get 50% off the Inferno and Purgatorio courses with the code: DANTE50-Inferno: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-inferno-the-course
-Purgatorio: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-purgatorio
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Sat, 25 Oct 2025 - 49min - 416 - 416 - Tangled: The Triumph of Self-Realization
I explore how Disney’s Tangled reimagines the classic Rapunzel story and what these changes reveal about our modern world. Tangled captures a pivotal moment in Disney’s storytelling where there was a shift from the traditional fairy tale’s emphasis on a marriage union, to a more modern emphasis on personal self-realization. I also reflect on how these themes connect to our own retelling, Rapunzel and the Evil Witch.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/o8BJcX61H08
Buy Rapunzel and the Evil Witch: https://rapunzelbook.com/
The Symbolic World Enters Paradise
Join me and Deacon Seraphim Rohlin this November in our course on Dante's Paradiso.
-Course length: 5 weeks, 15 hours
-Dates of live classes: Wednesdays, November 5th to December 3rd, 2025
-Time: 2-5 pm Eastern Time
-Cost: 190 USD
-Get 15% off with the early bird sale through all of October with the code: EARLYPARADISO
-Register today: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-paradiso
During October you can also get 50% off the Inferno and Purgatorio courses with the code: DANTE50
-Inferno: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-inferno-the-course
-Purgatorio: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-purgatorio
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Fri, 17 Oct 2025 - 21min - 415 - 415 - Charlie Kirk's Assassination: We have gone beyond the pale
Huge changes are happening in the political landscape. In this video, I reflect on the assassination of Charlie Kirk and how this moment has deeply affected me toward recognizing how broken our unity has become. Drawing on symbolic insights, I explore the danger of turning opposition into real enmity and the need to return to truth, forgiveness, and higher purpose.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/NrDbHQurRpg
The recent interview with my brother, Matthieu, that I mention in the video: https://youtu.be/8-RWp1_lSEM?si=flnni77ae94jpuD-
The Symbolic World Enters Paradise
Join me and Deacon Seraphim Rohlin this November in our course on Dante's Paradiso.
-Course length: 5 weeks, 15 hours
-Dates of live classes: Wednesdays, November 5th to December 3rd, 2025
-Time: 2-5 pm Eastern Time
-Cost: 190 USD
-Get 15% off with the early bird sale through all of October with the code: EARLYPARADISO
-Register today: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-paradiso
During October you can also get 50% off the Inferno and Purgatorio courses with the code: DANTE50
-Inferno: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-inferno-the-course
-Purgatorio: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-purgatorio
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Fri, 10 Oct 2025 - 24min - 414 - 414 - Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin (Universal History) - American Folk Magic and Christianity: From the Reformation to Mormonism
Enchantment never truly disappeared from the modern world.
In this episode of Universal History Deacon Seraphim Rohlin and I explore the world of magic and folk superstition in American Christianity.
What is magic? Where’s the line between prayer and magic? Why did Protestant reformers ban holy water but keep belief in the devil? How did treasure-hunting rituals lead to the rise of Mormonism?
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/o9rMy6lde0c
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
00:37 - Intro music
01:01 - Introduction
04:54 - What is magic?
08:46 - The modern & Enlightenment ideas of superstition
11:00 - Prayers and psalms
13:30 - The Reformation's perspective
24:27 - Medieval understanding of superstition
26:53 - Example: the French "Dog-saint"
28:11 - Reformation conclusions
33:37 - You have an embarrassing illness
37:21 - Christian magic hacks
46:29 - Manifestation
52:03 - Scapegoating
54:31 - Categories of magic
56:47 - Divination
04:30 - Water witching
07:30 - Saint Porphyrios
08:51 - Finding water
09:57 - Finding other things
11:44 - Money digging
13:33 - How money digging works
17:34 - The symbolism of the New World
20:54 - Joseph Smith and Mormonism
24:18 - The human need for enchantment
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Fri, 03 Oct 2025 - 1h 29min - 413 - 413 - Heidi White - The Divided Soul: Duty and Desire in Literature and Life
In this conversation, I sit down with author and educator Heidi White to discuss her new book, The Divided Soul. We explore the story of the prodigal son, the tension between duty and desire, and how these themes echo through literature, culture, and our own lives. Heidi shares insights from the Bible, classical works, and pop culture, showing that many stories reflect this deep human struggle.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/1LjDeZpSviw
Buy Heidi’s book: https://www.goldberrypress.com/products/the-divided-soul-duty-and-desire-in-literature-and-life
Heidi’s Substack and podcast: https://closereads.substack.com/
Instagram: @heidiwhitereads
📖 Let's take our stories back. Check out our latest book in the Tales for Now and Ever series, Rapunzel and the Evil Witch: https://rapunzelbook.com/
Fr. Stephen De Young's Jubilees and the Nephilim course is now finished and available for purchase: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/jubilees-and-the-nephilim
Timestamps
00:00 - Coming up
01:40 - Intro music
02:04 - Introduction
02:48 - The prodigal son
05:32 - Duty and desire
07:17 - Paradise as unity
13:02 - Why the duality?
