Episodes

  • 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/
    Show More Show Less
    23 mins
  • 432 - Yelena Popovic - Moses the Black

    432 - Yelena Popovic - Moses the Black
    Jan 25 2026
    I speak with filmmaker Yelena Popovic, who viewers may recognize as the director of the stunning film of the life of St. Nektarios of Aegina, Man of God (2021). In this interview we discuss her upcoming film, Moses the Black, releasing January 30th of this year. We talk about film making, her inspiration for the film, the people involved, the life story of St. Moses the Black, and repentance in general in the Orthodox faith.

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

    Film synopsis: Released from prison, a feared Chicago gang leader returns home to avenge the murder of his closest friend. As rival gangs and a corrupt cop close in, he must confront a past that refuses to let go.
    Release date: 30 January 2026 (USA)
    Director: Yelena Popovic
    Producers: Yelena Popovic, Alexandros Potter, Jelena Popović, Brett Hays
    Executive producers: Omar Epps, 50 Cent, Wiz Khalifa et al.
    Production companies: G-Unit Films and Television Inc., Simeon Entertainment, LLC, BrooklynWorks Films
    Running time: 1h 50m

    Theatres Showtimes Ticket Link: https://hubs.la/Q03Znnjy0

    Stay up to date about the film:
    Trailer: https://youtu.be/iZzpiu8L21Y?si=ZxXRxWuiL_yosuEY
    Website: https://simeonfaith.com/films/moses-the-black-2024
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mosestheblackmovie
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mosestheblackmovie/
    IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32542065/

    Timestamps:
    00:00 - Coming up
    01:14 - Intro music
    01:39 - Start
    02:32 - Introducing St. Moses the Black
    08:50 - St. Moses' death
    13:32 - The movie vs the hagiography
    31:29 - A harsh redemption
    35:13 - Sorry is not enough
    37:36 - See the whole story
    42:32 - Stories of St. Moses
    44:24 - Fr. Turbo
    49:45 - How can we watch this?
    51:43 - Other projects

    ====================
    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/
    Show More Show Less
    55 mins
  • 431 - Joshua Sturgill & Dcn Seraphim Rohlin - The Art of Imitating Heaven: Structure and Meaning in Ancient Cosmology

    431 - Joshua Sturgill & Dcn Seraphim Rohlin - The Art of Imitating Heaven: Structure and Meaning in Ancient Cosmology
    Jan 20 2026
    "Ancient people knew the sky the way that we know the highways around our cities."
    Today's podcast is a bit different. Deacon Seraphim Rohlin is here to introduce you to our new Symbolic World Course presenter, Joshua Sturgill. Together they discuss ancient cosmology, symbolism, and the meaning, power, and dangers of observing the night sky. They discuss pagan views on this, Biblical astronomy, the reservations of the church fathers, and modernity's determinism on the one hand, and confusion on the other hand. I hope you enjoy this conversation and will join us for Joshua's course.

    YouTube version: https://youtu.be/fQY6AyE1n1c

    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

    Timestamps:
    00:00 - Coming up
    01:00 - Intro music
    01:24 - Introduction
    04:15 - Recover cosmology
    08:32 - Symbolism and cosmology
    12:43 - The Greeks: Pythagoras and Plato
    14:39 - Other traditions
    16:07 - Criticisms against astronomy
    21:28 - How astrology worked
    25:24 - A concrete example
    26:57 - What does spring mean?
    30:47 - Christmas
    33:43 - The Orthodox position
    37:22 - Governed by natural laws
    45:55 - For the ancients
    59:30 - Architectural astronomy
    01:01:43 - Technology and teaching
    01:05:41 - Course info

    💻 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
    1 hr and 9 mins
  • 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

    Timestamps:
    00:00 - Coming up
    00:32 - Intro music
    02:00 - The cost of conversion
    05:49 - What is the Grail
    10:05 - Other hints of the Grail
    15:30 - To remain veiled
    17:45 - Who the stories are for
    19:42 - The place of chivalry
    24:46 - The Holy Virgin
    29:31 - Longing
    34:12 - Weakness has a seat at the table
    36:48 - Liturgies of the wild
    43:42 - Christianity in publishing

    💻 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
  • 427 - Dr. Iain McGilchrist - Artificial Intelligence, Possession, and Mental Illness

    427 - Dr. Iain McGilchrist - Artificial Intelligence, Possession, and Mental Illness
    Dec 18 2025
    In this conversation, I speak with British psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and author Dr. Iain McGilchrist about intelligence, mental illness, and AI.

    Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/DRtpKyKJcss
    Get Dr. McGilchrist’s books: https://channelmcgilchrist.com/home/

    APPLICATIONS OPEN: Ralston seeks 25 students with the curiosity and courage to find light in the darkness. Our one-year MA in the Humanities begins with two months learning Ancient and Modern Greek in Greece, before moving to beautiful Savannah, GA. Full and partial scholarships are available. The deadline for priority consideration is December 18, 2025. Visit https://www.ralston.ac/humanities-ma

    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.
    Catch the early bird sale of 15% off if you register before midnight December 19: 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

    Timestamps:
    00:00 Coming up
    00:43 Intro music
    01:07 Introduction to Ralston College and Its Mission
    10:57 The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Society
    21:02 Intelligence and Consciousness
    30:57 The Dangers of Alien Intelligence
    39:17 Understanding Addiction and Mental Illness
    46:04 Possession and Mental Health: A New Perspective
    52:11 The Left Hemisphere and Its Malign Influence
    01:03:37 AI: The Modern Sorcerer's Apprentice
    01:11:11 All We Can Do

    💻 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
    1 hr and 14 mins
  • 426 - Andrew Gould - Monks and Pirates: Two Extremes that Explain the Rest of Us

    426 - Andrew Gould - Monks and Pirates: Two Extremes that Explain the Rest of Us
    Dec 11 2025
    In this conversation filmed (by Deacon Seraphim Rohlin) in the Florida Keys, I sit down with my friend Andrew Gould to finally revisit a surprising claim he made years ago—that pirates and Orthodox monks share deep symbolic parallels. We discuss ships and treasure, costumes, death imagery, life on the edge of empire, all converging on how these two seemingly opposite extremes strangely mirror each other. Let me know if you like the format of this video.

    Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/WjMadP6DScM

    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.
    Catch the early bird sale of 15% off if you register before midnight December 19: 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
    39 mins