Category Archives: News

Remembering A Respected & Beloved Colleague: James L. Bianchi, 1949-2015

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191-31-06

Longtime Cherry Hill Seminary faculty member, James L. Bianchi passed yesterday after several weeks of illness. Jim taught for CHS for more than a decade, his signature course being “Religion and the Law.” He was scheduled to begin Monday teaching a new course, “Moral Advocacy: Overcoming the Divide,” about which he was enthusiastic.

Aline O’Brien (M. Macha NightMare) recalls Jim’s beginnings with CHS:

“The minute I met James, I knew he’d be great for Cherry Hill Seminary, if I could interest him. Fortunately, he was indeed interested, and he began teaching Paganism and the Law the next semester. He has remained steadfast in contributing his time, knowledge, wisdom, and support ever since.

“James also spearheaded efforts at getting volunteers to work with Pagan inmates and fostering networks of those who do. He drummed everywhere he went. He called the Quarters in Gaelic. He was a most generous and enthusiastic Druid. His loss to San Francisco Bay Area Pagandom and beyond is immeasurable. In love may he return again.”

Executive Director Holli Emore took Jim’s original course and remembers how he gave her the grounding to understand how the law underpins our American society, how to research case law, how to make a case when advocating for a cause, and more. “Jim has always been there for me, first when I was his student, and in the years since, after I became director. He was excited about the new summer course he had developed, called Moral Advocacy: Overcoming the Divide.* He helped CHS set a standard for excellence in our very early years. We will all miss him more than I can say.”

While the family has not yet released an obituary, son Matt Bianchi posted a message on social media which gives a glimpse of Jim’s many talents and interests:

“He is and was; a professor, a lawyer, a Druid, an artist, a writer, an advocate for the voiceless, a scout master, a tracker, a community leader, a stargazer, a wilderness survivor, a musician, a healer, a friend, a father, a husband, a son, a cousin, an uncle, a brother, a wanderer, fighter, a sounding board, a story teller, a mentor, an optimist, a realist, a comedian, a genius, a spiritual leader . . .”

Cherry Hill Seminary invites its students, faculty and volunteers to share their memories about Jim for an online tribute page; send these to CHS@cherryhillseminary.org. Gifts in memory of Jim may be made at https://cherryhillseminary.org/support-us/give-now/, or we will share any selected charities which may be announced by the family.

For more information, contact the office at CHS@cherryhillseminary.org. *Note that Moral Advocacy will run during the summer semester, taught by Deirdre Sommerlad-Rogers, Ph.D.

American Counseling Association Honors Judy Harrow

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ACA Division Honors Social Justice Work of Counselor Who Was the First Wiccan Priestess Approved for Legal Marriages in NYC
Recipient was chair emeritus of the pastoral care and counseling department at Cherry Hill Seminary.  Award to be housed at the New Alexandrian Library

Columbia, SC & Georgetown, DE: Judy Harrow, long-time Wiccan priestess and professional counselor, was honored for her social justice work on Friday March 13 2015 by the American Counseling Association (ACA) division Counselors for Social Justice (CSJ) at their luncheon at the annual ACA convention in Orlando, FL.

Judy Harrow

Judy Harrow

Ms. Harrow, who died in 2014, received the group’s annual ‘Ohana Award which “honors individuals in counseling who affirm diversity and advocate for social justice in the spirit of nine elements of the indigenous Hawai’ian concept of ‘Ohana or extended family” which include “Malama: Caring, Aloha: Unconditional Love, Ha’aha’a: Humility, Mana: Spiritual Power, Na’auuo: Intelligence, ‘Olu’olu: Courtesy, Lokomaika’i: Generosity, Koa: Courage, Kupono: Integrity, Honesty.”

Ms. Harrow’s long-term service to counseling, interfaith, and religious organizations included:

  • First Wiccan legally registered clergy in NYC, after five-year effort requiring NY Civil Liberties Union.
  • Wrote the pastoral counseling book Spiritual Mentoring, contributed to The Pagan Book of Living and Dying, and co-authored the original Wiccan chaplains’ manual for the US military.
  • Member of National Advisory Board of the Consultation on Multifaith Education and the steering committee of the Interfaith Council of Greater NY. Multiple national Covenant of the Goddess (CoG) positions.  On delegation to 2004 Parliament of the World’s Religions.  Board member for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.  Chair-emeritus of the Pastoral Care and Counseling Department at Cherry Hill Seminary.
  • Two years as associate producer of the WBAI radio program “Reconnections” doing segments on religious progressives of all faiths.
  • Founded the Protean Tradition of Wicca (closely derived from Gardnerian Wicca).
  • Published in AHP Perspective and ACA Counseling and Values.
  • Past President of New Jersey ASERVIC (Association for Spirituality, Ethics, and Religion in Counseling)
  • Numerous teaching assignments and membership in multiple professional counseling organizations.