17:36 - Sins of the right hand and the left hand
20:49 - Ordering desire
27:30 - Examples
33:28 - Repentance and sacrifice
38:04 - Christ's version of this pattern
44:24 - Heidi's vision
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Thu, 25 Sep 2025 - 47min - 412 - 412 - The Age of Self-Esteem
This is August's patron video that I decided to make public. In it I explore the modern idea of self-esteem—where it came from, how it shapes our culture, and why it so often leads us into confusion and disorder. I contrast this with the Christian vision of humility, which offers a path to true freedom and joy.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/e__8eVCgjCE
Please consider becoming a patron to get exclusive access to videos like this: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
📖 Let's take our stories back. Check out our latest book in the Tales for Now and Ever series, Rapunzel and the Evil Witch: https://rapunzelbook.com/
Join Fr. Stephen De Young in his Jubilees and the Nephilim course, now streaming live on The Symbolic World: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/jubilees-and-the-nephilim
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Mon, 22 Sep 2025 - 27min - 411 - 411 - Dr. Michael Levin & Dr. John Vervaeke - Brave New Biology: Intelligence Trumps DNA
Dr. Michael Levin is a professor in the Department of Biology at Tufts University and an associate faculty member at the Wyss Institute at Harvard. He directs the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts, where his team integrates biophysics, computational modeling, and behavioral science to study how cellular collectives make decisions during embryogenesis, regeneration, and cancer.
Levin’s research centers on diverse forms of intelligence and unconventional embodied minds, bridging conceptual theory, experimental biology, and translational work aimed at regenerative medicine. His lab also pioneers efforts in artificial intelligence and the bioengineering of novel living machines.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/iwOJ9PWcPmo
Read more about Dr. Michael Levin’s work: https://drmichaellevin.org/
X: https://x.com/drmichaellevin
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@drmichaellevin
John Vervaeke's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@johnvervaeke
📖 Let's take our stories back. Check out our latest book in the Tales for Now and Ever series, Rapunzel and the Evil Witch: https://rapunzelbook.com/
Join Fr. Stephen De Young in his Jubilees and the Nephilim course, now streaming live on The Symbolic World: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/jubilees-and-the-nephilim
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
01:14 - Intro music
01:40 - Introduction
02:23 - What Michael does
06:19 - Example experiments
07:51 - Memories outside the brain
12:46 - Terminology: memory
13:59 - Communicate to biological cells
15:54 - Limitations?
17:39 - Platonic patterns
34:06 - Incarnation and constraints
39:26 - Causes
49:28 - New beings in new spaces
52:25 - What the Enlightenment dismissed
55:32 - Molecular medicine
57:36 - Subtle bodies
01:00:45 - Ethics
01:03:37 - Medical and meaning applications
01:11:42 - Frightening
01:14:31 - Against the status quo
01:19:03 - Should we dabble in this technology?
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Sat, 20 Sep 2025 - 1h 24min - 410 - 410 - Fractals: The World Is Full of Meaning (Midwestuary talk)
I’ve spoken about fractals on my channel for many years. In this talk, I explore the topic directly—showing how fractals are a fundamental structure of reality. Understanding these patterns is essential if we want to see the world symbolically and build true fellowship rooted in spirit rather than mere rules.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/S6xHkyhoN20
This talk took place at the 2025 Midwestuary conference.
Estuary Hub Link: https://www.estuaryhub.com/
https://www.southeastuary.com/
📖 Let's take our stories back. Check out our latest book in the Tales for Now and Ever series, Rapunzel and the Evil Witch: https://rapunzelbook.com/
🔗Join Fr. Stephen De Young in his Jubilees and the Nephilim course, now streaming live on The Symbolic World: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/jubilees-and-the-nephilim
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
00:28 - Intro music
00:51 - Introducing Jonathan
02:08 - Start of talk
04:59 - Heaven and earth
07:44 - Produce variation
13:44 - Revelation
19:18 - Resistance to embodiment
22:05 - Heaven provides influence
25:21 - A nation: embodiment
35:56 - Too close to multiplicity
38:27 - A luminous hierarchy
41:22 - What can make a hierarchy fragile
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Fri, 12 Sep 2025 - 45min - 409 - 409 - The Strange Symbolism of K-Pop Demon Hunters: Shame, Attention, LGBT, Jung
I finally watched K-Pop Demon Hunters after so many of you kept asking about it. In this episode, I explore the strange mix of symbolism: demons, idols, and the way the film deals with shame, music, and attention. There are fascinating elements in the story, but also some deep problems from a symbolic and Christian perspective. Let’s dive in together.
WARNING: This episode contains spoilers.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/Rh89J2eAf7o
📖 Let's take our stories back. Check out the latest book in the Tales for Now and Ever series, Rapunzel and the Evil Witch: https://rapunzelbook.com/
Latest course: Join Fr. Stephen De Young in his Jubilees and the Nephilim course, now streaming live on The Symbolic World: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/jubilees-and-the-nephilim
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Do you want to know more about symbolism and learn how to do your own analysis? Join the Symbolism Masterclass, the culmination of my life’s work on this topic. It’s both for beginners and long-time followers. Over 6 classes and more than 18 hours of content, that you can follow at your own pace, you’ll uncover the hidden structures of reality—from sacred time to the dance of opposites—and learn to live with intention in an age of distraction, confusion, and the crisis of meaning. Register here: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/symbolism-masterclass
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Fri, 05 Sep 2025 - 26min - 408 - 408 - Andrew Gould & Michael Diamant - Architecture: The Most Important Art
In this conversation I’m joined by Andrew Gould and Michael Diamant to explore the importance of traditional architecture and city planning. We discuss why so much of our built environment feels alienating, how modernism abandoned human proportion and beauty, and why recovering classical forms matters for culture, community, and even our spiritual lives.
Michael shares the story of the Architecture Uprising movement across Europe, and Andrew explains how he approaches designing buildings that are rooted in tradition yet alive for today. Together we reflect on how beauty is not just a luxury—it’s essential for human flourishing.
Youtube version: https://youtu.be/uS_3FB7foVc?si=5zMFNf8ALUUAov9d
Architects, go to https://newtrad.org/
Follow Michael on X / Twitter: https://x.com/michael_diamant
Andrew Gould's website: https://newworldbyzantine.com/
Follow Andrew on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrew.gould.1401
Buy Rapunzel and the Evil Witch: https://rapunzelbook.com/
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
00:48 - Intro music
01:13 - Introduction
06:14 - What's great about ugly architecture?
