 From the Executive Director
Creating a Pagan ministry program is nothing if not challenging. Out on the blogs this morning I see the CHS name invoked on blogs as diverse as our own board member Beth Livingston's and fundamentalist Constance Cumbey's "What Constance Thinks." Meanwhile, inside our CHS classrooms, one of the discussion topics for the past month has been the new Pagan sexual ethics statement being drafted by volunteers recruited by Wild Hunt.
We may draw from so-called old ways, but the CHS community is continually challenged to examine the issues that emerge from the real world we all live in. Our current President, Aline (Macha) O'Brien has for years noted that Pagans are changing the culture in which we live. We are acutely aware of this at CHS, and encourage the fertile discussion which take place among our students and faculty. Indeed, much of the value of a CHS education is this ferment and exchange of ideas.
When I began my journey with CHS in 2005, I immediately stepped into a larger world than the one I inhabit geographically. My colleagues and fellow students have been there with me through several family, community and ministry situations now, e.g., the death of my mother, organizing the Pagan Round Table, and accepting the invitation to serve on a regional chaplains' group organized by the S.C. HIV/AIDS Council. But that relationship is not just one-way, as I find myself becoming part of a national, even international, dialogue about how we contemporary Pagans wish to shape our future. In fact, our CHS commitment to that process is part of what led to the creation of our Department of Pagan Advocacy and Leadership.
The discussion continues, and we invite all who wish to witness transformation to join it, in the way best suited to your needs and abilities.
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 Ask Maggie
Is CHS accredited? What is its present status, and how does that affect my eventual degree?
We are NOT an accredited institution yet. We anticipate that it will take several years for us to become accredited. Do bear in mind that it's the institution that is "accredited," not the degree. Our expectation is that a student graduating at any time after we received accreditation would be receiving "a degree granted by an accredited institution."
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Register for Practical Mystagogy
 Registration is still open for Steven Posch's Foundations course Practical Mystagogy: An
Introduction to Liturgical Design. "Good ritual is
a locus of theophany, a technology of making-present the gods. That so
much contemporary Pagan ritual fails to do this is largely a matter of
poor liturgical design. (There are indeed rules to crafting good ritual;
they're just not the rules that they told you were the rules.) This
course will engage both the inner and the outer priestcrafts: the
logistics, theory, and practice of imbuing public ritual with focus,
narrative, and a sense of the presence of mystery." |
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Sneak Peak at Fall Semester
Registration for the fall semester opens July 15. We have several new instructors and several new courses this fall, so here's a preview of the courses being offered.
FDN: Research and Writing in Pagan Studies Potts
FDN: Why Magickal Thinking Isn't Crazy Dobyns
FDN: Effective Website Development for Pagan Organizations Mohnkern
NDI/PCE/PAL: Paganism and the Body Kramer
NDI/TTI: American Spiritualities Whedon
NDI/TTI: A Saunter with John Muir and Walt Whitman: The Poetry and Politics of Nature Highland
PAL: Religion and the Law Bianchi
PAL: Spirit of Economics Levitt
PAL: Starting a Spiritually Centered Business or Organization Levitt
PCE/NDI: Erotic Ethics Kraemer
PCE: Rites of Passage Arthen
PCE: The Warrior in Shadow: Violence From a Pagan Perspective Rifkin
PCE: Call of the Dark Mother Bennett
PPC: Human Development in a Pagan Context Mason
PPC: Personality Theories Oringderff
TTI: Contemporary Global Paganisms Kraemer
TTI: Western Initiation: Theories and Issues Winslade
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Presenting an Informative Event for CHS
 Summer is a popular time for pagans to gather in large groups and these gatherings are a wonderful time for you to spread the word about CHS. If you have volunteered to present about Cherry Hill Seminary, you are a very special individual. In doing so, you have demonstrated passionate support for Pagan Education, for Cherry Hill Seminary itself, and for our students, faculty, staff, and supporters. We salute you!
CHS staff will help you confirm with your host, send you an Event Profile sheet, connect you with someone else who has made such a presentation, and ensure that you have materials like our brochures and PowerPoint presentations.
Don't worry about being a polished performer; people are grateful that you are willing to share from the heart. They want to hear your sincerity and be able to ask you questions. Remember that much information is on our web site, especially under "About CHS" and "For Students."
Please contact us if you're interested in giving a presentation or have any other questions.
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CHS on Beth Owl's Daughter's Blog
 Beth Livingston (Beth Owls Daughter) from the Board of Directors recently posted on her blog the need for paganism to become a sustainable religion."Will modern Paganism grow, deepen and flourish for many generations as a strong, meaningful alternative to the major players now dominating the world's religions? Or will it simply end up being a footnote to our turbulent historical milieu?"Cherry Hill Seminary is the world's first and only graduate-level education for Pagans of all traditions. Cherry Hill Seminary offers online distance-learning classes, regional workshops and intensive retreats in religious studies and topics at a professional and graduate level. It is where Pagans from all walks can be nurtured and taught the topics so vital to a sustainable Pagan ministry. We offer courses within a degree program, and also on an ad hoc, elective basis." |
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Student Survey for Marion Mason
 As part of the research for her paper "Gender Differences Among Pagan Seminary Students," Marion Mason, Ph.D., an instructor at CHS, sent out a survey for all students to complete. Please fill out the forms and return them to her before July 1st. She will be presentingat a joint session of the Contemporary Pagan Studies and the Men, Masculinities, and Religion Groups at the annual meeting of the AAR.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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