Hearth: Fall 2026
A Hearth is a small fellowship for integration: a group of three to six people who meet weekly for the formation of character and the practice of a more deliberate life.
How it works: each member chooses a quality of character to cultivate, grounds it in the actual circumstances of their life, practices one substantive change during the week, and returns to tell the Hearth how it went. The Hearth witnesses and supports. Only you can judge your own work, by one metric:
Is this giving me a truer sense of what is possible?
The Fall 2026 Hearth Gathering
The Fall 2026 Hearth Gathering marks the beginning of the Hearth Fall Program. This is an expanded pilot phase as we test the program.
Newcomers are welcome. The Gathering will be held at Nameless Mountain on Saturday, September 19th. Pilot participants will arrive at 9:00am; newcomers will arrive at 10:00 am. Brunch will be served. We will have an orientation, and then we will choose our Hearth groups.
A Hearth may have between three and six members. Once you’ve chosen a Hearth, we will ask you to stay with it until the next Gathering in December (barring extraordinary circumstances.) You’ll meet weekly and discuss your efforts at changing your life for the better. Your Hearth will offer you support and wisdom, and will draw support and wisdom from you.
Hearth welcomes religious believers, spiritual practitioners, agnostics, and atheists. You do not need to share anyone else’s beliefs. Some participants may understand this as spiritual formation; others may understand it in secular terms. We have no creed.
The Fall Program will accept newcomers until the first week of October. Anyone who joins after the Gathering will be assigned to a Hearth by the Executive Director.
Before you come
Please set aside at least fifteen minutes to think about a quality of character you would like to cultivate between the fall equinox and the winter solstice. Examples might include courage, patience, honesty, discipline, compassion or restraint. Once you have the word, you have a starting point. But “I want more courage” doesn’t yet tell us what, exactly, you’re trying to change. You still need to connect the quality to something that actually happens in your life.
So please come prepared to discuss:
What quality do I want to cultivate in myself?
What are the concrete habits, situations, memories, or relationships that make me think this quality needs my attention?
How is this quality already present in me?
What might too little, too much, or a distorted form of this quality look like?
Are there any recurring situations or relationships that give me an opportunity to practice?
An example story you might tell yourself:
“I avoid difficult conversations until I become resentful. This is especially true in my relationship with my girlfriend and my father. I am already courageous when someone else needs protection, but I struggle to stand up for what I believe when I am afraid I’ll be disliked. My courage can make me reckless and blunt when I’m also angry. The moment I need to practice is when I first notice myself drafting a vague excuse instead of asking for a direct conversation.”
It’s important not to use your aspirational quality as an accusation against yourself. “I am weak,” “I am selfish,” or “I am broken” are not qualities, and they’re not workable patterns. Ask what you actually do, or do not do, and how that affects you and others around you.
It’s okay if your choice is provisional when you show up. You don’t need to get it perfect before you come. We’ll help each other make the work real in the world.
What you are committing to
Joining the pilot means a sincere intention to:
Attend every weekly meeting, in-person whenever possible
Stay committed through the fall season, until at least the December Gathering near the winter solstice.
Arrive prepared and on time.
Remain with your Hearth through ordinary difficulty and disagreement when it is reasonable to do so.
Participate in the Hearth Calendar and yearly Charge.
Listen carefully and speak truthfully.
Return honestly to the commitments you make.
Protect the privacy of other members.
Offer counsel with courage and care.
Help with the practical work of meetings and Gatherings as you are able.
Remain willing to learn when reality does not match your expectations.
You are free to leave or withdraw from the program at any time, but we ask you to make a good faith effort to stay with it. Both integration work and community can be demanding and challenging. Showing up - for yourself and others - is the best way through it.
What will happen on September 19th
We will begin with an orientation and time for questions. After orientation, everyone will have an opportunity to decide whether they wish to continue. Participants will then decide whether to make the commitment, work with other participants to discern and clarify the trait they’d like to develop in themselves, and then organize into viable Hearths of three to six people.
The Participant Guide
The Participant Guide explains the complete weekly meeting, how to prepare, how commitments are made, how members respond to one another, the Hearth Journal, privacy, attendance, concerns, and repair.
If you can, read it before the Gathering. If you can’t, don’t worry: The orientation will give you the minimum you need to participate. After that, please read the guide before the next meeting.
Read the Hearth Participant Guide
Program documents
The Common Rule is the shared constitution of the Hearth program. The Ladder of Concern explains what to do when something (or someone) is troubling you. The Repair Process explains how we respond when something has gone wrong between people and repair is appropriate.
You don’t need to study these documents before the first meeting, but you should know where to find them:
Questions
For questions about the pilot, attendance, accessibility, or practical arrangements, contact:
Gabe Broussard
Nameless Mountain
gabe@namelessmountain.org