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Editor's Corner
Pantheacon rapidly approaches and I am struck by the rich diversity of academic, ritual, and experiential offerings. Druids, Witches, Heathens, and all manner of Contemporary Pagans meet to celebrate their commonalities and to explore and learn from their differences.
"America's strength is not our diversity; our strength is our ability to unite people of different backgrounds around common principles. A common language is necessary to reach that goal" - Ernest Istook
It might be said that the common language of Paganism is our love of ritual, nature, and the imminent presence of our deities. While Pantheacon explores these themes once a year at a lavish festival, Cherry Hill Seminary explores these concepts every day.
We are a diverse community of Contemporary Pagans with a passion for education, leadership, and community. We use the common language of ritual, theological exploration, and academic preparedness to help foster unity, growth, and transformation in the Pagan Community.
Pantheacon reminds me just how proud I am to be both a student and a staff member of Cherry Hill Seminary. We are working hard to challenge ourselves, to enhance our spiritual connections, and to grow in leadership and knowledge that foster the development of a strong Pagan community. I am proud to call myself your brother and thank you call for everything you do to make Cherry Hill what it is!
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Student Profile
- Bryan Bagnas
I am a M.Div. student at Cherry Hill Seminary. I have a wife, three children, a dog, and plants who don't appreciate being at the suffering end of my marginal gardening skills. Many years ago, I grew tired of having religious discussions and arguments with myself and sought out others. In the local pagan community, I met two people to help form a druid grove. Since that time, I have met some truly wonderful, kind, and diverse people.
My Paganism, like most, is an individual sort of thing. It is rooted in animism, channeled by 'fairy tales' and 'mythology', and topped-off by anthropology. I take the mantle of Druidry since that seems to fit most comfortably. My Druidry takes the form of building relationships with my tribe and the local land and river; however, doing anything well requires training, research and practice. In short - a seminary for pagans.
Two things stand out regarding Cherry Hill Seminary. First, it is academically rigorous requiring thought, research, and scholarly persuasiveness. Second, it does not force the student down a single denomination or tradition's belief system. The seminary provides things Pagan religious folk need - ministerial training and theological exploration. The learned ministerial skills can be used by any faith group. They are skills I use often in my own community. Learning, sharing and interacting with other belief systems has helped me understand not only my own faith better but also the beliefs and views of others. It has extended my community of friends well beyond the borders of my city.
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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. |
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Important Dates
For Students
February 23 - End Foundation Class 1
March 10 - Foundation Classes 2 End
March 12 - Foundations Classes 3 Begin
For Faculty February 25 - Foundations 1 grades due to office by instructors
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The journey of transformation starts on Thursday evening, covering these key leadership topics:
- Personal Boundaries and Ethical Pagan Leadership
- Effective Leadership and Group Dynamics
- Passing On Our Traditions - Our Work As Teachers
- Building the New Pagan Community
- Our Place in the World of Interfaith
This will be a combination of group discussion, teaching, participatory exercises, and ritual, led by faculty who exemplify the excellence of Cherry Hill Seminary.
Austin attendees will participate in the Sunday morning "Earthbound" service at renowned Trinity United Methodist church, a creation spirituality and fully welcoming congregation.
"Transforming Our World" earns conference credit towards CHS certificates. Master's students will receive an announcement about the opportunity to complete additional online coursework to earn intensive credit.
Location: Austin, Texas, March 22-24, 2012
Presenters: Christine H. Kraemer, Ph.D., and Holli S. Emore, CFRE
Location: Interfaith Chapel of Trinity United Methodist Church, 4001 Speedway, Austin, Texas.
Cost: $150, Includes conference registration. Meals on your own, many nearby restaurants, some walking distance.
Learn more or Register here |
The Wild Hunt's own Jason Pitzl-Waters will be teaching a Foundations Class on Communicating with the Pagan Press. If you don't know Jason or his extraordinary work with the Wild Hunt you can check it out here. Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to learn from one of our community's brightest stars.
Class: Communicating with the Pagan Press
Start Date: March 12, 2012
Instructor: Jason Pitzl-Waters
Class meetings: Monday 8 pm ET
Description: As Pagan media outlets grow and diversify, it can be confusing to navigate and effectively communicate your goals and values to the very people you hope to serve. In this 4-week course, we will discuss and explore how to engage with Pagan media outlets, what to do, what not to do, and why this sort of outreach matters.
