Media
With Paul VanderKlay – What to do after the first Jordan Peterson Wave?
I discuss the situation with Pastor Paul VanderKlay. We look at the situation as Jordan Peterson has retreated, what it means and what to do.
Mythic Patterns in Mario Games Pt 1: The Arcade Origins
The early Mario Games: Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr. and Mario Brothers, present the basic mythological pattern which will later lay get developed in the history of video games. This is the first part of a two part series. In the next part, we will look at Super Mario Brothers and how it brings together the different symbolic meanings into one game.
Creating Culture Deliberately – Benedict and Talia-Maria Sheehan
Benedict Sheehan is a composer of sacred music, a conductor and choir director. His wife Maria is a vocalist and music teacher. Together they are trying to recreate a context out of which we can reengage a deliberate production of meaningful culture. We look at their work and the founding of the new Artefact Institute.
The Joker and Cancel Culture
The opening scene of the Dark Knight movie by Christopher Nolan is one of the best examples of revolution and can help us understand contemporary phenomena like cancel culture.
Mediating Purity and Trade in a Pandemic
Finding the necessary balance between purity and exchange has been difficult in this moment of pandemic, it exposes the problem of being the prey of symbolic swings. We look at purity and trade, but also the symbolism of masks and veils.
Articles
I Went to Church Today – Samaritan Woman – Fifth Sunday of Pascha (IWTCT-8 May 17, 2020)
I went to church today. There were a few more people there than last week and it was good to see some faces I hadn’t seen in a while. But still,...
Heroic Betty. How Television’s Ugly Betty is the most Unlikely Model of Joseph Campbell’s Heroic Journey
Anybody who is from Colombia or lived there is familiar with Yo Soy Betty La Fea, the internationally successful hybrid soap opera and sitcom that...
On the Bestiary and its Symbolism: An Introduction, Pt. I
This is part I in a two-part article, and the first article in a series of posts that discuss the symbolism of a particular and peculiar literary...
Mythic Patterns in Mario Games Pt 1: The Arcade Origins
The early Mario Games: Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr. and Mario Brothers, present the basic mythological pattern which will later lay get developed in the history of video games. This is the first part of a two part series. In the next part, we will look at Super Mario Brothers and how it brings together the different symbolic meanings into one game.
I Went to Church Today – Sunday of the Paralytic – The Fourth Sunday of Pascha (IWTCT-7 May 10,2020)
I went to church today. It is the fourth Sunday of this Paschal season and we’re almost halfway to Pentecost. Today is the day we remember the man...
I went to church today – The Myrrhbearing Women – Third Sunday of Pascha (IWTCT-6 May 3,2020)
I went to church today. It is another week into this strange time, into which we seem to be wading. At least today the weather was mild and sunny,...
The Symbolism of Sword & Shield
Within the panoply of Western mythic imagery, perhaps few things excite the imagination like that picture of a brave knight, armed with sword and...
The Horror and Hope of Bluebeard
You know a story is good if people write new versions of it over, and over again. Given this metric, Charles Perrault’s Bluebeard must be the...
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About
Jonathan Pageau
Professional Icon Carver
Jonathan Pageau is a professional artist, writer and public speaker, giving workshops and conferences all around North America. He teaches carving, speaks on art, but mostly explores symbolic structures that underlie our experience of the world.
Through his YouTube channel and podcast, The Symbolic World, he also furthers the conversation on symbolism, meaning and patterns in everything from movies, to icons, to social trends.
Articles on the The Symbolic World are contributed by several writers engaged with Jonathan in the exploration of Symbolism across all fields.
To see the Jonathan’s art, please visit his carving website, his Patreon Art page or follow him on social media.