May 2026 Q&A

Added: 2026-06-01

[00:00:00]All right.

[00:00:03]All right. Hello everyone.

[00:00:07]Hope you are doing well. I just need to organize a few things here. I'm a little late.

[00:00:21]Um. All right.

[00:00:29]All right, people asking in the chat already asking if Jordan will be Jordan Peterson will be at the art conference.

[00:00:39]And um my I'm not I don't really have a a direct I don't really have an answer, but I I personally uh don't expect him to be there. It would be great if he was, but I think he still has a bit of has a bit of a ways to go still.

[00:01:03]Um, okay. I have this really weird thing that's happening in the chat. For some reason, the chat is being automatically translated. What the What is happening?

[00:01:29]What? The chat is in French, folks.

[00:01:38]How is this really, really weird?

[00:01:42]How do I stop this?

[00:01:49]So everybody, do you guys you guys all speak French? Yes. Look at that. Isn't it crazy?

[00:01:58]Yeah. Someone says, in fact, probably writing in English saying the Tower of Babel is there. How do I stop this?

[00:02:14]I have no idea.

[00:02:17]Oh my goodness. This is very annoying.

[00:02:21]One of the most annoying things is uh is is when you actually when you know someone and you know them in English and then all of a sudden you're you're speaking a different language to them.

[00:02:32]It's very odd. Like I can never I can never talk to my wife in English, for example, even though she speaks perfect English. Uh it's just very weird.

[00:02:43]All right, let me just see here if I Okay, so for some reason it's just the normal chats that are translated, but the super chats aren't translated. I guess they don't want us to translate super chats. All right. Okay, I'm going to figure out later how to do this.

[00:03:01]Sadly, I'm going to have to interact with all of you in French. I guess maybe I should just do it in French, you know, and that way uh that way we'd all be on the same page, you know. Maybe who knows, maybe if I do it in French then YouTube will translate it back into English for you. And so that's just how wild this happened to though, like my mother. She said she was once she saw a clip of me and she wasn't sure where it was. She thought maybe it was on Facebook or something and she said the clip was in French. Uh and she said, "But it wasn't your voice. It was like it was as if it was someone else speaking through your mouth, but it was in French and uh and I could never find that. So, I don't know what was going on. Um All right.

[00:03:47]All right. So, as you know, uh the way this works is people who support the symbolic world, uh $10 or more per month, they can ask questions in advance, and the questions I will find them on the uh on the circle symbolic world community. Um, and then for everybody else, you can show up in the chat or you can you can obviously ask questions there. I will try to pay attention to the super chats especially, but also keeping my eye on the general chat as well. Um, so um, so yeah. All right. And I I mean if I read some of your questions in the chat, I will have to like re-ransate them into English as I'm reading them in French and therefore you might not hear the question that you asked.

[00:04:28]Uh so uh so yeah all right yeah someone's saying that YouTube takes for granted what language you speak.

[00:04:40]Yeah, for sure. This is uh this is something that happens. Um you know, so Kaizen Snake writes in all caps, I am the second messiah. And the question is, are you French Messiah or an English Messiah?

[00:04:56]All right. All right. All right. Okay.

[00:04:58]So, uh a lot of things have happened since I talked to you last. We had the Symbolic World Summit and it was it was really amazing. I mean, I don't know if some there's some people in the chat who were there. It was uh I think it was better than the last time to be honest.

[00:05:14]And and the reason was because it was more like a big kind of family gathering. We we made sure this time that we had a lot of places where people could just sit and hang out and had have lunch and meet with each other and it felt like people were really connecting.

[00:05:28]And so to me that was very precious. And uh the speakers, all the speakers did such a great job. And one of the things several people told me is that they felt like this time coming out of the summit, they they they had a sense of what they could do, right? They had a sense of of how they could apply it in their life and what it is that they could do. Uh Mary Harrington's speech was was really astounding. Deacon Saraphims also was so wellprepared and and really take take took us through, you know, the difference between the ancient hero and the modern hero and the difference between the cult the cult of the heroes in the past and and our reverence, you know, for the saints today. Uh just just amazing stuff. I felt like actually my my speech was the one that was the least well prepared and like well well put together of all of them. It was more like a It was more like a um kind of inspirational kind of speech, I guess, is what what I did. But um anyways, so so it was really great. You people can still you can still get it if you want. You know, we I think it's like $100 for uh to get the the entire two-day, you know, two and a half day thing with the Q&As's and all the different speeches. So if you're interested in that, you can you can go ahead and uh get that on the SMCO website.

[00:06:48]Um, and for some reason, and I don't totally understand what's going on, is that I came back from the Symbolic World Summit, and I don't know. I mean, it was a mix of things, I guess, but I just I just for some reason started to go into kind of uh Christian apologetics on on Twitter, and I've posted several things, and I keep telling myself, Jonathan, stop.

[00:07:13]What are you doing? What What is this?

[00:07:14]This is not you. This is someone else.

[00:07:16]But I don't know why I can't stop. just posting uh different Christian apologetic stuff. So, you know, you know, it's uh yeah, it's weird. So, all right, here we go. Let me start with the symbolic world platform.

[00:07:32]All right, I am going to stop. So, David Daniel Linton for seven likes. What is the upper room? I noticed you referencing it in your Rapunzel book.

[00:07:42]Made me realize I had never thought about its significance in the Pentecost story. Is there a connection between Rapunzel and uh Pentecost? And so yeah.

[00:07:51]Well, I mean the upper room, this is at least my understanding. It really it has to do with the fact of something it especially in the story of scripture.

[00:08:00]Like if you imagine if you had a if you had a castle, you know, imagine like uh even a skyscraper today, you know, who's in the top floor. you know the person at the top floor is you the the person that has the most money the person that has the most influence you know in the same in a castle you know why would you you know in the would you have the cast the the king in the basement of the castle you know usually not if you have uh the throne room it'll be up above it'll be high up you know in the castle a place that is above above everything else and so I think that's what it is it it's about hierarchy and it's about events happening in the upper room in some ways are you know, in the story ends up being events that form the rest. And so, right, this Holy Spirit comes down on the disciples and then they imagine they're at the upper room. The discip the the Holy Spirit comes into them and then they go out and they go out, they go down and then they they speak in the different languages down below. And so, you know, it's related and that's why, you know, the this whole anti-belabel idea of Pentecost of how it's kind of like a reverse image of Pentecost. Um, you know, in some way it's very similar to what happens at Pentecost, right? The the the the wind of God comes, you know, there's an ancient tradition that's not in scripture, but even in Jewish tradition that talks about how, you know, like the spirit of God, the wind of God blew and that's what made the the uh the tower of Babel fall. But now the wind of God comes down and then changes the one language into multiple languages, but not in confusion, rather in love and in expression. And so I think that that's that's all all related to what the upper room is. Um that's my sense. Um wow. So someone ocean blue monster says uh advice for a Jewish person in Israel who wishes to convert to orthodoxy. Uh I mean I would say you're at the center you you know you go to the holy supplr you definitely you're definitely in the the place you know this is the place where uh you know the there is still very much a center there. That's what I would suggest. You could go there and uh maybe talk about talk talk talk there with uh some of the priests or some of the deacons or some of the you know the people there. There's also a really wonderful Russian monastery that is on uh next to um next to the garden of Gethsemane. I forget I forget who it's dedicated to. That's horrible. But uh but that might also be a place to go if you're if you're in Jerusalem.

[00:10:38]Um all right. Okay. So, let me do let me do uh some super super chats and see.

