Episodios

  • 443 - Kale Zelden - There’s Still Time to Read the Great Books
    Apr 1 2026
    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 reading tradition in a modern context. We talk about how to encounter old texts, what reading can contribute to our lives, and how to approach authors like Homer, Dante, and Shakespeare without reducing them to modern assumptions. We also explore the limits of the novel, modernism, postmodernism, irony, and the essential rediscovery of the epic.YouTube version: https://youtu.be/9zps7RIov44Kale’s Substack, The Underneath: https://kalezelden.substack.com/Join us at the Symbolic World Summit | May 14-16 | Ohio | Keynote speakers: Jonathan Pageau, Fr. Josiah Trenham, Mary Harrington, Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin, Kale Zelden, Annie Crawford, and Heather PollingtonBuy your tickets: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/ Learn more about Pavel Shchelin's phenomenal course on Plutarch, Live now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/plutarch-symbolism-in-historyTIMESTAMPS00:00 - Coming up01:07 - Intro music01:32 - Introduction02:09 - The state of education07:30 - First of all10:47 - The power of analogy13:11 - Select your curriculum21:05 - What is canon?33:24 - What are we moving towards39:20 - Allegory43:47 - What is modernism?47:50 - Great books program53:24 - What is the epic?BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS DISCUSSION:00:04:45 Augustine — Confessions — Spiritual autobiography, early Christian thought Plato — Dialogues — Philosophy of truth, justice, knowledge Aristotle — (various works) — Ethics, logic, metaphysics Church Fathers — (various writings) — Foundations of Christian theology00:06:20 Anne Rice — (novels) — Modern popular fiction Shakespeare — (general works) — Foundational drama Beowulf — Anonymous — Old English epic poem00:06:49 Plato — Dialogues — Rediscovered philosophical texts00:07:32 Shakespeare — Hamlet — Tragedy of revenge and doubt Dante — Divine Comedy — Vision of Hell, Purgatory, Heaven Chaucer — Canterbury Tales — Medieval storytelling Mary Shelley — Frankenstein — Creation and responsibility Milton — Paradise Lost — Epic of the Fall00:13:55 Kerouac — On the Road — Modern freedom and experience Camus — (e.g. The Stranger) — Existential philosophy00:14:31 Homer — Iliad, Odyssey — Foundational epics Plato — Apology, Republic — Justice and philosophy Shakespeare —Romeo and Juliet — Tragic loveJulius Caesar — Politics and betrayalMacbeth — Ambition and guiltA Midsummer Night’s Dream — Comedy and illusionKing Lear — Suffering and authorityHamlet — Existential tragedyThe Tempest — Reconciliation00:16:21 Dostoevsky — Crime and Punishment — Guilt and redemption Dostoevsky — The Brothers Karamazov — Faith and morality00:21:31 Voyage of St. Brendan — Medieval Christian voyage Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius — Apocalyptic text The Golden Legend — Jacobus de Voragine — Saints’ lives00:21:58 Cervantes — Don Quixote — Satire of chivalry, early novel00:22:51 Jane Austen — Pride and Prejudice — Social psychology00:23:59 Milton — Paradise Lost — (revisited, epic psychology)00:26:11 Faulkner — (novels) — Fragmented modern storytelling00:33:41 C.S. Lewis — On Stories — Defense of story over psychology C.S. Lewis — Abolition of Man — Critique of modern values C.S. Lewis — Miracles — Defense of the supernatural00:37:05 Sondheim — Into the Woods — Modern fairy tale deconstruction00:38:55 Rabelais — Gargantua and Pantagruel — Satirical, playful text00:44:06 Melville — Moby-Dick — Epic-scale novel Hemingway — The Sun Also Rises — Modern disillusionment00:49:42 Ovid — Metamorphoses — Mythic transformations00:46:13 (thinkers mentioned) Lyotard — Postmodern philosophy Derrida — Deconstruction Heidegger — Phenomenology00:53:14 Virgil — Aeneid — Roman epic Bible — (Moses narrative) — Epic of calling and suffering🔓 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 y 5 m
  • 442 - "Historical Accuracy" Can Miss the Point
    Mar 26 2026
    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 modern, mechanical thinking can actually invert meaning, using the example of Christ’s crucifixion.
    What matters most is not just the mechanical details of how something could have happened, but what it means and its actual implications.

    Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HXsbK_k8vn4

    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
    Don't miss out! Hope to see you there: https://symbolicworldsummit.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 - Involved patrons can get a 10% discount. Apply your code at checkout.
    Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/plutarch-symbolism-in-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

    Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
    My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
    Más Menos
    15 m
  • 441 - Mary Harrington - Technology, AI, and Cultural Memory
    Mar 20 2026
    In this conversation, I sat down with Mary Harrington about technology and the online world.
    Mary reflects on her path as a writer, the evolution of online culture, and the growing difficulty of discerning truth in the digital environment. We also touch on memory, embodiment, cancel culture, and politics.

    YouTube version: https://youtu.be/eeBZuA0S1ZE

    Mary will be speaking at the Symbolic World Summit. The theme of the conference is Retelling the Cosmic Epic, and Mary’s talk will be titled: 'Rebuild the Monasteries'
    Description:
    In an age of AI "slop" and flattened culture, how do we understand, and cultivate, what makes us distinctly human? Mary Harrington will argue that there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Premodern practices of memory and prayer, once cultivated in Europe's monasteries, can refresh our imaginations and salvage our human cultures in the digital age.
    Come join us at Woodside Event Center | Broadview Heights, Ohio | May 14-16, 2026
    Early Bird Pricing – Ends March 26th: Save $50 on both General Admission and VIP tickets
    Buy tickets now: https://symbolicworldsummit.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 - Involved patrons can get a 10% discount. Apply your code at checkout.
    Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/plutarch-symbolism-in-history
    =====

    Jonathan and Mary's discussion on Socrates in the City: https://youtu.be/nrsjZKPH4WA?si=kaM5zE2Qj-4XCD1K

    Timestamps:
    00:00 - Coming up
    01:07 - Intro music
    01:32 - Introduction
    02:14 - Mary's journey
    09:00 - The meaning of meaning
    10:46 - The singularity already happened
    12:53 - Being connected
    17:28 - The printing press industrial template
    20:52 - AI
    22:21 - Using AI
    25:47 - Internet platforms and politics
    32:10 - Being anonymous
    35:37 - Politics
    37:44 - The end of the printing press
    39:47 - The end of the industrial era
    42:46 - Cancel culture
    46:56 - Treasure houses

    🔓 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/
    Más Menos
    52 m
  • 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/
    Más Menos
    1 h y 4 m
  • 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
    Más Menos
    1 h y 24 m
  • 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/
    Más Menos
    1 h y 23 m
  • 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/
    Más Menos
    50 m
  • 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/
    Más Menos
    52 m