Judy_Harrow_Award_Photo_CleanHolli Emore, Executive Director of Cherry Hill Seminary, had this to say: Ms. Harrow was crucial to the development of Cherry Hill Seminary early on, building our pastoral counseling department into a program which would meet professional standards as well as the needs of the growing Pagan community.  She was also a dedicated mentor and advisor to countless individuals over the years, myself included.  To see Ms. Harrow recognized by her peers is most gratifying for our Cherry Hill Seminary family.

Macha NightMare, well-known author & past president of CHS said: Judy and I have collaborated in efforts on behalf of Pagans and Paganism since the early 1980s. She had a sharp and nuanced mind and an unwavering commitment to justice. It was Judy’s commitment to Pagans in the military that convinced me that Cherry Hill Seminary should seek full accreditation.  I’m delighted to see her life and her work acknowledged with this award.

Ms. Harrow’s award is to be housed at the New Alexandrian Library (NAL), a state-of-the-art university-quality research and lending library in Georgetown, DE dedicated to the preservation of Pagan books, periodicals, newsletters, music, media, art works, artifacts, photographs, and digital media.

According to Michael G. Smith, an Elder of the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel and Treasurer of the Board of Trustees: Ms. Harrow was an avid supporter of the New Alexandrian Library. She recognized the need for the Contemporary Paganism to preserve its history and cultural artifacts for future generations so they would be able to have a greater appreciation and understand their roots, their beginnings. She felt so passionately that she left her personal library in her last will and testament to the NAL. It is a great pleasure for us to see her work celebrated by her colleagues and we are honored to house her award, along with her collection, at the Library.

Contemporary Paganism (of which Wicca is a large component) is an umbrella term for one of the fastest growing religious movements.  Pagans are frequently interested in connection with cycles and seasons of the earth, magic, polytheism, and direct personal celebration of ritual connection to the Divine.  They tend to believe in the immanence of deity, maintain a focus on the here and now rather than an after-life, and believe the earth to be sacred.  Current numbers in the USA are pushing upwards of 1 million participants, and so media, library, university, and other institutions that serve Paganism are gaining increasing national prominence.  More information and links to some of the many paths of Paganism can be found at http://www.pagantherapy.com/what-is-neo-paganism/

The Counselors for Social Justice is an ACA division devoted to promoting “social justice in our society through confronting oppressive systems of power and privilege that affect professional counselors and our clients”.  More information at http://counseling-csj.org/

About The New Alexandrian Library (NAL): The NAL is a state-of-the-art university-quality research and lending library in Georgetown, DE dedicated to the preservation of Pagan books, periodicals, newsletters, music, media, art works, artifacts, photographs, and digital media.  More information available at http://www.sacredwheel.org/new-alexandrian-library.html .

About Cherry Hill Seminary (CHS): CHS is the leading provider of education and practical training in leadership, ministry, and personal growth in Pagan and Nature-Based spiritualties.  CHS offers Master’s degrees in Divinity, Pagan Ministry, Pagan Pastoral Counseling, and Pagan Studies; as well as certificate programs and Insights short courses for the public.  More information available at https://cherryhillseminary.org .
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CHS Announces Release of Pagan Life Academy for Incarcerated Pagans

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CHS Announces Release of Pagan Life Academy for Incarcerated Pagans

For Immediate Release:  October 15, 2013

Contact: Holli Emore, 888-503-4131, CHS@cherryhillseminary.org

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Cherry Hill Seminary has just released its new Pagan Life Academy, a series of eight low-cost print lessons for incarcerated Pagans.