[00:10:49]All right. So, start with All right. So, disciple 111D question on behalf of my mother. Do we know the women who came and then Seth procreate with? Seems like a missing link in the narrative. Thank you, sir. Well, you could watch our recent video that Deacon Saraphim and I did on uh on the um the uh the what is the cave of treasures, you know, which is a later tradition, but in some ways kind of deals with that in in the idea is at least in these traditions, some of the Syrian traditions, which is obviously the people that were there like the the descendants of the Jews and the and the Samaritans of the first century, you know, they became A lot of the people, the Palestinian people that are there, some of the Syrian Christians that are there, those that spoke Aramaic, all these people are descendants from from the early Christians. And so they have this tradition of course that you know that I mean they are the sisters of they also came from Eve. And so there's this wonderful tradition about how Eve each son is born with a twin, a twin sister.

[00:12:00]And so Cain has a twin sister and Abel has a twin sister. And in this p uh particular tradition, the idea is you have you're going to marry the twin sister of the other.

[00:12:11]Right? So Cain is born with his twin sister and then he he is called to marry Abel's sister and then Abel is called to marry Cain's sister but Cain is in love with his own twin you know and it's a it's a kind of a nice image of first of all although it's weird because you know it's it's it's all incest in our in our estimation but you can understand how you know in this context it's like a relative degrees right where in some ways the sin that you can receive with the sin of Cain which is in some ways to be in love with himself to be too in love with himself and to see in his twin sister uh the one in to you know towards which he should come and so he he refuses to marry Abel's twin and wants to marry his own uh and this is actually part of the the fall of Cain it ends up being one of the reasons why he kills uh Abel and so uh so yeah so there's some interesting definitely interesting things to think about there and So obviously, you know, it doesn't say how many women, how many girls Eve had in the story, you know, who knows.

[00:13:17]Um, yeah, and it also doesn't say how many sons she had either, you know. That's also I mean, she might have had more.

[00:13:25]You don't know.

[00:13:28]Um, all right. And so, let's see here.

[00:13:36]All right. So, Doria K on the platform for six likes. She says, "Hi, Jonathan.

[00:13:41]What is your take on the meaning of the three Marys under the cross? I can't imagine that there is no meaning behind three women with the same name being at the feet of the cross." Thank you as always. Yeah, the the whole idea of the three Marys is definitely something which I which has a deep meaning. I know St. Gregor Palamos did a whole thing about about that and then in some ways the Marys the different Marys you know they exemplify different aspects of the Mary of the of the waters below. And so that's the way that I that I tend to understand it is that you know there's this image of Mary of Bethany you know uh who is a repentant woman of Mary of of Mary of Mary Madlin who is a you know who had several demons chased out of her. So you you have really and that all kind Mary of Egypt for example which is not a scripture but you know it ends up kind of coalesing towards you could say the two aspects of potential in terms of feminine there's a difference between the potential that is virgin and the potential that is saturated. So you have Mary who is the virgin and then you have the bitter mara right this idea of the bitter waters the one that is saturated uh in images like Mary Magdalene Mary Mary Magdalene or Mary of Egypt or Mary of Bethany uh the repentant woman you could say right and so it's the the the bitter repentant woman the the repent the bitter woman that repents is different from the virgin you know the Mary is pure And so these are the different aspects I think of Mary, why there are all these different Marys in scripture, although I haven't totally worked it out in my mind, but it seems to me like it's a it's a kind of suggestion. And um yeah, and so even I know that St. Gregory Palamas even uses these suggestions to find the the mother of Jesus in places where uh it's not clear that she's there. like it's not directly said that it's almost hidden in the text is this idea that although there are places where Mary the mother of Jesus isn't named specifically through these other Marys it's like almost like a secret hint that she's there right she's participating in the event and so uh you know um yeah that's how I that's how I tend toh to see it all right let's See, oh, another super chat. Um, Noah Joeli asked, "What is the symbolism of North South Korea?

[00:16:23]Capitalism, dystopia versus communism, dystopia, South Korea, lowest birth rate, and highest suicide rate. Yeah, I mean I think it's for sure it's a stark example of the two extremes and how you know and it's something that we should learn from for example because the truth is that and some people will be very annoyed with what I'm about to say but the truth that Christianity is not a capitalist system is not a capitalist belief. We're not cap Christians should not be pure capitalists, you know. Uh and it's the same Christian Christianity is also not a socialist kind of communist type of thinking. It just isn't. It's, you know, it's a it it has a idea of personal individual responsibility, but it also has this important idea that that we should care for the widow and the people that are weak. Um and so and it's an interplay between those two. And what you see in North and South Korea, which is important, is that especi you see that in Western Christians, this is something that happened to me recently, by the way. Um, a woman who's who's wonderful woman that I that I really um I thought was admirable. She was doing all these different projects, but one of the projects she was involved in was funding these documentaries in Iran. And you know, and this was kind of like before the war, like as the war was kind of on the horizon, it hadn't started yet. And she told me about how they funded this documentary about a kind of punk rock type uh whatever screo band in Iran. And you know, she was very happy to to say, you know, like we're funding this rebellious teens, these rebellious uh kind of screo bands in Iran. And this woman was a Christian, you know, and and I I I couldn't help myself. Usually I don't say things like that, but I asked her. I said, "And so so what, right? Is that what you want for Iran? Do you want us to paint them rainbow and make them like us?"

[00:18:35]Right? So that they don't have children anymore so that they become degenerate like is that is that your answer to authoritarianism? Right? Is degeneracy?

[00:18:44]And this is something that America has participated in, right? It's like the answer to the answer to autocracy is porn. You know, the answer to autocracy is Disney and consumer culture. And no, it isn't. Like those two sides are suicidal. And I think North and South Korea are two examples where you see that, you know, where the degeneracy of South Korea is basically suicidal. like they will cease to they're just not producing humans and making people that are full of despair and the the autocracy of North Korea is, you know, is a nightmare where people live in in abject poverty and there are hundreds of thousands of peoples in work camps, you know, and so it's a I think it's a stark wakeup call for us to not to think that the solution to, for example, Muslim countries, you know, let's just make them like us. Let's free Iran and make them like us so that they become degenerate and that they don't have children anymore and that they, you know, it's like not sure that that's the solution. You know, I'm not a fan of of of Islamism and autocracy, but I'm not sure that making them like us is the solution to that. So, so yeah. So, that's my take on that.

[00:20:09]That's my take on that.

[00:20:17]All right. And so, so Ben Cleick says, "Which talk from the summit is still hovering in your memory and what was so compelling about it for you? Why?" Uh, I mean, they're just I I can't really isolate one. I think that a lot of the uh the talks the talks were just amazing. Daniel Linton in a comment to that says, "Heather Palitton's is the one for me. It was like a crown on Mary Harrington's talk." Yeah, Heather's talk was wonderful because, you know, one of the things that I've been trying to do, you know, for years, if you go back in my videos, you'll see I do these these videos about trying to reintegrate postmodernism and how do we do that? How do we not just, you know, embrace the the the the modernist illusion? uh how do we find a way to integrate the modern world and the postmodern world into a a more complete vision which is why I talk about monsters and gargoyles and all that stuff and uh I thought Heather's approach in that talk doing it through art and kind of going back into what it is that the postmoderns say and how does it jive with a more universal vision of the world was really powerful and and uh to me it was helpful to also make that clear in my in my mind although you know until now it's been kind of an intuition you know and we've been working you know Heather and I have been working on the new uh Sleeping Beauty book and you know the the Sleeping Beauty book is really in some ways going to be the the biggest experiment that we have in the fairy tale series because it is a fully postmodern story and but hopefully what it is it's actually taking all the postmodern tropes that we've seen in the past few decades in storytelling and turning them in a manner. It's like a judo move on postmodernism is what I call it. Um, and so I I can't wait for people to read it and you know and and I'm obviously a little worried about how people going to react because it does all the elements of the story in in Sleeping Beauty are there. But we I play with them in a manner. Anyways, you'll see when you see it. Can't wait for you guys to see it.