09:27 - Politics
10:51 - The Brutalist
13:03 - City planning
15:28 - Density
20:28 - What is driving the madness?
27:03 - The options for architects
30:17 - What architecture is today
34:26 - Classical beauty
40:10 - Bad classical architecture
45:52 - Defending your culture
51:05 - Andrew Gould's work
01:01:02 - Architectural fashion
01:04:58 - The film industry
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Sat, 30 Aug 2025 - 1h 12min - 407 - 407 - Heather Pollington - Rapunzel and the Evil Witch
📖 RAPUNZEL AND THE EVIL WITCH IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR SALE: https://rapunzelbook.com/
Heather Pollington and I are thrilled to share our brand-new storybook with you, 'Rapunzel and the Evil Witch'! Following 'Snow White and the Widow Queen' and 'Jack and the Fallen Giants', this third fairy tale feels like the culmination of our work so far. With this book you’ll begin to notice the different threads connecting across the series. Heather has created stunning illustrations that weave medieval and Byzantine influences into a style perfectly suited to the fairy tale world.
In this episode, we walk through the process behind the book, the symbolism of Rapunzel’s story, and what's unique about our version of the story. We show many of the book's illustrations. I can't wait to hear what you think!
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/aEWgHif0NS8
Timestamps:
00:00 - Announcement and opening
01:36 - Intro music
02:02 - Introduction
03:41 - Heather's journey to Rapunzel
06:40 - Critiques of fairy tales
07:46 - Tangled
10:12 - Exploring Rapunzel imagery
10:24 - Early sketches
12:14 - Iconography and Palekh fairy tale tradition
15:54 - Frontispiece
17:51 - Green flowers
20:12 - The witch's garden
22:59 - The dark exchange
25:48 - The circle of protection
28:55 - A sense of freedom
30:43 - The moon tower
35:04 - The haunting melody
37:40 - Love in the tower
41:47 - The dream
43:27 - Flax into gold
46:02 - Rain from heaven
53:43 - The wooden throne
56:28 - Order
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
NEW COURSE: Jubilees and the Nephilim, by Fr. Stephen De Young
- Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/jubilees-and-the-nephilim
- Course Length: 6 Weeks, 12 Hours
- Dates: Live classes are on Tuesday at 7 - 9 pm Central Time, starting August 19th through September 23rd, 2025
- Participants will be given access to lesson recordings.
- The course is hosted on the Symbolic World Circle Community platform. Sign up as a free member before making your purchase.
- Price: 180 USD, Involved patrons qualify for 10% discount.
Step into the strange and revelatory world of the Book of Jubilees, an ancient retelling of Genesis that shaped ancient Jewish thought and still echoes through Christian tradition. In this course, Fr. Stephen De Young guides students through the book’s expansion of biblical history, unveiling the significance of the fall of the angels, the rise of the Nephilim, and the heavenly origins of the feasts of the Old and New Testaments. Along the way, he'll explore how Jubilees reinterprets creation, demonology, and the prophetic structure of time, and why these themes mattered not only to Second Temple Judaism, but to later Christian understandings of the unseen world.
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Fri, 29 Aug 2025 - 1h 01min - 406 - 406 - Symbolism Explained: The Fundamental WWII Duality That Still Haunts Us Today
In this episode, I explore the symbolism of World War II through the imagery of the Axis and the Allies. Beyond politics, these symbols reveal a deeper story about unity and multiplicity—the tension between the “one” and the “many.” I look at how the propaganda and narratives of that time shaped the post-war consensus we still live in today, and why those stories are now reaching their limits. My hope is to help you see how these patterns influence our culture and why finding balance is so important.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/vLpEDlgEleg
Visit https://www.rapunzelbook.com to pre-order our new fairy tale story, Rapunzel and the Evil Witch.
NEW COURSE: Jubilees and the Nephilim, by Fr. Stephen De Young
- Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/jubilees-and-the-nephilim
- Course Length: 6 Weeks, 12 Hours
- Dates: Live classes are on Tuesday at 7 - 9 pm Central Time, starting August 19th through September 23rd, 2025
- Participants will be given access to lesson recordings.
- The course is hosted on the Symbolic World Circle Community platform. Sign up as a free member before making your purchase.
- Price: 180 USD, Involved patrons qualify for 10% discount.
Step into the strange and revelatory world of the Book of Jubilees, an ancient retelling of Genesis that shaped ancient Jewish thought and still echoes through Christian tradition. In this course, Fr. Stephen De Young guides students through the book’s expansion of biblical history, unveiling the significance of the fall of the angels, the rise of the Nephilim, and the heavenly origins of the feasts of the Old and New Testaments. Along the way, he'll explore how Jubilees reinterprets creation, demonology, and the prophetic structure of time, and why these themes mattered not only to Second Temple Judaism, but to later Christian understandings of the unseen world.
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Tue, 19 Aug 2025 - 21min - 405 - 405 - Fr. Josiah Trenham - Marriage: The Bedrock of Civilization
In this episode, Father Josiah Trenham returns to the podcast for us to talk about the profound meaning and cosmic significance of marriage. We explore why marriage is a crucial civilizational cornerstone rooted in divine order, not only from a Christian perspective, but universally in all flourishing societies. We discuss how it compares to and co-exists with monasticism and the meaning of marriage and the wedding ceremony not just as a gate to self-fulfillment and a joyful experience, but also as self-sacrifice. We also discuss how rediscovering the beauty of marriage can help restore sanity in our fragmented secular world.
