Episodios

  • 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 m
  • 408 - Andrew Gould & Michael Diamant - Architecture: The Most Important Art

    408 - Andrew Gould & Michael Diamant - Architecture: The Most Important Art
    Aug 30 2025
    In this conversation I’m joined by Andrew Gould and Michael Diamant to explore the importance of traditional architecture and city planning. We discuss why so much of our built environment feels alienating, how modernism abandoned human proportion and beauty, and why recovering classical forms matters for culture, community, and even our spiritual lives.

    Michael shares the story of the Architecture Uprising movement across Europe, and Andrew explains how he approaches designing buildings that are rooted in tradition yet alive for today. Together we reflect on how beauty is not just a luxury—it’s essential for human flourishing.

    Youtube version: https://youtu.be/uS_3FB7foVc?si=5zMFNf8ALUUAov9d

    Architects, go to https://newtrad.org/
    Follow Michael on X / Twitter: https://x.com/michael_diamant
    Andrew Gould's website: https://newworldbyzantine.com/
    Follow Andrew on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrew.gould.1401

    Buy Rapunzel and the Evil Witch: https://rapunzelbook.com/

    Timestamps:
    00:00 - Coming up
    00:48 - Intro music
    01:13 - Introduction
    06:14 - What's great about ugly architecture?
    09:27 - Politics
    10:51 - The Brutalist
    13:03 - City planning
    15:28 - Density
    20:28 - What is driving the madness?
    27:03 - The options for architects
    30:17 - What architecture is today
    34:26 - Classical beauty
    40:10 - Bad classical architecture
    45:52 - Defending your culture
    51:05 - Andrew Gould's work
    01:01:02 - Architectural fashion
    01:04:58 - The film industry

    💻 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 y 13 m
  • 407 - Heather Pollington - Rapunzel and the Evil Witch

    407 - Heather Pollington - Rapunzel and the Evil Witch
    Aug 29 2025
    📖 RAPUNZEL AND THE EVIL WITCH IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR SALE: https://rapunzelbook.com/

    Heather Pollington and I are thrilled to share our brand-new storybook with you, 'Rapunzel and the Evil Witch'! Following 'Snow White and the Widow Queen' and 'Jack and the Fallen Giants', this third fairy tale feels like the culmination of our work so far. With this book you’ll begin to notice the different threads connecting across the series. Heather has created stunning illustrations that weave medieval and Byzantine influences into a style perfectly suited to the fairy tale world.

    In this episode, we walk through the process behind the book, the symbolism of Rapunzel’s story, and what's unique about our version of the story. We show many of the book's illustrations. I can't wait to hear what you think!

    YouTube version: https://youtu.be/aEWgHif0NS8

    Timestamps:
    00:00 - Announcement and opening
    01:36 - Intro music
    02:02 - Introduction
    03:41 - Heather's journey to Rapunzel
    06:40 - Critiques of fairy tales
    07:46 - Tangled
    10:12 - Exploring Rapunzel imagery
    10:24 - Early sketches
    12:14 - Iconography and Palekh fairy tale tradition
    15:54 - Frontispiece
    17:51 - Green flowers
    20:12 - The witch's garden
    22:59 - The dark exchange
    25:48 - The circle of protection
    28:55 - A sense of freedom
    30:43 - The moon tower
    35:04 - The haunting melody
    37:40 - Love in the tower
    41:47 - The dream
    43:27 - Flax into gold
    46:02 - Rain from heaven
    53:43 - The wooden throne
    56:28 - Order

    💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
    🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
    🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe

