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~ Full spoilers throughout! ~ Last year, several of you pointed me to Over the Garden Wall, Patrick McHale's 2014 Cartoon Network series. It's ten short episodes about two brothers lost in a dark wood on Halloween. It turns out to be one of the most complete explorations of the in-between I've seen in pop culture, closer to the first canto of Dante than you'd expect from a cartoon. In this video I discuss the symbolism in the show. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/VDYYV9xizZs ------------------------------- GodsDog: Monk is now officially in stock! You can also get volumes 1 and 2 on sale during October! Visit: https://godsdog.com/ -------------------------------🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe💻 Website, blog, courses: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com📚 Store: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

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 “flood of wind” that buried the idols in mounds, and it puts the origin of sorcery in a child sacrifice to a golden image. We also look at how the text explains Persian fire worship and why it makes Nimrod the same person as Zoroaster. Along the way we talk about the difference between an icon and an idol. Watch the YouTube version: https://youtu.be/JLLlb-QqLBk Watch the full series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLegM2eIGv3-I&si=uD375Yi9HcXAt4_j-------------------------------GodsDog: Monk is now officially in stock! You can also get volumes 1 and 2 on sale during October! Visit: https://godsdog.com/-------------------------------The Book of the Cave of Treasures: https://www.amazon.com/Book-Cave-Treasures-Patriarchs-Crucifixion/dp/1911405659Timestamps: 0:00 Coming up1:26 Intro1:40 Preamble3:42 The Cave of Treasures & the Seven Ages of the World5:30 Tolkien's Middle-earth as Universal History6:11 The Oxford Summit & Tolkien's Grave8:41 King Arthur, Dragon Hill & the Blood Spot12:09 The Fourth Age: Egypt, Sheba, Ophir & India14:43 How Idolatry Began15:17 No Hope of Resurrection: Images on the Grave17:02 The Flood of Wind & the Burial Mounds18:55 Satan Enters the Golden Image21:01 Child Sacrifice, Moloch & Carthage22:41 What's the Difference Between an Icon and an Idol?25:58 Opening the Mouth of the Idol27:25 Idols As a Tool28:38 Same Rituals, Different Direction29:38 Idolatry vs. the Hope of Resurrection30:31 A Mound Full of Devils32:57 Nimrod Worships the Fire from the Earth33:43 Nimrod & the Wisdom of Noah's Son34:47 Abraham the True Astrologer35:10 Divination in the Old Testament: Urim, Thummim & the Ephod37:37 The Fire Priest's Dark Initiation40:34 How Paganism Emerges41:17 The Origins of Astrology42:56 Nimrod Is Zoroaster?44:11 Zoroaster, the Magi & the Star of Christ45:05 Nimrod, Zoroaster & Balaam: The Same Person?48:21 The Legend of Balaam's Talking Donkey49:06 Hidden Monotheism in the Ancient World51:21 Universal History as a Lens on the Present52:12 Why Zoroastrians Don't Bury Their Dead53:29 Armenia's Hayk & the Death of Nimrod🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe💻 Website, blog, courses: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com📚 Store: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

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 of Rome and the pope’s actual seat as Bishop of Rome. This episode will be easier to understand on YouTube since it's based on visual art: https://youtu.be/TvsDGsKlIiQ-------------------------------GodsDog: Monk is now officially in stock! You can also get volumes 1 and 2 on sale during October! Visit: https://godsdog.com/-------------------------------🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe💻 Website, blog, courses: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com📚 Store: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

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 body, holiness, and the resurrection. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/YnopjkmE6Nk-------------------------------GodsDog: Monk is now officially in stock! You can also get volumes 1 and 2 on sale during October! Visit: https://godsdog.com/-------------------------------🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe💻 Website, blog, courses: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com📚 Store: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

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 map of the cosmos which can be used to interpret other stories and images. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/hUWZllivScw This is the second part of a talk. The first part is here: https://youtu.be/S1y-jEYNRNc The original audio was taken from Ancient Faith Radio: https://www.ancientfaith.com/ ------------------------------- GodsDog: Monk is now officially in stock! You can also get volumes 1 and 2 on sale during October! Visit: https://godsdog.com/ ------------------------------- 🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe 💻 Website, blog, courses: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com 📚 Store: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/ Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