[00:22:32]All right. All right, going back into the super chats.

[00:22:38]Um, Wayne 1000 says, "Can you explain the significance of the icon in an icon icons behind you? Both who is being depicted and the symbolic meaning of the style?" Oh, so uh yeah. So these icons here that you see, these icons uh are uh St. Andrew Rublev and St. Theodore the studite and so of course St. Theodore the studite is the great defender which St. John of Damascus of the icons after ana 2 after the the seventh ecumenical council and then uh obviously St. Andrew Rublev is the is a saint iconographer. He was canonized not that long ago in my uh but he is recognized as a saint in the in the in the Orthodox church. And so that's why they hold um that's why they hold uh icons and um and so yeah. So in terms of the style, I think it does also have to do with uh with um with what it is that we're talking about. you know, these icons.

[00:23:46]Um, man, I'm I'm I'm horrible now. I because I'm forgetting the name of the iconographer. Oh, I should not I can't believe I um I I need to find it because because he's important. He's a Let me check this here. Sorry about this.

[00:24:19]Um, come on Jonathan, we can do this.

[00:24:28]I literally have written articles on this person.

[00:24:38]I'm not going to find his name.

[00:24:41]He's a a Syrian iconographer.

[00:24:49]Come on.

[00:24:55]Well, that's it. I'm sorry that I can't remember his name. Anyway, so but what he does is he's he's he's on the one hand trying to go back into older iconographic traditions, you know, like the very early images that had a very a kind of like a naive simplicity to them.

[00:25:11]And what he's doing is he's also trying to connect that to, you know, early modern painters like Matis um who were willing to explore that kind of naive in painting. And uh and so, you know, I I don't know if I would put his his icons in in my church, for example, but I do I do think that having them at home has been a I find them beautiful and they have a kind of sensibility that I appreciate. So, uh so that's what that is. And so, sorry that I couldn't find the name of the of the iconographer.

[00:25:50]All right. And so Ian Clements asked, "In in a walk in the woods, I saw a small buck looking at me from a distance. We watched each other for probably 20 minutes as I slowly approached. My gut instinct was to get it close as he would let me. I probably got within 10, 15 yards. What's the symbolism of the stag? Why it always why it always exciting to come across a deer even though finding them in the Midwest forest is very common and completely normal." Um, I mean for sure the the in Christianity the stag has become a a a deep symbol of something like noticing the divine logos out in the wild places right that is the surprise of finding meaning and purpose and and and Christ in the wild. And so there are obviously these famous stories of St. Eustace St. stash saint stash for example who sees a deer you know a stag with a cross in his antlers um and this image of the stag that like appears and kind of reveals you know that wants to be followed for example so that it brings you to to to discover that which is true and holy that's what it is right it's it's that it's like the fish symbolism in Christianity which is it's meaning hidden in darkness right it's like the surprise eyes of insight uh of seeing the logos and seeing the reasons for things um when you don't expect it you know and so that's for sure what the stag has been meaning in the deep meaning of the stag in Christianity um but I think you know I think that that for someone especially people who don't live in forest you know I think that the this is the experience that we have when we see a wild animal is something like what I'm saying which is that you're walking through the woods and you know in some ways everything feels static everything feels like it's there and then all of a sudden you see this hint right this glimmer of something moving something you know out between the trees and the sense of wonder that it brings us is the sense that the world is alive right it's this it's this sense that actually the world is is living and that the world isn't these dead things even though our perception that the world is dead is an illusion. But when we see a living creature, when we see a rabbit going through going through the woods or we see a deer, especially a deer or like if you saw a moose or or a larger uh creature, you know, it it evokes this wonder of realizing that in fact, you know, that the this world is full of meaning and purpose, you know. Um, and so that's at least my intuition about why we love to see wild animals in the in the forest.

[00:28:53]It's also I mean it's related to to where we live now because if you there are other places in the world where some of those animals because our world is so domesticated that it evokes in us the sense of wonder. But even in Canada, if you come up against a moose or a bear, you know, that wonder is there, but it turns into terror quite quite rapidly. Um, and even if you met like a very large stag, you know, and it looked you down, you might that wonder might just come right up to the edge of of a of a kind of, you know, a slight sense of horror because of the danger that it represents. But, you know, I've I you know, as you know, I've lived in Congo and in Kenya for several years, and I've had several experiences where, you know, you walk up right up to a a buffalo, and you know, the buffalo just stands there and looks at you, or you you find yourself uh surrounded by um by baboons, for example, who really want whatever it is that you have. they want the food in your bag or you know and then they'll they'll really you know come to attack you. uh that is not those experiences are you know after once once you've gone through them you still have that sense of like wonder and you know how in some ways the world has a will independent of yours right maybe there's something of that too um but uh but it's a little more terrifying yeah all All right.

[00:30:42]Let's see.

[00:30:44]All right. So, K Hashimoto asks, "Recently, I moved back to the country of my birth and heritage, Japan. I felt oddly at peace going to Shinto, Japan's native religion. Shrines, finding them extremely beautiful and calming. even recently recently started to feel compelled to pray at them. How in the world do I reconcile this with being a Christian? Um I'm finding myself trying to justify this with the thought that all good things are originally of God.

[00:31:11]Thank you. Um you know I if you're a Christian, I would definitely suggest that you don't do that. Uh I understand the the I understand the draw like I understand the um appeal. I remember reading even CS Lewis in some ways expressing that when he was visiting you know let's say the going to Deli and seeing the the the ruins of the temple of Apollo and feeling he feeling in him that you know that you could say drive to to recognize that there's something real there's something humble holy there um but I would say that this is if you're a Christian this is a I I mean, I think it's dangerous in general, but it's especially dangerous if you're a Christian. Um, mostly because you don't know these spirits, like what are they?

[00:32:06]What what is what is that you're that you're engaging with? Um, it's disconnected from your, you know, from the headship of Christ. Not ultimately in a cosmic sense, but in the sense that it's not serving it, you know, and so I would definitely I would definitely avoid that if you can. and uh you know and and uh you know and go to a church you know and and hopefully in a church you'll be able to have that same experience of of reverence but at least being aligned ultimately to what it is that that you believe.

[00:32:47]Yep. All right. And so here we go.

[00:32:54]So, Samuel Ramalera 7237 um in the super chats for $5 R. I don't know what that is. Hi, Jonathan. People frequently ask about your symbolic views on Neon, Genesis, Evangelian, Warhammer, and Full Metal Alchemist. Any ideas? God bless. Um I don't really know that much about them. I I've never watched uh Neon Genesis and I've never played Warhammer.

