Sankofa Journey – 2025

Sankofa – 2025

Sankofa teaches us to look backward in order to move forward. Why is it so vital to reflect on the past?

The short answer: we carry the past with us if we don’t properly digest it.

Our most creative and empowered response to life comes from acknowledging and digesting what lies behind us—the difficulties and despair, as well as the joys, connections, and gratitudes. This process is about giving yourself the time and space to truly listen to what the year has meant for you.

Reflection isn’t just a mental exercise; it’s about connecting with the body too. We hold the past in our physical being, often without realising it. By observing what we’ve taken from our experiences and the meanings we’ve attached to them, we find a better relationship with them. We can hold them in a different way. This allows us to transform challenges into resources that strengthen our sense of who we are and what matters most.

Sankofa is a Ghanaian symbol represented as a bird flying forward while looking backward. It means “to go back and fetch it,” reminding us of the power in reclaiming lessons from the past. It encourages us to honour our history and carry its wisdom forward, creating a better future rooted in self-awareness and connection to our origins.

We all have blind spots—patterns we can’t see in ourselves but easily recognise in others. Imagine if someone close to you sincerely asked, “What do you think I don’t see in myself?” or “Where do you think I miss the mark?” You’d likely have plenty of answers. This reflection is an invitation to ask those questions inwardly, to notice the unseen aspects of your own life.

Amidst turbulent times, what will next year be for you? Stepping into the future in a meaningful way depends on this reconciling of the past. So that we can say for the hard, even impossible experience—I Accept. The willingness to keep making peace with what has been is what gives us the fuel and wisdom to make something new from it.

The Process in simple terms:

14 days of writing—three pages a day following Julia Camerons morning pages approach. 42 pages in total. From these pages, you’ll distill a single paragraph, then a single sentence. This sentence becomes your guiding companion for 2026.

3 group sessions/ connection circles on zoom  (11th, 18th and 22nd December).

Times: each session runs for approx. 75 min @ 6 pm SA time (GMT + 2) / 4 pm UK time.

This practice is a sacred pause—a moment to reflect, digest, and retrieve the egg of wisdom that lies hidden in the corners of the past. As we practice together, we also help each other to remember. We walk each other home.

Suggested donation: $50 (feel welcome to contribute according to your means).

PayPal: ryanklette@gmail.com
Bank transfer: Ryan Klette, FNB 6201 288 0838, cheque account.

Also, feel free to email or text me with any questions: +27 82 552 0619.  To book your place, just pop me a message and I will add you to the group.

feedback from recent group:

…my recent experience of participating in Ryan’s IFS short journaling group was a great place for me to revisit and recommit to my writing practice. As someone who usually shies away from this type of self reflection, I found this an incredibly supportive experience within a small group ably guided and prompted by Ryan’s observations both in our group zooms and written material to read on Substack. An additional bonus for me was having some Enneagram chat within our sharing – this really helped me pull together my enneagram learnings from decades back and use it to help my current IFS experience.

Huge appreciation to Ryan and my work group ✨ 

Rosie G