367 - Rod Dreher - Living in Wonder

This was September 2025's patron video that we decided to make public. Thank you to my supporters.I explore the question of free will, drawing on the insights of St. Maximus the Confessor. While thinkers like Sam Harris argue that free will is an illusion and always contingent on material circumstances, I show how the Christian understanding reframes freedom—not as arbitrary choice, but as submission to the good. True freedom is not transgression, but moving toward higher and higher goods, where life becomes more natural and effortless.Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/burSzHmo4o4The Symbolic World Enters ParadiseJoin me and Deacon Seraphim Rohlin this November in our course on Dante's Paradiso.-Course length: 5 weeks, 15 hours-Dates of live classes: Wednesdays, November 5th to December 3rd, 2025-Time: 2-5 pm Eastern Time-Cost: 190 USD (Involved patrons can get 10% off)-Register today: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-paradiso💻 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: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

6 Marras 19min

Pre-order Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf now and get a free audiobook read by me, as well as an exclusive Q&A: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/products/the-tale-of-little-red-riding-hood-and-the-big-bad-wolf💻 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: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

31 Loka 23min

In this video, I read and reflect on the first canto of Dante’s Divine Comedy — the opening of Inferno. This incredible canto puts the entire poem in perspective, serving as a microcosm for Dante's journey through inferno, purgatory, and into paradise. I discuss in detail, line by line, the rich symbolism and meaning Dante conveys.YouTube version: https://youtu.be/7zzQRg0muMoIf you enjoy this kind of symbolic analysis, join me and Deacon Seraphim Rohlin as we continue through Dante’s Paradiso, starting live in November. You can get the early bird sale of 15% off if you use the code: EARLYPARADISO at checkout. Our past courses on Dante's Inferno and Purgatorio are also on a 50% sale during the month of October if you use code: DANTE50.Courses:-Inferno: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-inferno-the-course -Purgatorio:https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-purgatorio -Paradise (upcoming): https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-paradiso Paradiso live course details:The Symbolic World Enters ParadiseJoin me and Deacon Seraphim Rohlin this November in our course on Dante's Paradiso.-Course length: 5 weeks, 15 hours-Dates of live classes: Wednesdays, November 5th to December 3rd, 2025-Time: 2-5 pm Eastern Time-Cost: 190 USD-Get 15% off with the early bird sale through all of October with the code: EARLYPARADISO-Register today: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-paradiso💻 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: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

29 Loka 30min

This talk took place at the 2025 Touchstone conference, Great and Wonderful Days: Rediscovering the Christian Life in a Post-Christian Age. The title of my talk was “This is the Day”. https://www.touchstonemag.com/Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/cnMk_GFpVbwI explore how our modern world—built on endless disruption and self-expression—has reached its breaking point. We’re witnessing the collapse of a culture that forgot its source, but that’s also at the beginnings of renewal. From art and architecture to worship and storytelling, I share how Christians can remember, celebrate, and create once again—recovering beauty, meaning, and participation in the divine order. This is a moment of opportunity: to rediscover Christ as the pattern of reality and rebuild culture on that foundation.The Symbolic World Enters ParadiseJoin me and Deacon Seraphim Rohlin this November in our course on Dante's Paradiso.-Course length: 5 weeks, 15 hours-Dates of live classes: Wednesdays, November 5th to December 3rd, 2025-Time: 2-5 pm Eastern Time-Cost: 190 USD-Get 15% off with the early bird sale through all of October with the code: EARLYPARADISO-Register today: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-paradisoDuring October you can also get 50% off the Inferno and Purgatorio courses with the code: DANTE50-Inferno: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-inferno-the-course-Purgatorio: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-purgatorio💻 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: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

25 Loka 49min

I explore how Disney’s Tangled reimagines the classic Rapunzel story and what these changes reveal about our modern world. Tangled captures a pivotal moment in Disney’s storytelling where there was a shift from the traditional fairy tale’s emphasis on a marriage union, to a more modern emphasis on personal self-realization. I also reflect on how these themes connect to our own retelling, Rapunzel and the Evil Witch.YouTube version: https://youtu.be/o8BJcX61H08Buy Rapunzel and the Evil Witch: https://rapunzelbook.com/ The Symbolic World Enters ParadiseJoin me and Deacon Seraphim Rohlin this November in our course on Dante's Paradiso.-Course length: 5 weeks, 15 hours-Dates of live classes: Wednesdays, November 5th to December 3rd, 2025-Time: 2-5 pm Eastern Time-Cost: 190 USD-Get 15% off with the early bird sale through all of October with the code: EARLYPARADISO-Register today: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-paradisoDuring October you can also get 50% off the Inferno and Purgatorio courses with the code: DANTE50-Inferno: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-inferno-the-course-Purgatorio: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-purgatorio💻 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: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

