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.
Episodes
July 8, 2025 • 75 mins
I was invited to give this talk on Robin Hood in Nottingham—just a stone’s throw from Sherwood Forest—on the feast of Pentecost. What began as a reflection on a beloved folk hero opened into something deeper: a meditation on rebellion, trickery, legitimacy, and the strange holiness that's possible for jesters and outlaws. In this talk, I explore how Robin Hood, the Green Man, King David, and even figures from Islamic tradition and ...
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June 30, 2025 • 36 mins
I had the pleasure of speaking with filmmaker Josh David Jordan about his new movie El Tonto Por Cristo. It’s a black-and-white art film set in a Texas monastery — poetic, strange, and deeply moving. What struck me most is how the film weaves together powerful Orthodox imagery, the mystery of the holy fool, all with a totally unique visual language. This isn’t just a message movie — it’s real cinema.
Check out the Kickstarter and be...
Check out the Kickstarter and be...
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June 24, 2025 • 106 mins
What is spirit? This was one of my most meaningful conversations with John Vervaeke yet. As we prepare for the Midwestuary 2025 conference in Chicago, we explore how beings come into existence, the mystery of unity and multiplicity, and what’s really going on with AI, angels, and the spirit of community. John shares some powerful personal transformations as well. I hope you enjoy this deep dive into spirit, ontology, and meaning.
Yo...
Yo...
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June 11, 2025 • 72 mins
In this talk at the Orthodox Arts Festival of 2025, I share my vision for a renewal of Orthodox Christian art rooted in meaningful participation and true celebration. We are living through the collapse of modern aesthetics—art has become propaganda, entertainment, and distraction. But this cultural decomposition presents an opportunity for something truly transformative.
Orthodox art offers a profound alternative: not art as consump...
Orthodox art offers a profound alternative: not art as consump...
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May 31, 2025 • 64 mins
In this conversation, I sit down with composer and church musician Nicholas Reeves to explore one of the great mysteries: music. Why does music move us so deeply? How does it reflect symbolic patterns in reality? We discuss the ancient and modern roles of music—from sacred liturgies to EDM dance floors—and ask whether the liturgy might be the ultimate artwork. We also dive into the contrasts between order and chaos in sound, the co...
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May 23, 2025 • 51 mins
In this conversation, I talk with Seraphim Hamilton about how scripture does more than tell a story—it reveals a symbolic pattern that runs through all of creation. We dig into how the Bible presents the world as a kind of cosmic temple, and how that vision unfolds through the Tabernacle, the life of Christ, and the Church.
Seraphim brings a deep knowledge of scripture and tradition to the table, and we touch on some of the key them...
Seraphim brings a deep knowledge of scripture and tradition to the table, and we touch on some of the key them...
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May 16, 2025 • 66 mins
This is an informal roundtable discussion among friends and artists at the 2025 London ARC Conference that includes myself, Andrew Gould, Aidan Hart, Heather Pollington, Neil and Kate DeGraide from Dirt Poor Robins, Ben and Vesper Stamper, Martin Shaw, and John Heers. Amidst thousands of voices focused on policy and economics, we stepped aside to ask a deeper question: what does it mean to renew civilization through beauty?
Together...
Together...
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May 16, 2025 • 37 mins
Several years ago, I coined the phrase “watch the fool,” because in a world turned upside down, the fool can strangely point to what’s coming and in some ways play a role in restoring order —for good or for ill. For April 2025’s patron video, now opened up to the public, I reflect on how Kanye West has continued to play this role. He is not a prophet in the traditional sense, but a kind of tuning fork, embodying the contradictions ...
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May 13, 2025 • 41 mins
In this excerpt from the second lecture of the Symbolism Masterclass, I take you deeper than ever into one of the most powerful and mysterious patterns that underlies the cosmos. We explore the strange vision of Ezekiel, the meaning of the cosmic wheel, and how seemingly distant symbols—from pyramids to Christmas trees—are revealing the same fundamental structure.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/6wYPgrniyWo
Join us live for the res...
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/6wYPgrniyWo
Join us live for the res...
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May 6, 2025 • 95 mins
In this episode, Richard Rohlin and I continue our discussion of The Voyage of St. Brendan, focusing on some of the stranger episodes in the story. We look at encounters with sea creatures, a sea giantess, and the figure of a Hermit in paradise. Along the way, we reflect on what these images might reveal about death, resurrection, the role of the saints, and how the spiritual world connects to our own. It's a conversation that open...
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April 29, 2025 • 16 mins
A few weeks ago, a study came out criticizing the use of the phrase "Christ is King"—and it stirred up a lot of strong reactions, including my own. In this video, I take you through the symbolism, history, and deeper meaning behind this expression, and I share why I believe its resurgence today is both important and complicated. I’ll also reflect on how identity naturally includes and excludes—and why that's not something we should...