Required Texts: TBA
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CHS Honors Outgoing Dean of Students
Former Dean of Students Maggie Beaumont has been honored by naming her Dean of Students Emerita.
Beaumont's relationship with Cherry Hill Seminary began with her matriculation as a student in early 2006. By 2008, her experience and acuity had gained the attention of the administration, resulting in the invitation for her to become Dean of Students for the Seminary. In that role, Beaumont has advised students for the past nearly four years, but has also taken an active role in the growth and development of Cherry Hill Seminary programs, particularly the creation of the first student catalog in 2009. Beaumont holds a Master's degree from the University of Santa Monica.
"Maggie has served selflessly, with integrity, compassion and a deep well of wisdom," said Holli Emore, Executive Director. "As she retires, it is only fitting that we should recognize her generous contributions.
Congratulations to Maggie! Her dedication and tireless effort are an inspiration and we are pleased to honor her as Emeritus.
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Gender and Transgender in Modern Paganism
The Circle of Cerridwen is very pleased to announce the the anthology is now released! Please see our release page here.
The book is available for free as a PDF, or, if you would like a paperback copy of the book, it can be purchased here. For any of you that will be at Pantheacon, we are doing another Gender and Transgender in Paganism open discussion on Sunday at 3:30 PM in the Santa Clara room. We will have a very limited number of books available during that time. If any authors are interested in setting up a signing table, please let us know as soon as possible at am@st4r.org
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HEAVEN ON EARTH:
TEMPLES, RITUAL, & COSMIC SYMBOLISM IN THE ANCIENT WORLD
The Oriental Institue of the University of Chicago is hosting a symposium on cosmic symbolism in the ancient world. It is being held at:
The Oriental Institute, University of Chicago1155 East 58th Street, Chicago, IL 60637
March 2-3, 2012
This seminar addresses interconnections between temple topography and architecture, ritual practice, and cosmic symbolism. The participants are archaeologists, art historians, and philologists working all across the ancient world (Mesoamerica, Greece, Egypt, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Iran, South Asia, and China). The main goal of the meeting is to facilitate communication between scholars of different fields in
order to share questions and methods to provide new avenues of research or enable the use of comparative data.
Find more information here. |
Nature and the Popular Imagination
The International Society for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture (ISSRNC) is pleased to announce its next conference in Malibu, California at Pepperdine University in August 2012. The conference theme will be "Nature and the Popular Imagination."
For generations, the interconnections between religion and nature have been expressed, promoted, and contested through the incubator of popular culture, including films produced in nearby Hollywood. As a global and symbolic center that reflects and invents nature/religion representations, Malibu and its environs provide a fantastic venue for critical reflection on the religion/nature nexus in the popular imagination. Along with keynote addresses and other scholarly sessions, a number of special events and excursions are in the works, including a scholar-led tour of The Getty Villa in Malibu and opportunities to enjoy the beautiful and famous Malibu coast. Some of these may be offered before or after the official conference period. Affordable on-campus housing will be available to conference participants.
We invite proposals about nature and religion in diverse expressions of popular culture, including films, television, comics, fiction, music, sports, graffiti, clothing, and festivals. As always, while we encourage proposals focused on the conference's theme, we welcome proposals from all areas (regional and historical) and from all disciplinary perspectives that explore the complex relationships between religious beliefs and practices (however defined and understood), cultural traditions and productions, and the earth's diverse ecological systems. We encourage proposals that include theoretical frameworks and analyses, emphasize dialogue and discussion, promote collaborative research, and are unusual in terms of format and structure.
Proposals for individual paper presentations, sessions, panels, and posters should be submitted directly to Sarah Pike at spike@csuchico.edu. It is not necessary to be an ISSRNC member to submit a proposal. Individual paper proposals should include, in a single, attached word or rich text document, the name and email of the presenter(s), title, a 250-300 word abstract, and a brief, 150 word biography (including highest degree earned and current institutional affiliation, if any). Proposals for entire sessions must include a title and abstract for the session as a whole as well as for each individual paper. Proposers should also provide information about ideal and acceptable lengths for proposed sessions, and whether any technology, such as data projectors, are desired. Most paper presentations will be scheduled at 15-20 minutes and a premium will be placed on discussion in all sessions. Proposals will be evaluated anonymously by the Scientific Committee, but conference directors will be aware of proposers' identities in order to select for diversity in terms of geographical area and career stage. Student proposals are particularly welcome.
The deadline for proposals is 1 April 2012. For more information, see http://www.religionandnature.com/society/
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