The practices that keep this space safe enough for real depth — eligibility, data, recordings, conduct, and stewardship, in the spirit of metta.
Metta Circles is a ServiceSpace initiative. These circle-specific agreements supplement — and do not replace — the broader ServiceSpace policies that apply to all users of the platform. By joining a circle, you agree to these terms as well as the ServiceSpace Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Where these circle-specific agreements address a topic in greater detail — such as AI-assisted matching or recording consent — the more specific language here applies to your participation.
Metta Circles are open to anyone 18 years of age or older — a higher threshold than the general platform, because circles involve small-group conversations on personal and emotionally sensitive topics with other adults.
About who you’ll meet: circle participants and anchors are fellow seekers who have self-selected into this experiment, just as you have. ServiceSpace does not vet, background-check, authenticate, or endorse any individual participant or facilitator. Everyone joins on the basis of their own reflections and intentions.
If something feels off during a call — or you have any concern about another participant — please reach out to the team immediately.
Metta Circles use AI to create small groups with thematic resonance. For matching, your identity — name, email, any identifying details — never leaves ServiceSpace’s system: the AI only sees anonymized text, with no way to connect your reflections back to you. (Call transcripts are handled differently — see AI reflections on calls below.) For the full picture, see How Your Reflections Are Held.
When you join, you share reflections about what’s alive in you. The Circle Agent anonymizes these — stripping names, emails, and identifying details — before surfacing thematic threads. The AI sees questions and themes, not people. A human reviews every proposed circle before it’s formed.
After each call, you’re invited to share what emerged. These appear in a private circle feed visible only to your circle members, and may help shape the next call — surfacing questions the group wants to explore further.
All reflections, matching data, and circle content are stored on secure ServiceSpace infrastructure, managed by volunteers who have stewarded community data for over 25 years. Nothing is exported to third-party analytics or advertising platforms.
All circle calls are recorded via Zoom. This is communicated to every participant before their first call. By joining a call, you consent to being recorded. Recordings serve a limited set of purposes: a baseline of safety and accountability for everyone in the circle, letting participants who missed a call catch up, and an AI-drafted reflection for the circle’s anchor after each call (below).
If you’re uncomfortable being recorded, please let the team know before your first call. Recording is currently a standard part of how circles operate; if it’s a dealbreaker, this particular format may not be the right fit — and that’s okay.
After each call, the call’s transcript is sent to a language model, which drafts a short reflection — the threads that emerged and how the space was shared. You agree to this when you join, alongside AI-assisted matching.
Metta Circles are grounded in contemplative practice and peer connection. They are not clinical, therapeutic, or counseling services. Anchors are volunteers who steward a supportive group experience; they do not provide diagnosis, treatment, crisis intervention, or one-on-one professional support. The views expressed by anchors and participants are their own and do not represent the official positions of ServiceSpace.
If you or someone in your circle is experiencing a mental health crisis or needs support beyond what the group can hold, please seek appropriate professional care. In the US, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988) and the Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741) are available 24/7.
The full agreements live in the Participant Guide. In summary, every participant agrees to:
In addition to the ServiceSpace restrictions on harassment, hate speech, threats, and unlawful activity, the following are specifically not permitted:
Interactions participants initiate outside the circle — one-on-one conversations, social connections, follow-up contact — are between those individuals. ServiceSpace cannot oversee or take responsibility for what happens outside the circle container.
Metta Circles are built on trust, and most of the time that trust is honored naturally. But when someone’s presence becomes consistently at odds with the safety or integrity of the space — despite good-faith conversation — the kindest thing for everyone, including that person, may be a parting of ways. This isn’t judgment. It’s stewardship.
Our approach is restorative, not punitive. The typical process:
In cases involving harassment or safety concerns, removal may be immediate and without prior conversation. A removed participant receives a private message explaining the decision and is removed from the circle’s channels. Removal from one circle does not automatically prevent future participation — we default to trust, and to giving people room to grow.
You can leave a circle at any time, for any reason. If you’re on the fence, we’d gently encourage trying at least a couple of calls — circles often deepen in unexpected ways. But no explanation is required, and letting us know helps us support the rest of the group.
The whole of spiritual life is noble friendship.← back to Metta Circles