The Witness Community Agreements

No one above. No one beneath. Everyone a witness.

Welcome

The Witness Community is not a typical learning environment. There are no experts at the front of the room and students waiting to be filled. There's no hierarchy of who knows more, who's further along, who has the right answers.

Instead, there's a circle. And in that circle, everyone is a witness — for themselves and for each other.

These agreements are how we hold that circle together. They're not rules for compliance. They're commitments that create the conditions where deep work can happen — where truth can emerge, where becoming has room to unfold, where each person can do their deepest work without harm.

By joining The Witness Community, you enter into these agreements freely. They protect you. They protect others. They protect the work itself.

Read them carefully. If something doesn't fit, raise it before you join. These are the terms of participation — and they matter.

What Is a Witness Community?

Most communities are built on hierarchy. Someone knows, someone doesn't. There's a right answer and a wrong answer. Authority flows downward. Worth is earned through performance.

A Witness Community works differently.

In a Witness Community, each person is the authority of their own truth. No one is above, beneath, or outside another. Learning happens in common unity — in the shared breath, the open pause, the honest reflection.

To witness is to be fully present with yourself or another without needing to change, correct, solve, or improve what is unfolding. Witnessing is active presence without control. It's listening with your whole being — body, mind, heart, and soul — while allowing space for truth to arise on its own terms.

To witness someone means:

You listen without trying to shape, interpret, or explain their experience
You reflect without inserting your own agenda
You trust that what they're discovering is worthy — even if it's unfinished, uncertain, or uncomfortable

To witness yourself means:

You show up honestly, without performance
You allow your own truth to emerge in the moment
You resist the urge to immediately explain, justify, or package what's raw or unexpected

Authority is not denied — it's transformed. From external dominance to acknowledgment of the power within each person. You are your own authority. And you stand in a circle with others who are theirs.

Leadership is stewardship, not control. Within The Witness Community, Cheryl serves as guide and steward — tending to the integrity of the community, guiding without dominating, holding the center so each person can bring forward their truth. She honors all voices, maintains agreements and boundaries, and cultivates comfort with uncertainty, the unknown, and the unexpected.

Community-Wide Agreements

These agreements apply to everyone in The Witness Community — regardless of which circle you're in.

What Cheryl Agrees To

Hold the community with care. Tend to the integrity, presence, and depth of The Witness Community. Lead within Power-With and Power-Within, never through hierarchy or control.
Teach with integrity. Offer wisdom, process, and practices with clarity, authenticity, and respect for their sacredness.
Protect confidentiality. Safeguard what is shared in workshops, classes, mentorship, or private communication. Hold all member information with care and confidence.
Maintain boundaries. Keep the community focused on its purpose. Protect members from solicitation, judgment, or misuse of community space and time. Redirect behavior that undermines integrity. Make the decisions required when agreements are broken.
Guide with care. Provide honest reflection, compassionate redirection, and encouragement when resistance, fear, or challenge arises. Witness member process without judgment and with respect for personal truth.
Model responsibility. Live the same principles asked of you: presence, inquiry, non-judgment, and reverence. Acknowledge my own edges and be transparent when correction or clarity is needed.
Support your becoming. Offer resources, guidance, and presence to help you deepen trust in yourself, live your truth, and step into your becoming.

What You Agree To

Be present and engaged. Arrive on time. Stay for the full session. Treat each gathering as sacred. Keep your camera on in live sessions. Engage as a witness — not as a spectator.
Listen with your whole being. Body, heart, mind, and soul. Witness without judgment. Allow what is expressed to be fully seen, felt, and heard.
Speak from personal experience. Share what is true for you. Resist the urge to advise, fix, or rescue others.
Respect confidentiality. Hold all shared stories with care and reverence. Do not disclose what belongs to another. Do not request personal contact details from other members.
Maintain boundaries. Do not use community space to seek clients, free readings, or to evaluate others' abilities. Do not bring in or offer other modalities or techniques during community sessions.
Take responsibility for yourself. Attend to your own energy and presence. Use discomfort, resistance, or challenge as an invitation to your own becoming. Communicate with Cheryl when challenges arise.
Support community integrity. Honor the rhythm of walk and pause. Share responsibility for the community's well-being. Accept redirection when needed.
Respect sacred works. All teachings, blessings, and writings shared in The Witness Community are entrusted to you for learning only. They may not be altered, adapted, or reused without written permission. This is both copyright and sacred trust.