[00:33:23]Although Deacon Sarapim, you know, he's several time he brought me to like one of those figurine shops and I was walking through and looking at all the different like crazy Warhammer figurines. Uh my sense of Warhammer is that in some ways it's like a it's almost like a it's like everything is in a symbolic loop, right? It's as if it's everything that it's trying to represent gets kind of rehashed and amplified over and over. It's like as if it's as if they're always asking themselves, you know, so think like there was one race that's kind it's kind they have this kind of priestly aesthetic kind of gothic, you know, aesthetic, you know, and so then it then it's as if it's like, oh, you know, how can can I have a a giant with like his whole clothing is actually like churches and then there are like people stuck in the churches and there are these it's like these weird it's like over It's like first of all there's the whole violence part but in this this rehash and uh how can we make it more like how can we take the symbolism and increase it increase it increase it till it becomes so over the top and absurd you know um that's my sense of Warhammer uh and in terms of Full Metal Alchemist I started watching it with my daughter she she and then we we watched a few episodes and uh and then and then stopped I don't remember why we stopped it was I mean it was interesting I don't know I mean one day maybe supposedly Neon Genesis is super long too and so I don't know I don't have I don't have the energy and time to watch things anymore it's like I don't even don't really care.

[00:35:12]All right. So, sorry I'm a little chaotic today.

[00:35:20]All right. So, White Lawrence for four likes says, "Why is it that people say time goes by faster the older we get?"

[00:35:28]What's the symbolism there?

[00:35:31]I mean, for sure that's true. That's definitely an experience we have. You know, I think um I think that for sure there's something about the wonder of childhood where in some ways you're encountering things for the first time. And so because of that, they have high qualitative value, right? And so and the the high qualitative value is marks your memory, right? And because it marks your memory, then it takes up space in your experience. And so when you're young, you have a lot of these a lot of new beginnings, a lot of first times, a lot of of practice and of and so because of that, I think that's probably one of the reasons why time is moving slower in your experience. Whereas once you've kind of assimilated everything and you play things out, the the the things that you do in life have less place in your in your memory. So as you kind of enter into that that routine, you know, living the life, doing the things, at least that's my that's my sense.

[00:36:47]Yeah, for sure. I think in my case, what's happening though is that in the past several years, I've I've done so much.

[00:36:55]I've when I I've done so much and I traveled so much and I've met so many people that I I feel like my life has there. It's weird because it's kind of both, right? It's it's sometimes you look at the last year and you think, "Oh my goodness, feels like the last year was five years, you know? Well, there's one year where I went to Greece three times in the same year and to London like four times and then it was it was nuts. Like it was crazy in in one year and um and then there was all these other trips and all these other events and all these things. We published books and we did you know you you make you know uh was it like 50s something videos and you get interviewed anyways. Um, and then I would look back at the year and it's true. There's a sense that it went fast, but it also feels like it it took like it's it was 5 years of your life. So, um, yeah. So, that's that at least that's my uh that's my sense. Yeah, that's my sense. I mean, when when people do a lot of things, it feels like life things move slower. Think about Donald Trump.

[00:38:05]You know, he's only been the president for a year. You know, is it like a year and a half?

[00:38:13]That sounds crazy. Feels like he's been president for 10 years with everything that's happened. You know, every single day is like a new thing. Uh so there's something about that.

[00:38:30]All right, let's see.

[00:38:46]Getting confused here in the super chat.

[00:38:52]All right. And so Alexander Een for 200 uh s a ko I think it's Swedish, right? Uh what is the symbolism of a liar's nose growing such as in Pinocchio's case?

[00:39:16]Yeah, I don't know why it would be the nose in per se rather than anything else. I think for sure the thing that marks me is is in some ways the idea that you can't hide it, you know, and so that's the sense the sense is that the more you lie, the more it becomes apparent and that you there's nothing you can do to hide the fact that you're that you're lying.

[00:39:40]Uh, and so to me that's that's really what I that's my tendency is to think that that's what that the Pinocchio story is about. That's why his nose gets longer is because of that is that he he it shows you you can tell that they're lying. And you see that with people that lie a lot at some point you know the lie becomes so convoluted that you can't that they just appear you know and someone contradicts themselves or you know doesn't realize they forgot the lie that they told you and then tells you something different and then that's an example of the lie becoming apparent.

[00:40:18]So, mind hack 2878. How's grace viewed from the orthodox perspective? Is it God empowering you to be able to overcome sin and do good works? Um, and so in in the Orthodox tradition, grace is God himself.

[00:40:32]That is grace is the outpouring of God's energies into into creation. Right? It's the very underlying presence uh of God's will in the world is his grace. And so grace is it's a little different from so when we collaborate with grace that is when grace when we let grace transform us because grace is in some ways what God wills for for us and what God wills for the world. So when we let grace transform us and we participate, right? We synergize with the grace of God, that is how we are deified, right?

[00:41:15]That's how we are made God through participation. Obviously not through nature um but through participation.

[00:41:22]And so for sure I think for a lot of Western Christians that's very mysterious. They they they're not used to thinking uh of of God's grace that way. But um to me when I kind of understood this and I understood that this is what grace is you know it's it's actually God acting in us and through us uh it it solved a lot of problems for me in the sense that it made me understand again you know how God how the world is in God and God is in the world and God is not removed from the world you know that that in fact there is no that God is non-dual ultimately right that there is no complete duality between God and his creation that he infuses it and although it is not by nature uncreated it God's God's presence infuses everything and is constantly calling it back to himself right calls constantly calling uh the world back to to him um and so yeah and so that's what that's the way that that the orthodox Christian understand uh grace and so yes it does empower you to overcome sin and to do good works.

[00:42:37]But it's more than that. It's more than a moral question. It really is that if you participate and if you synergize your will with God's will in the world, then you are being transformed truly, you know, entering into the life of God.

[00:42:58]So yeah.

[00:43:07]Um.

[00:43:09]All right.

[00:43:14]All right. So, Yannis Leonardos asks, "In the temple, tabernacle, and the temple, the holy of holies was towards the west, but in Orthodox churches, it is towards the east. What is the symbolism of that inversion?" That's a great question.

[00:43:29]Um, so when the the first churches that the Christians built once the the you know the edict the edict of Milan was promulgated once Christianity became legal in the Roman Empire, the first churches that the Christians built had the holy of holies in the west. And so if you go to Rome today and you go to the early like Constantinian churches and the the churches that were there in the very that are still standing from the very first centuries, you will notice that the holy of holies is in the west.

[00:44:03]And this is actually the cause of a great confusion in the Catholic circles right now because uh you know the fact that the the uh the priests in Vatican 2 liturgy serve towards the people. One of the justifications that they used in their uh in their description was that in the early churches of Rome, the priests served towards the people. Uh but the reason why they served towards the people is because they were serving towards the east is because they were facing east because of the of course of the of the verse that says that you know the that the son of man comes like a lightning bolt from the the east to the west and so that you know so that the priest was standing facing the returning Christ right facing Christ that was coming towards them and that's really the way of understanding you could a the symbolism of the west in the tabernacle and in the temple. You can understand it as if it's the receptacle, right? So the grace of God or the light, you know, comes from the east and then lands in the west, right? Um and so that's why the the the it's like a counterpoint, right? It's like a it's like a it's the box, right? It's the the thing in which the sun goes down into, right? It's the the the receptacle. It's the feminine, right? So it's the the west.

[00:45:31]Um and so that's how the first churches were done. And St. Augustine and I think in other uh descriptions too describes that the Christians what they would do is that uh during the consecration I think during the consecration of the of the elements the um the entire church would turn east and would so so the priest was already facing east and then the entire church would turn east and face the east as the as the the the you know the transformation was happening like to receive the oncoming Christ, right? To encounter uh the the the Christ. And if you have to remember that in the vision of Ezekiel, it's described that the the door that's in the east of the of the temple of the third temple is sealed.

