Category Archives: Events

Discontents Revisited Web Panel

Posted on

Cherry Hill Seminary and the Univ. of S.C. Institute for Anthropology and Archaeology present on Sunday, December 13 at 2:00 PM Eastern (US) Time:

An online panel with Michael Strmiska, Diana Paxson, Gus DiZerega, Jon Leader and other Paganism and Its Discontents contributors, as well as Ethan Stark of Heathens Against Hate, as they revisit the rise in white nationalism and appropriation of Heathen symbols since the March 2019 symposium.

Contemporary Heathenry has held an attraction for proponents of white nationalism, many of whom claim the religious tradition as their own, to the dismay of inclusive Heathens. Since the March 2019 symposium Paganism & Its Discontents held by Cherry Hill Seminary and the University of South Carolina Institute for Anthropology and Archaeology racism has become more overt, with alarming increases in racist and anti-semitic hate speech, vandalism and outright violence. The publication of papers from the symposium has sparked renewed discussion about how to use our scholarship to inform strategies for reducing the threat and achieving more harmonious communities. There is no cost to attend, but guests must register to receive a link for the panel.

Classroom Conduct Policy

Instruction at CHS is conducted for the common good, with the aim of facilitating learning. Disruptive and/or abusive conduct inside a class can stifle the candid scholarly discourse required for exploration of divergent views, preventing all in the class from obtaining a meaningful learning experience . . . Prohibited conduct includes:

  • The disruption, obstruction or unauthorized interruption of class sessions, conferences, meetings, or any other institution.
  • Physical abuse, verbal abuse, intimidation, coercion, ad hominem insults, and threats.
  • Argument that goes beyond the scope of the topic under discussion after having been warned by the instructor.

The host of this online panel will mute, or if necessary, remove anyone who will not maintain these standards.

Paganism & Its Discontents

Posted on

Cherry Hill Seminary and the University of South Carolina Institute of Anthropology & Archaeology will hold an important conference March 15-17, 2019 in Columbia, S.C. 

Join us at the most beautiful time of the year in Columbia, on the historic campus of the University of South Carolina.
We will meet in Room 134 of the  Darla Moore School of Business, 1014 Greene Street and Assembly Street, shown on this campus map. Columbia offers many hotels and restaurants which you may wish to explore. We recommend these hotels. A number of restaurants are within a block or two, including Middle Eastern, Mexican, subs and fast food. We will have a longer Saturday lunch break. Watch for news about a reception on Friday evening. Conference language is English.
Late Registration (after January 15): $115
South Carolina residents courtesy fee for Saturday only: $45

Proponents of racist interpretations of pre-Christian Norse-Germanic spiritualities have claimed to be preserving “heritage,” while others belonging to the contemporary Heathen movements have moved to distance themselves from “folkish” thinking. Long-simmering just beneath the surface of American Paganism, racialized Heathenry was on full display in 2017 in Charlottesville, Virgina. The recent Pagan Engagement Survey also revealed a surprising thread of racism among participants. Presentations will address topics like:

♦ Ethnic vs. universal Paganism
♦ Attempted co-option of Pagan ideas and symbols by hate groups
♦ Addressing under-the-radar racism in Pagan groups
♦ Irredentist ideas in our mythologies
♦ Reconstructionism or racism and xenophobia?
♦ Implications and consequences of Declaration 127
♦ Re-emergence of ethno-nationalism and its impact on current events

Event Schedule (subject to change)

Note: Cherry Hill Seminary students earn intensive credit for participation.


CHS Summer Intensive

Posted on

A master bard leads us into the mists of sacred story . . .

Through a documentary fragment known in English as the Cauldron of Poesy, we glimpse what may have been an ancient Irish way of viewing the inner universe of

the human being in The Three Cauldrons. The Three Cauldrons have been likened to an ancient Celtic chakra system, a way of viewing the spiritual life and as a model for Celtic shamanism. In recent years, research across many fields has begun to reveal to us the significant role of stories to the human brain, its organization and the entire human experience. We will bring together over four sessions at Mystic South these pieces of ancient spiritual practice from the Irish Celtic traditions and modern brain research to explore the power of story in the inner and outer worlds of Earth, Sea and Sky.
Each session will include some of the foundational material about both the ancient cauldron system of the human being and the recent brain research. Each session will be devoted to examining story as it relates to one of the three cauldrons and our spiritual journey in the world.. The final session will reach for some integration of the ancient and modern research with suggestions for spiritual practice. Exploring the power of story: the physical body aspects, the emotional/relational aspects, and the wisdom/spiritual aspects.

We are delighted to be hosted this year by Mystic South, the distinctly Southern and progressive Pagan conference held in Atlanta, GA.

Much-loved CHS professor and national award-winning teacher Bob Patrick is an active member of the Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Gwinnett where he co-founded both the Oak Grove CUUPS and the Druid Order of Three Realms whose mother Grove, Sylvan Sanctuary, meets at UUCG. His religious and spiritual path is labyrinthine, including ministry in the United Methodist Church, the Roman Catholic Church, Druidry and UUism. He has special interests in language pedagogy, creating and leading ritual, and spiritual direction/friendship, working with labyrinths, gardening and painting, and is a certified and licensed massage therapist. He understands his Earth-centered spiritual path as the way of weaving together all of these aspects of his life. Bob holds a BA in Biblical Literature from Oral Roberts University, a Masters of Divinity from Emory University, and a PhD in Latin and Roman Studies from the University of Florida. His

dissertation focused on the presence of sacred groves in the Metamorphoses of Ovid as nonlinear events, and he has continuing interest in sacred groves in surrounding European and near-eastern cultures, particularly Celtic cultures.

How you can participate (read carefully):

All four sessions will be open to any paid Mystic South attendee. Registered participants will meet privately as announced by the instructor in the CHS hotel suite. You will also be placed in a special online classroom for pre- and post-conference discussions, and an assignment for degree students.

To earn credit as an intensive towards your master’s degree, register and pay here.

To earn credit towards any CHS certificate, register and pay here.

Your CHS registration will also register you for the entire Mystic South conference. However, you must make your own hotel reservation (use the code MYSTIC SOUTH) and you are responsible for your meals.

The Crowne Plaza is a natural wonderland, with walking paths, gardens and woods. There are many nearby restaurants and stores, as well as restaurants and bars inside the hotel.