    NEW COURSE: Jubilees and the Nephilim, by Fr. Stephen De Young
    - Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/jubilees-and-the-nephilim
    - Course Length: 6 Weeks, 12 Hours
    - Dates: Live classes are on Tuesday at 7 - 9 pm Central Time, starting August 19th through September 23rd, 2025
    - Participants will be given access to lesson recordings.
    - The course is hosted on the Symbolic World Circle Community platform. Sign up as a free member before making your purchase.
    - Price: 180 USD, Involved patrons qualify for 10% discount.
    Step into the strange and revelatory world of the Book of Jubilees, an ancient retelling of Genesis that shaped ancient Jewish thought and still echoes through Christian tradition. In this course, Fr. Stephen De Young guides students through the book’s expansion of biblical history, unveiling the significance of the fall of the angels, the rise of the Nephilim, and the heavenly origins of the feasts of the Old and New Testaments. Along the way, he'll explore how Jubilees reinterprets creation, demonology, and the prophetic structure of time, and why these themes mattered not only to Second Temple Judaism, but to later Christian understandings of the unseen world.

    Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
    My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
    Más Menos
    1 h y 2 m
  • 406 - Symbolism Explained: The Fundamental WWII Duality That Still Haunts Us Today

    406 - Symbolism Explained: The Fundamental WWII Duality That Still Haunts Us Today
    Aug 19 2025
    In this episode, I explore the symbolism of World War II through the imagery of the Axis and the Allies. Beyond politics, these symbols reveal a deeper story about unity and multiplicity—the tension between the “one” and the “many.” I look at how the propaganda and narratives of that time shaped the post-war consensus we still live in today, and why those stories are now reaching their limits. My hope is to help you see how these patterns influence our culture and why finding balance is so important.

    YouTube version: https://youtu.be/vLpEDlgEleg

    Visit https://www.rapunzelbook.com to pre-order our new fairy tale story, Rapunzel and the Evil Witch.

    NEW COURSE: Jubilees and the Nephilim, by Fr. Stephen De Young
    - Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/jubilees-and-the-nephilim
    - Course Length: 6 Weeks, 12 Hours
    - Dates: Live classes are on Tuesday at 7 - 9 pm Central Time, starting August 19th through September 23rd, 2025
    - Participants will be given access to lesson recordings.
    - The course is hosted on the Symbolic World Circle Community platform. Sign up as a free member before making your purchase.
    - Price: 180 USD, Involved patrons qualify for 10% discount.

    Step into the strange and revelatory world of the Book of Jubilees, an ancient retelling of Genesis that shaped ancient Jewish thought and still echoes through Christian tradition. In this course, Fr. Stephen De Young guides students through the book’s expansion of biblical history, unveiling the significance of the fall of the angels, the rise of the Nephilim, and the heavenly origins of the feasts of the Old and New Testaments. Along the way, he'll explore how Jubilees reinterprets creation, demonology, and the prophetic structure of time, and why these themes mattered not only to Second Temple Judaism, but to later Christian understandings of the unseen world.

    💻 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/
    Más Menos
    21 m
  • 405 - Fr. Josiah Trenham - Marriage: The Bedrock of Civilization

    405 - Fr. Josiah Trenham - Marriage: The Bedrock of Civilization
    Aug 5 2025
    In this episode, Father Josiah Trenham returns to the podcast for us to talk about the profound meaning and cosmic significance of marriage. We explore why marriage is a crucial civilizational cornerstone rooted in divine order, not only from a Christian perspective, but universally in all flourishing societies. We discuss how it compares to and co-exists with monasticism and the meaning of marriage and the wedding ceremony not just as a gate to self-fulfillment and a joyful experience, but also as self-sacrifice. We also discuss how rediscovering the beauty of marriage can help restore sanity in our fragmented secular world.

