A THANKSGIVING OF SPIRIT — A CEREMONY OF SURRENDER

Gogo_Noma
Dec 4
4 min read

Thokozani Badimo Child,

There are moments on this path where Spirit calls you into a season you did not plan for — a season that asks you to trust, to surrender, and to allow yourself to become a vessel in ways you’ve never been before.

October 2025 was that kind of season for me.

When I stood on the 14th of September and announced that on the 5th of October we would be gathering for a Thanksgiving Ceremony, I felt the shift immediately. That night, sleep refused to come. I lay awake asking myself: “What have I gotten myself into?”

Not out of fear…

Not out of doubt…

But out of the sacred weight of responsibility.

I have held Thanksgiving for myself before — as a daughter of my ancestors, as a healer, as a woman on her path. But this was the first time Spirit asked me to hold a Thanksgiving Ceremony for others, within my space, under my calling.

This time, I was not only offering gratitude…

I was being asked to hold space for others to bring their gratitude to their ancestors.

And that required an even deeper surrender.

Becoming Comfortable in My Skin

One of the greatest blessings of 2025 has been a simple yet powerful one:

I finally became comfortable in my own skin.

Comfortable in my calling.

Comfortable in my voice.

Comfortable in the responsibility of leading.

Comfortable in the unpredictability of Spirit.

Walking in my own path with confidence has been a blessing birthed from years of unlearning, healing, grounding, and trusting. And when the day of the ceremony came and everyone stood there and said:

“We didn’t know what we were coming here to do, but we are here.”

I felt Spirit settle in my body.

I felt Source whisper:

“One and all, you are here for a new experience with Me — a personal experience.”

This was not a ceremony of performance.

Not a ceremony of repetition.

Not a ceremony of tradition for tradition’s sake.

It was a ceremony of presence.

Of openness.

Of complete surrender.

A Ceremony Without Scripts

There was no programme.

No order of events.

No rehearsed words.

No expectations.

We came as blank canvases, and Spirit painted.

It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed — a room filled with people who came with nothing but intention, hearts ready to pour, and spirits ready to listen.

To those who came and lit the candle:

Your presence was the meal. Your gratitude was the feast.

Ke bone mokete, a spiritual banquet whose flavour could only come from truth.

We experienced something we have never experienced before — a new chapter, not just in ritual, but in relationship with Spirit.

Gratitude Beyond the Tangible

What touched me deeply was this:

There wasn’t much “tangible” to thank God and the ancestors for.

People were not arriving with big testimonies, breakthroughs, houses, contracts, or miracles.

Yet…Spirit had moved.

Emotionally.

Spiritually.

Internally.

Breakthrough had taken place — not on paper, but in the heart.

People stood there in raw honesty, thanking Spirit not for what they received, but for who they were becoming.

That is pure gratitude.

That is spiritual maturity.

That is ancestral alignment.

The Power of Sacred Presence

I was so present that I captured almost nothing.

One photo.

One short clip of the altar.

And I know sometimes that disappoints people, but the truth is…

Spirit always draws me into presence over performance.

Confidentiality, sacredness, emotional safety — these are pillars of my work.

Your stories, your tears, your prayers are not for social media. They are for your ancestors.

And when I am holding space, I am holding space.

Fully.

Completely.

Uncompromisingly.

A Family Affair in Spirit

What unfolded that day reminded me that I am not walking this journey alone.

The testimonies that came afterward — even from those who participated in spirit, energetically connected though not physically present — were powerful.

This Thanksgiving is no longer “mine.”

It doesn’t belong to Gogo_Noma alone.

It has become:

A Learning with Noma Family Thanksgiving.

A Badimo-led family affair.

A collective offering of gratitude.