The Symbolic World

341 - The Last Judgement: The Culmination of Christian Symbolism

08 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a talk I gave for Ralston College on the Icon of the Last Judgement, exploring Orthodox Christian imagery to understand ontology, theology, an...

340 - The Icons of Holy Week

01 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

339 - Richard Rohlin - Universal History: The Greatest Work of Western Literature

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this week’s episode of Universal History, Richard Rohlin and I give an introduction to Dante’s Divine Comedy, discussing its historical and pol...

338 - Richard Rohlin - Universal History: The End of Babel

19 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 discussio...

337 - How to Survive the End of a World - A Parable of Christ

13 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 d...

336 - Timothy Patitsas - The Vital Sign of Beauty

03 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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-...

335 - Justin Brierley - The Next Great Renewal

30 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I had the opportunity to sit down with Justin Brierley to talk about Christian apologetics, the state of public discussions about faith, new converts,...

334 - Aidan Hart - A New Image of Everything

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this dialogue with the amazing artist and iconographer, Aidan Hart, we discuss an image he has been developing depicting the New Jerusalem. This co...

333 - John Vervaeke, DC Schindler, Ken Lowry - The Ontology of Artificial Intelligence

09 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a discussion that Ken Lowry kindly organized on his YouTube channel and podcast, Climbing Mt. Sophia. The panel includes me, John Vervaeke and...

332 - The Garments of Skin

02 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this podcast, I give you a sneak peek into some of what we are doing with GodsDog and the Garments of Skin comic, while also sharing my very first ...

331 - Richard Rohlin - Universal History: The Tower of Babel

26 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Universal History, Richard Rohlin and I discuss the Tower of Babel in Scripture (Genesis) and the Book of Jubilees, the symbolism o...

330 - The Leviathan in Scripture: Ouroboros Symbolism

21 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Leviathan is a strange creature in the Bible and tradition. In this podcast episode I look at the Leviathan, the sea serpent, the dragon, and its ...

329 - James Poulos - Bitcoin Monasteries: Putting Technology to Good Use

16 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is my discussion with James Poulos about technology and spirituality, how technology has reshaped our world and America, the hope of taking contr...

328 - Stephen Blackwood - The Book that the West Needs

08 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Visit https://thesymbolicworld.com/summit for more information about the Symbolic World SummitStephen James Blackwood is a Canadian-American professor...

327 - Richard Rohlin - Universal History: Dragons!

02 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Universal History with Richard Rohlin, by popular demand, we finally explored the topic of dragons! We discussed the ubiquitous app...

326 - The Symbolism of Titans, Giants, and Nephilim

30 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this video I discuss the symbolism of titans, giants, and Nephilim in anticipation of the God's'Dog: Warrior Kickstarter. Sign up for early bird sp...

325 - JP Marceau - Recovering the Metaphysics of Symbolism

18 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this discussion with Jean-Philippe Marceau, we introduce the latest Symbolic World Course, called Symbolic World Metaphysics, based on JP’s upcom...

324 - Benjamin Boyce - The Inevitable Fall of the Enlightenment

18 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a repost of a discussion with Benjamin Boyce on the topic of the Enlightenment, rationalism and science, the problem of identity on the levels...

323 - What It Means to Be Born Again

05 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In celebration of Theophany (6 January) or Epiphany, as it’s called in the Western tradition, I discuss the meaning of baptism, starting with the ba...

322 - Janus, the Two-Faced God of January

30 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For my last video of 2023, I discuss the pagan god Janus, after whom the month of January is named; why he has two faces, how it’s related to this t...

321 - Why Angels Appeared to Shepherds on Christmas

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This video takes a close look at one sentence in the Christmas story. A great company of angels appeared to the shepherds in the field to announce the...

320 - Richard Rohlin - The Universal History of Christmas

14 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Universal History podcast, Richard Rohlin and I discuss Christmas, why it looks the way it does, how Christmas developed into w...

