Episodes

  • 364 - Did the Witches Win? The Hammer of Witches through a Symbolic Lens

    364 - Did the Witches Win? The Hammer of Witches through a Symbolic Lens
    Nov 1 2024
    WARNING: The following episode discusses difficult subjects and may not be suitable for children.

    This is a repost of January 2020's patron-only video where I talked about a book called Malleus Maleficarum, translated as The Hammer of Witches, which appeared in the late 15th century. This controversial book has become the central point of our imagination about witches and exemplifies the uneasy transition between the medieval worldview and what would become the modern worldview.

    Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/S75AfTuzLQg

    We decided to make this video public for Halloween. Please consider supporting us for exclusive patron videos like this. https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe

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    Sign up for Dr. Martin Shaw's first-ever live online course, Christian Wonder Tales, starting November 12th. This 4-week, 8-hour course is hosted on the Symbolic World Circle Community. Patrons at the Involved level or higher get 10% off, apply your discount code at checkout: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/christian-wonder-tales

    Mythographer, writer, and storyteller Dr Martin Shaw takes us deep into the heart of what he calls Christian Wonder Tales. Profoundly mythic, these teaching stories range from the early saints through to the grandeur of the Round Table and Arthurian tradition. Shaw emphasises these stories as remerging providentially on time for the perils of modern life. Filled with vocation, sacrifice, and courage, these are an inheritance many of us simply didn’t know we had.

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    💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
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    Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
    My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson.
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    20 mins
  • 363 - The Double Symbolism of St. Peter: Shepherd and Satan

    363 - The Double Symbolism of St. Peter: Shepherd and Satan
    Oct 19 2024
    In this video, I discuss the double symbolism of St. Peter as described in the Scriptures. This is related to my last video about Lucifer and the issue of how a representative or a vicar is always in a dual situation where they can become transparent to authority from above, or take authority for themselves...

    My previous video on this topic: The Real Meaning of Lucifer: https://youtu.be/qaoSLwmPARk?si=i2EVHFBPVpVbxTyG

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    Sign up for Dr. Martin Shaw's first-ever live online course, Christian Wonder Tales, starting November 12th. This 4-week, 8-hour course is hosted on the Symbolic World Circle Community. Patrons at the Involved level or higher get 10% off, apply your discount code at checkout: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/christian-wonder-tales

    Mythographer, writer, and storyteller Dr Martin Shaw takes us deep into the heart of what he calls Christian Wonder Tales. Profoundly mythic, these teaching stories range from the early saints through to the grandeur of the Round Table and Arthurian tradition. Shaw emphasises these stories as remerging providentially on time for the perils of modern life. Filled with vocation, sacrifice, and courage, these are an inheritance many of us simply didn’t know we had.

    🔗 All links: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
    Become a Symbolic World patron and get access to exclusive content like a monthly patron Q&A and an extra symbolism video every month, as well as sales on our courses: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe

    BUY OUR BOOKS NOW ON OUR SYMBOLIC WORLD PRESS PRE-ORDER SALE: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com

    Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
    My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson.
    Show More Show Less
    31 mins
  • 362 - Dr. Martin Shaw - Christian Wonder Tales

    362 - Dr. Martin Shaw - Christian Wonder Tales
    Oct 10 2024
    "The soul is not fed entirely by logic, we are fed by images. Ideas are interesting, but when we want to be absolutely poleaxed by wonder it is a story that's going to do it."

    I had a wonderful discussion with the captivating storyteller and mythographer, Dr. Martin Shaw, about the value of - not only understanding - but also telling and entering into stories. We talk about the various traditions of storytelling covered in his upcoming course, how to approach these tales of our inheritance, the modern taming of Christianity, and how Bible stories are different from pagan and more peripheral myths.

    Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/uPQdfx5a-R4

    Sign up for Dr. Martin Shaw's first-ever live online course, Christian Wonder Tales, starting November 12th. This 4-week, 8-hour course is hosted on the Symbolic World Circle Community. Patrons at the Involved level or higher get 10% off, apply your discount code at checkout: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/christian-wonder-tales

    Mythographer, writer, and storyteller Dr Martin Shaw takes us deep into the heart of what he calls Christian Wonder Tales. Profoundly mythic, these teaching stories range from the early saints through to the grandeur of the Round Table and Arthurian tradition. Shaw emphasises these stories as remerging providentially on time for the perils of modern life. Filled with vocation, sacrifice, and courage, these are an inheritance many of us simply didn’t know we had.
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    Timestamps:
    00:00 - Coming up
    00:44 - Intro music
    01:09 - Start
    01:52 - A failure that makes honey
    05:46 - Pre-Christian Ireland
    08:05 - The Arthurian tradition
    09:53 - A rule for life
    12:29 - Follow an animal
    16:09 - Return to these stories
    20:20 - The soul is not only fed by logic
    24:53 - Why has Christianity become so mundane?
    33:39 - Stories that are too strange
    36:00 - How were they preserved?
    38:08 - Stories that Martin and Jonathan struggled with
    44:54 - The Bible
    48:57 - You can't draw Jesus with one line
    53:07 - The Gospel seminar
    56:06 - Let the stories do the work
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    💻 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.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 3 mins
  • 361 - The Real Meaning of Lucifer

    361 - The Real Meaning of Lucifer
    Oct 5 2024
    In this video I discuss the meaning and symbolism of the title Lucifer, or the Morning Star, drawing on the Old and New Testament. How it is that this title both refers to Christ, as well as the Adversary?

    BOOKS
    Pre-order Jack and the Fallen Giants and GodsDog 2 at a discounted price. Limited stock of Snow White and the Widow Queen is also available for purchase: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com

    SYMBOLIC WORLD COURSES:
    Don't miss out on our upcoming live courses hosted on the Symbolic World Circle community platform:
    - The Cognitive Science of Ritual with John Vervaeke, starting October 7: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-cognitive-science-of-ritual
    - Christian Wonder Tales with Martin Shaw, starting November 12: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/christian-wonder-tales

    💻 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.
    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
  • 360 - John Vervaeke - The Cognitive Science of Ritual

    360 - John Vervaeke - The Cognitive Science of Ritual
    Sep 26 2024
    John Vervaeke and I discuss the cognitive science of ritual: the many different aspects of ritual and its importance even in the pursuit of reason, among sacred and secular spaces, to mark time and identity, to establish transformation, and more! John is truly making headway in giving us the concepts and vocabulary to understand symbolic and ritual participation across different participatory levels. Enjoy!

    Join us for John Vervaeke's new live course: The Cognitive Science of Ritual. The 6 weeks of lectures start on Oct 7th. Involved patrons get 10% discount. Apply code at checkout. Register today: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-cognitive-science-of-ritual

    Visit our brand new Symbolic World Store now to buy and pre-order our books, like Snow White and the Widow Queen (limited time offer), our new upcoming fairy tale book Jack and the Fallen Giants, GodsDog: Moster and Warrior, digital products, prints, and more: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com

    🔗 All links: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
    🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe

    Timestamps:
    00:00 - Coming up
    00:51 - Intro music
    01:17 - Introduction to Cognitive Science
    04:16 - Ritual and an advent of the sacred
    06:18 - Meaningful ritual
    08:23 - Why work against ritual?
    14:07 - Replace religious with civic
    15:47 - Hermeneutics of suspicion
    18:24 - Progressive rituals
    23:23 - Transformation
    27:51 - Marking identity
    36:17 - Ritual as space

    Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
    My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson.
    Show More Show Less
    43 mins
  • 359 - John Vervaeke and Jordan Hall - Why Christianity?