[00:46:21]And that this seal is the door through which the Messiah will come. It's the door through which the presence of God will will come. That's why it's closed and it's sealed. And so the people would turn to face the east and encounter this door that opens and that that would through which the glory of God would come. Right?

[00:46:42]Um and so then ultimately what ended up happening is that the Christians decided to turn the entire church the other way so that it always faced east so that it always faced the glory of God that was coming.

[00:46:58]And then the iconography of the church starts to reflect that. So if you go to an orthodox church u what you'll see is that in the east there's an image of of uh the of Mary of the mother of god that is there as this gate the gate in Ezekiel the sealed gate through which the messiah will come.

[00:47:18]So the symbolism becomes both esqueological but also incarnational kind of at the same time. That's why other churches often instead of having the mother of God there with the with the child will have the returning Christ, right? The the Christ in glory because you could also represent it that way, which is that here's Christ that's returning that's coming from the east and is and is and is going to also you could say come towards the west. But now the west is us, right? Now we're the west. We are in some ways those that receive the glory of God. Right? we become, you could say, the living temples of of the glory. So the the symbolism of later Christian churches becomes becomes more complete, you could say, because it kind of it was is able to integrate this transformation that Christ brings in uh in the symbolism of the church. The other thing to notice and that's very important is that in the temple and the tabernacle, the altar is in the east, right? So the ark of the covenant is in the west and the altar is in the east in the sense that it's in the outer court and the priest will offer up the sacrifices you know of uh the animals in the outer court and then you can imagine the glory of god comes down in the west so it's like a it's like an exchange you know Matthew talks about that in his book whereas because in Christianity in the book of revelation You see that the the center of worship is the altar, right?

[00:48:57]So the center of worship becomes the the the place on which the lamb is placed.

[00:49:03]And it's around the altar that the that the procession is happening.

[00:49:09]And so there's this really interesting transformation. And then what happens in Christian symbolism is that it all kind of gets fused together which is that we have the altar which is also the the ark of the covenant and which is the place on which the glory kind of descends from above um and then gets transmitted out to us who also receive it also being in some ways the living temples and in little arcs of the covenant. Um so you know and obviously this is some some of the stuff is not described in the text.

[00:49:40]I'm in some way speculating from the fact that the meaning of the fact that Christians did flip the churches and it's only in Rome that you find these early westernf facing uh churches. So, so hopefully that's helpful.

[00:50:01]All right.

[00:50:09]All right. So, Graham Taylor for $20.

[00:50:13]Thank you for that. Hi, Jonathan. I love your work. My wife and I are expecting a girl in July. We're considering the name Isla or Isela, which means island in Spanish from what I understand. So, we are wondering what is the symbolism of an island.

[00:50:30]Um, and so I mean the symbolism of an island is is the idea of a world, right?

[00:50:35]That's the weight of understanding an island is that it's a it's a full world.

[00:50:38]It has it has the waters around it and then it has in order for it to be outside of the waters. It's some it has to be somewhat like there has to be a verticality to it because it has to be outside the waters and so it's like a little mountain that is surrounded by water and has its own uh you know its own kind of independent existence to some extent. And to me that's the way that I kind of understand uh what the symbolism of an island is.

[00:51:15]All right.

[00:51:20]So, Carl Christian Roberts 6886 for 35 ZAR. I don't know what that is. Z.

[00:51:27]What's the symbolic significance of naming space rockets and lunar missions after fallen pagan deities?

[00:51:35]Um there's a there are two things going on.

[00:51:42]I think I think for sure you know the the the the Christians didn't completely forget their connection to the ancient stories. And so if you read Dante for example, you will find references to Apollo that are negative, right? that is that he is this pagan deity. But you'll also find references to Apollo which seem to be pointing to God himself which seem to be in some ways showing in some of the positive elements of these ancient stories how they are reflections of of the true God. And so this is something that you can't avoid. You'll find it all over you know medieval Byzantine classical thinking which is this this interplay between the two which is on the one hand this is this is an incomplete and kind of pagan uh fallen thing but on the other hand it also has something has to have some glimmer of the truth of the truth and the of the true god. Um, and so why is it that we tend to name that? I think for sure I think for sure there's a there's a kind of hubris in that gesture which is you know we're going into the heavens you know we are replacing the the gods.

[00:53:01]Um that's for sure is something that I I tend to think and also there's something of course in the enlightenment and kind of enlightenment thinking which is trying to use pagan symbolism to supplant Christian symbolism again. So you see that all through the enlightenment. You see it in Napoleon and you see it in in um in these kind of you know you see it in the the yeah the age of reason people will tend to refer more to the pagan deities then of course to the saints because they're trying to use paganism to supplant Christianity again and they have a kind of nostalgia for the ancient classical world. You'll meet people like that all the time still alive today. I have friends that I would say are probably kind of like that where, you know, they're kind of Christian, but what they really wish we still had was, you know, the was Athens, you know, of the in the times of Plato. So, um, you know, there's that, too.

[00:54:25]All right, so two more V's. Jonathan, when do you finally announce the next symbol summit? We've been waiting for so long, dude.

[00:54:34]And so Marvin was there at uh at the symbolic summit. It was great to see him and uh and his um and his girlfriend was there with him which was great to meet her as well. Um I don't know I mean we're probably going to do it again because it was so much fun. Um for sure you know we are going to do a kind of mini symbolic world summit in September in uh in Oxford. And so if you're in Europe or if you want to travel it's going to be pretty cool. Like there's going to be some really cool people.

[00:55:01]think of all the British people that are kind of around the symbolic world summit around the symbolic world and hopefully we'll have as many uh as we can who will be there. So I think it's going to be a pretty uh pretty fun time.

[00:55:18]All right, so Pierce Richardson says, "Hi, Jonathan. I hope the summit was all and more that you hoped it would be.

[00:55:24]Over the last few months, I've been thinking about the symbolism of my name and would like to test some of my intuitions with your insight. My name means both to puncture, penetrate or stab. It also mean it also uh means son of Peter or little stone. Some images of the pierced stone are obviously the sword and the stone from the artheran cycle. Durandal Christ's side being pierced the cross on Golgoa and Moses striking the rock. Uh what insight do you have on the symbolism of the pierced uh stone?

[00:55:58]It seems to have both feminine and masculine aspects.

[00:56:08]Well, I think I mean it it depends on some of these different things are not these different aspects aren't the same.

[00:56:15]For sure. This the idea of the sword and the stone is a little different I think than for example Christ's side being pierced. Uh the the sword and the stone has to do with the idea that it's similar to the what we talked about in terms of the stag. It's the idea that I can see that there's authority. I can see that there's meaning and purpose. Um but that purpose or that meaning or that leadership or that authority is only available to the person that can wield it is only available to the person that can free it from the potential that can find it in the potential. Um, you know, and so that's why you can imagine like Santust Stash following the stag right in the forest trying to see where it's going to bring him to some chapel in the woods or something. And so when you you have this this sword that's stuck in the stone, it's like I can see that there's something, but I can't I'm not worthy of being able to to wield it, that that meaning, you know, that authority. So that's for sure in terms of the sword and the stone. That's what it is in terms of Christ on the cross and Moses striking the rock. What you're dealing with here is I mean it's not completely unrelated, but what you're dealing with here is is in some ways being able to use that authority in a way that will yield something positive that will yield creation. And so the Romans pierce cro Christ's side and then out of the wound comes the the water and the blood which is understood obviously in some ways as a new Eve as a birth as a new creation.