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: https://youtu.be/S1y-jEYNRNcThis talk is a repost from the archive. It was given in Feb. 2017 at the Climacus Conference in Louisville Kentucky. The original audio was taken from Ancient Faith Radio: https://www.ancientfaith.com/-------------------------------GodsDog: Monk is now officially in stock! You can also get volumes 1 and 2 on sale during October! Visit: https://godsdog.com/-------------------------------Timestamps:00:00 – The world is made of stories01:23 – How the invisible holds the visible together03:49 – What makes something a story?06:15 – Ad starts: God's Dog 307:10 – Ad ends: The universal pattern of stories09:01 – How biblical stories hold the world together10:37 – Moses and the pattern of the Tabernacle13:13 – Christ as the Tabernacle encompassing the universe15:22 – Patterns within patterns18:03 – How the Old Testament points to Christ19:50 – Cain and Abel as patterns of Christ22:13 – The Eucharist reconciles opposing sacrifices24:35 – Christ as the fulfilment of all stories25:47 – The universal pattern of descent into the underworld28:08 – Why similar myths don't disprove Christianity30:33 – The Harrowing of Hades32:50 – How Christ transforms the ancient pattern35:29 – Seeing ancient myths through Christ36:17 – How we encounter God in stories37:51 – The danger of reducing Christ to our preferences38:46 – Letting go of our limited image of Christ40:13 – Encountering divine truth in unexpected places🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe💻 Website, blog, courses: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com📚 Store: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

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 were our own. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/zvM1RkJ_D1EGodsDog: Monk is now officially in stock! You can also get volumes 1 and 2 on sale during October! Visit: https://godsdog.com/🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe💻 Website, blog, courses: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com📚 Store: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

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 now and/or get volumes 1 and 2 on sale! https://godsdog.com/ 🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe 💻 Website, blog, courses: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com 📚 Store: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/ Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

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: emergent post-war social narratives and identities like nationalism, globalism, politics, “progress”, environmentalism, and transhumanism. Finally we discuss the crisis of masculinity and our ultimate hope in Christ. Rusty Reno is the editor of First Things, a journal aimed at "advancing a religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society". He is the editor of the Brazos Theological Commentary on Scripture series and the author of several books, most recently Return of the Strong Gods: Nationalism, Populism and the Future of the West. For twenty years Reno taught theology at Creighton University. YouTube version of this interview: https://youtu.be/NwTYsZfU2ak Rusty’s book, Return of the Strong Gods: https://www.amazon.com/Return-Strong-Gods-Nationalism-Populism/dp/1621578003 Pre-Order GodsDog: Monk now and/or get volumes 1 and 2 on sale! https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/collections/godsdog Join Dr. Zac Porcu for his course, A Demonological History of the World: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/a-demonological-history-of-the-world 6 weeks, 12 hours Price: Only $120, and Involved patrons can get 10% off. Apply your discount code at checkout. Live classes: Sep 15 - Oct 20 🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe 💻 Website, blog, courses: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com 📚 Store: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/ Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

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. Michael. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/yE68F1pGPmQ Pre-Order GodsDog: Monk now and/or get volumes 1 and 2 on sale! https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/collections/godsdog Join Dr. Zac Porcu for his course, A Demonological History of the World: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/a-demonological-history-of-the-world 6 weeks, 12 hours Price: Only $120, and Involved patrons can get 10% off. Apply your discount code at checkout. Live classes: Sep 15 - Oct 20 🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe

