The Symbolic World

Jonathan Pageau
  • 4.8 (843)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Jonathan Pageau looks at symbolism in all its forms, from its source in sacred stories and images to contemporary culture and ultimately how it shapes the world we encounter.

  1. 1D AGO

    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 ==================== 💻 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/

    55 min

  2. 5D AGO

    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/

    1h 9m

  3. JAN 9

    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 =================================== 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/

    41 min

  4. JAN 1

    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/

    57 min

  5. 12/24/2025

    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/

    20 min

  6. 12/18/2025

    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/

    1h 14m

  7. 12/11/2025

    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/

    39 min

  8. 12/08/2025

    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/

    11 min
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4.8
out of 5
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About

Jonathan Pageau looks at symbolism in all its forms, from its source in sacred stories and images to contemporary culture and ultimately how it shapes the world we encounter.

Information

  • Creator
    Jonathan Pageau
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    430
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Jonathan Pageau
  • Show Website
    The Symbolic World

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