The Symbolic World25 Sep 2025

413 - Heidi White - The Divided Soul: Duty and Desire in Literature and Life

In this conversation, I sit down with author and educator Heidi White to discuss her new book, The Divided Soul. We explore the story of the prodigal son, the tension between duty and desire, and how these themes echo through literature, culture, and our own lives. Heidi shares insights from the Bible, classical works, and pop culture, showing that many stories reflect this deep human struggle.

YouTube version: https://youtu.be/1LjDeZpSviw

Buy Heidi’s book: https://www.goldberrypress.com/products/the-divided-soul-duty-and-desire-in-literature-and-life
Heidi’s Substack and podcast: https://closereads.substack.com/
Instagram: @heidiwhitereads

📖 Let's take our stories back. Check out our latest book in the Tales for Now and Ever series, Rapunzel and the Evil Witch: https://rapunzelbook.com/

Fr. Stephen De Young's Jubilees and the Nephilim course is now finished and available for purchase: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/jubilees-and-the-nephilim

Timestamps
00:00 - Coming up
01:40 - Intro music
02:04 - Introduction
02:48 - The prodigal son
05:32 - Duty and desire
07:17 - Paradise as unity
13:02 - Why the duality?
17:36 - Sins of the right hand and the left hand
20:49 - Ordering desire
27:30 - Examples
33:28 - Repentance and sacrifice
38:04 - Christ's version of this pattern
44:24 - Heidi's vision

💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau
🔒 BECOME A PATRON: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(483)

485 - Why Modernity Loves Prometheus

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 recurrin...

8 Okt 15min

484 - The Saint Who Killed an Emperor

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/_...

1 Okt 15min

483 - R.R. Reno - The Return of the Strong Gods

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 wor...

22 Sep 1h 13min

482 - The Sword of St. Michael

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 k...

18 Sep 24min

481 - Dr. Diana Pasulka - The New Religion

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 phen...

16 Sep 1h 18min

480 - Dr. Zac Porcu - The Pagan Gods Really Exist

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 ...

10 Sep 26min

479 - The Horror of Getting What You Want - Obsession (2026)

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....

8 Sep 16min

478 - Christian Roy - Technological Madness: The Logic of Domination

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 focu...

4 Sep 59min