Water Your Roots is a space designed to help descendants of enslaved Africans go from carrying intergenerational grief in isolation to feeling rooted, held, and ancestrally connected through sacred communal ritual, storytelling, and

embodied healing practices.

In this four-day immersive gathering in and around New Orleans, Louisiana, you will be guided through culturally aligned healing practices, sacred truth-telling, and a community healing ritual at the Whitney Plantation Museum, leaving with

a deeper connection to your lineage, your body, and your people.

Right now, so many of us descendants of enslaved Africans are:

• Carrying grief we cannot name but know is there, showing up as exhaustion, disconnection, and a persistent feeling that something is off;

• Trying to process generational wounds alone, through individual therapy, self-help, or intellectualizing the history without ever truly feeling it;

• Being bombarded by cultural "trauma porn" and hungry for nourishing narratives about our diaspora; and/or

• Consuming information about our ancestry without having a safe, supported space to actually integrate what that history means for our bodies, relationships, and sense of self.

The problem isn’t that you don't know enough about the history.

It's that there are few intentional communities and safe enough containers to do this work and so you have been trying to heal a collective wound entirely alone.

And the cost of that?

• Dreams deferred because the weight you are carrying quietly drains the energy you need to fulfil your soul purpose;

• Days lost to a fatigue you cannot explain from your nervous system carrying a weight your mind can't process;

• Relationships strained by patterns you didn't choose (and maybe don't even realize are inherited); and



• A quiet but persistent ache in your being that no amount of productivity, achievement, or distraction seems to reach.

If nothing changes, the wound stays open. Not just in you, but in everyone who comes after you: unprocessed, unwitnessed, unhealed. Another generation inherits what the one before it wasn't able to face.

The Process:

Too often, we bring our productivity mindset into spiritual work.

This work is not about going fast; it's about going deep.

We will begin the experience before we arrive in person, in a 2-hour Zoom call, providing participants the chance to start connecting and shaping our container through group agreements and shared intentions before we arrive in New Orleans. 

Once there, we'll begin where most good conversations do: around a table with some good food on it. We'll break bread for Sunday Dinner while continuing to break the ice and get to know each other, continuing to deepen our connections and intentions.

The next day, participants will be guided through a series of workshops and experiences designed to prepare them for the ritual the next day. We’ll cover some basics of spiritual hygiene around creating constructive boundaries in your process, as well as offer some simple, trauma-informed practices you can use with yourself and others for grounding and connection.

The following day, we will journey to the Whitney Plantation Museum for the ritual. We will have exclusive access to the site. That's right, no other nervous systems to regulate subconsciously, just those of us who share the descendant lineage, free to feel what we feel with each other. We'll tour the land and process the experience in a ritual that will take place in the historic Antioch Baptist Church, a church built by free

 Black people for free Black people. This is where the real work happens, where grief is witnessed, where ancestors are invited in, and where truth has room to surface.

Anchored by song and music, the ritual will move us through an intentional emotional arc of grief- the stillness of acceptance, the deep rocking of sorrow, the waves of laughter we use to keep from crying, the stinging cleanse of tears,  the stories we unearth beneath it all, the relief of celebration because we're still here, and with so much to be joyful for!

Our last day together is for integration. During wisdom circles (and yes, more food!), we will share what we've experienced during the journey and process it within a facilitated wisdom circle. Integrating what has emerged through creative processing, communal sharing, and intentional reflection allows you to leave not just with an experience but with tools, insight, and a clear sense of what you are now ready to carry differently.

In this immersive experience, you will:

• Move through guided culturally aligned meditations, ceremonies, and healing experiences designed to meet you exactly where you are;

• Sit in communal truth-telling circles where the real stories get told: the grief, the glory, the things you've never had a safe space to say out loud;

• Participate in healing workshops on some of the most culturally complex and meaningful land in the African-American story, held in community with people who came, just like you, because they are done carrying their grief alone.

You will not just leave with more information.

You will leave with:

• A lived experience of collective healing that your body will remember long after your mind forgets the details;

• A simple, personal ritual practice for ancestral connection that you can take home and weave into your everyday life;

• A network of people, your people, who have witnessed you, held you, and grown alongside you;

• Deeper clarity about who you are, where you come from, and what you are now free to become.