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April 23, 2025 • 116 mins
This is a talk I did a few years ago for the Jung Society of Montreal. In it I explore the creation story in Genesis not just as myth, but as a fractal map of how identity, being, and purpose function. In breaking down the symbolism I also make a case for why intelligence isn’t an accident, why rituals matter, and why participation of intelligent beings is foundational to reality. In the Q&A section we touch on group identity, ...
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April 16, 2025 • 57 mins
In this conversation, I sit down with Joe Allen to dig into the strange and unsettling territory where transhumanism and politics collide. We explore how politics is shaping the trajectory of technological development—and how, in turn, emerging tech like AI begins to shape us.
We talk about the deeper philosophical and spiritual undercurrents of transhumanism: the ego behind the machines, the myth of the disembodied mind, and the s...
We talk about the deeper philosophical and spiritual undercurrents of transhumanism: the ego behind the machines, the myth of the disembodied mind, and the s...
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April 7, 2025 • 50 mins
In this conversation with Mary Harrington, we explore how identity has evolved from the ancient idea of the soul to the concept of self and today how we talk and think about identity. We dive into how technology and AI shape this shift and why bringing back the soul might help us tackle modern challenges. We argue that purpose and hierarchy clarify identity in today’s mess of competing selves. We explore how swapping deep reading f...
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April 2, 2025 • 41 mins
In this episode I break down the meaning and symbolism in the 2022 show Severance starring Adam Scott. Let me know in the comments on YouTube if you want more content like this.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/4RgQ0Q4pgHA
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SYMBOLISM MASTERCLASS
Join me this April for the Symbolism Masterclass, a 6-week deep dive into the essentials of symbolic thinking. Over 18 immersive hours, I'll guide you through the framework behind everyth...
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/4RgQ0Q4pgHA
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SYMBOLISM MASTERCLASS
Join me this April for the Symbolism Masterclass, a 6-week deep dive into the essentials of symbolic thinking. Over 18 immersive hours, I'll guide you through the framework behind everyth...
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March 26, 2025 • 29 mins
This is my review of Disney's recent Snow White live-action remake.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/gk2koS8Eomg
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With all this attention on Snow White right now, we want to make sure that we're mostly celebrating this powerful story in our culture. So to do so, we're offering for the very last time a limited edition box set of our own Snow White story, Snow White and the Widow Queen. It's a leather bound book signed by m...
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/gk2koS8Eomg
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With all this attention on Snow White right now, we want to make sure that we're mostly celebrating this powerful story in our culture. So to do so, we're offering for the very last time a limited edition box set of our own Snow White story, Snow White and the Widow Queen. It's a leather bound book signed by m...
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March 22, 2025 • 66 mins
In this conversation I interview Peter Leithart, an American author, minister, and theologian, who serves as president of Theopolis Institute for Biblical, Liturgical, & Cultural Studies in Birmingham, Alabama. We discuss the origins, mission, and theological insights of Theopolis Institute and the influence of James B. Jordan, who wrote the influential book titled “Through New Eyes”. We further discuss the significance of bibl...
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March 15, 2025 • 100 mins
I recently had the privilege to visit Ralston College where I had a wonderful discussion with Gregg Hurwitz about meaning, art, and the future of culture. We also gave advice to the young students at Ralston College about navigating the life of an artist.
RALSTON COLLEGE: A revival and reinvention of the traditional university. A fellowship for anyone, anywhere who seeks the truth with courage.
While the review of applications for th...
RALSTON COLLEGE: A revival and reinvention of the traditional university. A fellowship for anyone, anywhere who seeks the truth with courage.
While the review of applications for th...
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March 9, 2025 • 74 mins
In this conversation with John Vervaeke and Christopher Mastropietro we discuss their collaborative work on the 'Awakening from the Meaning Crisis' project, exploring the dynamics of their partnership, the impact of their ideas on contemporary discourse, and the challenges of making complex concepts accessible. They delve into the importance of narrative in understanding philosophical ideas, the role of dialogical reasoning in writ...
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March 6, 2025 • 35 mins
The world is changing rapidly, and the transformation we’re witnessing—especially within the Church—has been astonishing. Across America, Orthodox churches are growing at an unprecedented rate, and cultural shifts that once seemed impossible are now unfolding before our eyes.
For this week's video, we revisit my very first public event with Jordan Peterson, at The Resurrection of Logos event, which took place at the University of ...
For this week's video, we revisit my very first public event with Jordan Peterson, at The Resurrection of Logos event, which took place at the University of ...
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