Next open for new participants in January 2026 – express your interest here
A community of practice, in service to creating a culture of kinship
Our vision is a world where everyone belongs to a heart-led culture, rooted in place, committed to building peace and caring for all of life as kindred beings.
We offer powerful spaces of this visionary regenerative culture, designed to support people to return home to nature, to remember and deepen their gifts, and to be catalysts for repairing culture.
HearthBeat is a rhythmical community of practice, where we pulse in and out of the hearth space every last Sunday of the month, from 10am-1pm Irish/UK timezone. In between these ‘hearth-beats’ we have our own individual heart-beats, where we practice bringing the cultural theme we are exploring through the personalised inquiries/intentions we commit to bringing forward in our own lives.
There are also other supports in place – a comprehensive resource library, optional peer mentoring & small ‘pod’ support groups, and participation in our Ecological Homecoming journey (at no extra cost).
How will this Hearth feel?
HearthBeat will be a warm, cosy, and inviting ‘hearth’ space we gather around, in connective culture. In a relaxed space we will share in the brightness of inspiration and activation.
Imagine a home sanctuary of belonging where we welcome each other with open hearts, allowing in the nourishment of deep listening, collective discovery, laughter, and tears.
A place where you can be your full self and also expand into greater potential.
Would you like to understand more about how we create a connective culture during Hearthbeat calls? Listen here to the 10 foundational stones of connective culture.
Past participant appreciations of our courses
Who is welcome to gather around this hearth?
Everyone who wants to connect more deeply with themselves, centre nature in their lives, collectively explore the emergence of regenerative culture, and root these explorations in their lives.
This new ongoing journey is designed to both support those already on an 8 Shields journey to more fully embody and develop these teachings in their lives and communities, and those who may be new to the 8 Shields journey but who are on a path of self and collective discovery, in service to all of life.
What happens during each HearthBeat call?
By exploring from the universal to the specificity of individuals and uniqueness of place, we will invite you to root the elements of regenerative culture in your life.
– We start by tending to our community heart – sharing in the practice of gratitude and listening for what is alive in each of us as we arrive.
– We will then spend time ‘catching’ the stories of how each person explored the theme introduced in the previous call.
– The next theme will be introduced by a person from our community of practice
Click here for more information about themes
Themes will be drawn from the 64 cultural elements and different layers of the 8 Shields cultural map, such as the attributes of sacred leadership (the 8 sacred attributes), the human life-cycle stages, the 8 areas of commitment for the creation of regenerative culture (the 8 handshakes wheel), and the peace-building principles. Themes will be driven by the needs of the people participating in Hearthbeat.
– A collective sitspot practice (solo time in nature to be with what is stirring in you)
– Personal intentions and commitments for the coming month of practice in our lives
– A reflection time to hear what our elders are witnessing and sensing
Dates for calls in 2025 and 2026 :
All Sundays 10am-1pm UK/Ireland timezone –
2025 November 30,
2026 January 4, January 25, February 22, March 29, April 26, May 31, June 28, July 26, August 30, September 27, October 25, November 29.
Some principles we are on a journey of inquiry with
– Community of practice
During each Sunday morning call we will all go out at the same time and have a sitspot, supporting each other to prioritize this practice and asking nature for guidance with our personal inquiries.
Everyone is invited to embody our collective theme, in a way that is helpful for their lives, during the month between calls.
– Commitment to peacebuilding principles
Each participant is asked to agree to our community peacebuilding commitments when they join Hearthbeat
Click here to read the peacebuilding commitments
Peace-building principles
- Inner Peace
- Good Message (Peaceful Communication)
- Unity of Hearts & Minds
- Condolence and Healing
Inner Peace
Inner peace is essentially a regulated nervous system, one that is in rest and digest, (parasympathetic).
I commit to tending to my inner peace by making time for practices in my life that foster this within me. If I am not in inner peace, I commit to doing my best to get back into it via these practices or condolence/healing activities.
Good Message (Peaceful Communication)
When we are in inner peace, and use skillful language, we can communicate in a peaceful way that builds connection.
I commit to a deepening journey of communicating from a place of inner peace. When this isn’t possible I look for support to help me process and further understand what is happening for me, and may also ask for this support to be present when I’m communicating in a relationship that is challenging for me.
Unity of Hearts and Minds
When we tend to our inner peace, and communicate with good message, a group of people are most likely to be able to find unity.
I acknowledge that unity in community comes when each person tends to their own inner peace and communicates in a peaceful way. I look for opportunities where I can contribute to this emerging in our learning community.
Condolence And Healing
When inner peace has been fostered, we have done the best we can to communicate with good message, but unity cannot be found, this is an indication that condolence and healing is needed. This is personal and often inter-generational/ancestral.
Healing is an integral part of life, all the more in this time of dis-connection in Western Society.
I commit to seeking support in my journey, from nature and my human community, so that I may continue to grow and heal.
– Culture of allowance
We trust each person is exactly where they need to be and, with the support of a caring community, will grow at their own pace, in their own way
– Collective leadership
Hearthbeat is designed to be a community of practice, and we on-goingly look for ways to empower everyone who participates
– Softer edges
We honour both the indigenous centred ‘Kairos’ time (things happen when the time is right…making space for relational reality, the mystery & unknown.) and the familiar chronological ‘Kronos’ time. This means that while we endeavour to end ‘on-time’ we may stretch a little.
After we finish, we will be leaving the main zoom room open for anyone who would like to spend some more time together. Anyone who is interested is also invited to join us for our debrief time in a breakout room where we share about learnings and appreciations.
– Closing the energy leak
We have noticed that when we don’t record our on-line sessions we feel more present. We will therefore only be recording the part of the call beginning where the next theme is introduced, so that anyone who cannot be there will still receive the information they need for their next month of personal practice. The recording will therefore include the next theme, everyone’s personal intentions and commitments in response to the theme, the elders reflection and the closing round.
All Ecological Homecoming calls will be fully recorded.
If you would like an introduction to the 8 Shields model before committing to Hearthbeat, you can join our moon-cycle long introductory mini-course ‘Natures Blueprint’
How it works financially
You can choose a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription:
– the monthly subscription is £50
– the quarterly subscription (every 3 months) is £145
– the yearly subscription is £540
Heartbeat began in April 2025, and will open every 3 months – July, October, January, April etc. for new subscriptions.
The Ecological Homecoming course is included in HearthBeat for free.
Our virtual community space
When you join HearthBeat you will get access to messaging groups and an on-line community resource library, so you can go deeper, and be part of on-going conversations as you wish.
Bringing It Home 