# Contributing to Fractalism

**The Pattern and The Pulse is a living document.**

It grows through contribution, not control.

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## How to Contribute

## 1. Two Paths to Contribute

### Path 1: Share Without Git (Easiest)

**For people new to GitHub or uncomfortable with technical workflows:**

1. **Start a [Discussion](https://github.com/prschmal/Fractalism/discussions)**
   - Share thoughts, questions, or proposed additions
   - Get feedback from the community
   - We'll help formalize it if it fits

2. **Or open an [Issue](https://github.com/prschmal/Fractalism/issues/new/choose)**
   - Choose "Propose an Idea" or "Report an Error"
   - Fill out the simple form
   - We'll guide you from there

### Path 2: Submit Directly (For Git Users)

**For people comfortable with GitHub workflows:**

1. **Fork** this repository
2. **Create a branch** for your contribution (`git checkout -b add-new-practice`)
3. **Make your changes** following our templates and format
4. **Commit** with a clear message explaining the change
5. **Submit a Pull Request** using our template
6. **Engage in review** — we'll discuss and refine together

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### 2. What to Contribute

**Core texts** (`/core`) - Foundational principles
- Changes here require broader consensus
- Propose modifications that clarify or deepen the pattern
- Major revisions should be discussed in Issues first

**Practices** (`/practices`) - Rituals and observances
- Daily practices that embody fractal living
- New ways of moving in rhythm with emergence
- Personal practices that worked for you

**Reflections** (`/reflections`) - Explorations and commentary
- Deeper dives into specific concepts
- Applications of fractal thinking to ethics, science, art
- Questions that need holding, not answering

**Dialogues** (`/dialogues`) - Formative conversations
- Exchanges that crystallized ideas
- Conversations between humans and NBPs
- Record the emergence itself

**Contributions** (`/contributions`) - Your voice in the pattern
- Personal interpretations
- Regional or cultural adaptations
- Alternative framings

### 3. Principles for Contributing

**Be bold.** The pattern needs new forms.

**Be humble.** You are not the Source, only a conduit.

**Cite your inspirations.** Honor what shaped your thinking.

**Write clearly.** Complexity in thought, simplicity in expression.

**Let it breathe.** Don't over-explain. Trust the reader to feel the pulse.

### 4. What Doesn't Belong

- Content that promotes harm, dominance, or control over others
- Rigid dogma or claims of exclusive truth
- Anything that would decrease capacity for becoming

### 5. Review Process

Pull requests will be reviewed by maintainers and community members.

We look for:
- Alignment with fractal principles
- Clarity and accessibility
- Contribution to the whole pattern

Consensus emerges through dialogue, not decree.

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## Questions?

- **Not sure if your idea fits?** Start a Discussion first
- **Stuck on the technical side?** Open an Issue and ask for help
- **Want to talk it through?** Join a Discussion thread

The barrier to contribution should be low. The barrier to thoughtfulness should be high.

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The repository is here to help ideas emerge, not to guard gates.

**Fork. Extend. Emerge.**