patricia mou

writing

temple upon a hillfinding our way towards beauty, wisdom, & re-enchantment

rabbit holescuration of the most soulful and psychoactive rabbit holes on the edges of the internet

the sacred

8 essays

the future of spirituality is polyphonicThe Temple after Babel, why the age of the single prophet is ending, and what is possible in its placeaug 2026
all of creation is striving towards reunionthe hieros gamosjul 2026
the temple upon a hillin the middle of the world, on top of a hill, there rises a templejul 2026
a civic hearth for dharmamany paths to self-actualization, with a center that holdsdec 2025
mystical experience in a secular ageand the infrastructure that supports itjun 2025
thresholds of the sacredbuddhist interfaces between worldsjun 2025
the future will be mysticaldesigning the social architecture for post-religious spiritualityapr 2025
our hearts deepest wantfreedom in surrenderfeb 2023

projects

community design, rituals, zines, and physical place-making

rabbit holes

a newsletter & a coffee table book

what does it mean to live a life of meaning and beauty?

curation of the most soulful and psychoactive rabbit holes on the edges of the internet.

a sanctuary to pause from the world of doing and pass into the world of wonder, self-reflection, and aliveness. i curate across philosophy, art & poetry, architecture, personal development, spirituality, and world-building.

the book gathers five years and 50+ issues of curation into 170 hardcover pages, alongside personal essays and notes, each page paired with music.

read the newsletter the coffee table book

designing a curriculum for the commons

curriculum design

version 01

the commons campus 🏛️

Our first attempt at programming was 8 weeks of community-created curriculum comprised of 60+ salons, circles, juntos, and containers for play.

salons
Topical deep-dive within a field, research question, interest, problem, or curiosity
juntos
Single-threaded conversations with the same people week over week
circles
Loose support groups for social accountability, and/or feedback & discussion
play
Lighter ways to connect, jam, play, & connect to our inner-child
nerd prom
End of quarter learning retreat to reflect, share, and connect

members reading and talking on the couches in the lounge at The Commons

an evening gathering in the library lounge at The Commons

thursday eve

5 pmhot cocoa & vibe
6–7salonCollective flourishing @ Moroccan loungeTranscending identity @ Wabi Sabi lounge
7–8juntoPersonal ethics @ Solarpunk LibraryPhysics discussion @ Cafe
8–9circleWriting circle @ StudioFounder support circle @ Hogwarts Study
10+playMusic open mic @ Philosophy SalonBoard games @ Philosophy Salon

friday eve

5 pmcommunity potluck
6–7salonSpirituality & self @ Moroccan loungeMetascience @ Wabi Sabi lounge
7–8juntoSF civics @ Solarpunk LibraryNovel user interfaces @ Cafe
8–9circleWayfinding circle @ StudioGrief circle @ Hogwarts Study
10+playPoker night @ Philosophy SalonSketching & painting @ Philosophy Salon

a sample of the offerings

1 / 10

salon
Opening the American Mind
with Karthik Bala · 6 weeks
Stepping out of the present to empathize with classical and traditionalist cultures on their ideas about art, politics, happiness, education, and metaphysics. Can we learn something from the “primitive”?
circle
Artist Sacred Circle
with Morgan Fabian · 8 weeks
This group will create a container where our craft takes center stage. We’ll show up for our art by letting our inner child play, forging creative alliances, identifying blockers, & celebrating the gifts each of us bring to the world.
circle
Novel User Interface Design
with Andy Matuschak · 4 weeks
A small group for designers inventing novel dynamic media or unusual user interfaces in any modality. We’ll dive deep on each other’s work, offer crit, and jam on ideas.
salon
Metascience Salon Series
with Anna Wang & Janelle Tam · 4 weeks
A salon series on utilizing the scientific methodology to study science itself and how the culture of funding science can evolve.
junto
Meaning & Belonging
with Adi Melamed · 8 weeks
A simple, single threaded conversation to explore what’s alive in us, our frameworks for meaning-making, and how we foster belonging within ourselves and in the world.
salon
Forming your Inner Compass
with Logan Ford · 4 weeks
Helping people discover their true values & beliefs for making decisions with confidence and conviction. We’ll go through well researched interactive exercises & create concrete goals.
junto
Timeless Way of Building
with Patricia Mou · 6 weeks
We’ll be reading Christopher Alexander’s “Timeless Way of Building” - philosophy of architecture and urban planning, exploring how people of a society have always pulled the order of their world from their own being.
salon
The how of Why
with Naim Kabir · 3 weeks
What does “causation” even mean? Why do we tend to care about it? When we care about it, what do we need to figure out what causes what? A journey through philosophy to hardcore econometrics: the how & why of… well, Why.
circle
Form & Feeling: Poetry Circle
with Jessica Zhou · 8 weeks
This is a poetry hangout - where we’ll meander through questions, conversations, and generative prompts focused on guiding people through different orientations to reading and writing poems.
play
Foreign Movie Club
with James Hennessy · monthly
We watch one foreign (non western) movie per month and have a discussion on it, while acknowledging cultural and time period context.