This conversation is also a preview of the upcoming Marriage Conference in Riverside, CA (Oct. 10–12), where I’ll be speaking alongside Father Josiah, Archbishop Cordileone, Dr. Brad Wilcox, and others. Learn more at https://www.themarriageconference.com/
Subscribe to Fr. Josiah's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PatristicNectarFilms
—
NEW COURSE: Jubilees and the Nephilim, by Fr. Stephen De Young
- Catch the early bird special of 15% off with code: EARLYJUBILEES, valid until 11:59 pm EST (midnight) of August 8th.
- Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/jubilees-and-the-nephilim
- Course Length: 6 Weeks, 12 Hours
- Dates: Live classes are on Tuesday at 7 - 9 pm Central Time, starting August 19th through September 23rd, 2025
- Participants will be given access to lesson recordings.
- The course is hosted on the Symbolic World Circle Community platform. Sign up as a free member before making your purchase.
- Price: 180 USD
Step into the strange and revelatory world of the Book of Jubilees, an ancient retelling of Genesis that shaped ancient Jewish thought and still echoes through Christian tradition. In this course, Fr. Stephen De Young guides students through the book’s expansion of biblical history, unveiling the significance of the fall of the angels, the rise of the Nephilim, and the heavenly origins of the feasts of the Old and New Testaments. Along the way, he'll explore how Jubilees reinterprets creation, demonology, and the prophetic structure of time, and why these themes mattered not only to Second Temple Judaism, but to later Christian understandings of the unseen world.
—
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
01:00 - Intro music
01:24 - Introduction
04:01 - Marriage, monasticism, and St. John the Baptist
09:16 - The symbiosis between monasticism and marriage
12:32 - Why marriage fails
16:14 - The fruits of abandoning marriage
21:37 - Contract
24:15 - Acknowledge the ideal
27:53 - The nuclear and extended family
29:40 - The crowns
34:23 - A new independent union
38:03 - Aspects of marriage
43:19 - Refined love
45:42 - Pagan monogamy
50:39 - Marrying young
55:18 - 50s Housewife vs boss babe
57:01 - Having children
01:00:39 - HopesTue, 05 Aug 2025 - 1h 07min - 404 - 404 - Fr. Stephen De Young - How to Read Extra-Biblical Texts Like Jubilees (and Why It Matters)
Fr. Stephen De Young returns to the channel to explore how we should approach extra-Biblical literature—looking especially at the Book of Jubilees in anticipation of his upcoming Symbolic World course: Jubilees and the Nephilim. We discuss a different, more ancient way of doing theology—through story, ritual, poetry, and image rather than flat modern academic argument. If you’ve ever wondered how texts like Jubilees, Enoch, or the Lives of Adam and Eve connect to Christian theology, this conversation is for you.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/poAELqTQTo0
NEW COURSE: Jubilees and the Nephilim, by Fr. Stephen De Young
- Catch the early bird special of 15% off with code: EARLYJUBILEES, valid until 11:59 pm EST (midnight) of August 8th.
- Price: 180 USD (Discounted to 158 USD)
- Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/jubilees-and-the-nephilim
- Course Length: 6 Weeks, 12 Hours
- Dates: Live classes are on Tuesday at 7 - 9 pm Central Time, starting August 19th through September 23rd, 2025
- Participants will be given access to lesson recordings.
- The course is hosted on the Symbolic World Circle Community platform. Sign up as a free member before making your purchase.
Step into the strange and revelatory world of the Book of Jubilees, an ancient retelling of Genesis that shaped ancient Jewish thought and still echoes through Christian tradition. In this course, Fr. Stephen De Young guides students through the book’s expansion of biblical history, unveiling the significance of the fall of the angels, the rise of the Nephilim, and the heavenly origins of the feasts of the Old and New Testaments. Along the way, he'll explore how Jubilees reinterprets creation, demonology, and the prophetic structure of time, and why these themes mattered not only to Second Temple Judaism, but to later Christian understandings of the unseen world.
Timestamps
00:00 - Coming up
00:55 - Intro music
01:20 - Introduction
02:11 - Jubilees
05:08 - A different way of doing theology
15:23 - Why do we have peripheral stories?
22:34 - The twelfth apostle
24:16 - Blood libel
27:09 - Adam's skull
31:19 - Sacred geography
34:09 - The sacramental reality
39:01 - The modern trade
41:52 - UFOs, psychedelics, and materialism
44:43 - Reading extra-biblical texts and Jubilees
47:53 - What can extra-biblical traditions offer us?
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Thu, 31 Jul 2025 - 52min - 403 - 403 - Why you might want to watch the new Superman movie
In this episode I reflect on the symbolism behind Superman as a figure rooted in American mythology and post-WWII identity. I also discuss the new Superman movie by James Gunn, which actually has an interesting twist that can help us understand not just the superhero archetype, but also the crucial and relevant question of the immigrant or convert.
https://youtu.be/RByli5eMoP8
Rapunzel and the Evil Witch is coming in August—and you can pre-order it now. If you missed the first 1,000 copies (which sold out in 26 hours!), here’s your chance next to get it. Pre-orders come with the audiobook I recorded and a companion worksheet to explore the story with your family. Go to https://www.rapunzelbook.com/ and get ready—this is where the fairy tales start to weave together.
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Fri, 25 Jul 2025 - 24min - 402 - 402 - Universal History - Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin - The Spirits Beneath America: Fairies and Founding Fathers
In this episode of Universal History, I sit down with Deacon Seraphim (Richard Rohlin) on the 4th of July to explore the topic of fairies and titular spirits, especially as it relates to the US. We discuss America’s founding, the myth of Oedipus, heroes and monsters, boundaries of identity, stories of water spirits and crossing into territories, all to ask the question of whether fairies can be saved. As always, we’re weaving together myth, symbolism, and cultural insight to help reveal the patterns behind the stories that shape our world.
Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/htXHJ1WRSAg
Pre-order our new fairy tale story book, Rapunzel and the Evil Witch: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/products/rapunzel-and-the-evil-witch
COURSE: Scripture: The Key to Reality, presented by Seraphim Hamilton
This course is designed to help students appreciate the unique role the Bible plays in helping us step into the world as it truly is: a symbolic revelation of the Infinite God. Scripture is symbolic because it is a revelation of Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is the Archetype of the World. In a way, then, Scripture enfolds within itself the totality of the world, guiding its hearers to see an icon of Christ in each of God’s creatures: from trees to beasts to priests.
- Live classes are on Tuesday at 2 - 4 pm Eastern Time, starting June 10th through July 22nd, 2025
- Class Length: 5 sessions, 10 hours total
- Cost: 120 USD (108 USD for Involved patrons)
- Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/scripture-the-key-to-reality
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
01:45 - Intro music
02:12 - Introduction
04:22 - Titular spirits
10:03 - Oedipus: From the Bronze age
16:47 - A daemon / titular spirit
18:40 - Heroes becoming spirits
19:54 - The encounter with the Sphinx
21:46 - Killing a monsters
26:41 - Purification and the furies
31:43 - Understanding: Christ the Key
39:37 - America
46:23 - What are fairies
53:15 - Artifacts
58:08 - Magic
01:00:38 - 3 Stories about faeries
01:01:31 - Story 1
01:06:30 - Tying it in with St. Christopher
01:07:25 - Story 2
01:11:32 - Commentary
01:18:02 - Story 3
01:27:08 - American aboriginals
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Sat, 19 Jul 2025 - 1h 36min - 401 - 401 - Robin Hood: The Original Green Man (Nottingham talk)
I was invited to give this talk on Robin Hood in Nottingham—just a stone’s throw from Sherwood Forest—on the feast of Pentecost. What began as a reflection on a beloved folk hero opened into something deeper: a meditation on rebellion, trickery, legitimacy, and the strange holiness that's possible for jesters and outlaws. In this talk, I explore how Robin Hood, the Green Man, King David, and even figures from Islamic tradition and Arthurian legend, all point toward a surprising truth—that the margins of society can conceal servants of the true King. I hope you enjoy it.
Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/7Q4LBLmeeMw
COURSE: Scripture: The Key to Reality, presented by Seraphim Hamilton
This course is designed to help students appreciate the unique role the Bible plays in helping us step into the world as it truly is: a symbolic revelation of the Infinite God. Scripture is symbolic because it is a revelation of Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is the Archetype of the World. In a way, then, Scripture enfolds within itself the totality of the world, guiding its hearers to see an icon of Christ in each of God’s creatures: from trees to beasts to priests.
- Live classes are on Tuesday at 2 - 4 pm Eastern Time, starting June 10th through July 22nd, 2025
- Class Length: 5 sessions, 10 hours total
- Cost: 120 USD (108 USD for Involved patrons)
- Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/scripture-the-key-to-reality
Get early access to Rapunzel and the Evil Witch: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/rapunzel-and-the-evil-witch
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
01:30 - Intro music
01:56 - Introduction by Jonathan
03:34 - Introduction: The virtuous rebel
06:10 - Who does Robin Hood resemble?
09:40 - Green
14:25 - A trickster for God
16:39 - David
25:41 - He loses at the edge
39:24 - The Green man: Merlin
45:25 - Q&A starts: St. Christopher
46:39 - Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
48:55 - Maid Marian and the Virgin Mary
49:53 - Difference between giants and monsters
51:20 - Intention
53:01 - Robin Hood in politics
54:10 - Marksmanship
55:54 - Does the end justify the means
57:42 - Is Robin Hood religious?
59:06 - Locations and history
01:01:38 - Humor in Christianity
01:03:20 - Trickery
01:06:46 - What goes around comes around
01:08:15 - Downstream from the Gospel
01:11:44 - Christ vs Robin Hood in history
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Tue, 08 Jul 2025 - 1h 15min - 400 - 400 - A Dangerous Movie in the Best Way Possible
I had the pleasure of speaking with filmmaker Josh David Jordan about his new movie El Tonto Por Cristo. It’s a black-and-white art film set in a Texas monastery — poetic, strange, and deeply moving. What struck me most is how the film weaves together powerful Orthodox imagery, the mystery of the holy fool, all with a totally unique visual language. This isn’t just a message movie — it’s real cinema.
Check out the Kickstarter and be part of bringing this movie to theaters. This is a rare and important project.
El Tonto Por Cristo: A Cinematic Meditation. An Orthodox film set in a Texas monastery. Help bring this black-and-white story of beauty, holiness, & mystery to theaters worldwide.
https://www.eltontoporcristo.com/
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/748841722/el-tonto-por-cristo-a-cinematic-meditation
Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/pbM5VN9YvCE
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Mon, 30 Jun 2025 - 36min - 399 - 399 - John Vervaeke - What Is Spirit?
What is spirit? This was one of my most meaningful conversations with John Vervaeke yet. As we prepare for the Midwestuary 2025 conference in Chicago, we explore how beings come into existence, the mystery of unity and multiplicity, and what’s really going on with AI, angels, and the spirit of community. John shares some powerful personal transformations as well. I hope you enjoy this deep dive into spirit, ontology, and meaning.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/hqmSW3SgzHs
Register for the 2025 Midwestuary Conference in Chicago, August 22-24: https://www.midwestuary.com/
NEW COURSE: Scripture: The Key to Reality, presented by Seraphim Hamilton
This course is designed to help students appreciate the unique role the Bible plays in helping us step into the world as it truly is: a symbolic revelation of the Infinite God. Scripture is symbolic because it is a revelation of Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is the Archetype of the World. In a way, then, Scripture enfolds within itself the totality of the world, guiding its hearers to see an icon of Christ in each of God’s creatures: from trees to beasts to priests.
