The Symbolic World

This video is a response to Jordan Peterson’s analysis of Pinocchio and the notion of saving your father from the underworld. How does this idea fit into Christianity? At first it seems that Christ’s story flips the pattern, where He is saved by the underworld by His Father, but is there more to it? Original video: https://youtu.be/K3eF7rQjMTo - The Symbolic World website and blog: http://www.thes...

This is a repost from my conversation with Bernardo Kastrup on the More Christ podcast and YouTube channel. We discuss dissociation and the problem of unity and multiplicity, how the Western mind approaches the world and what we have lost in modernity, banality, heavenly hierarchy and transcendence, crisis in the West and recovering the sacramental life without sentimentality. Bio (from his websit...

This is the monthly YouTube Q&A livestream, where I answer questions that patrons of $10/month or more submit on my website, Subscribestar and Patreon. Support: - Website: https://thesymbolicworld.com/support/ - Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/pageauvideos - Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/jonathan-pageau - Paypal: http://www.paypal.me/JonathanPageau Original stream: https://youtu...

This is part one of a series of discussions on the symbolism of the far east with Richard Rohlin, as part of our Universal History series. Today’s discussion will set a foundation for the upcoming episodes about the mongols, Prester John and other medieval legends. Original video: https://youtu.be/OoKxq9QFx2c Full Universal History playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVX4HUUPrIY_M2uZP3yW6...

Original video: https://youtu.be/a9VeKqd6szA This is my third conversation with Dr. Paula Boddington. This time we talk about agency, consciousness, digital ID, security, power and the mythology of technology, and how artificial intelligence plays into our desires and our notions of what a human being is. Dr. Boddington is the author of "Towards a Code of Ethics for Artificial Intelligence". She i...

In this video I discuss the symbolic meaning of sacrifice in general, why it’s a human universal and how we still engage with ritualistic sacrifice today. There are many different examples of sacrifice, not only killings, but offering and dedication for initiation into a group, as tribute or taxes, remembering the dead, to found a city or a home etc. Finally I talk about how Christianity solves th...

Fr. Bogdan teaches patristics at St. Vladimir’s Seminary and in this video we discuss the story of the Road to Emmaus where the disciples encountered the resurrected Christ. We explore what this story means for how we can understand the resurrection and how the church fathers interpret Scripture and what it means for us today as we encounter the world around us. Fr. Bogdan’s work: https://www.svot...

This is the monthly YouTube Q&A livestream, where I answer questions that patrons of $10/month or more submit on my website, Subscribestar and Patreon. Support: - Website: https://thesymbolicworld.com/support/ - Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/pageauvideos - Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/jonathan-pageau - Paypal: http://www.paypal.me/JonathanPageau Original stream: https://youtu...

In this Universal History episode Richard Rohlin and I talk about holy week and the idea of marriage as the basis of civilization alongside René Girard's idea of the sacrifice and the scapegoat. - Original video: https://youtu.be/hHWcDQ8UZho - Universal History series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVX4HUUPrIY_M2uZP3yW6EEiod3fGD6FD Books mentioned: - The Ancient City A Study On The Religion L...

This is my second conversation with Paul Kingsnorth where we talk about his brilliant substack, called The Abbey of Misrule, civilization and control, the power of the state and our technological systems, the matrix, politics, what it takes for communities to survive, our relationship to technology and how we should orient ourselves in the coming trials. Our previous conversation: Environmentalism...

I recently gave a talk at a college in Quebec about the book of Enoch and how it relates to the modern world and our ecological apocalyptic narrative. It was titled "Fallen Angels and the Contemporary Crisis". This is an English translation of that talk. Original video: https://youtu.be/QtmLCK1keFI - The Symbolic World website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com - Merch: http://www.thesymbol...

This is the monthly YouTube Q&A livestream, where I answer questions that patrons of $10/month or more submit on my website, Subscribestar and Patreon. Support: - Website: https://thesymbolicworld.com/support/ - Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/pageauvideos - Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/jonathan-pageau - Paypal: http://www.paypal.me/JonathanPageau Original stream: https://youtu...

In this episode of the universal history series Richard Rohlin and I build on our previous discussion about Groundhog Day and its connection to the Orthodox feast of the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple, which is actually one of four winter feasts (The Entrance of the Theotokos to the Temple, the Nativity, Theophany and finally the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple). Together these four celebrati...