319 - The Symbolism of Aliens

05 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is a repost of an older video published on this channel in 2018. We are reposting it because the original video was blocked by YouTube in several...

318 - Seraphim Hamilton - Re-Enchantment Now: Fairies, Aliens, the Occult, Prayer, and Divination

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is a repost of my recent discussion with Seraphim Hamilton on his YouTube channel. He asked me many good questions about universal history, re-en...

317 - Fr. Joseph Lucas - Sacrifice: The Paradox of Salvation

24 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Fr. Joseph Lucas published a thesis on the question of sacrifice, called Offerer and Offering: Cyril of Alexandria on Jewish and Christian Sacrifice. ...

316 - DC Schindler - The Duality of Art (Climbing Mt Sophia)

16 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is a repost of a great discussion I had on the Climbing Mt. Sophia channel alongside DC Schindler. We discuss beauty, art, freedom, techne and te...

315 - Fr. Turbo Qualls and David Patrick Harry - Beauty and the Ascetic

09 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For this week’s podcast, I sat down with Fr. Turbo Qualls and David Patrick Harry to discuss beauty and iconography in the Orthodox Christian tradit...

314 - Dr Martin Shaw - The New Odyssey

03 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Martin Shaw will be a speaker at the Symbolic World Summit next year in Tarpon Springs, Florida. In this conversation we discuss pagan stories, in...

313 - Fr. Andrew Damick - Redeeming Pagan Symbolism

26 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick is Chief Content Officer of Ancient Faith Ministries. He has been podcasting since 2007 and is the host of Orthodoxy and Het...

312 - Kendelle Hoyer - Behind the Big Screen

20 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kendelle Hoyer is passionate about storytelling and art, which has been a life-long pursuit since childhood when she decided she wanted to work in ani...

311 - Ritualized Behavior From Animals to Church

13 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There is a tendency to isolate religious behavior from other human behavior, which can make religious behavior seem arbitrary or ridiculous. In this w...

310 - Annie Crawford - C.S. Lewis on Progress, AI, and Gender

09 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I had a great discussion with Annie Crawford. She’s written two wonderful articles for the Symbolic World Blog and is offering a course on C.S. Lewi...

309 - Jacob Howland - Technological Cannibalism

03 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I had an amazing discussion with Jacob Howland about the fundamental question of technology. We investigate from both the Biblical and ancient Greek p...

308 - Fr. Stephen De Young - Biblical Symbolism: Uncovering Your Father’s Nakedness

22 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Fr. Stephen De Young is writing an article for our upcoming publication, the Symbolic World Magazine, and he will also join us as a speaker for the Sy...

307 - Gregg Hurwitz - The Search for Political Nuance

15 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I sat down again with the American novelist and screenwriter, Gregg Hurwitz. Gregg was part of the Daily Wire+ Exodus series discussion panel with Jor...

306 - The Search for Participation in Contemporary Art

08 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Apologies for the audio quality.In this lecture, I take you through contemporary art history and its desperate search for a proper means of participat...

305 - Richard Rohlin - How to Read Like a Medieval Person

02 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Universal History series, Richard Rohlin presents a talk about 4 things we must take into consideration in order to think like ...

304 - The Subtle Bodies of Angels

25 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many of the Church Fathers talk about the notion that angels have what we call "subtle bodies", that angels are not completely incorporeal (God only i...

303 - Ted Lewis - The Technological Society

17 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I sit down with Ted Lewis to discuss the work of Jacques Ellul and his views, on technology, Christianity, civilization, and transpersonal agency.Ted ...

302 - My Participation in a Worldwide Conspiracy

11 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How conspiracies work. It's time to change how we think about conspiracies and get a more nuanced view. While secretive conspiracies also exist, many ...

301 - Aidan Hart - Transfiguration: The End of Symbolism

03 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is a discussion from the Princeton Scala Foundation conference that took place in April 2023 with the title, “The Transfiguration: Glory and Gr...