17 Loka 21min

Huge changes are happening in the political landscape. In this video, I reflect on the assassination of Charlie Kirk and how this moment has deeply affected me toward recognizing how broken our unity has become. Drawing on symbolic insights, I explore the danger of turning opposition into real enmity and the need to return to truth, forgiveness, and higher purpose.YouTube version: https://youtu.be/NrDbHQurRpgThe recent interview with my brother, Matthieu, that I mention in the video: https://youtu.be/8-RWp1_lSEM?si=flnni77ae94jpuD-The Symbolic World Enters ParadiseJoin me and Deacon Seraphim Rohlin this November in our course on Dante's Paradiso.-Course length: 5 weeks, 15 hours-Dates of live classes: Wednesdays, November 5th to December 3rd, 2025-Time: 2-5 pm Eastern Time-Cost: 190 USD-Get 15% off with the early bird sale through all of October with the code: EARLYPARADISO-Register today: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-paradisoDuring October you can also get 50% off the Inferno and Purgatorio courses with the code: DANTE50-Inferno: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-inferno-the-course-Purgatorio: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/dantes-purgatorio💻 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: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

10 Loka 24min

Enchantment never truly disappeared from the modern world.In this episode of Universal History Deacon Seraphim Rohlin and I explore the world of magic and folk superstition in American Christianity.What is magic? Where’s the line between prayer and magic? Why did Protestant reformers ban holy water but keep belief in the devil? How did treasure-hunting rituals lead to the rise of Mormonism?YouTube version: https://youtu.be/o9rMy6lde0cTimestamps:00:00 - Coming up00:37 - Intro music01:01 - Introduction04:54 - What is magic?08:46 - The modern & Enlightenment ideas of superstition11:00 - Prayers and psalms13:30 - The Reformation's perspective24:27 - Medieval understanding of superstition26:53 - Example: the French "Dog-saint"28:11 - Reformation conclusions33:37 - You have an embarrassing illness37:21 - Christian magic hacks46:29 - Manifestation52:03 - Scapegoating54:31 - Categories of magic56:47 - Divination04:30 - Water witching07:30 - Saint Porphyrios08:51 - Finding water09:57 - Finding other things11:44 - Money digging13:33 - How money digging works17:34 - The symbolism of the New World20:54 - Joseph Smith and Mormonism24:18 - The human need for enchantment💻 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: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

3 Loka 1h 29min

In this conversation, I sit down with author and educator Heidi White to discuss her new book, The Divided Soul. We explore the story of the prodigal son, the tension between duty and desire, and how these themes echo through literature, culture, and our own lives. Heidi shares insights from the Bible, classical works, and pop culture, showing that many stories reflect this deep human struggle.YouTube version: https://youtu.be/1LjDeZpSviwBuy Heidi’s book: https://www.goldberrypress.com/products/the-divided-soul-duty-and-desire-in-literature-and-lifeHeidi’s Substack and podcast: https://closereads.substack.com/ Instagram: @heidiwhitereads 📖 Let's take our stories back. Check out our latest book in the Tales for Now and Ever series, Rapunzel and the Evil Witch: https://rapunzelbook.com/ Fr. Stephen De Young's Jubilees and the Nephilim course is now finished and available for purchase: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/jubilees-and-the-nephilim Timestamps00:00 - Coming up01:40 - Intro music02:04 - Introduction02:48 - The prodigal son05:32 - Duty and desire07:17 - Paradise as unity13:02 - Why the duality?17:36 - Sins of the right hand and the left hand20:49 - Ordering desire27:30 - Examples33:28 - Repentance and sacrifice38:04 - Christ's version of this pattern44:24 - Heidi's vision💻 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: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

25 Syys 47min