Épisodes

  • 440 - Dr. Zachary Porcu - Journey to Reality: De-Secularize Your Life

    440 - Dr. Zachary Porcu - Journey to Reality: De-Secularize Your Life
    Mar 12 2026
    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/
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    1 h et 4 min
  • 439 - Pavel Shchelin - Plutarch: Symbolism of History with Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin

    439 - Pavel Shchelin - Plutarch: Symbolism of History with Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin
    Mar 5 2026
    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/jonathanpageau
    Voir plus Voir moins
    1 h et 24 min
  • 438 - Universal History: The American Religion: Making Way for Mormonism

    438 - Universal History: The American Religion: Making Way for Mormonism
    Mar 2 2026
    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/
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    1 h et 23 min
  • 437 - Making Space for the Resurrection of Art (Makers and Mystics)

    437 - Making Space for the Resurrection of Art (Makers and Mystics)
    Feb 26 2026
    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/
    Voir plus Voir moins
    50 min
  • 436 - Reflections on the Void: negativity and difference in the Bible and contemporary thinking

    436 - Reflections on the Void: negativity and difference in the Bible and contemporary thinking
    Feb 19 2026
    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/
    Voir plus Voir moins
    52 min
  • 435 - The Song of Creation (Charleston talk)

    435 - The Song of Creation (Charleston talk)
    Feb 12 2026
    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/
    Voir plus Voir moins
    1 h et 5 min
  • 434 - Immigration and Tolerance: Christians Are Not Called to Be “Nice”

    434 - Immigration and Tolerance: Christians Are Not Called to Be “Nice”
    Feb 12 2026
    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/
    Voir plus Voir moins
    21 min
  • 433 - Symbolism Happens! The Mandela Effect Is Not a Glitch in the Matrix

    433 - Symbolism Happens! The Mandela Effect Is Not a Glitch in the Matrix
    Jan 30 2026
    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/
    Voir plus Voir moins
    23 min