Story time with Fr. Andrew! In this episode with Fr. Andrew Damick, we explore the symbolism of paradise through a fairy tales, a Norse sagas, and the Christian tradition. We look at how the path to paradise is often revealed through humility, sacrifice, death, and transformation —and how these old stories can help us understand the relationship between heaven and earth.

Listen to this on The Symbolic World podcast: - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1EY2cqwpKCIxSfkqUPOu88?si=vcUVUOhOQguammHwGSur4w - Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/473-fr-andrew-stephen-damick-paradise-is-already-breaking/id1386867488?i=1000784349339

Join us this September in Oxford for a Symbolic World Summit (there are literally only 5 or so tickets remaining): ⁠https://symbolicworldsummit.com/⁠

Register now for the Universal History Masterclass hosted by Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin, taking place live this August and September. ⁠https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/universal-history-masterclass⁠

Timestamps: 0:00 — Coming up 1:25 — Introduction 3:31 — The Glass Mountain 13:49 — Interpreting the Glass Mountain 17:07 — Suffering, Humility, and Ascent 20:15 — Heaven, Judgment, and the Eagle 25:22 — The Tree of Life and the Dragon 31:22 — Resurrection and Restoration 34:07 — Eric the Traveler 37:41 — The Quest for the Deathless Acre 42:19 — Norse Christianity and Constantinople 48:12 — Eric’s Catechesis 54:33 — Journey to the Edge of the World 57:35 — Entering Paradise 1:03:57 — The Guardian Angel and the Land of the Living 1:07:50 — The Church as Paradise 1:12:43 — Eric’s Return 1:18:53 — Paradise vs. Heaven 1:22:56 — The Church, the Heart, and the Cosmos 1:26:48 — Paradise Is on Earth 1:28:19 — Closing Thoughts and Oxford Summit

Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/