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The Symbolic World

The Symbolic World

By: Jonathan Pageau
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 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.Copyright Jonathan Pageau Social Sciences Spirituality
Episodes
  • 430 - JP Marceau - The Mythology of Demographic Collapse

    430 - JP Marceau - The Mythology of Demographic Collapse
    Jan 9 2026
    In this interview, I sat down with Jean-Philippe Marceau—author of Post-Reductionist Christianity, our very first theory book at Symbolic World Press—to discuss his surprising and widely praised new Symbolic World article on the emerging global demographic crisis.

    We discuss the falling birth rates and all its symbolic, scriptural, political, economic, and technological implications and causes. JP’s article likens today’s demographic collapse to the biblical Flood, looking at the dangers of both progressive dissolution and a reactionary overcorrection, proving the fact that the future belongs to those who build families grounded in meaning and tradition.

    YouTube version: https://youtu.be/SBrTYadO3kE

    Check out JP’s article, ‘Is This the Flood? Is Babel Next?’: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/content/is-this-the-flood-is-babel-next

    JP's book: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/products/post-reductionist-christianity-a-way-out-of-the-meaning-crisis
    ===================================
    COURSE: The Quest for the Holy Grail, with Dr. Martin Shaw

    Register now and get a FREE ebook of Dr. Martin Shaw's Snowy Tower: Parzival and the Wet Black Branch of Language!

    In the dark heart of January, when the nights are long and the world draws close, Dr. Martin Shaw returns to the Symbolic World to tell one of the greatest stories of the Medieval imagination: Parzival and the Holy Grail.
    From Monday through Friday, January 12–16, 2026, one of the world's great living storytellers will unspool the medieval epic that Joseph Campbell called the epicenter of Western myth. He’ll be lighting his fire, puffing a cigar, sipping on a whisky, and letting one of the greatest stories of all time lead us where it must.
    Clear your evenings. Put another log on the fire. This is the storytelling event of the year.

    🗓 Live classes will be over 5 consecutive days, January 12th-16th at 12pm-2pm EST
    💰 Price: $160 USD (Involved patrons qualify for 10% off, apply code at checkout.)
    All recordings will be made available on the same day.
    Register today: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-quest-for-the-holy-grail
    ===================================

    Timestamps:
    00:00 - Coming up
    00:53 - Intro music
    02:20 - Introduction to Demography and Its Significance
    05:15 - Genetics and Political Ideologies
    08:26 - Biblical Parallels: The Flood and Modern Society
    11:24 - The Consequences of the Sexual Revolution
    14:34 - Historical Patterns: Rome and Its Decline
    17:56 - The Watchers
    20:18 - Population and the WW2 Consensus
    22:25 - The Impact of Cultural and Religious Practices
    25:29 - The Challenge of Economic Systems
    29:49 - The Only Way Out

    💻 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/
    Show More Show Less
    41 mins
  • 429 - Martin Shaw - Longing and Mystery: The Quest for the Holy Grail

    429 - Martin Shaw - Longing and Mystery: The Quest for the Holy Grail
    Jan 1 2026
    In this conversation, I sit down with storyteller and mythologist Martin Shaw to explore the Holy Grail. We talk about desire and longing, failure and mercy, chivalry and the feminine, and why the Grail stories continue to be relevant across centuries.

    YouTube version: https://youtu.be/3qDkPUsle3M

    COURSE: The Quest for the Holy Grail with Dr. Martin Shaw
    In the dark heart of January, when the nights are long and the world draws close, Dr. Martin Shaw returns to Symbolic World Courses for an intensive week-long journey to tell one of the greatest stories of the Medieval imagination: Parzival and the Holy Grail.
    Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-quest-for-the-holy-grail
    Cost: $160 USD
    Dates of live course: January 12-16, 2026
    Time: 12 PM-2 PM EST, except for Lecture 3 (January 14) which will be at 4PM-6PM EST

    Links:
    -Pre-order Martin Shaw’s upcoming book, Liturgies of the Wild, to get an exclusive chapter: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/741189/liturgies-of-the-wild-by-martin-shaw/
    -Martin’s other books, including Snowy Tower: https://drmartinshaw.com/books/

    Events:
    -February 13-15, 2026, Orthodox Christian Arts Festival (Praise for the Beauty) in Texas, with speakers including Martin Shaw and Deacon Seraphim Richard Rohlin: https://www.orthodoxartsfestivaldfw.com/
    -January 27, 2026, London, The Temenos Academy. Seeing the Patterned World: the Cosmos as Layered Microcosms, a talk by Jonathan Pageau with Dr. Martin Shaw in the chair. £10 General Admission. The Art Workers' Guild, 6 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AT. Doors open at 6.10 pm, lecture begins at 6.30 pm. https://www.temenosacademy.org/events-programme/seeing-the-patterned-world

    Some other links of things mentioned:
    -Jonathan and Dcn Seraphim’s recent course on Dante’s Paradiso: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-paradiso
    -Jonathan’s analysis of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Part 1: https://youtu.be/Rg5RDZ7mMKo and Part 2: https://youtu.be/1ch1T24-W7Q
    -The Monks and Pirates discussion with Andrew Gould: https://youtu.be/WjMadP6DScM
    -Universal History: The American Religion episode: https://youtu.be/0_RKBPaQAyk

    💻 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/
    Show More Show Less
    57 mins
  • 428 - Why they want you to think Christmas is pagan

    428 - Why they want you to think Christmas is pagan
    Dec 24 2025
    In this video I discuss the persistence of the idea that Christmas was "stolen" by Christians from the pagans, or that it's secretly still pagan. Merry Christmas everyone. Christ is born!

    YouTube version: https://youtu.be/uh6rhiTrTnk
    Christmas symbolism playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVX4HUUPrIY9MeGP5IILeRzu62Q1NPT4C

    NEW COURSE: The Quest for the Holy Grail with Dr. Martin Shaw
    In the dark heart of January, when the nights are long and the world draws close, Dr. Martin Shaw returns to Symbolic World Courses for an intensive week-long journey to tell one of the greatest stories of the Medieval imagination: Parzival and the Holy Grail.
    Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-quest-for-the-holy-grail
    Cost: $160 USD
    Dates of live course: January 12-16, 2026
    Time: 12 PM-2 PM EST, except for Lecture 3 (January 14) which will be at 4PM-6PM EST

    💻 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/
    Show More Show Less
    20 mins
All stars
Most relevant
Always essential listening for anyone curious about the symbolic meaning of all around us. Jonathan has been critical for my own personal journey back into faith, breathing life over the cold rocks of a religious education that left me, and many others, nihilistic, morally relativistic and confused. His discussions and monologues are more akin to reading Teresa of Avila than anything else as it provides a sense of kinship with those artists, speaking personally, who encounter and exist in the liminal space between the narrative world and the profane and would otherwise feel thoroughly insane. When you experience the synchronicities in the world, reading the mystics, learning from artists like Cecil Collins and listening to the words of Jonathan Pageau and his network is a restorative balm. Thanks Jonathan, you're a legend

Essential Jonathan Pageau

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Podcaster's way too bothered about the portrayal of strong women in pop culture. Boring.

Not worth my time

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