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The Symbolic World: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Jonathan Pageau
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.
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- 2 days ago24 min
482 - The Sword of St. Michael
Why is St. Michael often shown holding a flaming sword? I look at how this image developed, its connection to the expulsion from Paradise, the defeat of the dragon, and the emergent sacred geography known as the Sword of St. Michael.YouTube version: https://youtu.be/yE68F1pGPmQPre-Order GodsDog: Monk now and/or get volumes 1 and 2 on sale! https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/collections/godsdogJoin Dr. Zac Porcu for his course, A Demonological History of the World: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/a-demonological-history-of-the-world 6 weeks, 12 hoursPrice: Only $120, and Involved patrons can get 10% off. Apply your discount code at checkout.Live classes: Sep 15 - Oct 20🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
- 4 days ago1h 18m
481 - Dr. Diana Pasulka - The New Religion
I finally sit down with Diana Pasulka to talk about UFOs, alien intelligence, AI, psychedelics, transhumanism, and the strange religious framework forming around all of them. We look at how these phenomena overlap with older spiritual categories, and why the promise of technological transcendence may be a counterfeit of something Christianity already understands.YouTube version: https://youtu.be/6TqYxG9gxwcHer books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/D.W.-Pasulka/author/B07NL6KZN5Join Dr. Zac Porcu for his course, A Demonological History of the World: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/a-demonological-history-of-the-world 6 weeks, 12 hoursPrice: Only $120, and Involved patrons can get 10% off. Apply your discount code at checkout.Live classes: Sep 15 - Oct 20Pre-Order GodsDog: Monk now and/or get volumes 1 and 2 on sale! https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/collections/godsdog🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribeTimestamps:00:00 – Coming up01:58 – Introduction02:52 – How a Religious Studies Scholar Ended Up Studying UFOs08:52 – UFOs as Religious and Spiritual Phenomena13:25 – A Demonological History of the World14:41 – The Mythology and Narrative of UFOs16:38 – Why Governments Use UFO Disinformation20:56 – Technology, Magic, and Non-Human Intelligence24:22 – Aliens, Demons, and the Modern Image of the “Grey”27:43 – Psychedelics and Encounters With Other Beings30:19 – AI as an Alien Intelligence32:02 – UFOs and the Promise of a New Revelation34:29 – Spielberg and the Alien as Saviour38:35 – Arthur C. Clarke, Demons, and Childhood’s End40:50 – Transhumanism vs. Christian Transfiguration45:42 – God’s Dog: Monk46:42 – Aliens as Our Future, “Evolved” Selves49:06 – How the Alien Narrative Collides With Christianity52:36 – Project Stargate, Remote Viewing, and Psychic Espionage56:18 – Why Is the AI Project Also Called “Stargate”?57:30 – 2001: A Space Odyssey, AI, and UFO Disclosure01:01:29 – AI Is Feeding on Us01:03:00 – How Should Christians Respond?01:06:26 – AI Cannot Give Us Transcendence01:08:42 – Recovering the Spiritual Senses01:10:39 – Isolation Makes Us Vulnerable to Propaganda01:11:39 – Diana’s Next Book on Christianity01:13:00 – The Noosphere, the Singularity, and an Apocalyptic Moment01:17:06 – Christianity Makes Us More Human01:18:20 – Conclusion
- 1 weeks ago26 min
480 - Dr. Zac Porcu - A Demonological History of the World
Dr. Zac Porcu joins me to discuss his upcoming course on the demonological history of the world, looking at the pagan gods, fallen angels, magic, and technology. We explore what happens when you take seriously the early Christian claim that the gods were real, but fallen.YouTube version: https://youtu.be/WMKOzuhnib4Learn more about Dr. Zac: https://zacharyporcu.com/Join Dr. Zac Porcu for his course, A Demonological History of the World: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/a-demonological-history-of-the-world 6 weeks, 12 hoursPrice: Only $120, and Involved patrons can get 10% off. Apply your discount code at checkout.Live classes: Sep 15 - Oct 20Pre-Order GodsDog: Monk now and/or get volumes 1 and 2 on sale! https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/collections/godsdog🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe💻 Website, blog, courses: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com📚 Store: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
- 1 weeks ago16 min
479 - The Horror of Getting What You Want - Obsession (2026)