    359 - John Vervaeke and Jordan Hall - Why Christianity?
    Sep 19 2024
    This conversation is in part John Vervaeke's response to my previous video with Jordan Hall (The End of Strategy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnR2PYtLLnI) where we discussed Jordan's recent conversion to Christianity. John fires up some questions, and we discuss different aspects of sensemaking and religious structures to answer the question: Why Christianity?

    Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/Vp_08T0Ucik

    REGISTER TODAY FOR OUR NEW SYMBOLIC WORLD COURSE WITH JOHN VERVAEKE: The Cognitive Science of Ritual. Live classes start on October 7th, 2024, 2-4 pm EST on the Symbolic World Circle community. This is a 6-week, 12-hour online course. All lesson recordings will be made available afterward and all materials will be provided. The final lesson will be co-hosted by Jonathan Pageau in a Q&A format. All patrons at the Involved tier or higher get a 10% discount; see your unique code at the top of the course page and apply at checkout: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-cognitive-science-of-ritual
    Join Jonathan Pageau, Jordan Hall, John Heers, and others in Florida for an exclusive, intimate weekend filled with leisure and hospitality. This November event is a fundraiser for First Things Foundation. Learn more: https://first-things.org/aot

    💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
    🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe

    Timestamps:
    00:00 - Coming up
    01:42 - Intro music
    02:07 - Introduction
    05:07 - John's pov on Jonathan and Jordan's conversation
    08:49 - Why Christian faith?
    15:38 - Jordan's answer: the Ultimate Map
    18:27 - The current dialogos
    21:10 - Jonathan: The Christian Escatological map
    25:52 - Jordan: Relationship to Jesus
    32:20 - Grief and the qualities of love
    37:40 - Jonathan: Particularity beyond duality
    41:43 - Jordan: A deeper capacity to suffer
    44:49 - John: Being is good / Not escape
    46:54 - Jonathan: Theosis
    49:25 - What if this is a crypto-egoism?
    55:26 - Is this the grounding of your Christian faith?
    01:01:29 - Zen: Does the infinite love you?
    01:11:39 - Intimacy
    01:22:18 - We can't be meta
    01:27:47 - Universalism
    01:29:01 - We each have our callings
    01:30:21 - John and Christianity

    Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
    My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson.
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    1 hr and 33 mins
  • 358 - Jordan Hall - The End of Strategy

    358 - Jordan Hall - The End of Strategy
    Sep 9 2024
    I had a wonderful time talking with Jordan Hall, who has recently converted to Christianity from a secular worldview. We talk about his conversation, societal engineering, artificial intelligence, and the fundamental distinction between vertical and horizontal qualities. We also talk about the problem of delusion, how to know what’s real, the meaning of faith and memory, using technology safely, and not getting lost in our daily life problems.

    Don't miss my and Richard Rohlin's new 5-week live course on Dante's Divine Comedy: Purgatorio. Classes started August 27th, but you can still join us. Involved patrons get 10% discount. Apply your unique code at checkout.
    https://thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-purgatorio

    Follow Jordan Hall:
    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JordanGreenhall/featured
    Medium: https://medium.com/deep-code
    X: https://x.com/jgreenhall

    💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
    🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
    🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
    📱 SOCIAL MEDIA
    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheSymbolicWorld
    Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/pageaujonathan
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathan.pageau

    Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
    My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson.
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    1 hr and 14 mins
  • 357 - What Is a Miracle?

    357 - What Is a Miracle?
    Sep 3 2024
    In this week's video I discuss what a miracle is, looking at different examples but especially at the miracles of Christ. A miracle is not just an extraordinary event, rather it's an event that reveals and restores matter to its true identity and meaning. Thank you for your continued support.

    My course with Richard Rohlin on Dante's Purgatorio has kicked off and is currently taking place live on Tuesdays 2-5 pm EST. Consider joining us on this extraordinary journey through Dante's Divine Comedy. Patrons at the Involved tier or higher get 10% off - apply your discount code at the checkout. Register now: https://thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-purgatorio

    🔗 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.
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    27 mins