The Symbolic World
Channel Details
The Symbolic World
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.
Recent Episodes
463 episodes
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 ve...
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 C...
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...
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 sto...
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 th...
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 (Ada...
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
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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 man...
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 lockdown...
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://yout...
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...
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 t...
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 centra...
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 mean...
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 re...
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 intern...
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 c...
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...
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 occ...
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 th...
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 symbol...
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 gener...
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 r...
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 mod...
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 evolutio...
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 explai...
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...
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 r...
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 reveal...
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,...
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...
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....
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...
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 G...
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...
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—...
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...
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. Merr...
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.
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 cl...