300 - The Role of Art in Identity - Princeton Scala Conference

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is a talk I gave in April at the Scala Foundation's April 2023 conference on Art, the Sacred, and the Common Good held at the Princeton Theologic...

299 - Dr. Paula Boddington - A.I. Ethics

20 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Paula Boddington returns to the channel for us to discuss new developments in artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, ethics, healthcare, the meaning of int...

298 - Mary Harrington - Conspiracies and the Return of Myth

13 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I had a wonderful discussion with writer Mary Harrington about conspiracies, myth and memes, the internet, artificial intelligence, and meaning-making...

297 - Rumpelstiltskin: Credit and Resurrection

03 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is the last video in the fairy tale series I am making public from my patron archive. This fascinating fairy tale has a lot to tell us about mone...

296 - The Meaning Behind the Princess and the Pea

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is the fourth video of a series of fairy tale analyses I did for my patrons a few years ago. I meditate on the meaning of the story of The Prince...

295 - The Symbolism in Jack and the Beanstalk

26 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is the third video of a series of fairy tale analyses I did for my patrons a few years ago. I meditate on the meaning of the story of Jack and th...

293 - Pricked by a Spindle - Symbolism in Sleeping Beauty

20 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is the first of a series of videos I will release from my patron-only archive, analyzing symbolism in various fairy tales. We start with Sleeping...

292 - Jordan Hall - Artificial Intelligence in Biblical Terms

15 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I catch up with Jordan Hall in light of recent developments about artificial intelligence, how people are responding to it and conceptualizing it, Ai ...

291 - Heather Pollington - The Art Behind 'Snow White and the Widow Queen'

06 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I had an interview with the wonderful artist, Heather Pollington. Together we created a book called 'Snow White and the Widow Queen' that is currently...

290 - John Vervaeke - How to See the End of the World

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A discussion between me and John Vervaeke at The Quest for a Spiritual Home conference in Chino, California in May 2023. A big part of our discussion ...

289 - My Most Anti-Symbolic Talk - The Quest For A Spiritual Home Conference

30 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

My talk at The Quest for a Spiritual Home conference in Chino, California in May 2023 with Paul VanderKlay, John Vervaeke, and John Van Donk. Title:...

288 - AI, Moloch and the Genie's Lamp

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this video, previously released as a patron-only video, I talk about artificial intelligence (AI) and how it relates to both the deity Moloch and t...

287 - Richard Rohlin - Universal History: The Symbolism Of Nationalism

16 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In one of our most important Universal History episodes yet, Richard Rohlin takes us through the origin of nationalism, what nations are, what they ne...

286 - Music and Pattern (Royal Northern College of Music Q&A)

11 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many of you might have seen this Q&A on YouTube already. It's been on YouTube for a whole 6 months and we have made many clips from it, but since ...

285 - Heather Pollington - From Hollywood To The Symbolic World

05 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This podcast might be more suitable to watch in video form since the topic of discussion is design: https://youtu.be/tzpvLekXy6U Heather Pollington i...

284 - John Vervaeke and Jacob Howland - The Symposium

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I sit down with John Vervaeke and Jacob Howland to discuss The Symposium, one of the great dialogues of Plato. Professor Jacob Howland is Director of...

283 - John Vervaeke and Paul VanderKlay - The Quest For A Spiritual Home Conference Warmup

20 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

https://events.eventzilla.net/e/estuary-chino-2023-2138601197 Date of event: Thursday, 18 May 2023 12:00 PM - Sunday, 21 May 2023 4:00 PM PDT Place o...

282 - Passover - Death of the Firstborn: Exodus 11-12

14 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is the fourth video in my series on the Book of Exodus. I discuss the final Plague of Egypt, the death of the firstborn. Exodus playlist: https:...

281 - Seraphim Hamilton - Symbolism, Scripture, and Universal History

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is a repost from an interview I did a month ago on Seraphim Hamilton's YouTube channel. Seraphim is Orthodox and does a lot of Biblical analysis ...

