The Symbolic World

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This is a talk I did for the 2024 National Symposium for Classical Education that took place in March 2024, presented by Great Hearts Institute.

Our old stories have been remembered, retold, and refined in different guises for thousands of years. For that very reason, what we consider Fairy Tales, although at first glance fanciful and absurd, contain patterns of attention, of harmony and disharmony, what Pythagoras called the Music of the Spheres. For being remembered and retold, they hold a key to what is important to us as humans. We will explore these patterns of consciousness, how stories frame and underlie our experiences with rhythm, how they shape us and our children by attention and care.

YouTube version: https://youtu.be/nKJuKPB7WYg

💻 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.

Do Adam and Eve die after eating the Fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Bad in the Garden of Eden? In this video, I comment on a question  @CosmicSkeptic  asked  @JordanBPeterson  in their recent conversation concerning the meaning of death and the Fall in Genesis.

Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/cnsUT97VSeA
Jordan Peterson's conversation with Alex O'Connor: Navigating Belief, Skepticism, and the Afterlife | Alex O'Connor @CosmicSkeptic | EP 451: https://youtu.be/T0KgLWQn5Ts?si=fz68xgZdsj0aqUz9

💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau 
🗣 Join The Symbolic World Community for discussions about symbolism: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe 
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Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/pageaujonathan 
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Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ 
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson.

In this video, I cover the symbolism behind skateboarding, surfing, the image of the horse and rider, the chariot, and Ezekiel’s vision.

Original YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stqiG9vtZaQ

💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau 
🗣 Join The Symbolic World Community for discussions about symbolism: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe 
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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.

In this conversation with Paul Kingsnorth, we discuss his main takeaways from his Substack series on The Machine, technology, artificial intelligence and silicon valley, civilization, principalities, the act of creation and desiring to be God, yet also creating the space for our annihilation. We also touch on environmentalism, storytelling, and art, including Tolkien and The Matrix. Enjoy.

Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/BCIRA9wRkIA
His Substack: https://paulkingsnorth.substack.com/

Join me and Richard Rohlin for the Symbolic World course on Dante's Inferno: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses-pages/dantes-inferno

Previous conversations with Paul Kingsnorth:
- Civilization and Control: https://youtu.be/QetAHfg7w8s?si=mVSI0fOTFiroIwTb 
- Environmentalism, the Tower of Babbel, and the Disintegration of Culture: https://youtu.be/uqDWGdJJx1Y?si=At5HMZaDohzgAFvm

Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
01:01 - Intro music
01:26 - Introduction
02:11 - What are your main insights?
07:19 - Can this serve God?
10:53 - Become dependent on tools
13:05 - The god of economy
14:44 - The short history of progress
16:05 - No conspiracy needed
19:35 - A desire to supplant us
22:12 - Theosis
24:27 - Making vs giving birth
27:02 - Creation myths
28:09 - The environmental narrative
35:54 - How has your perception on story changed?
39:33 - Changing Paul's writing
41:47 - Language and AI in Writing
45:32 - The Influence of art
53:19 - Tolkien and a simple ending
56:54 - New stories

💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau 
🗣 Join The Symbolic World Community for discussions about symbolism: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe 
🔒 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.

This is a talk I gave for Ralston College on the Icon of the Last Judgement, exploring Orthodox Christian imagery to understand ontology, theology, and how identity, symbolism, and fractals work in the medieval worldview.

Youtube version: https://youtu.be/APFPO4LXFIs

Ralston College website: https://www.ralston.ac/ 
Ralston College: Rethinking the Last Judgment: Cosmic Symbolism & the Metaphor for Self-Discovery | @JonathanPageau: https://youtu.be/30nx25GjCYI?si=D0nB-5iLQkycrJlQ 

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💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau 
🗣 Join The Symbolic World Community for discussions about symbolism: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe 

🔒 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.

This talk took place in April 2024 at the Maliotis Cultural Center, hosted by Hellenic College Holy Cross with Dr. Timothy Patitsas. In this talk, I take you through all the icons of Holy Week from Palm Sunday to the Anastasis, the icon of the Resurrection of Christ. 

Original YouTube video: https://youtu.be/vFW5nYC4CcM

Hellenic College Holy Cross: https://www.hchc.edu/
Originally posted on the Maliotis Cultural Center channel: https://www.youtube.com/@maliotisculturalcenter

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro music
01:29 - Introduction
05:07 - Center intro music
05:48 - Jonathan's talk
07:52 - Palm Sunday
12:49 - Bridegroom Matins
16:44 - Washing of the Feet
22:46 - The Last Supper
24:59 - The Crucifixion
32:58 - The Descent from the Cross
35:55 - The Anastasis
50:23 - Q&A

💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau 
🗣 Join The Symbolic World Community for discussions about symbolism: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe 
🔒 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.

In this week’s episode of Universal History, Richard Rohlin and I give an introduction to Dante’s Divine Comedy, discussing its historical and political context, Dante’s motivations and his point of view, and why the Comedia is the greatest work of Western literature. 