version 02

guilds

mechanism: bonding

Choose a guild for the quarter via the primary way you meaning-make & express:

the four guild banners: builders, mystics, artists, explorers

builders
Builders see problems in the world and tackle them with patience, courage, and insight.
…if you’re building or birthing something into the world
mystics
Mystics desire to know & experience the deepest wells of wisdom, liberation, and reality in the human condition.
…if you’re exploring wisdom and spiritual traditions
artists
Artists embody creative energy as their medium of change, expression, and impact.
…if you’re exploring creative mediums and expression
explorers
Explorers are deeply focused on understanding their inner and outer worlds, in search of discovering something new.
…if you’re exploring yourself and the world more broadly

🔭 explorer guild programming

The Explorer Guild is a playground to embark on our own Hero’s Journey together. Over 8 weeks, we do a weekly inner and outer challenge together and meet in circles to reflect and integrate.

🗺️ The Ordinary World
inner understand our conditioning
outer go to a place that represents your past
🔭 Call to Adventure
inner journal your craziest dreams
outer outdoor adventure and rituals
🛑 Refusal of the Call
inner exploring our self-limiting beliefs
outer physically “smash” our resistances
🎢 Trials & Failure
inner reflect on past fear and failures
outer do a personal small challenge
💪 Growth & new skills
inner inner growth exercises
outer open mic night
☠️ Death and Rebirth
inner journal about a major challenge
outer do a major challenge
🙏 Atonement
inner forgive past selves and others
outer somatic release activity
✨ Return with Elixir
inner reflect on the future you post challenge
outer create something from this new place

explorers circle come together to share reflections from challenges in community

Pod check-inscheck-ins to bring us into the present moment
Debriefsharing how our challenges went, giving & receiving advice
Practice sessionsexploring together in community
Integrationsharing intentions for the coming week & renew commitment to exploration

version 03

commons rituals

core ritual themes

🧭 Reflect
Rituals where we remember what truly matters, allowing them to step back from daily tasks and connect with their values.
eg. Weekly meditation, Weekly Reflections, Sunday Service
🎨 Create
Rituals that help us make tangible progress on projects, fostering creativity and moving ideas into action individually and collaboratively.
eg. Builder’s Night, Artist’s Circle, Music Night, Write Night
🪞 Share
Rituals where participants offer insights into their work, seeking support and collaboration from peers.
eg. Rabbit-hole-a-thon, Show n Tell
🌀 Commune
Rituals that create the conditions for open-ended play, wonder, and friendship.
eg. Movie night, Game night, Authentic Relating

example week: inter-viduation unfolds all in a single week at The Commons

sun
🕯️ sunday service🌕 full moon ceremony
mon
🤔 weekly reflections
tue
💻 builder’s night
wed
🎵 music night🎨 artist’s circle
thu
🧶 craft night🪞 show-n-tell + potluck
fri
🎥 movie night
sat
❤️ authentic relating🎲 game night

reflectcreatesharecommune

elsewhere

on the internet

a salon for ‘nones’

tablet magazine · april 2024

Maggie Phillips profiles The Commons as a “fourth place” for the religion-curious: atheists, agnostics, and the spiritual but not religious who gather in Hayes Valley for salons, meditation, potlucks, and concerts. The piece follows how it grew from a 2022 GoFundMe into a campus of courses, guilds, and practicums.

read on tablet

patricia mou

currently

writing

the sacred

fourth places

cities & space

notes to self

rabbit holes

projects

rabbit holes

the commons

designing a multi-purpose space for connection, creativity, & contemplation

a diverse variety of explorations all under one roof…

designing a curriculum for the commons

the commons campus 🏛️

thursday eve

friday eve

a sample of the offerings

guilds

🔭 explorer guild programming

commons rituals

core ritual themes

example week: inter-viduation unfolds all in a single week at The Commons

the mystical hearth

cohere magazine

a container to share opinions that will get you cancelled

ritual progression

council of the cosmos

the slides that guided the council

mandalas & altars

the haumbody

elsewhere

a salon for ‘nones’

words that matter, issue 16

my desk setup and home workspace