Start a Hearth Circle

If there is no circle near you, there may be two or three women waiting for someone to begin one.

Line drawing of a fire burning inside a ring of nine hearth stones

What it takes

A hearth circle needs three members, a regular date, and one person willing to send the invitation. That is all.

You do not need to be learned or long experienced. The host of a circle is not its teacher or its priestess. Her task is to convene the meeting, keep the round, and see that everyone is heard. Some of our best hosts have been Heathen for less than two years.

Before you begin

  1. Be a member. If you have not yet joined, start there.
  2. Write to the Hearth Circles working group at info@heathenwomenunited.org with "Circles" in the subject line. Tell us roughly where you are, or which language and time zone you would like to meet in.
  3. We look for others. We will ask members near you, or in your language, whether they would like to join. We never share your details without asking you first.
  4. Take the host orientation. Two short sessions online with an experienced host, covering the round, privacy, and what to do if a difficulty arises.

Your first meeting

Keep it simple and keep it short. Ninety minutes is plenty.

  • Choose a comfortable, private place, or a video call. A kitchen table is ideal.
  • Light a candle and say a word of welcome to the goddesses and the Disir.
  • Explain the round: each woman will be invited to speak in turn, no one will be interrupted, and anyone may pass.
  • Ask one question. A good first one is: how did you come to Heathenry?
  • Read something short together. A stanza of Havamal or a paragraph from The Distaff will do.
  • Pass a cup for a word of thanks or remembrance. Have something without alcohol.
  • Agree on the next date before anyone leaves.

Three promises every circle keeps

  • The round. Everyone is asked. No one is skipped, and no one is pressed.
  • Confidence. What is said in the circle stays in the circle. No member is ever named outside it without her leave.
  • The open door. A circle welcomes any member we introduce, whatever her background or tradition.

Support for hosts

You will not be left alone with it. Every host has a contact in the working group, and hosts meet together online four times a year to share what is working and what is not. If something difficult comes up, our Safeguarding Lead is there to advise.

Read more about how circles work on the Hearth Circles page. Thirty-four circles began exactly this way. The thirty-fifth could be yours.