The Pagan Life Academy series is pan-Pagan, presenting values, ethics, stories and ritual elements that are common to various Pagan traditions.  Each lesson uses elements common to nearly all modern Paganisms:  holidays, the calling of directions, ritual practice, and mythology.  Because inmates are incarcerated most often because they have made poor choices, our writer chose eight character traits, or virtues, and re-wrote stories from ancient cultures to emphasize these virtues.  The ritual actions are based on the stories and include a commitment to continuing the development of a given virtue.  Pagan Life Academy lessons are suitable for solitary practitioners, or for groups, and for use by volunteers and chaplains in prison systems.

“As America’s prisons become increasingly crowded they more nearly reflect the changing religious demographics of our country, which include growing numbers of Pagans, and SBNRs (‘spiritual but not religious’).  The prison experience can be a cauldron of transformation for many;  Pagan Life Academy is Cherry Hill Seminary’s offering to our incarcerated Pagans and those who serve them,” said Executive Director Holli Emore.

The following lessons may be ordered online at https://cherryhillseminary.org/students/degree-programs/pagan-life-academy-incarcerated-pagans/, or by sending a check or money order to Cherry Hill Seminary, P.O. Box 5405, Columbia, SC 29250.

 

Lesson

Item Cost

Samhain, Winter Nights, Halloween – October 31Persephone and the Pomegranate; truthfulness and integrity

$5

Yule, Midwinter, Winter Solstice – December 21 or 22The Devotion of Isis to Osiris; devotion and loyalty

$5

Imbolc, Disting, Candlemas – February 1The Commitment of Mulan; commitment and following through

$5

Ostara, Summer Finding, Spring Equinox – March 20 or 21The Land Spirits and the Maple Syrup; substance abuse, meaningful work, goal-setting

$5

Beltane, Mayday – May 1The Binding of Fenris; courage, sacrifice, responsibility

$5

Litha, Midsummer, Summer Solstice – June 21 or 22The Children of Hercules are Offered Compassion; empathy and compassion

$5

Lammas, Lughnasadh, Freyfraxi – August 1The Generosity of Baucis and Philemon; generosity and helping

$5

Mabon, Harvest, Fall Equinox – September 22 or 23Fionn and the Song of Fairie; self-control, risk, endurance, and honor

$5

Welcome and IntroductionYou will need one of these to go with the lessons – ritual instructions, how to use the stories and discussion guides, individual roles, altar setup, directions, correspondences

$3

For more information, visit Cherry Hill Seminary online (https://cherryhillseminary.org/students/degree-programs/pagan-life-academy-incarcerated-pagans/).

Scholarship Endowment Gift A Challenge To Others

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For Release: June 1, 2013

COLUMBIA – Cherry Hill Seminary has received a generous gift of $10,000 to endow a scholarship for graduate students. The anonymous donor has made the gift a matching challenge to others who support Cherry Hill Seminary’s mission of quality education and practical training in leadership, ministry, and personal growth in Pagan and Nature-Based spiritualities. Interest from the endowment will provide an annual scholarship to a master’s intensive, two of which are required in order to complete a Master of Divinity degree.

“Not only are we grateful for the foresight of this donor, who has demonstrated such admirable commitment, but we also applaud those who have already taken advantage of this opportunity to, in effect, double their own gift by responding to the matching challenge,” said Dr. Todd Berntson, President of Cherry Hill Seminary.

Executive Director Holli Emore noted that the donor was inspired to give by the recent Sacred Lands and Spiritual Landscapes held in collaboration with the University of South Carolina. “We have worked so hard for the past several years to shape our program into one with strong academic integrity as well as meaningful impact for the community of Pagan and nature-based spiritualities,” said Emore. This endowment is both an affirmation of that hard work, and a signal to others who might be ready to join the effort.”

Nearly $3,000 in gifts to the endowment have already been received; Cherry Hill Seminary has until July 1, 2013 to raise the full $10,000 match.

Those who wish to make a gift may do so online or mail their check to Cherry Hill Seminary, P.O. Box 5405, Columbia, SC 29250-5405.

Pledges may be made online here or by emailing your message to CHS @ cherryhillseminary.org. All donors will be acknowledged online unless they request otherwise.

Those interested in a future scholarship may write Cherry Hill Seminary for more information, or watch future newsletters for announcement of an invitation to apply. Donors may make a pledge to pay any time before December 31, 2013.

For more information, contact Holli Emore at Cherry Hill Seminary at CHS @ cherryhillseminary.org.