[00:58:13]It's very and so this then or the water that comes down from the from the uh the the garden and it's the same with Moses. It's like how are you able to release the potential right to make it something that we can use or that we can uh uh integrate you know so it's not completely unrelated to the other but it's but it's different right so Mark AK-47 Mark AK-47 for $20 says can you talk about ascension and iconography I don't see this aspect of the story talked about as much as the incarnational principle behind images, the ascension of Christ in body seems to be a key as well. Thank you.

[00:59:02]Um, and so I mean, you know, I just put out a video on decapitation which you could probably watch in which I do talk about some aspects of the image of ascension. When you look at the image of ascension at least the the icon for example of ascension what you have is a statement of the onlogical relationships which is it's telling you that Christ is in heaven right Christ is the head Christ is above you know we are the his body and therefore we are so by Christ going up into heaven by the head going up into heaven what it does is it stretches out the body it makes in some ways the body clearly clearly see and clearly uh understand or clearly participate in the headship of of Christ.

[00:59:51]You could say that for many people until the ascension the headship of Christ was hidden. But once Christ goes up into heaven then his headship becomes obvious for everyone. They saw him go up. He is above us all. And now we are, you know, coordinating, you could say coming together as a body, you know, and obviously we still need to receive the Holy Spirit in the in that sense. But um but at least that's that's the way that I I see that. But you can watch my video that I did on um on decapitation where I talk about the idea of the head being removed from the body.

[01:00:30]All right. And so let's see.

[01:00:48]Hi Jonathan. So Reginald Duzi, Regginald Dei, which is a very cubic name.

[01:00:55]Can you share some practical suggestions on how to create a metas-pace on an individual level based on your insights and what Matsier shared about it in language of creation? Um I mean I think that what Matsier I mean I he would have to speak for himself but I but my basic understanding is that what he's talking about is the is a kind of space that has integrated the the possibility of change and therefore for that reason you know it has more than it had before because you know the the very definition of space is the you know the the establishing of order right of a of a kind of stable order. But of course that stable order has a problem which is the the irrational remainder that that isn't accounted for by the by the space isn't accounted for by the square. And therefore we have to be able to integrate the the the aspect this time aspect this aspect of transformation. Um and then if you do that then you have the best of you kind of have the best of both worlds right you have a and so you can see that in terms of um you know for example I think that things like gargoyles on the edges of buildings they're in some ways a way to to integrate uh to create a meta-pace because what they have on the sides of the churches are are are are you know ambiguous forms they have there's ambiguous forms that are repres presented explicitly on the edge of the building in order to help you understand uh and to help you kind of have that as part of you this kind of ambiguity. Um and so you know in terms of a person which you need to be able to to keep available to you is the capacity to improvise for example. Um the capacity to change your plans, the capacity to um to use change and difference and ambiguity towards the purpose that you have.

[01:03:14]Because sometimes there are obstacles that present themselves to you that seem to want to stop you from reaching where you are. Well, that's when you can use the power of time, the power of change, the power of ambiguity in order to circumvent you like a snake these obstacles so that you can continue to move forward. Uh, at least that's my that's my that's the best understanding I have of that.

[01:03:44]So, Norm Grande says, "What do you make of the construction of the railroad from east to west as the founding symbol of the Confederate Confederation of Canada?"

[01:03:53]I mean, is it really the found I mean, guess I mean, I guess I think it's fine.

[01:03:57]You know, it's a it's basically connecting. It's it's saying just like the just like the Romans in order to establish the empire, they build roads that would connect things together. Uh, I think that that's also the case for obviously the railway.

[01:04:13]All right, so back into the super chats.

[01:04:15]The mayor of Sirius Town 9122 for $10 says, "Jonah Hall has commented that AI displacing so much white collar work will eventually force people to find real vocation, not just jobs. What do you think? And how can someone pursue real vocation?"

[01:04:34]I mean, for sure a lot of people will be left hanging.

[01:04:40]That's 100% sure. But I think that no matter what happens in the next few years with AI, the best thing you can do is do the deep work. The best thing you can do is to integrate the stories, to have wisdom, to have friends, to have people around you like a real true network of humans uh surrounding you.

[01:05:10]the the no matter what happens, it's those people that will ultimately win, you know, because whether you are able to resist AI or whether you use AI to its, you know, in its positive way, it's only those that have that inside them that will be able to get there. And so, you know, the idea of having a job and just kind of having a nineto-five, you know, that's that's a this is a very short time in in history where this has existed. It's not like this is a normal permanent thing about human human uh existence. Uh and it's possible that it'll just go away.

[01:05:45]And so people that have a true project, the people that have a vision for what they what they want to do and how they want to participate in the world, then those will have an advantage over people that just want to to do a 9 to5 and then go home and rest because those jobs are possibly going to vanish.

[01:06:07]So, Peter 9638 says, "Talking to Joofi, you said you were a classical deist. Can you explain what you meant and how it squares with Eastern or Eastern Orthodox Christianity?" I saw that, you know, I think I I'm also mispronounced. I mean, I I think I brought sometimes French and English get mixed up in my head. I mean, I probably should have said a basic classical theist. Um, you know, which I think is a category that I feel comfortable using in the sense that I don't believe that God is a being among other beings. I believe that God is in in all the classical theist positions whether it's Christianity or Islam or Judaism or or you know you know let's say vidantic uh vidantic non-dualism that that God is the unoriginate source of all that God is uh you know both transcends and is present in all things is both transcendent and imminent in all uh you that that God is. I mean, these are the kind of the classic categories of monotheism, you could say. And so, that's the way that I that's the way that I see it. And of course, there are differences. You know, we believe, you know, not all of the classical theistic uh visions of God will have the trinity, for example. And so I think the trinity is the is the best understanding of the non-dual aspect of God because we often think that non-dualism only means to transcend uh duality but I think that or that it only means to transcend multiplicity which I think that that's a limited vision of non-duality. I think that what's amazing with Christian uh monotheism is that it's a form of non-duality that both includes an image of how all is one but then there's also one all is dynamic and all is multiple and these are put in a paradox you can't completely resolve but I think that that is a superior vision of of of the non of non on duality uh than the one you see in um in other forms of uh monotheism. So yeah, and I also think the same thing with this with the essence and energy distinction that Christians have um you know that other monotheistic traditions or monotheistic systems or like neoplatonic systems for example don't necessarily have. And I think that this distinction between um between essence and energies makes it possible for multiplicity to not just be an illusion, for the creation to not just be a kind of removed from God, but that God can both be fully present in all things and at the same time completely transcend them without uh without saying that his presence in everything is somehow a reduction of his being, which is something you see in you know kind of Hindu systems or some gnostic or neoplatonic systems that try to talk about this these these things.

[01:09:30]So hopefully that helps to understand what it is, you know, and I'm not a theologian as you know. So obviously I'm not I'm I wouldn't I'm not uh I'm not the best at formulating these these concepts about God.

[01:09:50]So ADL 1998 for $10 says $9.99 says, "Hey Jonathan, God bless you. Is there any connection between Judas and the tribe of Levi? Any significance of the Levites not being promised an inheritance of land and Judas giving up his inheritance?

[01:10:10]I'm not sure what you mean by giving up his inheritance. You mean giving up the the price of Christ or the the fact that he threw that he tried to return the coins?

