Questions. Answers. Understanding.
Your guide to learning, participation, vocabulary, and the Circle’s website.
Use the Circle with confidence.
This page gathers practical help and course vocabulary. Historical terms are introductory definitions; use the course readings and source notes for detail.
Foundations course
Twelve modules, self-checks, and saved score records.
Worship now
Daily prayers and a complete text service.
Gatherings & calendar
Published dates, cancellations, ballots, and calendar downloads.
Private support
Questions, suggestions, conduct reports, appeals, and name changes.
Your information
Privacy, record downloads, and leaving the Circle.
Founder workspace
Antoine’s overview and links to protected controls.
Questions people may ask
Do I have to finish the course or earn a particular score to become a member?
No percentage or course-completion threshold decides membership. Naming research, voluntary dedication, adult eligibility, community agreements, and Antoine’s review remain the membership process. Quizzes help you learn.
Can I study without signing in?
Yes. Public lessons, prayers, portraits, and anonymous quizzes are available without membership. Sign in to save quiz attempts or send a private request.
Who can see my scores?
You and Antoine through the site’s learning-record interface. Other members cannot see them. Anonymous practice results are not saved in the founder dashboard.
Will my notes disappear?
You can choose to save course notes on this device. They remain browser-local and are not sent to Antoine. Copy important notes elsewhere; browser clearing or a different device will not retain them.
What should I do if an ancient source contradicts my expectation?
Record what the source says, its date and context, and your uncertainty. Keep your devotional interpretation separate from the historical claim. Use private support to suggest a correction with a source.
Can I worship without a shrine, candles, or incense?
Yes. The Circle’s modern practices allow silent reflection with no objects. Physical ability, budget, and available space do not determine devotional standing.
Do I need to enjoy rap?
No. You can engage with the written prayers and reflect silently. Antoine explains his own use of rap; musical preference is not a membership condition.
Is a facilitator the community’s leader?
A facilitator coordinates one gathering and gains no religious rank or administrative authority. Antoine remains the sole administrator and naming reviewer.
What happens while Antoine is away?
Prepared services remain public, scheduled election timing continues, and requests wait in Antoine’s inbox. An away notice can explain his availability. No other member or AI gains administrator access.
Will I receive emails or notifications automatically?
Signed-in notices show schedule changes, naming status, support replies, and published revisions. Choose categories on the Notices page. Email and push delivery are not connected. A calendar URL subscription can refresh dates in a compatible app; its refresh timing and reminders depend on that app.
What happens if a gathering is cancelled?
The cancellation remains visible on the calendar and the ballot closes. A downloaded calendar is a snapshot and may be outdated; check the website before attending.
Can I change my devotional name?
Yes. Submit a Name change request with your proposed spelling, meaning, pronunciation, sources, and reason. Antoine reviews it; your saved quiz scores do not decide the outcome.
How do I report a problem privately?
Sign in and use Private support. Include the minimum relevant details. You and Antoine can view the request and response in the site interface. The inbox is not continuously monitored.
Can I take my information with me or leave?
The Privacy page has a signed-in download of your own records and a confirmed account-removal control. Removing site records does not delete your ChatGPT account or local notes on your device.
Does an AI speak for the goddesses here?
No. The current Study Guide searches curated lessons. No live AI service is connected. Course scoring and election timing are rule-based functions.
Are these goddess portraits historical reconstructions?
No. They are contemporary African-inspired AI-generated devotional artworks. Their decorative marks are not verified inscriptions. Download permissions and descriptions appear in the portrait gallery.
Course glossary
- Akkad
- The ancient city and, by extension, the imperial dynasty associated with it. Do not use this label to date every Akkadian-language text.
- Akkadian
- A Semitic language with Babylonian and Assyrian dialect traditions; also a historical-cultural label that needs context.
- Sumerian
- A distinct language, conventionally described as a language isolate. It interacted extensively with Akkadian.
- Cuneiform
- A writing system used for several languages. It is not simply another name for Akkadian.
- Dialect
- A historically or regionally differentiated variety of a language. Babylonian and Assyrian belong within Akkadian.
- BCE / CE
- Before Common Era / Common Era. These use the same year numbering as BC / AD. Dates marked approximate are estimates.
- Transliteration
- A scholarly representation of written signs. It is different from a translation into another language.
- Translation
- An interpretation of a text’s meaning in another language. Different translations can reflect different readings.
- Normalized form
- A linguistic presentation of a text or name rather than a sign-by-sign representation of its written surface.
- Logogram
- A written sign used to represent a word. Cuneiform signs can also have sound values.
- Syllabogram
- A written sign used for a syllable or sound sequence. Cuneiform is not a one-letter substitution alphabet.
- Diacritic
- A mark used in scholarly spelling, such as š or a vowel-length mark. Preserve the source’s spelling when citing a name.
- Attested
- Documented in an identified historical witness. Plausible appearance or an AI suggestion alone does not establish attestation.
- Provenance
- Information about an object’s origin or history. Be clear about what is known and what is uncertain.
- Genre
- A type of text, such as a narrative, hymn, petition, or administrative record. Genre affects what a source can establish.
- Manuscript
- A particular written witness of a text. Its date may differ from the proposed origin of the composition.
- Restoration
- An editorial reconstruction of missing or damaged text. Do not describe restored words as certainly preserved.
- Primary source
- Evidence from the historical setting being studied, interpreted through its context and often through a modern edition.
- Scholarly edition
- A researched presentation of a text, often with readings, translations, and editorial notes.
- Syncretism
- A scholarly term for forms of identification or combination in religious traditions. Specific cases need dates and context.
- Documented
- The Circle’s label for a specific historical claim supported by its cited evidence.
- Adapted
- The Circle’s label for an evidenced element changed for contemporary use.
- Newly composed
- Created in the present, rather than claimed as a recovered historical text or ritual.
- Devotional name
- A researched name voluntarily adopted under the Circle’s modern practice. An ancient name does not make this admission process ancient.
- Facilitator
- An active member elected to guide one gathering. This role does not grant administrative powers or spiritual rank.
- Ummânu
- The scholarly/teacher title used by Antoine in the founder section. Read its historical discussion rather than treating it as a claim to kingship.
Readings: Oxford ETCSL: cuneiform writing ↗ · Circle reference collection ↗ · Historical evidence labels ↗
Accessibility and participation
Keyboard navigation, text chat, written video transcripts, and readable prayers support different ways of participating. You may remain silent and adapt physical actions. If something is difficult to access, submit the page address and a description through Private support. No diagnosis is needed.
What has changed
November 8, 2026: Added the foundations course and private score dashboard; worship services, support, and privacy controls; device-only study notes; calendar downloads; personal-record downloads; founder overview; and this help center. These are website features and contemporary community procedures.