A quiet agreement.

Who this agreement is between

This agreement is between you (the seeker using The Path) and the makers of The Path at discoverthepath.org. By creating an account, signing in, or continuing to use the sanctuary, you accept these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the service.

Who may enter

You must be at least 13 years old to use The Path. If you are between 13 and the age of majority where you live, you may use it only with a parent or guardian's permission. The Path is not intended for children under 13.

What The Path offers

Daily teachings, a private journal, conversations with a Council of historical wisdom voices rendered by an AI model, guided reflections, a cultivation ledger, and the surrounding quiet. Some features are free forever; some are reserved for patrons who support the sanctuary.

The Path is not therapy, medical advice, legal advice, financial advice, or a substitute for a trained professional. It is a companion for reflection, not a clinician. If you are in crisis, please reach a real human — a hotline, a friend, a doctor.

Your account

Keep your sign-in credentials private. You are responsible for activity on your account. Tell us promptly if you suspect unauthorized access. One human, one account. You may not resell access, share a paid account with others, or use automated scripts to interact with the Council on someone else's behalf.

Acceptable use

The Path is a place of good faith. Please do not use it to

• · harass, threaten, or harm another person;
• · generate content that sexualises minors, incites violence, or targets a group with hate;
• · extract, scrape, or resell the teachings or AI responses;
• · attempt to break the model, exfiltrate other users' data, or interfere with the service;
• · violate the law of your jurisdiction.

We may suspend or end an account that abuses the sanctuary, especially if others are being harmed. We will refund any unused prepaid time when we end an account for reasons other than serious misuse.

AI responses

The Council members are personas rendered by a large language model. They speak in the voice of historical teachers whose works are in the public domain, but the specific words are generated in the moment. They may be mistaken, may contradict themselves, and should never be treated as an authoritative source. Test what they say against your own reason and the underlying texts.

Your writing belongs to you

Everything you write — reflections, Council messages, saved cards, planted intentions — remains yours. You keep every right to it. You grant The Path only the narrow permissions needed to store your writing on your account, display it back to you across your devices, and send single messages to the AI provider so a guide can respond. We claim no ownership and no right to publish, sell, or train on your words.

Payments & subscriptions

Patron subscriptions and one-time contributions are processed by Stripe. Prices are shown in US dollars unless otherwise noted and may not include local sales tax or VAT. Monthly plans renew each month; yearly plans renew each year, on the same date, at the then-current price, until you cancel. Cancel any time from your Account page — access continues to the end of the paid period. Founding Patron is a one-time payment and does not renew.

Our refund practice lives in a separate document so it is easy to find: Refunds & subscription policy →

Free tier & usage limits

The core sanctuary — daily teachings, journal, cultivation, and all twelve teachers — is free, always. To keep the doors open we may cap the number of AI-assisted messages a free account can send in a day. Patrons receive higher, kinder limits. If a limit ever changes, we will announce it before it takes effect.

Availability

The Path is provided as a small independent service. We aim for it to be there when you sit down to reflect, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted uptime. Occasional maintenance, provider outages, and quiet Sundays for the makers are part of a sustainable sanctuary.

Changes to the service and to these terms

The Path will evolve — new rooms will open, some will close, teachers may be added or gently retired. If we make a material change to these terms, we will note it on this page and, for active accounts, send a plain note by email before it takes effect. Continuing to use The Path after that date means you accept the updated terms.

Ending your use

You may leave The Path at any time from your Account page — export your writing first if you wish. Deleting your account is immediate and irreversible. We may end an account that seriously breaks these terms or endangers other seekers, with notice where practical.

Disclaimer of warranties

The Path is provided as is. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all implied warranties, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. Nothing here removes any right you have as a consumer under mandatory local law.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, The Path and its makers are not liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the service. Our total liability for any claim will not exceed the greater of (a) what you paid us in the twelve months before the claim, or (b) fifty US dollars. Nothing here limits liability for fraud, gross negligence, or anything else that cannot be limited by law.

Indemnity

You agree to defend and hold The Path harmless from claims arising out of your misuse of the service, your breach of these terms, or your violation of another person's rights.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the United States and the state in which The Path's makers reside, without regard to conflict of law rules. Disputes will be brought in the courts of that state, unless mandatory consumer-protection law in your country gives you the right to sue locally, in which case that right remains yours.

Contact

Write to the sanctuary from your Account page, or reach us at hello.thepath@gmail.com. We answer as promptly as a small independent team can.