By the end of this, you will have:

• A lived, embodied experience of collective healing that shifts something in you at a cellular level, not just an idea of healing, but the felt sense of it;

• A personal ritual practice rooted in your own ancestral connection that you can return to again and again;

• A community of aligned souls who have witnessed your truth and can continue to walk alongside you on your ancestral healing and reclamation journey.

Which means you can finally:

• Lead, create, and build with the full force of your lineage behind you. No more dimming yourself, second-guessing your worth, or shrinking in rooms your ancestors fought for you to be in;

• Release the weight of carrying generational grief alone and step into the full power of a lineage that has survived everything to arrive at you;

• Feel peace where there has previously been conflict and tension. 

Instead of the quiet ache of disconnection and the exhaustion of processing alone, you'll be operating from a place of rootedness, moving through the world the way your ancestors always intended: rooted, held, and unafraid to take up space.

This is for you if:

• You are a descendant of enslaved Africans who feels the weight of your lineage and are ready to transform that weight into power;

• You are ready to do the real work, the embodied, communal kind integrated with the intellectual;

• You want to feel more genuinely rooted in who you are, where you come from, and what you are here to do.

This is NOT for you if:

• You are looking for a passive learning experience or a conventional wellness retreat.

• You are in an active mental/emotional/spiritual crisis and need one-on-one clinical support. This gathering is a complement to professional care, not a replacement for it.

• You are not ready to be in community. This work requires showing up fully, for yourself and for the people in the room with you. We hold the container, but the medicine is in what you bring to it.



• You are still developing basic emotional regulation skills. This space holds deep work, and being able to manage your emotions in a group setting is essential to keeping the container safe for everyone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I was adopted, or just don’t have a lot of information about my family history?

The beauty of this process is that it is not about facts. As long as you have an authentic desire to connect with your cultural and familial lineage, this work is for you. You do not need names, dates, or family records to do this work. Your connection has always lived in your body, in your instincts, in the deep knowing that has followed you your whole life even when you had no words for it. Come knowing you belong here just as fully as anyone else in the room.

What if I’ve tried this before?

It's rare to have exclusive access to a site like the Whitney for culturally specific work to be done. Even though it's about time that mainstream museums and galleries are starting to pay more attention to talking intentionally about African-American history, there's just something that never feels fully settled when it needs to be processed alongside the historical aggressors of that history. This ritual is a unique opportunity for doing deep only with those who need no explanations about why it's important that we take it there. 

How much time will this take?
How much time have you lost trying to navigate something collective on your own? To the frustration and the fatigue? This is not work to be rushed. It takes time for your mind, body, and spirit to process this level of work and we've intentionally designed the experience so that you're supported through every step of it.

The Water Your Roots gathering will be four-days, from September 6-9, 2026. In addition, there will be two, 2-hour Zoom calls before and after the gathering for community connection, processing, and support.

Is this right for me if I’m not a Christian, or if I'm an atheist?

Epigenetics aren’t denominational. There is ample empirical evidence that we literally walk with the traces of those who came before us in our bodies, minds, and whatever you may conceive of to be- or not to be- spirits. The process draws from tried and true truths of the human experience: where we put our attention matters, utilizing our creative capacities to process intellectual information often creates unexpected insights and connections, and processing in a supportive community helps us grow.

Most ancestral work takes place within a specific religious or cultural tradition, such as Ifa or Candomble. This process, while being spiritual, is designed with the African diaspora in mind, which includes a wide array of spiritual and religious practices and beliefs. Rooted in the wisdom of Osho's Mystic Rose meditation, Jihan has been developing this ritual process through practice and community collaboration, and it has been shared everywhere from redwood forests to conference rooms with equal potency.

About your Guide

Jihan Neima Ford McDonald (They/Them) is an award-winning cultural strategist and multidisciplinary artist who facilitates experiences of transformation for the social good. Jihan is a former Adjunct Professor in Multiculturalism & Somatic Psychology, with an M.A. in Social Transformation/Culture & Spirituality from Pacific School of Religion, where they were a Changemaker Fellow.

Jihan has nearly 15 years of experience facilitating transformative experiences for personal and collective healing, and they have won the Alpha Delta Leadership Award, the Koinonia Community Building Award, and been a grantee of the Fund for Liberatory Practice for their innovative approaches to community building and

leadership development.

