New Life in the Newt Moon 🦎🌱
Big opportunities sprouting + Reflection Jam tomorrow!
01/ Tomorrow – Newt Moon Reflection Jam (Sun 2/2, 5–7pm)
On the Newt Moon (February), California newts emerge from their underground retreats and migrate to ponds and streams on rainy nights, bringing new life as we enter the Season on Becoming. Join us.
Join us for our monthly Reflection Jam! Take stock of the past month through guided journaling and sharing, accompanied by cozy lofi beats. Honor your experiences with thoughtful prompts and close with a simple intention ritual. More details here.
"A lovely way to spend a Sunday evening — the jam gave me the chance to slow down and sit with the triumphs, disappointments, and transitions of a chaotic and difficult month." —Justin
🗓 Sunday, February 2, 5–7pm, 📍 The Commons SF (540 Laguna) — Register here
02/ Exciting Growth on the Horizon 🌱
Just as California newts emerge from dormancy this month, the SF Contemplarium is preparing to emerge into an exciting new phase of becoming. Here's a peek at what's sprouting in these rainy soils:
✨ Membership Program – coming soon!
Over the last several months since launch, one thing has become clear: To succeed in our mission to create space for San Franciscans to honor our human journey, we need to build an institution that is truly people-powered.
At its beating heart, the SF Contemplarium needs to be a community that commits to our common mission, and to each other, to bring the energy and spirit necessary for holding honoring spaces for the public.
That's why we're preparing to launch a membership program that will nourish our hearts and fuel our mission. This will feature members-only programming that allows us to go deeper within a stronger container, with programs such as journey groups, listening circles, field trips, workshops, and member forums.
Keep an eye out in coming weeks for details about becoming a founding member! Interested in helping set this up? Reply to this email and let’s talk.
🤝 A new partnership with The Commons
We're also excited to announce an exciting partnership with The Commons, a “community living room” in Hayes Valley where we’ve been hosting many of our events. As part of the next evolution of The Commons, The Contemplarium will help provide joint deepening programming for both The Commons members alongside SF Contemplarium members over the next few months.
⛪️ Exploring a physical storefront
We're in the early stages of exploring possibilities for a small physical storefront in San Francisco — a dedicated space where the local public can drop in to honor their human journey. Stay tuned for updates as this seed takes root!
📜 Creating the Contemplarium Covenant
To support these deeper spaces, we're developing the Contemplarium Covenant — a framework of participant agreements that will be effective in all Contemplarium events and spaces. This will help ensure we maintain the careful balance of openness and safety that allows for genuine honoring our human experiences to occur.
03/ Support Our Growth 🌿
As we enter this phase of growth, we're seeking financial support for these initiatives as a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project. Do you know of foundations or individuals who might want to contribute to building spiritual community in a secular way? We'd love to connect! Please reach out to seanan@sfcontemplarium.org.
04/ What have we been up to? 💫
January has been a month of both visible gatherings and behind-the-scenes preparation:
We kicked off 2025 with a well-attended Hawk Moon Reflection Jam, finding clarity and vision for the year ahead through journaling and sharing.
Meanwhile, much of our energy has been devoted to behind-the-scenes momentum, laying groundwork for the exciting developments mentioned above. We can't wait to share more as these possibilities unfold!
05/ Get timely updates through WhatsApp 📣
Want to hear about Contemplarium events and opportunities on WhatsApp as soon as they're up? Join our announcement group at this link here. (It's probably easiest to open the link from your phone.)
That's it for now!
As the newts emerge and new life stirs in the soil, may you too find fresh possibilities sprouting in your life. 🙏
—Seanan, Founder of the SF Contemplarium
The San Francisco Contemplarium is a community institution creating space in San Francisco to honor our human journey, through events, programming, physical installations, and more. Visit sfcontemplarium.org to learn more.