- Live classes are on Tuesday at 2 - 4 pm Eastern Time, starting June 10th through July 22nd, 2025
- Class Length: 5 sessions, 10 hours total
- Cost: 120 USD (108 USD for Involved patrons)
- Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/scripture-the-key-to-reality
- Get early access to Rapunzel and the Evil Witch: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/rapunzel-and-the-evil-witch
- Symbolism Masterclass course by Jonathan Pageau: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/symbolism-masterclass
- John Vervaeke's course on the Symbolic World, The Cognitive Science of Ritual: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-cognitive-science-of-ritual
00:00 - Intro by Jonathan
01:25 - Intro music
01:50 - Midwestuary conference details
03:42 - What is Spirit?
05:21 - John's response
08:22 - Fellowship
11:00 - Jonathan's response
13:34 - Why it's hard to think about unity and multiplicity
16:35 - Dualism in spirit
18:32 - Modern false dichotomies
24:19 - Jonathan: Spirit outside of minds?
30:57 - Are there non-psychological spirits?
33:42 - Gathered in man
35:55 - Reduction can go both ways
37:35 - The seat of self-consciousness
42:01 - A human centered view
43:36 - John: The standard of realness
49:30 - An embodied world for everyone
56:17 - Porosity between science and myth
01:00:39 - Breath
01:02:05 - A post-Kantian vision
01:05:52 - Exampting and group identity
01:10:40 - Liturgy and team spirit
01:17:48 - Are spirits just psychological?
01:20:26 - Prophesy
01:27:43 - How do we use technology?
01:34:01 - AI
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Tue, 24 Jun 2025 - 1h 46min - 398 - 398 - The Time for Orthodox Art is NOW
In this talk at the Orthodox Arts Festival of 2025, I share my vision for a renewal of Orthodox Christian art rooted in meaningful participation and true celebration. We are living through the collapse of modern aesthetics—art has become propaganda, entertainment, and distraction. But this cultural decomposition presents an opportunity for something truly transformative.
Orthodox art offers a profound alternative: not art as consumption or rebellion, but as participation, celebration, and enlightenment. Drawing on my work in children's literature, icon carving, and popular storytelling, I explore how we can reintegrate beauty, memory, and the sacred into every level of artistic creation—from liturgy to fairy tales.
If you're an artist, a parent, or simply someone longing for a more meaningful creative world, I invite you to join me in rediscovering what art is really for—and how it can lead us back to God.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/WkQ1PP421nM
🕯️ Discover our books, courses, and more at http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
📖 Get early access to Rapunzel and the Evil Witch: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/rapunzel-and-the-evil-witch
NEW COURSE: Scripture: The Key to Reality, presented by Seraphim Hamilton
This course is designed to help students appreciate the unique role the Bible plays in helping us step into the world as it truly is: a symbolic revelation of the Infinite God. Scripture is symbolic because it is a revelation of Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is the Archetype of the World. In a way, then, Scripture enfolds within itself the totality of the world, guiding its hearers to see an icon of Christ in each of God’s creatures: from trees to beasts to priests.
- Live classes are on Tuesday at 2 - 4 pm Eastern Time, starting June 10th through July 15th, 2025
- Class Length: 5 sessions, 10 hours total
- Cost: 120 USD (108 USD for Involved patrons)
- Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/scripture-the-key-to-reality
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Wed, 11 Jun 2025 - 1h 12min - 397 - 397 - Nicholas Reeves - What Is Music?
In this conversation, I sit down with composer and church musician Nicholas Reeves to explore one of the great mysteries: music. Why does music move us so deeply? How does it reflect symbolic patterns in reality? We discuss the ancient and modern roles of music—from sacred liturgies to EDM dance floors—and ask whether the liturgy might be the ultimate artwork. We also dive into the contrasts between order and chaos in sound, the compression of human experience, and the sacred role of communal participation in worship. This discussion really opened new paths for me—I hope it does the same for you.
Nicholas’s work can be found at: https://www.nicholasreevesmusic.com
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/26ORdueGcIo
NEW COURSE: Scripture: The Key to Reality, presented by Seraphim Hamilton
This course is designed to help students appreciate the unique role the Bible plays in helping us step into the world as it truly is: a symbolic revelation of the Infinite God. Scripture is symbolic because it is a revelation of Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is the Archetype of the World. In a way, then, Scripture enfolds within itself the totality of the world, guiding its hearers to see an icon of Christ in each of God’s creatures: from trees to beasts to priests.
🗓 Live classes are on Tuesday at 2 - 4 pm Eastern Time, starting June 10th through July 15th, 2025
⏰ Class Length: 5 sessions, 10 hours total
💰 Register for Seraphim Hamilton's course before the end of May to get 15% off when you use the code EARLYSCRIP1 at checkout.
💰 Cost: 120 USD (102 USD with the discount)
👉 Register Today: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/scripture-the-key-to-reality
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
01:29 - Intro music
01:55 - Introduction
02:50 - Understanding ourselves through music
10:22 - The human voice
18:56 - Rhythm
21:11 - Dance and what music is
24:40 - Variety and sameness
32:08 - Reinventing yourself
35:21 - Church music
43:57 - Continuity
46:56 - Moments in liturgy
49:30 - Music in America
54:54 - The complete work of art
59:14 - Making pop culture more participative
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Sat, 31 May 2025 - 1h 04min - 396 - 396 - Seraphim Hamilton - Scripture: The Key to Reality
In this conversation, I talk with Seraphim Hamilton about how scripture does more than tell a story—it reveals a symbolic pattern that runs through all of creation. We dig into how the Bible presents the world as a kind of cosmic temple, and how that vision unfolds through the Tabernacle, the life of Christ, and the Church.
