Mailing Addresses

CUUPS-TwinCities
c/0 FUS
900 Mt. Curve Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55403

The Pagan Institute
P.O. Box 6809
Minneapolis, MN 55406

Pagan Institute Students and Fellows

The mission of the Pagan Institute (PI) is to advance and disseminate Pagan scholarship and professional training for Pagans, using seminars, web-based publication, and on-line distance education.  My personal dream is to use both the internet and seminars to pass on and further develop Pagan adaptations of what I learned in graduate school and to engage others in sharing and developing their special expertise as well.

Following the practice of most seminaries, PI will use praxis "theory informed by practice; practice informed by theory" through presentation and constructive critique of papers and informal collegial discussion.

Students

will include those who

• aspire to leadership roles;
• already hold leadership roles -- with or without ordination -- and seek to improve their knowledge and skills base;
• or at this time seek primarily to deepen their own religious practice and understanding.

No two people will have the same background or interests, and so which courses you will take or teach is decided on an individual basis by the student and administration together.

It is assumed that all Pagan Institute Students are capable of college level work. Students who are not prepared for graduate level work can participate in classes appropriate to their interests, academic ability, and willingness to work.

To become a Pagan Institute Student, apply using the form below.
Please feel free to contact the director, Dr. Christa Landon, about this application process.

Scholars

The Pagan Institute provides an outlet for Pagan scholars engaged primarily in other work, but who seek to contribute their academic or professional expertise to our movement. We invite papers on any subject which can be useful for other Pagan scholars, activists, or other leaders. Vitas are appreciated, but not required.

Please submit your original manuscript of any size as a rich text document to the editor of Pagan Institute Report, using the CONTACT US button at the top of every page on this website. Remember to include a note indicating non-exclusive permission to publish. If you wish to be published under your Pagan name, please indicate accordingly, and we withhold your professional name and institution. We can also supply you with a Pagan Institute mailbox.

Fellows

TThe Pagan Institute seeks Pagan clergy and scholars (especially those with advanced degrees) to participate in creating a unique learning community as Fellows. 

As the breadth of the background assessment form (below) indicates, it's likely that a single individual might qualify to teach one or more subjects, while studying others. This is the basis of collegiality which Fellows will enjoy.

Other benefits for Fellows include:

• faculty privileges on the Pagan Institute Forum which will assist you in preparing online coursework, including files for students enrolled in Pagan Institute courses;
• access to the Fellows Lounge area in the Pagan Institute Forum
• access to Pagan Institute's private e-library
• a Pagan Institute mailbox which will redirect mail to any address you direct;
• discounts on Pagan Institute coursework and events;
• additional benefits such as the Fellows and Institute administration shall arrange.

he Application Process

1. If you have been a practicing religious leader, much of what you ALREADY know may have been learned by modeling it from other practitioners or from books you have already forgotten. The point of beginning for you is to inventory your current knowledge base in the arts of ministry.
2. If you are a scholar or otherwise must protect your identity, Pagan Institute will use your Pagan name instead of your professional name, on request. To reduce confusion and ensure confidentiality, please consistently use your Pagan name in all Pagan Institute correspondence, except in the initial application
3. Make up a list of  the things you want to learn about to make your ministry more effective. You may use the list below to jog your memory. Feel free, however, to add additional categories.
4. Produce an annotated bibliography of the the more valuable books you have read and training or experience you already have which apply to list #2.  This will help the Administration to suggest additional resources for you, and help the Fellows and Administration to improve coursework and to develop new courses to better meet your needs.
   
   
5. And then do the same for the following fields: 

• Ancient Paganism: What can be remembered, need not be invented.
  • methods for the academic study of religion
  • Paganisms of several times and cultures
  • the crisis of historical consciousness
  • accessing genuine survivals
  • weighing the evidence: surviving texts and other evidence
• History of religions (cross-cultural studies seeking to understand the universal
  dynamics in religion. This field typically studies surviving Earth-centered traditions.)
  • The universal categories of religion
  • models of religious community
  • Tradition and the dynamics of change
• Liturgics: the dynamics of public worship and skills to use them.
  • Speech and rhetoric skills
  • Theater and ritual, once indivisible, still have something to contribute to each other.
  • Music
  • Dance
  • Ritual design
  • Ritual and group identity
  • Inclusionary and exclusionary practices.
• Organizational Development
  • conflict management
  • group dynamics
  • social psychology
  • using the MBTI
  • models of leadership
  • polity and values
• Pagan History
  • Bronze Age
  • The Age of Aries: 2,600 - 0 bce
  • The Age of Pisces
    • Paganism in the Roman Empire and why our religion collapsed
    • The Dark Ages IV - XIII
    • The Burning Times XIII-XVII
    • The Renaissance: The Rebirth of Paganism
    • The Enlightenment: The Rise of Modern Paganism
    • The Romantics
    • The Pagan/Occult/Magickal Revival
• Pagan Scripture: ancient and modern classics
  • classics of Pagan literature
  • the concept of canon
  • criteria for admission to the canon of Pagan classics
  • collecting for your own "looseleaf Pagan bible"
• Pastoral Care
  • applied psychology 
    • family systems psychology
    • supportive counseling and referral 
    • crisis intervention
    • interviewing skills
    • mediation skills
    • recognizing and responding to physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • Jungian psychology: basic concepts
  • developmental psychology: birth to death; implications for rites of passage
    • stages of moral/cognitive development)
    • feminist revisions to developmental theory
  • practical theology
  • Thanatology: the study of death and dying (Kubler Ross, etc.)
  • spiritual direction (religious counseling)
• Theology for interfaith communications: Learning to speak in their language is essential if we want to teach them about us.
  • Liberal Theology/Orthodox Theology
  • Liberation Theology
  • Process Theology
  • Practical Theology (theology applied to pastoral care, especially the Problem of Evil)
  • Identity-based Conflict

• Please use the forms listed below to contact us.
  RSVP for CUUPS events.
  General Contact Us! form
  CLASS Registration.
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• CUUPS logo is a service mark of Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans, Inc.
• The NewsWiz graphic is ©2002 Christa Landon, all rights reserved.
• The Flaming Chalice is the symbol of the Unitarian Universalist Association; all other graphics, except where specifically noted, ©2003, 2007 Christa and Tom Landon. Due to past theft, images on some pages require the free Adobe Flash Player/Browser Plugin. Sphinx image courtesy of Talaria. with help from Jenn G.
• The Pagan Institute serves educational and religious purposes and does not endorse candidates or political parties. All opinions expressed are those of their respective writers, and not necessarily held by the Pagan Institute, CUUPs-TwinCities, the editor, or the Goddess!
• Links Policy: We will not knowingly link to a site promoting hate, supremacism, or pornography. We reserve the right to refuse linkage. We invite banner exchange.
• Editor: Christa Landon
• Webmaster: Tom Landon