A Heart and Mind Circle is about a two-year process of spiritual formation. One might also think of this as a Rite of passage.

A Heart and Mind Circle:

• Is a small circle of usually five to eight people, plus a Convener.
• Is an in-depth, sequenced, process of individual and communal spiritual formation and growth.
• Uses the map and practice of The Four-Gospel Journey.
• Is built upon two core practices: In Freedom & Safety and Welcome of The Other. These practices support one’s authenticity while offering mutual respect.
• Supports one’s passage from external authority to an inner authority.

A Heart and Mind Circle is a pilgrimage across an inner landscape of growth and spiritual formation. To emphasize the aspect of pilgrimage, participants are usually named as pilgrims..

The intent of a Heart and Mind Circle is to provide spiritual formation. A Circle is based on a ‘here and now’ four-path experience of The Christos, in an environment that is free, safe and contemplative. So while a Circle has elements of education and study, these are not its primary focus.

There are a growing number of both online and in-person circles. Some of our online circles have people who live in similar time zones, while others have members spread across the world.

A Heart and Mind Circle requires that you commit to the core foundational practices of In Freedom and Safety, Welcome of The Other, and all that is stated in the Pilgrim Agreement.

These include:

• Being physically present for each gathering.
• Preparing for each gathering by reading the requested section of the book, Radical Transformation: The Four Gospel Journey of Heart and Mind.
• Make a monthly contribution contribution to Quadratos LLC (currently set at $39) for the length of your participation in a Heart and Mind Circle.

Once we have received your initial monthly contribution, a hardback copy of Radical Transformation will be shipped to you. If you live outside the continental U.S., sadly, we must request a payment for shipping.

This feeling is natural and suggests that you are considering the journey of a true pilgrim walking an inner sacred path. 

In each gathering, moment by moment, it is for you to discern how much and what to share, or even whether to share at all. The Convener’ role in part is to ensure that sharing does not veer from everyone’s stated intent to practice the holding of a safe and free space for self and others.

A Heart and Mind Circle recognizes that to create a Circle built on individual authenticity and shared harmony is a new frontier in human history.

Our practices, In Freedom and Safety, and Welcome of the Other, provide a foundation for respectful, non-judgmental relationships to develop. Each pilgrim undertakes their own journey of spiritual formation, witnessed, and held by others who are also undergoing their own journey. We do not engage in intellectual discussions. Rather we seek a deep listening to one’s self and others.

Pilgrims report being both amazed and comforted by the speed at which trust develops and the freedom each feels to “be themselves” in the gatherings.

The gatherings have been carefully crafted by an international team of ministers and spiritual directors, along with Alexander John. The sequence is designed to provide a gradual and step by step process to best ensure growth and transformation in a space that is both free and safe. 

Each gathering (and especially the final gathering of each Guide) may include a time for journaling, painting, drawing, collage, music, poetry – as a way for you to integrate the meaning/learnings in a non-judgemental and creative way.

Express your desire to attend an Information Meeting by joining the Heart and Mind Circle waiting list.

As soon as the meeting is scheduled, you will be invited to attend.

During the Information Meeting, a member of Team Quadratos will discuss the intent and process of a Heart and Mind Circle, its two foundational practices (In Freedom and Safety and Welcome The Other),  and the standard 6 Questions asked in each Gathering. You are invited to ask any question you may have. 

The forming of a Circle is intended to be slow and reflective. Joining a Circle is a significant commitment. We ask you to take the time to be quiet, listen inside,  and pray so that you make a good discernment. This is spiritual formation, not a course.

1. After the Information Meeting, you will be invited to attend an Orientation Meeting with the Convener allocated to your potential Circle. During the Orientation Meeting, you will review the Pilgrim Agreement, and discuss  an appropriate date/time for your Circle as well as answer any final clarifying questions you may have.
2. It is your initial monthly contribution plus a signed Pilgrim Agreement that completes your commitment to participate in a Circle. Following the Orientation meeting you will be sent:
   
   • The link to make your initial monthly contribution
   • An electronic, personalised copy of the Pilgrim Agreement which you and the Circle Convener both sign.
3. After your commitment, we will send you a hardback copy of the core text, Radical Transformation and the set of five Quadratos bookmarks. Sadly, If you live outside the continental U.S., we must request a payment for shipping the book and bookmarks.

A Heart and Mind Circle allows for a gradual reading of the book. Any prior reading is not required. And we know that with each reading, one’s awareness of the paths deepens and expands.

A Convener is someone who has prepared for this role. The first requirement is having completed one’s initial journey with a Heart and Mind Circle. Secondly a Convener signs the Convener Agreement and experiences a second journey of a Circle while being mentored by a more seasoned Convener. Lastly, Conveners gather once a month to continue their formation, development and support.