As we arrive together, we also arrive at the end of a year that, for many of us, has held loss, transition, and deep reminders of the fragility and miracle of being alive. We also recognize the wider world we live within: the heartbreak of wars, environmental loss, and the difficulty our species has in evolving wisely.
There is so much we cannot control. And still, where we do have power, we choose to use it to water the possibility of peace, goodness, and a future worth inheriting.
This is why, each December, we gather around the theme of Remember.
Not to deny the agony of life, but to balance it by consciously collecting the good—the beauty, the meaning, the glimpses of magic that strengthen our capacity to live well and contribute well.
We invite you to remember in order to honour life—your life, your thread, the colours and steps of your journey this year.
The Practice of Sankofa
This first step is to hold an intention of opening to the past. As Sankofa teaches us, we turn back not with a critical eye, but with compassion and awareness. We watch this character we each are—following the thread of their story as they made their way through this year.
Sankofa is the magical bird that turns back to retrieve what was left behind. It reminds us that healing often comes from revisiting the past, not to get stuck there, but to gather the lessons, the wisdom, and the pieces of ourselves we abandoned along the way.
For many of us, myself included, turning back can feel uncomfortable. There’s a natural reluctance to face what we’ve avoided. It can feel daunting to revisit old memories or meet the difficult places again.
But when we turn toward the past with presence, something begins to move. The energy that has been frozen, unspoken, or forgotten starts to release. What was stuck becomes usable again—strength, clarity, compassion, insight. It comes back into our lives as fuel.
At the same time, we consciously gather the good. Sankofa is not only about tending to the wounds; it is also about honouring what supported us this year—the joys, connections, moments of courage, unexpected gifts, tiny victories. These are part of your story too, and they deserve to be named.
Gathering Memories
Imagine yourself as a collector of small treasures.
You might gather memories by:
- Noticing what returns to you throughout the day
- Paying attention to dreams and daydreams, which often carry forgotten messages
- Letting your senses guide you—smells, songs, photographs, textures
- Listening to what warms your body when you recall it
These are gentle ways of remembering who you’ve been, and who you’re becoming.
Remembering Your Song
Credo Mutwa, the renowned South African storyteller and traditional knowledge-keeper, tells a story of a people who once knew powerful songs that connected them to their purpose and their place in the world. Over time—through fear, shame, and silence—they forgot their songs. And with that forgetting came a loss of confidence, clarity, and direction.
But the important part of the story is that the songs were never lost. They were only forgotten.
They lived inside the people, waiting to be heard again.
As you gather memories, listen for your song—your deeper thread, your inner voice, the sound of your own life speaking back to you. It may come through a dream, through a memory that resurfaces, through a moment of gratitude, or in the quiet.
Giving Voice to What Wants to Speak
Putting pen to paper, naming the year, the lessons, the losses, the learnings—builds strength, clarity, and inner coherence. And while it may feel like a hard thing to do, in another way there’s nothing simpler than giving voice to what already wants to be spoken inside you.
Reflections for Week One
To start us off, here are five guiding questions for the next few days. Use any medium you like: writing, painting, collage, movement, altar, or simple quiet reflection.
#1 — What have I received this year? Nothing is too small. Let yourself acknowledge what came into your life—support, experiences, insights, relationships, moments of grace.
#2 — What have I offered, done, or created? Honour your efforts, seen and unseen. Even attempts that didn’t “work” are part of the path. Celebrate what you stood behind with your heart, hands, presence, or work.
#3 — What have I let go of? What have you released—by choice or by life’s insistence? Acknowledge the endings, the fallen leaves, the skins shed. Honour the grief or relief that came with them.
#4 — What have I learned? Name the teachings of this year. What wisdom has settled in you that you want to carry forward?
#5 — How have I grown? Where is your edge of evolution? What small shifts, new understandings, or deep changes are shaping you?
Ways to Recollect Your Year
Different people remember in different ways. Choose the methods that feel natural and enjoyable for you:
1. Morning Pages
A practice from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way.
Three pages of stream-of-consciousness writing in the morning. No editing, no analysing. Just letting the year spill out.
2. A Sketch Journal
Sometimes what the heart knows can’t be written.
Use drawings, symbols, colours, maps, timelines—anything that helps the memory speak.
3. Collage
Collect images from magazines, printouts, old photos, or screenshots.
Create a visual mosaic of your year: moments, themes, emotions, dreams.
4. Objects & Stones
Gather meaningful objects—stones from walks, ticket stubs, shells, pieces of fabric, small items that hold memory.
Lay them out on a table as a map of your year.
Notice what stories emerge.
5. Dream Notes
Keep paper next to your bed and jot down dreams.
Dreams often carry memory, insight, and forgotten parts of the year that want to be honoured.
Practical Notes:
- Work with these questions at your own pace over the next few days
- There’s no “right” way to respond—let your intuition guide you