Join us for the first course on the Divine Comedy, starting May 8th. Dante’s Inferno: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses-pages/dantes-inferno 

Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/K5R939cIWg4

💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau 
🗣 Join The Symbolic World Community for discussions about symbolism: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe 
🔒 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.

This is part two of our discussion about the Tower of Babel in the context of Universal History. Richard Rohlin and I recap and continue our discussion on the Book of Jubilees and Pentecost, discussing more in-depth the Feast of First Fruits, and what it means as a structure by which communion between heaven and earth can be facilitated - of unity and multiplicity. The duality of Pentecost explains several strange moments in Scripture and the apocryphal texts, most notably the laws of Noah, the covenant of Abraham, the scandal of Lot, and of course the Tower of Babel itself.

Previous episode on the Tower of Babel: https://youtu.be/wj9EK0QAW54?si=ClSLEQzKUaSFjeRl 

Content mentioned:
- Apocrypha: An Introduction to Extra-Biblical Literature by Fr. Stephen DeYoung: https://store.ancientfaith.com/apocrypha-an-introduction-to-extra-biblical-literature/ 
- Biblical Symbolism: Uncovering Your Father’s Nakedness - Fr. Stephen De Young: https://youtu.be/GQgOYkzj0ek?si=VbkBfKvm56pHVHRv 

Sign up to be notified when our course on Dante’s Inferno goes live. Class starts on May 8th. https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/109126/117615160942658931/share 

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Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
00:41 - Intro music
01:05 - Introduction
02:37 - The book of Jubilees
05:10 - Feasting and sacrifice in the Book of Jubilees
08:48 - What is Pentecost
11:11 - Laws of Noah
17:37 - The double aspect of the Feast of First Fruits
20:30 - The scattering of the nations
23:32 - The prayers of Noah
26:02 - Raphael
28:42 - The City of Babel
30:15 - The Idolatrous Tower of Babel
32:45 - Abraham celebrates Pentecost
35:24 - A case of drunkenness?
38:45 - The big reveal
41:57 - Splitting in half
46:01 - Lot’s drunkenness
47:03 - There's only one Pentecost
50:31 - History
56:14 - The spirit descends
1:08:13 - This is what Universal History is
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💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau 
🗣 Join The Symbolic World Community for discussions about symbolism: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe 
🔒 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.

This video will premiere tomorrow, Saturday, April 13th at 10 am EST.

In this short reflection, I will explain the parable of Jesus that’s the most difficult to understand, the Parable of the Penitent Steward, or the Unjust Steward. Recently I teamed up with Jordan Peterson, Daily Wire, and the same panel of the Exodus series, this time to film a series on the Gospels. The discussions pushed me to finally understand the parable after many years of pondering. 

Sign up here to stay informed about our upcoming Symbolic World Course on Dante’s Inferno with Richard Rohlin: https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/109126/117615160942658931/share

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💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau 
🗣 Join The Symbolic World Community for discussions about symbolism: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe 
🔒 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.

This is my second interview with Timothy Patitsas on the topic of beauty. We also discuss filmmaking, the work of Dr. Iain Mcgilchrist, liturgy, self-sacrifice, and social renewal as part of the fruits of a beautiful life.

Timothy G. Patitsas has been the Interim Dean of Hellenic College since January of 2020 and the Assistant Professor of Ethics at Holy Cross since the Fall of 2005. In 2019 he published The Ethics of Beauty, an attempt to recover one of the most ancient emphases of Orthodox spirituality, which is the firm priority given to combating the sensual rather than the intellectual passions. The book shows how this translates into a consoling and liberating Beauty-first approach to Orthodox ethics and life. The work also presents ethical, theological, and scriptural definitions of traumatic experience with a view to aiding recovery.

- Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/2CB1snUyy7Q?si=vi7_-88lsM2GBFWB

- Direct and most affordable place to get Ethics of Beauty by Timothy Patitsas: https://www.stnicholaspress.net/ethics-of-beauty 
- Timothy’s film company, Beauty First Films: https://www.beautyfirstfilms.com
- The documentary film that Jonathan saw: Amphilochios: Saint of Patmos: https://www.beautyfirstfilms.com/amphilochios


- Save the date! On Thursday, April 18th at 7 pm, I will present at Maliotis Cultural Center on "The Icons of Holy Week". Get your $15 tickets on Eventbrite today.
Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/835903900067?aff=oddtdtcreator   
Facebook event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/918152849765191/?active_tab=discussion

Links to related videos:
- Our previous conversation on my channel - Beauty, Complexity and Ethics: https://youtu.be/baACQD-u3r4?si=jJC0OLDqAgxNXA1s 
- My conversation with Dr. Iain McGilchrist - Beyond Materialism: The Matter With Things: https://youtu.be/QyBXqcgLAXs?si=dJAB79IlrKKORNI3 
- A complimentary patron-only video about the Jesus Prayer that you can watch: https://youtu.be/aPyanmXxpaQ 

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💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau 
🗣 Join The Symbolic World Community for discussions about symbolism: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe 
🔒 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.