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Education

The Symbolic World

by Jonathan Pageau
Education

Today: #159 in Education on our combined chart.

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Latest daily rankings: Oct 31. New rankings will appear after the next update.

Position on the Education combined chart over the last 14 days. Toggle platforms to compare their positions. Lower rank numbers are better.

Episode releases
#122#139#157#174#191Chart rankOct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31#159Episode released Oct 21: 489 - Dear Catholics: Let’s Put Renaissance Art Behind UsEpisode released Oct 23: 490 - How Idolatry Began (Universal History)
View as table
DateCombined RankApple Podcasts
Oct 31#159#136
Oct 30#167#145
Oct 29#171#150
Oct 28#181#161
Oct 27#160#136
Oct 26#133#108
Oct 25#132#106
Oct 24#134#111
Oct 23#156#134
Oct 22#160#139
Oct 21—#194
Oct 20#181#159
Oct 19#169#147
Oct 18#140#116

Latest episodes

  • 490 - How Idolatry Began (Universal History)

    October 23, 2026 · 56 min

    Part 5. In this episode, Deacon Seraphim Rohlin and I continue the Syriac text of the Cave of Treasures into the fourth age of the world. The text traces the origins of idolatry back to a lack of hope in the resurrection. It tells of a…

  • 489 - Dear Catholics: Let’s Put Renaissance Art Behind Us

    October 21, 2026 · 31 min

    This is a patron video we decided to make public. I look at the difference between Renaissance art and the symbolic language of early Christianity, especially through the mosaics of Saint John Lateran. Saint John Lateran is the cathedral…

  • 488 - Relics Explained: Why your dead body is still precious

    October 15, 2026 · 31 min

    Why do Christians venerate the relics of saints, and how can these objects perform miracles? I explore the biblical and symbolic meaning of relics, from the bones of Elisha to the incorrupt bodies of saints, and what they reveal about the…

  • 487 - Divine Patterns in The Life of Moses (Archive)

    October 13, 2026 · 43 min

    This talk is a repost from the archive. It was given in Feb. 2017 at the Climacus Conference in Louisville Kentucky. Looking at the story of the life of Moses as described by St. Gregory of Nyssa, I use the pattern found there to trace a…

  • 486 - Encountering God in Stories (Archive)

    October 9, 2026 · 41 min

    The patterns in stories appear as their underlying order and also as a mode of human consciousness. We can encounter the Divine Logos in ancient stories and see how these patterns culminate in the story of Christ. YouTube version…

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  • 485 - Why Modernity Loves Prometheus

    October 8, 2026 · 15 min

    In this video, I look at the story of Prometheus and why our modern admiration for him leaves out an important part of the myth. I explore his connection to Cain, Lucifer, technology, and the recurring temptation to grasp power as if it…

  • 484 - The Saint Who Killed an Emperor

    October 1, 2026 · 15 min

    In this episode, I look at the tradition of St. Mercurius: a warrior saint associated with St. Michael, the death of Emperor Julian the Apostate, and dog-headed men. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/_Qp3Xj153Ac Pre-Order GodsDog: Monk…

  • 483 - R.R. Reno - The Return of the Strong Gods

    September 22, 2026 · 1 hr 13 min

    I talk with Rusty Reno about the collapse of the postwar “open society” ideal and the return of people’s need for strong loyalties, meaning, and transcendence. We discuss how we got here after the world wars decimated Western civilization…

  • 482 - The Sword of St. Michael

    September 18, 2026 · 24 min

    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…

  • 481 - Dr. Diana Pasulka - The New Religion

    September 16, 2026 · 1 hr 19 min

    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…

  • 480 - Dr. Zac Porcu - The Pagan Gods Really Exist

    September 10, 2026 · 27 min

    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…

  • 479 - The Horror of Getting What You Want - Obsession (2026)

    September 8, 2026 · 17 min

    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…

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About the show

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.