Joan and Bill Porter give generously to build and support the Center for the Divine Feminine
"Students at ITP have the opportunity to learn to work from their authentic selves, which I believe moves humanity along its evolutionary path. "
Giving from the Heart
ITP Alumna Joan Porter,and her husband Bill, have been ITP 's most generous donors. This past year, Joan and Bill supported ITP's Center for the Divine Feminine at the "Philanthropist" level and designated nearly a third of their gift for student scholarships. Seventeen students received scholarships to support their work in the evolving fields of women's spirituality and the Divine Feminine.
In August, Interim President, Ben Mancini, and core faculty member, Kate Wolf-Pizor, presented Joan with a framed thank you gift which included a picture and signature of each scholarship recipient. Joan was kind enough to share with us what she gained from her experience at ITP, what inspires her to give, and why ITP's Center for the Divine Feminine is so important to her.
What did you gain from your education at ITP?
My education at ITP allowed me to expand my creative and intuitive self. I remember the first gathering with my class. It was as if I had come home to myself. I received my MA in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling from San Jose State only a few months earlier. It was refreshing to be in a realm where inquiry into the transpersonal was encouraged. I no longer felt like an oddity. It was at ITP that I had my first experience of remembering a past life. It was at ITP that I learned that my body held intelligence, emotions, and memories of the past. It was at ITP that I learned to listen to and make space for others. And, it was at ITP that I began to love and respect myself.
As an alumna, what inspires you to give to ITP?
ITP is one of the few schools that offers students an opportunity to find their way by inquiring into self. Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their education and emphasis is placed on community and collaboration. Access to and interaction with faculty members, administrators, and trustees are encouraged. Students at ITP have the opportunity to learn to work from their authentic selves, which I believe, moves humanity along its evolutionary path. This evolution may be the event that contributes to us not annihilating our planet and ourselves. ITP is a place of hope to me, a place where heart and soul are revered. It is a place where creativity and intelligence thrive because the emphasis is on the whole. ITP's leadership in the field of transpersonal psychology is what inspires me to give to ITP.
Why is ITP's Center for the Divine Feminine important to you?
The Center for the Divine Feminine seems vitally important to ITP, and for humanity, at this time. ITP was founded during a time of great social change. In fact, ITP contributed to the change. Bob Frager and Jim Fadiman were courageous to move from a more traditional academic environment to a transpersonal model, which encompassed the whole being rather than just the intellect. That was 30 years ago and the divine feminine's calling was just beginning to be heard in western societies. It was a time of woman standing up for themselves and demanding equality to men.
The difference between then and now is that women pushed, shoved, shouted, blamed, burned their bras, and emulated the male model of doing. We knew no other way. Slowly but surely, the divine feminine is letting us know, at a very deep level, that the integration of nurture, collaboration, intuition, intellect, creativity, divinity, self expression, and love are being called forth. Without these qualities, humanity is out of balance. When the pendulum of change is swinging, we tend to cling to what is familiar and comfortable. This is a time not to cling to anything. It is an opportune time for each of us to inquire into our own masculine and feminine natures. The Center for the Divine Feminine is ideally situated at ITP for such inquiry.
