Njila: The Ancestral Pathway
New Moon
Storytelling Circle
Storytelling Circle
Friday, April 17, 2026
A monthly gathering to speak the names
of those who came before us.
of those who came before us.
7:00 – 8:30 PM EST
Virtual · Zoom
Free / Donation
April 2026 · New Moon in Aries
This Month’s Theme
“The Names We Were Given,
The Names We Chose”
The Names We Chose”
Names are the first record of a person’s existence. Before the census. Before the photograph. Before the document in the archive.Tonight we honor the names that survived — in mouths, in middle names no one can explain, in a grandmother who named her daughter after a woman she never met but always knew.
Before We Begin
Three Agreements
- I.What is shared in this circle stays in this circle. These stories belong to the people who brought them.
- II.We witness without fixing. When someone shares, our job is to receive what they have offered and let it land.
- III.You are never required to share. Listening is a form of participation. If you are here to receive, that is enough.
Tonight’s Arc
Run of Show
7:00
Welcome & Land Acknowledgment
7:10
Circle Agreements & Introductions
7:20
This Month’s Theme
7:27
Story Sharing: Round One
7:50
Witnessing Practice
8:00
Story Sharing: Round Two
8:15
Closing Reflection
8:20
Collective Naming Ritual
8:28
Blessing & Close
Story Sharing
Tonight’s Prompts
Prompt One
“Is there a name in your family — a first name, a middle name, a surname — that carries a story you know, or one you are still trying to find?”
Prompt Two
“Tell us about an ancestor you know by name. Just their name, and one thing you know or believe about who they were.”
Prompt Three
“Has anyone in your family ever changed a name, or had a name changed for them? What do you know about that?”
After Each Story
Witnessing Practice
After each person shares, offer one word or one short phrase in the chat.Not a comment. Not a response. Just a word that wants to be near their story.
It could be what you felt. It could be what you noticed. It could be a name that came to your mind.
Round Two
Going Deeper
Prompt
“Is there something about a name in your family — yours, or an ancestor’s — that you have always wondered about but never found the answer to?”
The not-knowing is part of the inheritance.
You are welcome to bring that here.
You are welcome to bring that here.
Closing Ritual
The Collective Naming
In a moment, unmute and speak one ancestor’s name aloud.A first name. A nickname. “My grandmother.” Whatever you know. Whatever you carry.
There is no order. Speak when you are ready. Every name spoken in this space is a name preserved.
Close
Closing Blessing
“The ancestors survived so that you could know their names. And tonight, you came. That matters.”
Next circle · Patreon community · njila.org
Memory is Survival
Remember. Reclaim. Rebuild.
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