Editor's Corner
One of the cornerstones of Cherry Hill Seminary is the development of academic dialogue and discourse. I touched on this in my post about Catherine Tully's model of Cognitive Dissonance and how the Pagan Scholar can serve as a bridge between academia and the practitioner
In the spirit of Hypatia, I am launching a project on my blog to discuss an article from the Pomegranate every 1-2 weeks. The goal is to stimulate discourse - to get the discussion started and to bring academia home.
This week, I start with issue #1 and talk about the impact of Charles Leland and Aradia: Gospel of the Witches. This project is a great way for CHS students and staff to stay current with the academic material and to contribute to the larger discussion that is at the heart and soul of Cherry Hill Seminary.
I am also starting a Pagan Resources Project to be one-source stop for Pagan books, groups, references, and resources. Please visit The Pagan Perspective and peruse the section on Pagan Resources and a Pagan Library. Let me know what else you would like to see listed.
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New Artist-in-Residence
The interview with the new artist-in-residence, Annie Finch, will be featured in the April 15th Newsletter so stay tuned!
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Featured Article
Spring is here, the season has changed. It is a time for renewal, new growth, and planting should be started. Or, is it? For some of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the season does reflect planting and new growth, but what about those in the Soutthern
Hemisphere? They are entering Fall with harvest times. Yet, this is not quite true either. In Australian it is Mirdawarr with the raining season at an end with good fishing and lots of vegetables or at least from the Yolngu's (Indigenous Australians) point of view. Season is about place, it is local. I think that Paganism is also local. If we experience our religion then place must influence us. I leave the details for you to work out because that is really the best way to experience...for yourself.
For me, I have not really allowed myself to experience an area, such as Paris, until I allow myself to get lost. How can I experience something new if I am too tightly holding onto what I know? Maps are great but if all I do is look at the map then I miss experiencing the city. Cherry Hill Seminary has given me the opportunity for many experiences with classes, workshops, Leadership Institutes, and best of all, leaning and working with great people.
Today, I would like all of you to join us for the Hypatia Day Campaign. You can do so by hosting an Agora Movie Night. Just see the section in the Newsletter and help us make a difference.
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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
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April 7 - Foundations 3 classes end
May 14 - End Summer Registration
May 21 - Begin Summer Classes
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For Faculty |
April 21 - Foundations 3 grades due to office by instructors
May 6 - Grades due to office by instructors
May 10 - Fall course proposals due to department chair (submit online here)
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Association of Pagan Therapists
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Pagan Fundraising
Cherry Hill Seminary's own Jason Pitzl-Waters put out the call to raise money to be able to attend the 2012 Conference of the American Academy of Religion. Many blogs were posted in support of this campaign and in support for Pagan fundraising in general. I am happy to report that Jason reached his goal and will be attending the 2012 AAR Conference on our behalf. Thank you for your support.
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Patrick McCollum and Pagan Chaplaincy
Cherry Hill Seminary's Patrick McCollum weighs in on the recently released 2012 PEW Study of prison ministry and how it affects Pagan Chaplaincy. You can read about it here.
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Oak Henge Grove - 1st Group to Join Hypatia Society
The Oak Henge Grove of Austin, TX has the honor of being the first group to collectively donate and become members of the Hypatia Society. Oak Henge Grove is an ecletic Gardnerian coven in the Unicorn Tradition.
Oak Henge is a subsidiary of the Covenant of the Goddess (COG) and they felt that the "Hypatia Society was a natural way to help support the Pagan community."
"We hope that the Hypatia Society will prove to be a stepping stone within the community toward inclusivity with all religeons, without losing identity, and to focus on aiding those who would like to further their theurgical aspirations yet might otherwise not be financially able to so. We look forward to growth and learning on both sids of the teacher/student and academic/practitioner relationships."
A huge thank you to Oak Grove from CHS on this historic occasion.
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Host Movie Party - Win Prizes!
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In just a few weeks CHS will be giving away books, shopping certificates and more. You can learn about all of the fantastic prizes being given away by visiting Hypatia Day Drive Prizes page at CHS.
Join the Hypatia Day Campaign by holding your own Agora Movie Party. CHS is only 1/3rd of the way towards our financial goal, but we still have time to reach that goal and to honor the spirit of Hypatia and higher education.
Many wonderful Agora movie nights have already been hosted and you can read about some of the exciting discussion that my own party stimulated by clicking here. Please share your thoughts and experiences with us - we want to hear from you!
CHS has provided all of the material you could possible need to host this event. You can find more information or register by clicking here.
