Épisodes

  • 416 - Tangled: The Triumph of Self-Realization

    416 - Tangled: The Triumph of Self-Realization
    Oct 17 2025
    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/
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    22 min
  • 415 - Charlie Kirk's Assassination: We have gone beyond the pale

    415 - Charlie Kirk's Assassination: We have gone beyond the pale
    Oct 10 2025
    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/
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    25 min
  • 414 - Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin (Universal History) - American Folk Magic and Christianity: From the Reformation to Mormonism

    414 - Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin (Universal History) - American Folk Magic and Christianity: From the Reformation to Mormonism
    Oct 3 2025
    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/
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    1 h et 29 min
  • 413 - Heidi White - The Divided Soul: Duty and Desire in Literature and Life

    413 - Heidi White - The Divided Soul: Duty and Desire in Literature and Life
    Sep 25 2025
    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/
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    48 min
  • 412 - The Age of Self-Esteem

    412 - The Age of Self-Esteem
    Sep 22 2025
    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/
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    27 min
  • 411 - Dr. Michael Levin & Dr. John Vervaeke - Brave New Biology: Intelligence Trumps DNA

    411 - Dr. Michael Levin & Dr. John Vervaeke - Brave New Biology: Intelligence Trumps DNA
    Sep 20 2025
    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/
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    1 h et 24 min
  • 410 - Fractals: The World Is Full of Meaning (Midwestuary talk)

    410 - Fractals: The World Is Full of Meaning (Midwestuary talk)
    Sep 12 2025
    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/
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    46 min
  • 409 - The Strange Symbolism of K-Pop Demon Hunters: Shame, Attention, LGBT, Jung

    409 - The Strange Symbolism of K-Pop Demon Hunters: Shame, Attention, LGBT, Jung
    Sep 5 2025
    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/
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    26 min