280 - Richard Rohlin - Universal History: Beowulf

23 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of my Universal History series with Richard Rohlin, we discuss the Old English poem, Beowulf. Also, stay tuned for an online course we...

279 - Fr. Andrew Damick and Richard Rohlin - Lithuania: The Wolf and the Cross

16 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is a discussion I had with Fr. Andrew Damick and Richard Rohlin from Ancient Faith Ministries about an Orthodox pilgrimage they made to Lithuania...

278 - Gregg Hurwitz - New Think

10 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Gregg Hurwitz is the New York Times #1 internationally bestselling author of 23 thrillers including the Orphan X series. In this podcast, we discuss a...

277 - Scala Foundation - The Mother Of God

03 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is a repost of a Scala Foundation webinar in anticipation of the upcoming Scala Conference in April 2023. The topic of our discussion was Mary an...

276 - The End Of Desacrilization in Art

23 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Please take note that given this talk is about art, you might want to watch the YouTube version where you can see the images I talk about: https://you...

275 - Michael Legaspi - Subjectivity and the Psalms

16 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Michael Legaspi is an Associate Professor of the Old Testament at Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary. In this discussion, we explore t...

274 - Spencer Klavan - How To Save The West (More Christ Podcast)

09 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is a repost of a discussion on the More Christ channel and podcast where Spencer Klavan and I were invited to have a conversation. We discussed s...

273 - Why We Venerate Images

03 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Recently there's been some online debate about icons and the veneration of icons. In this podcast episode, I try to take a step back to show the deepe...

272 - Brandon Dayton - Green Monk

27 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I sit down with Brandon Dayton, an artist who wrote a beautiful and interesting comic book called Green Monk. We discuss his work and inspiration. Gr...

271 - The Plagues Of Egypt

24 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Exodus 5-10. In light of my participation in Jordan Peterson's Exodus Seminar, I'm continuing with my own commentary on Exodus. This is part 3 where w...

270 - Luxury - Parallel Love

12 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I interviewed Fr. Christopher Foley, Fr. James Bozeman and Fr. David Bozeman, three Orthodox priests who are also in a rock band called Luxury. They s...

269 - John Vervaeke - After Socrates

04 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

John Vervaeke will release a new YouTube series called After Socrates, that’ll premiere on 9th January 2023 and then release two episodes per week. ...

268 - Christopher Mastropietro - Into A New World

31 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I sat down with Christopher Mastropietro, a trained philosopher who has been working with John Vervaeke on various projects. They wrote a book togethe...

267 - Luke Burgis - Revenge of the Scapegoat

23 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I talk with Luke Burgis, an author and expert of René Girard. He's written a book called 'Wanting: the Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life'. Tod...

266 - Richard Rohlin - Universal History: Anglo-Saxon Myths and the Origin of Fairies

16 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This is the first episode of a series of discussions about Anglo–Saxon myths and their role in the Universal History. Books mentions: - Apocalypse...

265 - The Burning Bush: Exodus 3 - 4

08 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In light of my participation in Jordan Peterson's Exodus Seminar, I'm continuing with my own commentary on Exodus. This is my second episode on the su...

264 - Slaves In Egypt: Exodus 1-2

02 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In light of my recent participation in Jordan Peterson's Exodus Seminar, I thought I would do a commentary on Exodus for those who are looking for mor...

263 - Bernardo Kastrup - The Fall Into Meta-Consciousness

18 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This is a repost of my second conversation with Bernardo Kastrup on the More Christ channel and podcast. We discuss the question of different levels a...

262 - Fr. Hans Jacobse - The Crisis in Masculinity

01 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

- Original video: https://youtu.be/-bEf2XRNpf4 - The Symbolic World website and blog: www.thesymbolicworld.com - Merch: www.thesymbolicworld.store ...

