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.

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 to 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/