About Journey Groups

Journey Groups are a way for you to honor your ongoing experience of life with a small, regular group over a few months.

Program Goals. By participating in a Journey Group, you will feel:

You’ve given your own experiences, and the experiences of others, the respect and care they deserve – i.e. you’ve had space to “honor” your experience.
You have a group with whom you share a deepened sense of connection and trust.

Eligibility & Cost. This March-May 2025 cycle is being offered to members of The Commons and members of SF Contemplarium only, for free with truly voluntary contributions welcome at the conclusion of the program.

Journey Groups are a program of the SF Contemplarium, a community institution creating space for honoring our human journey.

Deadline to apply: Monday, March 3, 2025

Format

Each Journey Group will consist of 6–8 people, who will meet twice per month for 6 in-person sessions. Each session will center around a theme of the human journey, following a modified talking stick format. This cycle’s Journey Groups will be led by professional facilitator Seanan Fong.

Session Format. Each session will start with a grounding check-in, then an introduction to the session team. After a brief time for journaling, we’ll pass a “talking bowl” around to share and listen. We’ll conclude with takeaways and intention-setting.

Series Outline. The sessions will follow the Contemplarium’s themes of the human journey, outlined here.

Session 1: Introductions
Session 2: Flourishing – when you’ve felt closest to your fullest self
Session 3: Encounter – when you’ve encountered your human limits
Session 4: Origins – when you remember what makes you who you are
Session 5: Becoming – when you notice the kind of person you want to be
Session 6: Conclusion

Agreements. To create a space for honoring your own and each other’s experiences, you will commit to a set of agreements with your Journey Group. These may include the following:

Journal to honor – Prompts are guidelines, you know best what you need.