261 - Fr. Stephen De Young - The Son Of Man

28 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this conversation with Fr. Stephen De Young we talk about the agency and nature of the angels and how they differ from us, the idea of the Son of M...

260 - Cain And Abel

24 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Cain and Abel is one of the most known stories in the Bible. In this podcast episode we look at how it relates to left hand-right hand symbolism, but ...

259 - Responding To The Mohammed Hijab Video

24 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This podcast is a response to a discussion between myself, Jordan Peterson and Mohammed Hijab on Jordan Peterson's channel. Many people have reached o...

258 - Love And Attention - Thunder Bay Conference

17 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This talk is an attempt to explain the relationship between our experience and engagement with the world and the Good as described especially in Dante...

257 - September 2022 Q&A

11 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Patrons can submit questions in advance at $10/month or more through The Symbolic World website, SubscribeStar or Patreon. Questions are selected by m...

256 - Strange Times Call For Strange Storytelling

03 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I've spoken with Dn. Nicholas Kotar a few times on this channel. He is an Orthodox deacon, writer, storyteller and podcaster for Ancient Faith Ratio. ...

255 - Authority on the Right, Power on the Left

21 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I continue where I left of in my previous podcast about left hand and right hand symbolism, where now I discuss the idea of authority and power or dir...

254 - God Save The King

14 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, I look at the symbolism of monarchy and a few things we can pay attention to going forward in King Charles III...

253 - Left Hand / Right Hand Symbolism

14 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This podcast is based on a presentation I did on my YouTube channel that relies a lot on visual imagery. You can try to follow along with audio only b...

252 - August 2022 Q&A

10 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Patrons can submit questions in advance at $10/month or more through The Symbolic World website, SubscribeStar or Patreon. Questions are selected by m...

251 - The Kingdom Of Heaven

31 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This video is complementary to my recent video reacting to Sam Harris, called "Where is Heaven?". I further discuss what Scripture means with heaven a...

250 - Where Is Heaven? A Response To Sam Harris

23 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A clip surfaced of Sam Harris from a recent interview he did on Triggernometry where he expressed incredulity about the apparent absurdity of the idea...

249 - Paul VanderKlay - Community and Self-Improvement

17 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Paul VanderKlay and I discuss the upcoming conference in Thunder Bay, Ontario, that we will participate in with John Vervaeke and Dr. Richard Maundrel...

248 - The Spider-Man Apocalypse

10 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This is a repost of the May 2022 patron-only video about Marvel's Spider-Man: No Way Home and how the multiverse theme not only plays in with postmode...

247 - Michael Martin and Nate Hile - Esoteric Christianity

06 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This video is a repost from Nate’s channel, ‘Grail Country’. We discuss Valentin Tomberg’s book ‘Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Ch...

246 - July 2022 Q&A

03 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Original stream: https://youtu.be/zXu2zRgd0mc Events: - Bridges of Meaning Festival (August): https://bridgesofmeaningfestival.de/ - Thunder Bay Fest...

245 - Prof. Donald Hoffman - Proving Ancient Wisdom Through Mathematics

27 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Hoffman is a cognitive psychologist and popular science author. He is a professor in the Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of ...

244 - The Wages of Sin Is Death

22 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this podcast episode I discuss the famous passage in Romans 6:23, “ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ ...

243 - Dr. Iain McGilchrist - Beyond Materialism - The Matter With Things

13 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this long-awaited discussion with Dr. Iain McGilchrist I ask him several questions about his work. We discuss the medieval worldview, the Renaissan...

242 - Daniel Townhead and Kenneth Florence - Egregores, AI and the Golem

08 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This conversation was prompted by two articles Daniel and Ken wrote on the Symbolic World blog on the topic and use of the word “egregore”. Here w...

241 - Richard Rohlin - Universal History: The Hordes of Gog and Magog

30 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This is part 2 of a series of discussions on the symbolism of the far east with Richard Rohlin, as part of our Universal History series. In this episo...