    This conversation is also a preview of the upcoming Marriage Conference in Riverside, CA (Oct. 10–12), where I’ll be speaking alongside Father Josiah, Archbishop Cordileone, Dr. Brad Wilcox, and others. Learn more at https://www.themarriageconference.com/

    Subscribe to Fr. Josiah's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PatristicNectarFilms

    —
    NEW COURSE: Jubilees and the Nephilim, by Fr. Stephen De Young

    - Catch the early bird special of 15% off with code: EARLYJUBILEES, valid until 11:59 pm EST (midnight) of August 8th.
    - Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/jubilees-and-the-nephilim
    - Course Length: 6 Weeks, 12 Hours
    - Dates: Live classes are on Tuesday at 7 - 9 pm Central Time, starting August 19th through September 23rd, 2025
    - Participants will be given access to lesson recordings.
    - The course is hosted on the Symbolic World Circle Community platform. Sign up as a free member before making your purchase.
    - Price: 180 USD
    Step into the strange and revelatory world of the Book of Jubilees, an ancient retelling of Genesis that shaped ancient Jewish thought and still echoes through Christian tradition. In this course, Fr. Stephen De Young guides students through the book’s expansion of biblical history, unveiling the significance of the fall of the angels, the rise of the Nephilim, and the heavenly origins of the feasts of the Old and New Testaments. Along the way, he'll explore how Jubilees reinterprets creation, demonology, and the prophetic structure of time, and why these themes mattered not only to Second Temple Judaism, but to later Christian understandings of the unseen world.

    —
    Timestamps:
    00:00 - Coming up
    01:00 - Intro music
    01:24 - Introduction
    04:01 - Marriage, monasticism, and St. John the Baptist
    09:16 - The symbiosis between monasticism and marriage
    12:32 - Why marriage fails
    16:14 - The fruits of abandoning marriage
    21:37 - Contract
    24:15 - Acknowledge the ideal
    27:53 - The nuclear and extended family
    29:40 - The crowns
    34:23 - A new independent union
    38:03 - Aspects of marriage
    43:19 - Refined love
    45:42 - Pagan monogamy
    50:39 - Marrying young
    55:18 - 50s Housewife vs boss babe
    57:01 - Having children
    01:00:39 - Hopes
    Más Menos
    1 h y 8 m
  • 404 - Fr. Stephen De Young - How to Read Extra-Biblical Texts Like Jubilees (and Why It Matters)

    404 - Fr. Stephen De Young - How to Read Extra-Biblical Texts Like Jubilees (and Why It Matters)
    Jul 31 2025
    Fr. Stephen De Young returns to the channel to explore how we should approach extra-Biblical literature—looking especially at the Book of Jubilees in anticipation of his upcoming Symbolic World course: Jubilees and the Nephilim. We discuss a different, more ancient way of doing theology—through story, ritual, poetry, and image rather than flat modern academic argument. If you’ve ever wondered how texts like Jubilees, Enoch, or the Lives of Adam and Eve connect to Christian theology, this conversation is for you.

    YouTube version: https://youtu.be/poAELqTQTo0

    NEW COURSE: Jubilees and the Nephilim, by Fr. Stephen De Young
    - Catch the early bird special of 15% off with code: EARLYJUBILEES, valid until 11:59 pm EST (midnight) of August 8th.
    - Price: 180 USD (Discounted to 158 USD)
    - Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/jubilees-and-the-nephilim
    - Course Length: 6 Weeks, 12 Hours
    - Dates: Live classes are on Tuesday at 7 - 9 pm Central Time, starting August 19th through September 23rd, 2025
    - Participants will be given access to lesson recordings.
    - The course is hosted on the Symbolic World Circle Community platform. Sign up as a free member before making your purchase.

    Step into the strange and revelatory world of the Book of Jubilees, an ancient retelling of Genesis that shaped ancient Jewish thought and still echoes through Christian tradition. In this course, Fr. Stephen De Young guides students through the book’s expansion of biblical history, unveiling the significance of the fall of the angels, the rise of the Nephilim, and the heavenly origins of the feasts of the Old and New Testaments. Along the way, he'll explore how Jubilees reinterprets creation, demonology, and the prophetic structure of time, and why these themes mattered not only to Second Temple Judaism, but to later Christian understandings of the unseen world.