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"Our community will be feeling the ripples from this gathering for years to come."
These words by a participant at Transforming Our World, the Cherry Hill Seminary 2012 Leadership Institute held in Austin last week, convey the essence of the purpose of the Leadership Institutes. This particular conference format was conceived as a way to gather community leaders who want to advance in their skills. The content selectively focused on community-building, how to teach others, group dynamics, organizational basics, ethics and personal boundaries, and interfaith work. Each
session began with song, and the entire conference was book-ended by lovely opening and closing rituals conducted by all the participants.
- What issues get your group stuck?
- How do you handle decision-making or conflict within your group, or among groups in your community?
- How can I effectively pass on my tradition? Teach in my community?
- Which new skills will you go home from here to refine and practice?
- What is the Pagan community like where you live? What do you need it to be like, and how can it get there?
- Who is in your community network? What opportunities for collaboration are waiting to be developed?
 These are the kinds of questions TOW participants tackled during lots of group discussion. Instructor-facilitators Christine H. Kraemer (Chair of the Dept. Of Theology & Religious History) and Holli S. Emore (Executive Director) alternately shared material and prompted valuable conversations in which every person present took part.
One special guest joined the group for the Thursday evening session, the Rev. Sid Hall, minister of Trinity United Methodist Church where Transforming Our World was held in the interfaith chapel. For more than twenty years Sid has guided Trinity's journey as both a welcoming congregation and as a center for creation spirituality. Pagans visiting Trinity for the first time quickly feel at home in a sanctuary marked by directional candles, drums, elemental representations and circular seating. In fact, Trinity hosts a weekly Earthbound Pagan service on Sunday mornings. The Earthbound service blends appropriately with diverse bustle around Trinity - food bank, Buddhist sangha, 12-step groups, homeless cold-weather shelter, meditation groups, and more.
Some of us noticed the distinct flavor of a Cherry Hill Seminary
conference comprised primarily of people who know each other and live in the same region, with teachers and a few members of the group having flown in from other states. Those from far away contributed their experiences, ranging from Boston to the deep South to the Northwest states, while local participants were able to interact about local issues and concerns. All of this took place in the container of sacred space offered by the conference itself.
 The next Transforming Our World Leadership Institute will take place this July in Wisconsin (about an hour east of Minneapolis/St. Paul) at a beautiful campground. It will end just as the Summerland Spirit festival is beginning, so participants may combine the two events in one trip. Longtime Pagan elder M. Macha NightMare will co-teach and co-facilitate with Selina Rifkin (CHS Executive Assistant to the Director). Visit Cherry Hill Seminary for more information and to register for the July Transforming Our World Conference.
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Summer 2012 Registration is Open
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 Class: Indigenous Religions and Cultures T6475/N6125
Start Date: May 21, 2012
Instructor: Grant Potts, Ph.D
Class meetings: None
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.
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 Class: Dreams in Spiritual Mentoring M5009/P5009
Start Date: May 21, 2012
Instructor: Anne Hill, D. Min.
Class meetings: Wed. 5pm
Dreams have played an important historic role in Pagan traditions as a reliable means of direct communication with the Gods, ancestors, and nature spirits, for healing, prophecy, and intercession. Our use of dreams today is heavily influenced by Jung and other modern thinkers, as well as traditional and shamanic ideas about dreams. The first part of this course highlights some of the ways human cultures have viewed and interpreted their dreams, and used them in a ritual or sacred context. The second part of the class concerns dreams as a modern source of divination and spiritual direction. Using current research, their own dream material, and an interactive class dream group, students will develop a framework for using dreams in spiritual mentoring, and identify approaches to dreams that make the most sense for contemporary Pagans. Students will be expected to participate in regular discussion forums, as well as submit periodic reflective writing.
You can register here.
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Class: Introduction to Fundraising, Foundations Session 1
Start Date: May 21, 2012
Instructor: Holli S. Emore
Class meetings: 8pm (ET) Mondays.
Philanthropy is a bedrock of American democracy, providing a balance between a purely corporate or a purely socialist state. But not only is it key to our survival, it's a joy to give! Pagan groups and organizations are emerging from half a century or more of conflicted emotions about money, crippling growth or even sustainability. And yet, many potential donors say that they wonder why they are not asked to support the causes they believe in. Fundraising is not about selling things for profit, or harassing people you don't know. It's about building long-term relationships using time-tested and proven-effective strategies. Over the course of the class you will begin to develop your own fundraising plan. Four Monday evening live Skype chats (9PM ET), plus online classroom discussion and light assignments.
Your can register for this course here.
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