[01:10:25]Yeah. I'm not sure what you mean by Judith and the tribe of Levi. So, and for sure there's a significance of the Levites not being promised uh land is that they are, you know, they're they're meant to be more spiritual, right? They're closer to heaven and therefore they are both they don't have their own land, but they're also distributed all through the land of Israel, right? So, there are Levites that live all all through the land. I think that that's also a good way of understanding why the Levites are are that, right? They're in the tabernacle in the middle uh or in the temple uh but then they're also distributed all through the other lands and all through the other tribes.

[01:11:15]Hi. Joel Kim says, "Hey, Jonathan, would you talk a little bit about what is glory and its relationship to love?"

[01:11:24]Um, it's relationship to love.

[01:11:28]Um, I mean, glory is the is that of you which is found outside of you. That's really the only kind of way that I can kind of understand what glory is. It's your radiance, right? And so it's like there's you and then the there's what you emanate, what comes out of you. And that's why there's a relationship between glory and your actions, right? So the things you do in the world, they reflect you in the world. They they are an aspect of your glory.

[01:11:59]Um the things you possess, you know, and this is not in like in a Christian way or it could even be in a pagan way. The things you possess are like an aspect of their glory. They show your breath like how much you have an impact in the world, the things that you build, you know. So you people would name buildings after themselves in order for their glory to be seen by others, right? Their the effect that they're having in the world.

[01:12:26]And that's why uh you know there's a there's a relationship that's why in the in scripture for it says that a man's wife is his glory. Why? because she's the one that is not him but extends him out into the world. She has children. She extends his body, right?

[01:12:45]She she she she makes his presence uh bigger. Um and she is also a mirror in which people can see him, right? And so if she's beautiful, if she's well-dressed, if she's at peace, you know, if she's people will see their husband, they'll say, "Oh, this is an image of their relationship.

[01:13:08]It's an image of the of the husband."

[01:13:10]And so this idea that your spouse is like your glory, right? Um, and I think that that's really uh the way that I kind of understand glory. But then you know there's this mysterious thing that happens in in Christianity which is that the way you suffer also becomes your glory because it it's in some ways people acting on you from the outside are if you suffer well it's like a flip where they are becoming affected by your suffering right they are in some ways being transformed by your suffering and that can be imaged as you know like the eusion of blood you know the blood that if someone pierces you and your blood comes out then it that can be your glory uh and that ultimately dying because it is in some ways how you become not yourself right that's dying dying is the mode in which you stop being yourself right you you let go you kind of and and the surprise I think in Christianity is how that can become uh your glory. And so that's what the martyr his death is his glory.

[01:14:31]Um and so what's its relationship to to love? Um I mean I it's probably the I've never I've never thought about this. First time that I think about this. I mean that probably at least from a Christian point of view we'd probably see that your glory is actually an image of your love that is the true glory the not that artificial glory the you know the glory of naming a building after yourself or doing that kind of thing that to extent that you love someone that you pour yourself out into them then your glory shines through them not in a selfish way right in a self-mping way uh and that this is maybe the surprise eyes, right?

[01:15:15]That if you die to yourself and you die for others, then that love appears as glory in them, right? And and kind of reproduces itself um in them. So yeah, that's my uh that's my take on that.

[01:15:43]All right. So Kevin Herzler 7662, can you describe a personality that Jesus may be like? I was brought up with a Jesus loves me notion, but learning and reading more, he was direct and wild. Yeah, he was he was everything, you know, and that's the thing about Jesus that he's not a he doesn't have a personality the way that we think about it. At least that's my sense is that he in some ways seems to be a kind of encompassing of all of these different aspects of the world.

[01:16:16]That's why that's why people can have different images of him because you could follow in line in scripture um where it's him just accusing other people and being extremely unpleasant in public, you know, like a true gadfly for others. And you can trace this other line where he is this kind, you know, gentle man who receives little children, you know, who heals the sick and and uh um and so the fullness of Christ is probably difficult to describe except for his own story.

[01:16:48]There's no category outside of him that can explain what personality he has.

[01:16:55]Yeah.

[01:16:58]All right. Right. So just Edoa for 499 says can you explain the symbolism of the engagement before marriage and the purpose of it?

[01:17:06]H I mean I never thought about this. There's probably something to do with a kind of preparation time, you know, just kind of like if you're going to receive communion, you have to do certain things to prepare yourself. Uh that it's a kind of time where you detach yourself from others where you, you know, you prepare your home, you prepare the place where you're going to go. You know, you don't just get married, you have nowhere to go. You take you have this time where you you plan out how it's going to happen.

[01:17:52]And in that in that way, you have to detach yourself slowly from your parents, detach yourself from your friends, like I said, prepare your nest, know where you're going to live, you know, have enough objects, have the the the the things you need to be able to live with your spouse available, and that takes time to be able to do that. So, that's kind of think what I see. It's like a like a pruning of your old life, a time of pruning of your own life, a time of gathering for the life that's about to start. Part of it would be like gathering a body, right? So maybe you can, you know, have a place to stay where are you going to stay in an apartment, you know, are you going to get your own house? Not anymore, but let's say in the past you're going to get your own house. Are you going to build something uh to receive your your bride? Uh the same with the woman. you know, she needs to make sure she has gather the the dowy, you know, gather the things, the the pots, the pans, the things for the house, all the things that the woman used to bring to the house.

[01:18:55]And I think that that's what the time of engagement was was for. So, you can kind of understand the symbolism that way.

[01:19:00]It's like a preparation of pruning and of gathering so that then the union can happen and there's a proper body to receive it, you know.

[01:19:16]I mean you can imagine like a very simple one would be like we're used to we don't think this way like we'll just go to a hotel but in the ancient world it's like well you need a marriage bed you know what is your mar what is the marriage bed going to be you're not going to sleep in your parents bed like you're not going to which bed like what is going to be your your wedding bed what is going to be the the bed that you're going to live your life in you have to prepare that and other all these other things you kind of have to prepare hair. Um, all right. So, Connor Mitchell says, "I recently discovered the Saxon poetic work, the Helien, framing the gospel in terms of warriors loyalty to his lege lord. Most commentaries simply framed it as a syncric work meant to convert pagans. A take which I found annoyingly annoying and lazy. wondering your thoughts on the work, the idea of Christ being presented in such ways and what the proper boundaries are. Thanks. Um, yeah, I don't think I don't think that you can reduce it to a uh syncric work.

[01:20:25]I think that you to some extent have to understand it as a people receiving the story of Christ and then trying to fit it with their world trying to to to make it coherent to the people that live in in those people. So it's as much for the yeah maybe for the pagans that here for the first time but even for the Christians trying to kind of digest this wild and new type of storytelling.

[01:20:51]You know, we have that in our it's not just in in a in a Saxon vision, you know, in the image of the descendant to Hades. We have exactly this. We saying here's what's happening on the cross, which is Christ is giving himself and emptying himself. But here's what's secretly happening, which is that Christ is conquering death. He's coming down, breaking the doors open, going in, invading death, taking everybody out.

[01:21:17]And so, it's not just in the Saxon vision. It's it was it's already there.

[01:21:21]in the normal Christian understanding of Pasca. And so I would say that, you know, I mean, maybe there are mistakes in it in the sense that maybe there's excesses. It's possible. Um, but that's what I would think of it as a kind of working out of of Christianity, what's its relationship to the victory that it brings? And what's the relation between between the crucifixion and the more victorious uh element of of Christ, you know, who's described in the book of Revelation as, you know, ruling with a with a rod of iron and his rule will never end and he submits all the nations to him. So all right. So Samuel Ramalera says, "Hi, Jonathan. Recently been seeing some about David Ventley's book uh experience of God, being consciousness, bliss.