    Timestamps
    00:00 - Coming up
    00:55 - Intro music
    01:20 - Introduction
    02:11 - Jubilees
    05:08 - A different way of doing theology
    15:23 - Why do we have peripheral stories?
    22:34 - The twelfth apostle
    24:16 - Blood libel
    27:09 - Adam's skull
    31:19 - Sacred geography
    34:09 - The sacramental reality
    39:01 - The modern trade
    41:52 - UFOs, psychedelics, and materialism
    44:43 - Reading extra-biblical texts and Jubilees
    47:53 - What can extra-biblical traditions offer us?

    💻 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/
    Más Menos
    52 m
  • 403 - Why you might want to watch the new Superman movie

    403 - Why you might want to watch the new Superman movie
    Jul 25 2025
    In this episode I reflect on the symbolism behind Superman as a figure rooted in American mythology and post-WWII identity. I also discuss the new Superman movie by James Gunn, which actually has an interesting twist that can help us understand not just the superhero archetype, but also the crucial and relevant question of the immigrant or convert.

    https://youtu.be/RByli5eMoP8

    Rapunzel and the Evil Witch is coming in August—and you can pre-order it now. If you missed the first 1,000 copies (which sold out in 26 hours!), here’s your chance next to get it. Pre-orders come with the audiobook I recorded and a companion worksheet to explore the story with your family. Go to https://www.rapunzelbook.com/ and get ready—this is where the fairy tales start to weave together.

    💻 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/
    Más Menos
    25 m
  • 402 - Universal History - Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin - The Spirits Beneath America: Fairies and Founding Fathers

    402 - Universal History - Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin - The Spirits Beneath America: Fairies and Founding Fathers
    Jul 19 2025
    In this episode of Universal History, I sit down with Deacon Seraphim (Richard Rohlin) on the 4th of July to explore the topic of fairies and titular spirits, especially as it relates to the US. We discuss America’s founding, the myth of Oedipus, heroes and monsters, boundaries of identity, stories of water spirits and crossing into territories, all to ask the question of whether fairies can be saved. As always, we’re weaving together myth, symbolism, and cultural insight to help reveal the patterns behind the stories that shape our world.

    Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/htXHJ1WRSAg

    Pre-order our new fairy tale story book, Rapunzel and the Evil Witch: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/products/rapunzel-and-the-evil-witch

    COURSE: Scripture: The Key to Reality, presented by Seraphim Hamilton
    This course is designed to help students appreciate the unique role the Bible plays in helping us step into the world as it truly is: a symbolic revelation of the Infinite God. Scripture is symbolic because it is a revelation of Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is the Archetype of the World. In a way, then, Scripture enfolds within itself the totality of the world, guiding its hearers to see an icon of Christ in each of God’s creatures: from trees to beasts to priests.
    - Live classes are on Tuesday at 2 - 4 pm Eastern Time, starting June 10th through July 22nd, 2025
    - Class Length: 5 sessions, 10 hours total
    - Cost: 120 USD (108 USD for Involved patrons)
    - Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/scripture-the-key-to-reality

    💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
    🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
    🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe

    Timestamps:
    00:00 - Coming up
    01:45 - Intro music
    02:12 - Introduction
    04:22 - Titular spirits
    10:03 - Oedipus: From the Bronze age
    16:47 - A daemon / titular spirit
    18:40 - Heroes becoming spirits
    19:54 - The encounter with the Sphinx
    21:46 - Killing a monsters
    26:41 - Purification and the furies
    31:43 - Understanding: Christ the Key
    39:37 - America
    46:23 - What are fairies
    53:15 - Artifacts
    58:08 - Magic
    01:00:38 - 3 Stories about faeries
    01:01:31 - Story 1
    01:06:30 - Tying it in with St. Christopher
    01:07:25 - Story 2
    01:11:32 - Commentary
    01:18:02 - Story 3
    01:27:08 - American aboriginals

    Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
    My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
    Más Menos
    1 h y 36 m