Hearth Circles

What a hearth circle is

A hearth circle is a small group of members, usually between five and twelve women, who meet once a month to talk, learn, and keep one another company on the path.

A circle is not a kindred and does not try to be one. It holds no property, has no priestess, and asks no oath. Its members may belong to different kindreds, or to none. Many women in our circles are the only Heathen they know in person, and for them the circle is the first place they have been able to speak freely about their religion.

There are thirty-four circles at present. About half meet in person, in whatever language their members share; the rest meet online, gathered by region and by language. Online circles meet in English, German, Norwegian, Spanish, and Portuguese.

What happens at a meeting

Each circle finds its own way, but most meetings follow a simple shape.

1. Welcome. A candle is lit, and the goddesses and the Disir are greeted.
2. The round. Everyone is asked, by name and in turn, how she is and what she has been thinking about. Nobody is skipped, and nobody is pressed.
3. The reading. A short passage of lore, or an essay from The Distaff, is read aloud and discussed.
4. The work. Whatever the circle has taken on: planning a blot for the next holy tide, helping a member through a hard season, or simply spinning and mending while talking.
5. The cup. A cup or horn goes around, with whatever each woman chooses to drink, for a word of thanks or remembrance.

The round matters most. It exists because of the seventh commitment of the Hearth Pledge: to seek out the quiet ones. Many of us spent years in groups where we were never once asked what we thought.

The Fostering Program

In the old North, children were often sent to be raised for a time in another household, and the bond between foster-kin was held to be as strong as blood. Our Fostering Program borrows the name and the idea.

A newcomer who asks is paired with an experienced member for one year. They speak once a month. There is no syllabus. The experienced member answers questions, suggests reading, shares how she keeps her own practice, and is honest about what she does not know. At the end of the year many pairs keep in touch, and many of those who were fostered go on to foster someone else.

The Spinning Room

Once a month, on a Saturday evening, members from every circle are invited to an open online gathering we call the Spinning Room. There is no agenda. People bring their handwork, whether that is a spindle, knitting, a carving knife, or a pile of mending, and talk while they work. It is the nearest thing we have to sitting together in the women's end of the hall, and it is where a good many friendships across borders have begun.

Finding a circle

Circles are open to members. Once you have joined, the Hearth Circles working group will introduce you to the nearest circle that meets in person, or to an online circle in your language and time zone. You are welcome to visit before deciding whether it suits you.

If there is no circle near you, there may be two or three other members who would like one. See Start a Hearth Circle.