A Welcome and a Thanks
Welcome Jo Pearson - Thank you Sarah Whedon - Spring Drive Results

Heartfelt thanks to all who participated in our spring fundraising by celebrating Hypatia Day.

We raised nearly 74% of our goal, a total of $12,522.

Welcome to 22 new Hypatia Society members.

Welcome back to all of you who renewed your membership.

Your gifts are part of what helps us maintain our high quality, making Cherry Hill Seminary the very finest Pagan education available anywhere in the world.

PS - Just in case you missed all the excitement and still want to contribute - click here. 
 



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Cherry Hill Seminary is an IRS 501(c)3 nonprofit organized incorporated in the State of South Carolina.  Your gifts are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
Jo Pearson is New Chair of Theology & Religious History

This week we welcome scholar Jo Pearson, Ph.D., as our new chair of the Department of Theology & Religious History.  Pearson comes to us with an impressive background which will greatly enhance our seminary community.

Pearson is a British academic now residing in Canada. She has a degree in early modern history, and gained one of the first Religious Studies Ph.D.'s in Britain in the field of contemporary Paganism, with a thesis on Religion and the Return of Magic: Wicca as Esoteric Spirituality. She previously worked at the Open University, Cardiff University, and Winchester University in the UK, before moving to Canada in summer 2012. She has organized two international conferences on Paganism, and delivered numerous papers at international conferences over the past 20 years. Her publications include Wicca and the Christian Heritage and Nature Religion Today, plus numerous articles. She is presently working on a study of post-Christian priest/esshood and contributing to explorations of disability in ritual contexts. From an interview with Occultebooks:

"As a child, I was adamant that 'god' had to be both male and female and that it was stupid to worship 'him' indoors when there was the whole of nature out there. That was where divinity was to be found, as far as I was concerned. When I was 10, I announced to my parents that I wanted to do a Ph.D., but had no idea in what. I went and did a history degree at Lancaster, and then disappeared in banking in London for 4 years, during which time I started reading some books on Wicca and magic.

"Suddenly, it seemed clear to me that this was what I had been waiting for, both personally and in terms of the research topic for my PhD. I knew I couldn't do that type of research on a topic that wasn't close to my whole being."

We are quite pleased to welcome Jo, and look forward to getting to know her better as she guides the TRH department and teaches for us.

Meanwhile, we are indebted to Sarah Whedon for her two years of service as TRH chair.  During her tenure as chair, Sarah has worked to ensure high standards, develop courses, build the department faculty and participate in other activities like interviewing new admissions candidates.  At Cherry Hill Seminary our chairs serve in rotations, so you will be glad to hear that Sarah will remain as active as ever as a continuing faculty member.  Thank you, Sarah