Roots Circle Agreements

The Roots circle includes Wyrd Words workshops and access to the Wyrd Wisdom Workbooks. These agreements apply specifically to participation in Roots.

Wyrd Words Workshop Agreements

Come with curiosity. Wyrd Words begins with a single word and steps forward into a new threshold. You don't need to know the answers. Bring willingness to discover.
Let the word work on you. Each workshop cracks open a word through etymology, ancient wisdom, and the Akashic Records. Allow what you thought you knew to fall away. Something truer wants to emerge.
Participate in the closing. Each workshop closes with Akashic Records guidance. Be present for the full arc — the opening, the inquiry, and the receiving. And only ask a question if you feel the urge to do so. Receiving direct guidance is always optional.
Honor the rhythm. Workshops happen three times monthly. Come as you can. There's no requirement to attend every session, but consistent presence deepens the work.

Records Circle Agreements

The Records circle is the Akashic Records Immersion — deep training in opening the Akashic Records for yourself, for others, and for non-human energy flows. Records circle includes everything in Roots, plus the Immersion curriculum.

These agreements apply specifically to the Akashic Records Immersion.

Immersion Member Agreements

Honor beginner's mind. Begin each opening of the Akashic Records as clear and open as you can. You are in training for twelve months from your start date. Begin each time like the first time.
Keep your Akashic Records agreements. Maintain the agreements of Open Your Akashic Records and Open the Akashic Records for Other as shared through your Immersion study. (Full agreements below.)
Open only within the Immersion context. Open only your own Akashic Records until you learn to open for Other. Then, until your Clarity Protocol is complete, open for Other only within Immersion classes, workshops, or practices, or as directed by Cheryl.
Use only the process taught. In all Immersion events, use only the process and techniques taught within the Immersion. Do not blend with other methods during your training period.
Receive the private sessions. You receive two private sessions with Cheryl to support your beginning and your transition into advanced study. Use them.

Agreements: Open Your Akashic Records

These agreements support your process of opening and the use of the blessing you learn in the first part of the Immersion.

1. I am Beginner's Mind.

I begin each opening being as clear and open as I can
I move inward to answer The Call, letting go of ego
I am in training for twelve months
I will begin each time like the first time
I will not memorize the Blessing. I will say the blessing out loud

2. I am here, now in the Present Moment.

I gather my energy and awareness into this Present Moment
I let go of expectations, presumptions, and judgments
I let go of blame and fear
I let go of stories that no longer serve me
If drugs, alcohol, or other stimulants are a problem for me, I will not consume them 12 hours prior to opening my Akashic Records

3. I set my Intention without external influence.

I identify what I want to ask the Akashic Records
I focus my entire self on receiving everything that is for me, in this moment
I listen with my heart
I open the Akashic Records for myself only. I will not open for another person or entity

4. I maintain Integrity with myself and others.

I agree to always be honest and seek balance and understanding within the Akashic Records
I acknowledge Cheryl Marlene as my Akashic Records Teacher and will turn to her as needed
I keep the process of opening the Akashic Records to myself and honor others as they find their own path
I will not teach another person how to open the Akashic Records

5. I am Sacred Space.

My clear intention and integrity form the foundation for my connection. I yield control and step into faith with trust
I will not change my blessing or process during my twelve-month training period
I will open the Akashic Records only when I need them and only in a space of safety and full concentration

Agreements: Open the Akashic Records for Other

These agreements guide opening the Akashic Records for Other — any and all flows of energy which are not yours.