They are a proud alumna of Spelman College and serve on their local alumna council, as well as being a Board member for various nonprofits, including Holistic Underground, Artist as First Responder, and Canticle Farm. When not trying to save the world, Jihan can be found- if they can be found- eating, dancing, wandering, wondering, and/or cat-napping.

They recently received the Pilate Dead Scholarship for African American writers to support work on their memoir, "Free, Black, and 21". 

That's my story. Here's what some other folks have to say:

"Jihan’s superpower is holding brave space for community to explore challenging and vulnerable topics/issues in a very relational and healing manner. The capacity to be discerning, confident, powerful and clear in your truth and knowing while at the same time being compassionate and open to hold healing space for other viewpoints and experiences. Your ability to weave together many seemingly different practices into one holistic approach. Thank you for being an inspiration and for doing healing and meaningful work!”

- Jahan K., Educator, Poet, Musician

“Ability to kindly invite those taking up too much space to step back a little bit. Gentle encouragement for those who are more reticent to speak up. Holding the container while authentically responding to changing needs in the room.

Fearlessly bringing somatic practice to institutions steeped in rational thought and mind/body separation."

- Heather S; English Professor

"Intuition; compassionate critique of systemic oppression; patience, persistence, and peculiarity; bridging gaps between understanding and perspectives; magic, ritual, space holding; I could go on and on cuz there's SO MANY superpowers I value in you!" - Seneca M., BeJustBodies Founder

“It's like you have a through line for life. You navigate the roiling sea of life always seemingly able to balance the chaos and order, always finding that threaded edge of balance, the curve of ying and yang, and you are able to communicate that balance to others. You are a balancing force. You always see the abyss at your/our feet while also having your eyes on the peaks above us. And you are fearless in naming the joys and the dangers. The pitfalls and the opportunities for growth. You can know and celebrate our absolute oneness and call out our blind spots that create terrible and pitiful disharmony and damage because of our apparent differences. You hold space for conversations that most people may want to have but are afraid to broach. You are a healer and a warrior. And in addition to all this you are so artful and I think one of the best thinkers I know."

- Mary H, Housing Advocate

“Humorous -> with a genius ability to consider layers and complexities, you see many things and are able to make light of them while being present to and holding so many hard truths in the humor. *Present -> You're genuinely *with* me/us/

community when you are physically there, You are all the way there. Gentle fierceness...is that self explanatory?”

-Kati C-S; Nurse/Midwife

“Your ability to see through the bullshit. You're one of the few people that I felt seen by in an uncomfortably good way. It felt as if you cared to know me and my inside part *chuckle*. Please note I'm wholeheartedly serious when I say inside parts, I just can't get my 10 year old reaction to the beloved scene outta my mind. Even though I felt as if I needed to hide in general your presence always reminded me that I was safe. Your ability to create a space of peace wherever you are. I don't know what's happening in your mind and heart but whatever the heck is happening that vibration is lite. Outside of my own doing, I've never felt anxious in your company. You're funny, you're insightful, you're righteously angered. I really appreciate you, you know we'd be shit outta luck without people like you holding space! "

- Sabaa Z; Performance Artivist

"You share your experience, both joyful and otherwise, in a way that seems to intrinsically acknowledge the spectrum of experiences floating around on this planet. In that way, your sharing is both affirming and easy to empathize with. Integrity, trustworthiness, persistence, openness, seeing, compassionate questioning,... the list goes on.” - Ren C; Yoga Teacher/Bodyworker

“From my experience, there's a sense of ease and depth felt when in Jihan's presence. Jihan's superpower is to facilitate a transformation with a lightheartedness while grounded in creativity and practicality. This can be seen in their workshops as they remain aware of the group as its needs shifts with the winds of new information. They have a playful and inquisitive mind that allows for truly novel in-the-moment solutions to come forth!” - Seo M, FlowStyle Living Founder

“You bring me to tears, Jihan McDonald. You are truly one of the most remarkable, inspiring people that I have ever met. This in over 61 years filled with classes/encounters/retreats/ lectures that include Madeleine L'Engle, Molly Ivins, Sr. Helen Prejean, Angeles Arrien, Anne Lamott, Brian Swimme, Belvie Rooks, Pema Chodrön, hugs from Amma, Phil Cousineau, Joyce Rupp, scores of recovery speakers, classmates . . . Just sayin. Any fellowship & always The MacArthur should be yours.”