Seraphim brings a deep knowledge of scripture and tradition to the table, and we touch on some of the key themes he'll be exploring in his upcoming course, Scripture: The Key to Reality. If you’ve been following my work on symbolism and biblical patterns, I think you’ll find this conversation both grounded and illuminating.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/PpGKURlGayA
NEW COURSE: Scripture: The Key to Reality, presented by Seraphim Hamilton
This course is designed to help students appreciate the unique role the Bible plays in helping us step into the world as it truly is: a symbolic revelation of the Infinite God. Scripture is symbolic because it is a revelation of Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is the Archetype of the World. In a way, then, Scripture enfolds within itself the totality of the world, guiding its hearers to see an icon of Christ in each of God’s creatures: from trees to beasts to priests.
🗓 Live classes are on Tuesday at 2 - 4 pm Eastern Time, starting June 10th through July 15th, 2025
⏰ Class Length: 5 sessions, 10 hours total
💰 Register for Seraphim Hamilton's course before the end of May to get 15% off when you use the code EARLYSCRIP1 at checkout.
💰 Cost: 120 USD (102 USD with the discount)
👉 Register Today: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/scripture-the-key-to-reality
Seraphim Hamilton is an Orthodox Christian biblical commentator who explores the richness of Christ as He is unveiled in the Old and New Testaments. He has a Master of Arts in Early Christian Studies and a Master of Theology from Duke University. His thesis addressed the relationship between the theology of the Divine Name in Exodus and the writings of St. Dionysius the Areopagite. He is recently married with one daughter and produces regular reflections on Scripture on both Substack and YouTube.
Writings: https://seraphimhamilton.substack.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/kabane
Patreon: https://patreon.com/c/kabane
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
01:23 - Intro music
01:49 - Introduction
02:43 - Scripture is the key to reality
09:17 - What's the difference between Christianity and Pantheism?
13:14 - Why the need for the Tabernacle?
16:56 - Dominion in the fall
21:23 - Cain vs Noah
25:27 - Universal History
26:24 - No temple in the Heavenly Jerusalem
29:57 - Converging on the same patterns
31:38 - Critical analysis of the Bible
37:27 - Second Temple literature
42:32 - Fractal breathing
47:36 - Transfigured clothing
-----------------------------------
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Fri, 23 May 2025 - 51min - 395 - 395 - Beauty First: Envisioning a Civilization Worth Restoring (ARC Roundtable)
This is an informal roundtable discussion among friends and artists at the 2025 London ARC Conference that includes myself, Andrew Gould, Aidan Hart, Heather Pollington, Neil and Kate DeGraide from Dirt Poor Robins, Ben and Vesper Stamper, Martin Shaw, and John Heers. Amidst thousands of voices focused on policy and economics, we stepped aside to ask a deeper question: what does it mean to renew civilization through beauty?
Together, we explore how architecture, music, and the arts shape our perception of the world—and how the recovery of beauty might be essential for healing both culture and soul. There are no scripts here, just a shared sense of wonder, frustration, and conviction. We speak of cities and forests, temples and toasts, tradition and imagination… and what it truly means to see rightly again.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/6oS5NYXut0c
SYMBOLISM MASTERCLASS
Join me this April for the Symbolism Masterclass, a 6-week deep dive into the essentials of symbolic thinking. Over 18 immersive hours, I'll guide you through the framework behind everything I've explored in 500+ videos—from heaven and earth to dragons, fairies, kings, conspiracies, Darwin, the Bible, and beyond.
🗓 Dates: Live classes every Wednesday at 1-4 PM Central / 2-5 PM Eastern time: 4/23, 4/30, 5/7, 5/14, 5/21, 5/28
⏰ Class Length: 3 hours each session
💰 Cost: $175 (Patrons at the Involved tier or higher qualify for 10% off)
Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/symbolism-masterclass
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
keywords:
ARC Conference, art, architecture, civilization, beauty, human experience, Christian culture, symbolism, design, architecture, music, art, beauty, creativity, orthodoxy, healing, abstraction, civic engagement, human experienceFri, 16 May 2025 - 1h 06min - 394 - 394 - The World War II Consensus is Breaking Down
Several years ago, I coined the phrase “watch the fool,” because in a world turned upside down, the fool can strangely point to what’s coming and in some ways play a role in restoring order —for good or for ill. For April 2025’s patron video, now opened up to the public, I reflect on how Kanye West has continued to play this role. He is not a prophet in the traditional sense, but a kind of tuning fork, embodying the contradictions and transformations unfolding in our culture before they happen. This becomes increasingly disturbing as the post–World War II consensus buckles beneath our feet…
Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/MfXxQW77cQA
SYMBOLISM MASTERCLASS
Join me this April for the Symbolism Masterclass, a 6-week deep dive into the essentials of symbolic thinking. Over 18 immersive hours, I'll guide you through the framework behind everything I've explored in 500+ videos—from heaven and earth to dragons, fairies, kings, conspiracies, Darwin, the Bible, and beyond.