This was July 2026's patron video that we decided to make public. If you want to support us and get extra symbolism videos, subscribe a a paying member to The Symbolic World: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribeIn this video, I analyzed the movie Obsession, which was released in May of this year. It had a low budget and was directed by a YouTuber, yet became a massive breakout box office and critical success.YouTube version: https://youtu.be/z09N5ErcoTEJoin Dr. Zac Porcu for his course, A Demonological History of the World: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/a-demonological-history-of-the-world 6 weeks, 12 hoursPrice: Only $120, and get 15% off through September 8, 2026 at 11:55PM ET! After the early bird sale, Involved patrons can still get 10% off. (Discounts can't be combined.)Live classes: Sep 15 - Oct 20Pre-Order GodsDog: Monk now and/or get volumes 1 and 2 on sale! https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/collections/godsdog============Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
- 2 weeks ago59 min
478 - Christian Roy - Technological Madness: The Logic of Domination
Christian Roy and I discuss Jacques Ellul’s theology of technique (technology) and the way modern systems turn power, efficiency, and mediation into ends in themselves. AI brings this crisis into focus, especially in our speech and relationships, but the deeper question is whether technology still serves a meaningful purpose —or whether we have begun to serve it. We also explore the Christian idea of non-power as a way beyond the logic of domination.YouTube version: https://youtu.be/HH_vCnVDTdoChristian’s book: Theology and Technique: https://www.amazon.ca/Theology-Technique-Jacques-Ellul/dp/1725259788 Join Dr. Zac Porcu for his course, A Demonological History of the World: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/a-demonological-history-of-the-world 6 weeks, 12 hoursPrice: Only $120, and get 15% off through September 8, 2026 at 11:55PM ET!Live classes: Sep 15 - Oct 20Pre-Order GodsDog: Monk now and/or get volumes 1 and 2 on sale! https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/collections/godsdog🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com🎧 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/
- 2 weeks ago1h 24m
477 - Louise Perry - How Progressivism Took Over Our Stories
Louise Perry is a British journalist, author, and host of the Maiden Mother Matriarch Podcast. She’s a columnist for the Wall Street Journal and has been described as a leading reactionary feminist. She interviewed me for us to discuss why progressivism became such a powerful cultural force, how the postwar story shaped modern politics and storytelling, and why fairy tales still preserve patterns that our culture has tried to flatten or subvert.YouTube version: https://youtu.be/HVRY6WP4hFA Her website: https://www.louisemperry.co.uk/Her X account: https://x.com/Louise_m_perryRegister now for the Universal History Masterclass hosted by Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/universal-history-masterclass Pre-order GodsDog 3 and get volumes 1 and 2 on sale! https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
- 3 weeks ago44 min
476 - Matt Rhodes - The World Before the Flood Reimagined
In this conversation with artist Matt Rhodes, we explore Dead Gods, his epic comic set in the world before the biblical Flood. We talk about Nephilim, Watchers, ancient patriarchs, dragons, dinosaurs, and what civilization might look like when people live for centuries and Noah himself becomes a warrior at the end of the world.Matt’s website: https://www.mattrhodesart.com/His YouTube channel where you can follow the creation process: https://www.youtube.com/@mattrhodesartProject trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP7ETbjN9yE Support this project directly: https://www.patreon.com/MattRhodesArt Register now for the Universal History Masterclass hosted by Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/universal-history-masterclass 🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.comOur website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/
- Aug 21, 20261h 2m
474 - Josh Nadeau - Building the Only Possible Future
In this conversation with Josh Nadeau, we talk about art, beauty, symbolism, and the recovery of a Christian imagination. We explore why traditional art still speaks so powerfully, how beauty can reveal realities that arguments often cannot, and why the work of artists may matter more than ever in a fragmented world.YouTube version: https://youtu.be/mE1EMCxGuvICheck out Josh Nadeau’s work: Sword and Pencil Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swordandpencil/ Every Day Saints Substack: https://substack.com/@everydaysaints His books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0DNX73MZC Register now for the Universal History Masterclass hosted by Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin, taking place live this August and September. https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/universal-history-masterclass Our website: thesymbolicworld.com
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About 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.
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