 From the President
Ah! It's nearly June. Spring is late coming this year in our part of the country. Luckily we had a sunny day for our Herb & Wildflower Walk in the Marin Headlands. Sunny, but wicked, wicked windy. Benjamin Sangraal of l'Enfant Studio took these great shots.One of the common flowers here that grows across the ground in patches is the scarlet pimpernel. In this photo you can see the wee blossom that has an orange-red color.
Here we are walking up the fire road.
This shows a vista of the landscape where all these lovely wildflowers grow. The body of water in the background is San Francisco Bay; we are walking only about five miles from the city.
We saw several beautiful snakes and this little lizard. I don't know the species.
Tabitha, Anna, and Corby look at blossoms in the grass.
Peeking brightly up in stands from among shorter grasses, one of the most common sights on Marin hillsides are blue lupins.
We lunched at picnic tables in sight of Rodeo Beach with sunbathers (mostly clothed against the fierce wind), surfers and dogs, while red-winged blackbirds came and went around us. After lunch, four of us continued on to Ring Mountain Open Space Preserve nearby in search of the precious Tiburon Mariposa lily that blooms in late May on that mountain and nowhere else on Earth. I think the season may be a bit delayed due to the rain and cooler weather, because we didn't find any.I tip my pointy black hat to Anna Korn and Corby Lawton for generously sharing their knowledge with those of us who walked, and I tip my pointy black hat to those who attended and supported CHS.We welcome anyone organizing walks or any other activity in your own community as benefits for Cherry Hill Seminary. We'll gladly post photos and experiences to our various news outlets so others can share in the fun and learn a bit about where you live. Let us know if we can help you organize a Nature walk of any kind -- geology, trees and woodlands, marshes, bird-watching, whale-watching, learning desert ecology, etc...
Walks like this complement courses like Chris Highland's "A Saunter with John Muir and Walt Whitman: The Poetry and Politics of Nature" being offered this Fall semester. We'll be having lots more related courses in the Nature, Deity, and Inspiration program. These studies deepen our understanding of our glorious green Earth.
In these critical times of melting glaciers, diminishment of species diversity, and ecological disasters like the recent Gulf oil spill, the more knowledge, awareness, and creativity we Nature-loving Pagans bring to our world, the more hopeful our prospects for a sustainable Earth.
Wherever you are, we wish you many glorious Spring days like the ones in these photos. And we invite you to share your bounty by financially supporting our only Pagan seminary.
Blessings of the living land,
Aline O'Brien (Macha)
Photography (c) 2010 Benjamin Sangraal
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Marion Mason at AAR Meeting
 Marion Mason, Ph.D., will be presenting at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion will be October 30 - November 1, 2010, in Atlanta, Georgia. Her paper, "Gender Differences Among Pagan Seminary Students," was accepted for presentation at a joint session of the Contemporary Pagan Studies and the Men, Masculinities, and Religion Groups.The abstract for her paper explains:While much research has been done to explore gender differences among clergy from mainstream religious groups, particularly large Protestant Christian denominations, very little has been done to explore the potential influences of gender identity and development among Pagan clergy. Research involving Protestant clergy often includes women, offering a view of both males and females in a community with many devoted to a male-gendered deity. Among Pagan clergy there are both males and females who may experience relationship with deities of many variations of gender as well as work with community members with a wide variety of perspectives of deity and gender. A survey of male and female students currently enrolled at Cherry Hill Seminary (CHS), primarily Pagan, will be surveyed and data compared to current studies of gender differences among Protestant clergy. Particular attention will be given to gender identity, perceived importance of gender, professional values, social support and affirmation, work-related stress, and personal challenges.
Marion has been an instructor with Cherry Hill Seminary in the Pagan Pastoral Care and Counseling Department since 2006, teaching courses in Human Development, Aging, Psychology of Gender, and Psychology of Religion. |
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Tracy Wharton Receives Ph.D.
 If anyone had told me 10 years ago how much I'd love research and that I'd be teaching at a Seminary, I'd have told them they were nuts. I finished my bachelors degree in psychology after 3 false starts and several years on tour as a performer. I loved it so much, I went right into my masters training to be a marriage and family therapist, earning my degree in 2000. I worked in Rhode Island and Cape Cod as a therapist for at risk youth and families, and became a regional coordinator of services for a few years on the Cape. I got my PhD in Social Work from the University of Alabama this year, and got my MSc in Evidence Based Social Intervention from Oxford last year.
I've been a member of Earthspirit Community since 2000, and an OBOD member for almost 2 years now, having celebrated & studied over the years with a variety of wonderful teachers. I've spent the last decade integrating my spiritual and professional lives, and my spirituality finds worship in every act of service, whether it is direct service with a family, teaching, or research about caregiving that will change lives in the future. Issues of self-care are a personal soapbox of mine, and I was thrilled to be invited to teach on the topic at CHS. It's been exciting to watch the Seminary grow and expand, and I look forward to cheering on graduates of our programs for many years to come! |
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Sam Webster Begins PhD
 Sam Webster, M.Div., has been accepted into the PhD program at the University of Bristol, UK, to study under the supervision of Prof. Ronald Hutton. He is pursuing a degree by research with the subject of the history of the development of theurgy from lamblichus to the Golden Dawn. He leaves for England in October and will spend the better part of a year there before returning to complete the work from home.
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TWTP Interview With Macha
The Wiccan/Pagan Times recently featured an interview with CHS President M. Macha Nightmare. She explained the history of CHS, a little about the accreditation process, and her own involvement with Cherry Hill.The full interview is available here. |
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Support Cherry Hill Seminary
 With a lifetime warranty from SIGG, and the Cherry Hill Seminary Logo emblazoned on the front, the SIGG water bottle is the perfect blend of form and function.
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