🗓 Dates: Live classes every Wednesday at 1-4 PM Central / 2-5 PM Eastern time: 4/23, 4/30, 5/7, 5/14, 5/21, 5/28
⏰ Class Length: 3 hours each session
💰 Cost: $175 (Patrons at the Involved tier or higher qualify for 10% off)
Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/symbolism-masterclass
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Fri, 16 May 2025 - 37min - 393 - 393 - Wheels Within Wheels: The Universe as a Symbol
In this excerpt from the second lecture of the Symbolism Masterclass, I take you deeper than ever into one of the most powerful and mysterious patterns that underlies the cosmos. We explore the strange vision of Ezekiel, the meaning of the cosmic wheel, and how seemingly distant symbols—from pyramids to Christmas trees—are revealing the same fundamental structure.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/6wYPgrniyWo
Join us live for the rest of the Symbolism Masterclass. You will get access to all the lectures that have already taken place, including downloadable audio. https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/symbolism-masterclass
SYMBOLISM MASTERCLASS
Join me this April for the Symbolism Masterclass, a 6-week deep dive into the essentials of symbolic thinking. Over 18 immersive hours, I'll guide you through the framework behind everything I've explored in 500+ videos—from heaven and earth to dragons, fairies, kings, conspiracies, Darwin, the Bible, and beyond.
🗓 Dates: Live classes every Wednesday at 1-4 PM Central / 2-5 PM Eastern time: 4/23, 4/30, 5/7, 5/14, 5/21, 5/28
⏰ Class Length: 3 hours each session
💰 Cost: $175 (Patrons at the Involved tier or higher qualify for 10% off)
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Symbolism Masterclass
02:45 Fractal Symbolism and Hierarchies
06:05 The Nebuchadnezzar Statue and False Hierarchies
09:02 The Role of Gold in Symbolism
11:51 Understanding Context in Symbolism
15:10 The Tabernacle and Hierarchical Structures
18:01 The Wheel as a Symbol of Unity
20:58 Dante's Representation of Heaven and Earth
23:50 The Spiral Structure of Reality
26:56 The Cosmic Wheel and Its Implications
29:54 The Interconnectedness of All Things
33:08 Ezekiel's Vision and the Infinite Structure
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🗣 Join The Symbolic World Community for discussions about symbolism: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
Keywords:
symbolism, fractal, hierarchy, Nebuchadnezzar, gold, context, tabernacle, wheel, Dante, spiral, cosmic structure, interconnectedness, Ezekiel's vision, the Bible, idol, idolatry, religion, Orthodox ChristianityTue, 13 May 2025 - 41min - 392 - 392 - Richard Rohlin - Universal History: Symbols From the Edge of the World
In this episode, Richard Rohlin and I continue our discussion of The Voyage of St. Brendan, focusing on some of the stranger episodes in the story. We look at encounters with sea creatures, a sea giantess, and the figure of a Hermit in paradise. Along the way, we reflect on what these images might reveal about death, resurrection, the role of the saints, and how the spiritual world connects to our own. It's a conversation that opens up layers of meaning in a text that’s easy to overlook.
Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/2vxMu-NU6Rw
Part 1, The Voyage of St. Brendan: https://youtu.be/nlzEUV5sV2o?si=lsPwB1EmXLBIfs0w
SYMBOLISM MASTERCLASS
Join me this April for the Symbolism Masterclass, a 6-week deep dive into the essentials of symbolic thinking. Over 18 immersive hours, I'll guide you through the framework behind everything I've explored in 500+ videos—from heaven and earth to dragons, fairies, kings, conspiracies, Darwin, the Bible, and beyond.
Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/symbolism-masterclass
🗓 Dates: Live classes every Wednesday at 1-4 PM Central / 2-5 PM Eastern time: 4/23, 4/30, 5/7, 5/14, 5/21, 5/28
⏰ Class Length: 3 hours each session
💰 Cost: $175 (Patrons at the Involved tier or higher qualify for 10% off)
While Richard's course on Tolkien and Universal History is over, you can still buy the course and get access to all the lecture recordings and resources here: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/tolkien-and-universal-history
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
01:06 - Intro music
01:37 - Introduction
03:41 - Pascha on the back of a monster
06:29 - A whale
14:06 - The giant mermaid
22:10 - The sequence of events
26:48 - Until the Last Judgement
33:00 - Don't worry about it
40:49 - Baptism
43:42 - Garments of skin
51:34 - Confronting demonic forces
58:08 - Brendan in paradise
01:09:00 - Brendan comes to Britain
01:26:49 - The death of St Brendan
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Tue, 06 May 2025 - 1h 35min - 391 - 391 - The Controversy over "Christ is King"
A few weeks ago, a study came out criticizing the use of the phrase "Christ is King"—and it stirred up a lot of strong reactions, including my own. In this video, I take you through the symbolism, history, and deeper meaning behind this expression, and I share why I believe its resurgence today is both important and complicated. I’ll also reflect on how identity naturally includes and excludes—and why that's not something we should fear.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/_9_PWSOgK5w
The study in question: https://networkcontagion.us/reports/3-13-25-thy-name-in-vain-how-online-extremists-hijacked-christ-is-king/
SYMBOLISM MASTERCLASS
Join me this April for the Symbolism Masterclass, a 6-week deep dive into the essentials of symbolic thinking. Over 18 immersive hours, I'll guide you through the framework behind everything I've explored in 500+ videos—from heaven and earth to dragons, fairies, kings, conspiracies, Darwin, the Bible, and beyond.
Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/symbolism-masterclass
🗓 Dates: Live classes every Wednesday at 1-4 PM Central / 2-5 PM Eastern time: 4/23, 4/30, 5/7, 5/14, 5/21, 5/28
⏰ Class Length: 3 hours each session
💰 Cost: $175 (Patrons at the Involved tier or higher qualify for 10% off)
Join us for the ORTHODOX ARTS FESTIVAL, learn more here: https://www.orthodoxartsfestivaldfw.com/
Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/Tue, 29 Apr 2025 - 16min
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