John Vervaeke and I continue where we left off in our last conversation, discussing the agency, intelligence and consciousness of interpersonal beings (angels) in both symbolic and secular terms. Original video: https://youtu.be/2BVjIOpV9KQ - The Symbolic World website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com - Merch: http://www.thesymbolicworld.store - Language of Creation, by Matthieu Pageau: h...

In this video I talk about why up to now I haven't been very vocal about the conflict in Ukraine, and why I'm paying close attention to what is happening and the patterns that loom over us. Original video: https://youtu.be/XHCT25T4GlU - The Symbolic World website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com - Merch: http://www.thesymbolicworld.store - Language of Creation, by Matthieu Pageau: https:/...

In this podcast episode I talk with American animator, writer, cartoonist, video game designer, and comic book artist, Doug TenNapel. He’s the author and illustrator of over 20 graphic novels and is most known for Earthworm Jim. We talk about Western storytelling, wokeness VS traditional stories, what the future holds, going to church, comic books and telling Christian stories in a secular world....

This is February's monthly YouTube Q&A livestream, where I answered questions that patrons of $10/month or more submitted on my website, Subscribestar and Patreon. The livestream was for patrons only. Original video: https://youtu.be/V8-3ELHxccE - The Symbolic World website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com - Merch: http://www.thesymbolicworld.store - Language of Creation, by Matthieu...

Fr. Silouan Justiniano is a hieromonk, Orthodox priest and artist. In my estimation he's one of the most important visual artists in North America today. In this interview we take a deep dive into contemporary art history, the traditional icon, and how the two connect. (Watch the corresponding YouTube video to see images of the art that we refer to in our conversation.) - Fr. Silouan's website: ht...

In this podcast I talk about the symbolism of a conservative rebel. The stories of David and King Saul in Scripture can tell us a lot about how we can act today to resist a tyrannical system in the proper manner and without revolution. Original video: https://youtu.be/nBHEX0odIMY - The Symbolic World website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com - Merch: http://www.thesymbolicworld.store - Lan...

Dr. Nathan Jacobs is a filmmaker, artist, scholar, writer and Orthodox Christian. He's the writer-director of the documentary film called Becoming Truly Human (2017), which looks at the religiously unaffiliated, or "Nones," as a growing demographic. In this conversation we discuss his journey to Orthodox Christianity and how it intersects with his work, the problems he experienced in Western Chris...

This podcast was developed from my monthly YouTube Q&A livestream, where I answer questions that patrons of $10/month or more submit on my website, Subscribestar and Patreon. The livestream was exclusive to patrons. Original stream: https://youtu.be/n0FzYdAyUlc The Symbolic World website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com Merch: http://www.thesymbolicworld.store Language of Creation, by...

In this episode of Universal History, Richard Rohlin and I dive more into American culture by exploring the forgotten Christian origins of Groundhog Day (2nd February). - Original video: https://youtu.be/dX6PZBS1Q9Q - Universal History YouTube playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVX4HUUPrIY_M2uZP3yW6EEiod3fGD6FD =========================== EVENT - Festival of Orthodox Christian Arts: (Feb...

I had a great conversation with YouTuber Styxhexenhammer666, who self-identifies as a pagan. A lot of his YouTube content is commentary on American politics and he also works on translating and editing occult literature. In this conversation we discuss the current crisis in the West, the middle ages VS encroaching modernity, how societies should be structured, globalism, individualism ,Christian m...

In this podcast I discuss the aspect of Antichrist that is weaponized compassion. I use the examples of Judas in Scripture and the 2016 film called ‘Silence’ as stark demonstrations of this pattern, that can help us to recognize it in our world today. Original video: https://youtu.be/cGUQSg5MwYU The Symbolic World website: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com Merch: http://www.thesymbolicworld.store La...

This podcast is a repost from a discussion I had with Sam Glenn, whose YouTube channel is dedicated to exploring philosophy. We discuss the symbolic reality of the bodies and agency of cities as principalities. Listeners might find it complementary to last my discussion with John Vervaeke, linked below. Sam and I also talk about how authority ideally functions, and modernity's relationship to auth...