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 categories, and why the promise of technological transcendence may be a counterfeit of something Christianity already understands. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/6TqYxG9gxwc Her books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/D.W.-Pasulka/author/B07NL6KZN5 Join Dr. Zac Porcu for his course, A Demonological History of the World: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/a-demonological-history-of-the-world 6 weeks, 12 hours Price: Only $120, and Involved patrons can get 10% off. Apply your discount code at checkout. Live classes: Sep 15 - Oct 20 Pre-Order GodsDog: Monk now and/or get volumes 1 and 2 on sale! https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/collections/godsdog 🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe Timestamps: 00:00 – Coming up 01:58 – Introduction 02:52 – How a Religious Studies Scholar Ended Up Studying UFOs 08:52 – UFOs as Religious and Spiritual Phenomena 13:25 – A Demonological History of the World 14:41 – The Mythology and Narrative of UFOs 16:38 – Why Governments Use UFO Disinformation 20:56 – Technology, Magic, and Non-Human Intelligence 24:22 – Aliens, Demons, and the Modern Image of the “Grey” 27:43 – Psychedelics and Encounters With Other Beings 30:19 – AI as an Alien Intelligence 32:02 – UFOs and the Promise of a New Revelation 34:29 – Spielberg and the Alien as Saviour 38:35 – Arthur C. Clarke, Demons, and Childhood’s End 40:50 – Transhumanism vs. Christian Transfiguration 45:42 – God’s Dog: Monk 46:42 – Aliens as Our Future, “Evolved” Selves 49:06 – How the Alien Narrative Collides With Christianity 52:36 – Project Stargate, Remote Viewing, and Psychic Espionage 56:18 – Why Is the AI Project Also Called “Stargate”? 57:30 – 2001: A Space Odyssey, AI, and UFO Disclosure 01:01:29 – AI Is Feeding on Us 01:03:00 – How Should Christians Respond? 01:06:26 – AI Cannot Give Us Transcendence 01:08:42 – Recovering the Spiritual Senses 01:10:39 – Isolation Makes Us Vulnerable to Propaganda 01:11:39 – Diana’s Next Book on Christianity 01:13:00 – The Noosphere, the Singularity, and an Apocalyptic Moment 01:17:06 – Christianity Makes Us More Human 01:18:20 – Conclusion

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 that the gods were real, but fallen. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/WMKOzuhnib4 Learn more about Dr. Zac: https://zacharyporcu.com/Join Dr. Zac Porcu for his course, A Demonological History of the World: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/a-demonological-history-of-the-world 6 weeks, 12 hoursPrice: Only $120, and Involved patrons can get 10% off. Apply your discount code at checkout.Live classes: Sep 15 - Oct 20Pre-Order GodsDog: Monk now and/or get volumes 1 and 2 on sale! https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/collections/godsdog🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe💻 Website, blog, courses: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com📚 Store: https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

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 the movie Obsession, which was released in May of this year. It had a low budget and was directed by a YouTuber, yet became a massive breakout box office and critical success. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/z09N5ErcoTEJoin Dr. Zac Porcu for his course, A Demonological History of the World: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/a-demonological-history-of-the-world 6 weeks, 12 hoursPrice: Only $120, and get 15% off through September 8, 2026 at 11:55PM ET! After the early bird sale, Involved patrons can still get 10% off. (Discounts can't be combined.)Live classes: Sep 15 - Oct 20Pre-Order GodsDog: Monk now and/or get volumes 1 and 2 on sale! https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/collections/godsdog============Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

Christian Roy and I discuss Jacques Ellul’s theology of technique (technology) and the way modern systems turn power, efficiency, and mediation into ends in themselves. AI brings this crisis into focus, especially in our speech and relationships, but the deeper question is whether technology still serves a meaningful purpose —or whether we have begun to serve it. We also explore the Christian idea of non-power as a way beyond the logic of domination. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/HH_vCnVDTdo Christian’s book: Theology and Technique: https://www.amazon.ca/Theology-Technique-Jacques-Ellul/dp/1725259788 Join Dr. Zac Porcu for his course, A Demonological History of the World: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/a-demonological-history-of-the-world 6 weeks, 12 hours Price: Only $120, and get 15% off through September 8, 2026 at 11:55PM ET! Live classes: Sep 15 - Oct 20 Pre-Order GodsDog: Monk now and/or get volumes 1 and 2 on sale! https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/collections/godsdog 🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe 💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com 🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast: -Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5 -Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488 Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

Louise Perry is a British journalist, author, and host of the Maiden Mother Matriarch Podcast. She’s a columnist for the Wall Street Journal and has been described as a leading reactionary feminist. She interviewed me for us to discuss why progressivism became such a powerful cultural force, how the postwar story shaped modern politics and storytelling, and why fairy tales still preserve patterns that our culture has tried to flatten or subvert. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/HVRY6WP4hFA Her website: https://www.louisemperry.co.uk/ Her X account: https://x.com/Louise_m_perry Register now for the Universal History Masterclass hosted by Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin: ⁠https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/universal-history-masterclass⁠ Pre-order GodsDog 3 and get volumes 1 and 2 on sale! https://store.thesymbolicworld.com/ Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/