[01:22:23]What's your view on those three aspects of God?

[01:22:30]I mean, I first of all, I think that it's a great book. I I really think I think David is definitely one of the best philosophers. He's I think he's one of the people that is able to help uh um secular people understand what it is that we're talking about when we talk about God. And and yes, it is of course related, you know, in modern terms to our experience of being and consciousness. Um, you know, and bliss I it's not the I tend to talk a lot about being in consciousness. If you watch any of my videos, you'll see I think that for sure bliss is not, you know, I would tend to say beauty, you know, but I think bliss is probably is probably close in some ways to that kind of experience of numminous uh, you know, when all of a sudden everything kind of falls into place and you have this kind of wondrous experience. So, um, so I would tend to say beauty, but I think that I'm pretty sure knowing David's thought that this is this is close to what he and I I have read it, but I don't read it a while ago. I probably have to read it again.

[01:23:51]All right, I'm kind of running out of juice here.

[01:23:55]Um, so Nickarios on the Simil summit says, "During your monks and pirates discussion, there's one thing I would have loved to hear you guys talk about, which is the pirate shanty. They're working songs where the timing, rhythm, call response, etc. are all specifically structured to coordinate a specific task between multiple people across the ship, such as raising of sales. Do you have any thoughts on this?" That's a super interesting example. I don't think I've ever thought about it, but it's a I I remember seeing scenes in movies where you see that, right, where they're singing and then they're doing the work, you know, and so then, like you said, it's it's as if they know when to pull, they know when to push because they're just following the rhythm of the song.

[01:24:33]Um, yeah, it's great insight. It's great insight, but I mean, I I've never really thought about it. It's a good It's a It's definitely a good idea for sure. I think that work songs that that's what they're kind of for. It's it's also not just work songs but people who who listen to music to train for example or to run it it you have a rhythm and you can kind of follow the rhythm. The rhythm doesn't come from within you. You can someway submit to a rhythm that is outside you and it makes your it makes it less of a of an effort to to just kind of go along with the flow, you know.

[01:25:21]All right, let's see here. I think I'm almost pretty much getting feeling done here.

[01:25:29]All right, so not the name noame23 for $10 says, can you please explain vertical causality? The term has been used a lot lately and I'm not sure I understand exactly what it means. How does it differ from horizontal causality? So, there are different types of vertical causality. We I just kind of clumped them all in one in one um in one, you could say um system. And so there's there's the actually there's several, right? It's like there's the the there's the uh you could call it formal cause of something is a type of vertical causality which is the manner in which an identity causes something right the manner in which when you realize what identity something is submitting to you know how does that cause so you can't get that from calculating all the things how they they're they're there you can only get it by intuiting and seeing that All of these elements are actually united in one identity that I recognize. I see it's an apple. I see it's a hammer. I see, you know, it's a tree and that's its formal cause, right? It's the identity that how it acts on on on another. Of course, there's the the this idea of the purpose, right? the final cause or the you know what the what the purpose of something is that is also a type of a vertical cause right which is that and that's more in the human level too which is influence right influence is a vertical cause if I right if I grab scissors you know and I put them here I've manifested my influence on the scissor that's a that's not there's a there's a there's a vertical cause in that sense if I tell someone what to do If I if I ask my wife to bring me water, you won't be able to find in how the molecules bump next to each other. And if you quantify all the things that happen, right, in terms of her moving, you'll never be able to find my will in there, my will, which is requesting that she move things around in order to to let's say accomplish my will. That's a vertical cause. Um so hopefully that makes sense. You know that that's the difference. So hor horizontal causes are something like a good example would be I mean and it's all relative like it's fractal because there's it's all there is no absolute horizontal cause right there and so and the only absolute vertical cause is God and so everything is relative. But if you think about it this way, right? So if I if I if you see me if if you see if you see me like get in the car, start the car, you know, drive it, and you see all of these causes, right? I'm turning the steering wheel, I'm pressing on the gas, I'm doing all these things, and and and and you can see what's going on. You can calculate them. You can see how how fast I'm going. You can you can measure, you know, how much distance I've I've I've I've crossed. You can do all of these measurements and they'll be accurate.

[01:28:42]But in any all of those measurements and all of those ver horizontal causes, like you'll never know that I'm going to visit my my my mother at the hospital because she's sick and because I love her, right? I love my mother and she's sick. I'm going to visit her at the hospital.

[01:29:01]If you if you if you calculate how many miles I've gone and and how the gears turn in the car and all of that, you'll never find the reason why all these things are happening. Uh and so I think that's the ultimate, you know, it's the easiest way of kind of understanding what it is that we mean by uh vertical cause. So all right two more of the super chats and then I will be done. John Anon MH5L for $5. What is the symbolism of St. Saraphim Rose and his influence on the modern world? Coincidence that disclosure day films coming out at this time? No, I do think that for sure the fact that uh that uh that that father Saraphim Rose is becoming a saint, you know, and I think it's pretty much been accepted at this point, although there are dissenting voices.

[01:30:01]It's it's the it's some way it's like a perfect moment, you know, because he he's a convert.

[01:30:09]He also transformed, right? Being very kind of radical at the outset and very very strict at the outset but then learning in some ways to expand as he as he moved forward. Um and in some ways for us for the people that are converts it's like a promise.

[01:30:29]It says we can all be orthodox. we can all if we live a life of of prayer um and dedication to God that we can reach that we can then we can move into the same directions that as any of the other saints that are in the church. So uh and I do think also that his warnings about the religion of the future and of aliens and all that is also not uh arbitrary that he was right uh in talking about these things. So you know All right. So, Joe Mley 2017 says, "Thank you for all your work.

[01:31:10]My children love your reimagining of Jack and the Beantock. I recently started the gospel series on Daily Wire.

[01:31:16]Can you reflect on the use of the summarized gospel?"

[01:31:20]Yeah, that was a little bit of a of an issue because we didn't totally understand that that's what we were doing. the people that were part of the seminar, you know, we thought we were actually gonna go through the gospels and then when we started the actual event, we're reading through and they would give us like a reference and then we read through the reference then I get lost and I was like what's going on? Like why don't why am I lost? And then Jordan would read another verse and I'm like well wait a minute it's not here. And it took me like several hours on the first day to real to realize that wait a minute this is not like this is this it's I thought that what we would have was something like we're basically going to go through the events of the life of Christ and use different gospels you know at least to go through but this summarized gospel is different. It's like this basically sometimes it sticks verses together and it does these weird things. Um, and so I think several of us were a little worried about that and uh I would say with good reason but that's how they decided to do it. And in the end I think it still covers the basics of of course of Christ of Christ's life.

[01:32:35]it covers all the all the stories and you know uh you know enough of the miracles and the parables to kind of at least be able to um but I I just wish that I think yeah it just wasn't very clear to us at the outset you know but uh so you know it's uh 50/50 I would say so all right everyone I am I'm done I'm done I'm I I always get tired after about an hour and a half. And so, thanks everyone for thanks everyone for showing up. You know, it's always uh it's always a joy. I'm really enjoying these public Q&As's and so I think we're going to keep doing those for uh for at least a little while. Um and uh yeah, I'll see you I'll see you soon. I'll see you in a month. Thanks everyone and bye-bye.