New
September 1, 2011
From the President

The Fall season will soon be upon us, which means back to school. I was lucky because I found a place that spoke to me in the college environment. I got to make choices about the course of my studies, which classes to take, and I made new friends. Each summer I would look forward to returning to school. There was just enough framework to give me some direction - but it was my engagement with the process that made it come alive. Perhaps I embrace Paganism because I wanted those choices and engagement to fill my life with meaning.



Like many Pagans, I am a life long learner. Of course, there is a danger with this. I do not want to become just a collector of facts and ideas. What makes life meaningful is the way we engage with people. I want to turn my learning into actions. My love of higher education led me to work with Cherry Hill Seminary, where I get to use some of my skills and where I am challenged to learn more.

As fall comes upon us, what skills and knowledge do you need to engage with your communities and for your own personal growth? 

 

- William Blumberg 

The Hypatia Society

Join The Hypatia Society and become a part of the growing Cherry Hill Seminary family. A true passion for learning and service light these virtual halls. As a member of The Hypatia Society, you carry the light of knowledge further and higher.

 

Benefits for joining The Hypatia Society and supporting Cherry Hill Seminary are as follows:

 

$20 Astronomer - Vinyl CHS logo decal 5" square

$45 Mathematician - Enamel CHS pin 3/4" round, plus Astronomer benefits

$95 Philosopher - 10% discount on one Foundations course, plus Mathematician benefits

$150 Teacher - 20% discount on one Foundations course, plus Philosopher benefits

$250 Mystic - Free registration at any CHS one-day event, plus Teacher benefits

$500 Beloved -  Glass Yule commemorative ornament, plus Mystic benefits

$1,000 Divine Guide - Online link as sponsor, plus Beloved benefits

 

 

 

Cherry Hill Seminary gratefully acknowledges the kind permission of artist Max Dashu to reproduce her haunting painting of Hypatia. Click here to order a printed poster of Dashu's painting.

 

Important Dates

For Students

September 6 - Begin Fall Classes

September 19 - Drop/Add Last Date

December 17 - End Fall Classes 


For Faculty

September 5 - Summer '11 grades due to office

September 12 - Spring '12 Course Information due

December 31 - Fall '11 grades due to office 

 

Foundations Courses

September 11 - October 8 - Foundations Fall One

October 10 - November 5 - Foundations Fall Two

November 7 - December 3 - Foundations Fall Three

 

Meet Chandra Alexandre
I'm originally from New York but have lived in San Francisco since 1995. In 1998, I made my first trip to India and was forever changed by the landscape of goddess worship as lived both outside (exoteric) and inside (esoteric) through the rites and rituals of Tantra. My commitment to Kali was concretized through diksha (initiation) on Lammas during that initial trip, and I have been back every year since through 2009 when my daughter was born. In 2003, I received another initiation, this one a more powerfully deepening experience into the vamacara marga (also known as the left-hand path). With this and additional background as a spiritual activist through witchcraft, my work in the US has centered around evolving a Shakta Tantra applicable and relevant to this context; and that includes helping seekers navigate the territory of an authentic lineage tradition in concert with earth-based and Pagan spiritualities.

 

Part of why I'm teaching at Cherry Hill Seminary is certainly to share what I have learned about leadership in my 20 years or so of forming and facilitating community, but it is also to learn more about leadership at this juncture of my personal development by diving head on into the theory and praxis of leadership within the academic crucible. I hope to collaborate with students in my course on a meaningful journey toward increasingly enlightened and authentic leadership that takes the full self into account and simultaneously and consciously engages the mystery.  I also hope to have fun and to come away with new insights and connections that further my commitment to goddess and the work of activating spirituality for social justice.

 

Summer Intensive
The 2011 Cherry Hill Seminary Summer Intensive was once again hosted by Azure Green in central Massachusetts. The subject this year was the Neo-Platonic roots of occult and modern Pagan ritual. The focus of study was the philosopher Iamblichus, who lived from 245 CE to 325 CE. While the subject matter was weighty, the conversation was engaged and enthusiastic because the subjects we addressed have great importance for how we practice our religion.

 

Iamblichus wrote the Chaldean Oracles and was an advocate of theurgy. He believed that if one wanted to connect with the gods, that it was far more effective to do ritual than it was to engage in logic and discourse, and his work had a great deal in common with the Tantric practices of India. In Iamblichan ritual, one honors an assortment of non-corporeal beings including local spirits, ancestors, elementals, angels and gods, by offering some form of sacrifice. The intent is theosis, or unity with the deity. But one must have good relationship with the lower spirits before reaching for the higher.

 

The intensive covered historical context, but the heart was the creation and performance of an ancient Greek style ritual honoring the land spirits, ancestors, elements, angels and the gods that each of us had brought to place on the altar. The ritual concluded with raising energy for Cherry Hill Seminary in an effort to support our goal of producing fine Pagan clergy, and the effects are showing! Cherry Hill is on track to have our best semester to date.

 

The event was catered by Sarah Twichell of the EarthSpirit community, who created some lovely vegetarian food. This was supplemented by chili made my Christine Kraemer, marinated chicken made by myself, and scallops brought by Gwen Andersen. In the afternoons we did physical practices including Tai Chi and Thorn Coyle's elemental movement. There was time for shopping at Azure Green and hot tubbing in the evening, and some lovely spontaneous singing erupted in the hot tub as we all shared our favorite Pagan chants. As always this event was a joy and a challenge.

 

- Selina Rifkin 

 

Intern Position Available with North American Interfaith Network
The North American Interfaith Network is seeking a Communications Intern and a Membership Intern. Interns would work remotely for a 1-year commitment of 5-10 hours a week during the academic year beginning in October.

Candidates should reside in North America (Mexico, United States, or Canada), be familiar with interfaith work, have excellent interpersonal and written communications skills. Interns must be able to travel to the annual NAIN Connect conference in the summer. A $500 scholarship towards Connect travel expenses will be paid by NAIN to help defray costs. Upon completion of the year's commitment and submission of a report on tasks and hours spent, the intern will receive a stipend of $500.

Students are encouraged to apply and may be able to receive college course credit (please contact your university for more information).

For more information and to apply for the Communications Position, send your materials to Judy Lee Trautman. For the Membership Position, contact Rabbi George Stern.

 

 
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Contact us at P.O. Box 5405, Columbia, SC 29250-5405, 888.503.4131or by email