- Leslie S; Theologian

The Investment:

There is a limited number of spaces available to support depth of connection and integration.

Registration is based on a sliding scale to support access to the opportunity.

To set up a payment plan, please email us directly.

Use the code EarlyBird to register before August 1 and receive a $150 discount!

And if you're coming as part of a family group of up to 3 people, use the code FAMBAM for a 10% discount.

As a way of honoring those most directly connected to the land we'll be in rutal with, if you are a resident of St. John the Baptist Parish, Antioch Baptist Congregation, or a direct descendant of folks who worked the Whitney Plantation, use the code ROOTED for a special rate.

There are 3 regular rates available.

Rates do not include lodging in or transportation to New Orleans.

Rates do include: 

* two (2) online workshops;

* three (3) in-person workshops;

* exclusive access and transportation to the Whitney Plantation Museum, including a catered lunch; and

* three (3) community dinners.

Sustainer $3,500: This rate is intended for people who are financially abundant and able to attend without any financial hardship.

Standard $2,500: This is the standard rate intended for people who are financially stable and are able to budget for this experience without financial hardship.

Sponsored $1,750: This is the sponsored rate intended for people who would otherwise not be able to participate in this experience without serious financial hardship.

If you are not part of this diaspora, this is an invitation that is no less spiritual,

which is that of social, emotional, and spiritual justice.

As Dr. Cornell West says, "Justice is what love looks like in public."

Moving from feelings to action is what moves the needle towards justice.

Supporting The Rootwater Project is supporting that movement, whether it be through a financial contribution, an in-kind donation of goods or services, a potent connection, or amplifying our work on social media and through your networks.

And let's be real, in America, what helps Black people historically helps everyone

 and we know that our collective liberation is undivided, even if our country is.

The Rootwater Project is proud to be fiscally sponsored by Canticle Farm.

If you'd like to make a tax-deductible contribution to our work,

click here.

"There are years that ask questions and years that answer."

- Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God

This is a year for answering.

We are living in transformational times, and it is crucial for our futures

that we be transformed along with them.

A personal note from Jihan:

When I sat down with the fact that this year "celebrates" 250 years of America,

I knew that I had some complicated, and uncomfortable, questions to ask myself.

"What does the American in African American really mean to me?"

"What does the African in African American really mean to me?"

"If our ancestors were alive now, would they feel free?"

And the question I sit with at all times:

"What is mine to do?"

The questions weren't new, but they hit with a different potency as I emotionally prepared myself for the onslaught of misinformation and "patriotic" zeal that I'd be subjected to with heightened intensity, and consequences, for the next 365 days.

Whenever that last question blares loud in my mind, I often think of Gandalf and Frodo in the mines of Moria, still at only the beginning of their journey to destroy the ring of power. As they sit, unsure of where to go next, Frodo laments to the wizard that he wishes he didn't have to deal with any of this mess and he could just go back to the Shire to read books and smoke longbottom leaf.

To which Gandalf responds:

"So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide.

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."

It gives me chills and grounds me every time.

What I am doing in this time is what my people have always done: call ourselves to gathering because we know we don't answer the kinds of questions I was sitting with alone. We can't. The experiences and contexts that produce the questions are shared, and their asking is part of how we recognize our people in the world.

My people are the others who are unsettled and dissatisfied by the easy narratives of schoolbooks and rose-tinted lenses on history. The ones who know pain is merely a feedback system designed to direct our attention to what needs our care. The ones unafraid to admit some of the truths that hurt. The ones who want to answer the call to themselves to say that when it was their time, they took the journey that was asked of them.

If you've made it this far, you are one of my people.

I didn't start doing grief work for fun. I did it because I had to. It was a persistent wail that wouldn't let me rest. I didn't immediately know what to do with it. Fortunately, I knew I wasn't going crazy, just getting attuned to something new, but it still took me time to discern what the sound meant for me. Over time, it became clear to me that I was being called to call the people, to sound the siren of sorrow and engage the grief together.

So, that's what I'm doing.

I am truly honored to do this work and to share it with others who are committed to answering their own callings for healing in themselves, their families and communities, and by extension, our world.

I look forward to meeting you, your grief, your stories, and the new possibilities that will arise when you are able to share these within a circle of compassionate witness.

Be well,

Jihan