I. Let me be a Witness of the Divine Flow.

I will open the Akashic Records for Other only when asked specifically to do so. I will never offer
I will request the Other's full legal name and birthday, using this information to guide my reading
Only Other's intention and questions will guide the Readings I provide — never my own opinion, judgment, or expectation
Let me be as the ocean in flow with All That Is, allowing the highest expression to emerge

II. Let me be a Speaker of Truth as an echo of the divine flow.

I will not memorize the blessing
I will guarantee 100% confidentiality and will not reveal the content to a third party unless required by law or within teacher-student context
I will withhold nothing of the flow, except in issues of death or abuse
I will flow within all senses and convey all feelings, thoughts, words, pictures, and experiences I receive on behalf of Other
I will use expressions of love, compassion, and consideration in my work and throughout my life

III. Let me be a Holder of Sacred Space for Other.

I will only open the Akashic Records for individuals 18 years old or older
During a Reading for Other, I will be present and in good health, and will not consume alcohol, drugs, or other disrupting substances within 12 hours
I agree to a twelve-month training period and will not change the opening process or blessing during this period
Before conducting Readings for other people, I will clearly state my intention by following the Clarity Protocol
I will not teach another until I have at least twelve months of experience opening the Akashic Records for Other
An Akashic Record Reading lasts at least one hour, unless permission is granted from the Akashic Records for shorter periods

Resonance Circle Agreements

The Resonance circle is Mentorship with Cheryl — ongoing one-on-one work that can be added to Roots, Records, or stand alone.

Mentorship Agreements

This is a relationship, not a session. Mentorship is for those who want more than a single encounter. You bring the threads. Cheryl walks them with you.
You lead. Mentorship is student-led. You bring what's alive for you — a question, a project, a learning direction, a life transition, whatever is yours. Cheryl doesn't set the curriculum because there is no curriculum. Though she is up for making suggestions if asked.
Confidentiality is mutual. What happens in mentorship stays in mentorship. Cheryl holds what you share with the same care she asks of you for community.
Be honest about what you need. If something isn't working, say so. If you need to pause or end, communicate directly. The relationship serves your becoming — and that requires honesty.
Show up prepared to be present. Sessions are live on Zoom. Be in a space where you can be fully present — not distracted, not multitasking.
Honor the commitment you make. Whether monthly sessions or a 12-month package, the rhythm you choose matters. Consistency allows depth to build.

Truth, Boundaries, and Leaving

Personal truth is honored here as a vital expression of who you are. Yet personal truth does not equal universal permission.

To remain in The Witness Community is to live your truth within the agreements you have freely chosen. If your truth leads you beyond these boundaries, you are free to live it — outside the community. Remaining inside while breaking agreements imposes Power-Over, which is not permitted here.

There are five primary reasons someone may leave:

Learning is complete. You've received what you came for and feel ready to step forward on your own path.
Persistent doubt. Doubt cannot be overcome and prevents you from trusting yourself, the Akashic Records, or the community.
Truth no longer in alignment. Your personal truth moves in a direction no longer aligned with these agreements.
Resistance to inner shift. When resistance becomes refusal to grow and is expressed as blame toward the leader or community.
Severe breach of agreements. A break so significant that parting is required — violations of confidentiality, disrespect for others, misuse of teachings, or non-payment.

Leaving, for any reason, is not failure. Usually it is alignment — an honoring of truth, whether within or beyond the community. Your time here remains a sacred part of your becoming.

When it's time to part, let Cheryl know so she can acknowledge your time and complete your membership. A 30-day notice is greatly appreciated.

Consequences

By joining The Witness Community, you freely enter into these agreements. Breaches that undermine the community have consequences. When a breach occurs, consequences may include redirection, private conversation, or removal from the community without refund, at Cheryl's sole discretion.

Deeper Reading

These articles explore the foundations of witnessing, presence, and community in greater depth:

About Cheryl

I've been walking alongside people doing their deepest work for almost thirty years. What I've learned: the most transformative thing I do isn't what I say. It's that I'm still here. Session after session, year after year, I remember. I notice. And I trust you — fiercely, completely — to find what's yours.

I don't direct. I witness. I open the Akashic Records. I bring the perspective that flips your ground. And I walk alongside you while you do the hardest, most rewarding thing a person can do: trust yourself to live within the truth of your being and becoming.

Ancient Wisdom. Empowered Truth. Akashic Records Depth.