Celebrating a Decade of Restorative Justice: Reflections from a Circle Keeper Trainer

This 2025 year, I'm celebrating 10 years as a Restorative Justice Trainer and I've learned a lot. When I first began my journey as a Restorative Justice practitioner over 15 years ago, I couldn't have imagined how profoundly this work would transform not only those I serve but also my own understanding of justice, healing, and community.

As a Circle Keeper, I've had the privilege of training hundreds of people across different organizations with creating sacred spaces where people can speak their truths, listen deeply to others, and collectively find paths toward healing. The circle process—with its emphasis on equality, respect, and shared ownership—continues to remind me that true justice isn't about punishment but about restoration and repair.

Center Piece from Peace Keeping Training for Youth in South Florida

Ancestral Wisdom in Modern Practice

There are many things that we have forgotten about our ancestry and as we reconnect with ourselves, we ground our teachings in the language of our ancestors. What we understand as the "circle process" has been a part of the community life of Indigenous peoples around the world for millennia. Different Indigenous peoples have their own ways of conducting circle-type processes. Non-Natives who now use talking circles have, directly or indirectly, learned circle values and practices from Indigenous people.

In my work, I've found that restorative justice circle keeping is grounded in a community connection built on trust and values, which gives community members the confidence to share their stories—the intimate details of their lives—get to the root of their community concerns, and make impactful social justice changes.

The Sacred Ori and Restoration

In Yorùbá language, Orí literally translates to mean "head," however the spiritual significance of the word is far deeper. Orí is human consciousness. It is our direct connection to Olódùmarè, the Supreme Force. Conceptually, Orí is closely related to destiny or fate. Each and every person who is born on Earth, Aye, went through the process of choosing their Orí and their Destiny before journeying from Heaven to Earth, Orun to Aye.

This understanding of Orí beautifully complements the restorative circle process. Both recognize the sacred nature of each individual's journey and consciousness. Both honor the power of intentional gathering and the sharing of stories as pathways to healing.

The Ultimate Accountability

The ultimate accountability is to our Ori which is us connecting with our higher selves, our mission and our destiny. In my years of practice, I've come to understand that this profound concept reshapes how we approach restorative justice work. When we recognize that our deepest accountability is not to external systems or even to our communities alone, but to our own divine consciousness and purpose, we access a transformative power.

Why is this understanding so important? Because when harm occurs in communities, the Western justice system often focuses solely on external punishment without addressing the spiritual and relational wounds that affect all involved. When we center Ori in our restorative practices, we invite participants to reconnect with their higher purpose, to remember the destiny they chose before entering this world. This reconnection often naturally guides people toward making amends, healing relationships, and realigning with their true path.

I've witnessed participants in circles experience profound shifts when they move from thinking about accountability as something imposed from outside to recognizing it as a sacred opportunity to realign with their Ori—their highest self and purpose. This internal compass becomes the guide that no external system could ever replace.

Bridging Ancient Wisdom with Modern Healing

The Sacred Ori Affirmation Card Deck was birthed from a place of curiosity of how we sit in the dreams of liberation and move into action with our ancestors. This healing tool, along with restorative justice practices, offers communities ways to reconnect with ancestral wisdom while addressing present-day challenges.

Simply put, restorative justice is a tool for accountability for all those who have been impacted by harm, conflict or abuse to move forward in a healthy way. When combined with practices that honor our Orí—our inner consciousness and destiny—we create powerful spaces for both individual and collective healing

Looking Forward

As I reflect on my decade as a trainer, I see how Africana religious traditions contribute to activism and social change, serving as sites of spiritual rejuvenation in the face of ongoing oppression. These practices offer pathways for resistance movements, healing practices, and the reclamation of sacred space and identity within the African Diaspora.

The process is endlessly adaptable to different situations and cultures. What remains constant is the power of circle, the wisdom of our ancestors, and our inherent capacity for restoration and healing.

As I look toward the future, I remain committed to expanding the reach of these integrated practices. In a world that often defaults to punitive approaches, I believe more strongly than ever in our collective capacity to build systems that heal rather than harm, that connect rather than isolate, and that transform rather than merely punish.

The journey continues, and I'm grateful for every circle, every story shared, and every moment of transformation I've been blessed to witness along the way.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Click here to Start your Journey with the Sacred Ori Affirmation Card Deck

Learn more about our upcoming Restorative Justice Circle Keeping Training by clicking here or emailing ruth.jeannoel@gmail.com

Ruth Ifakemi Jeannoel is the Founder and Executive Director of Fanm Saj, Inc, Fanm Saj Consulting  and is a Worker-Owner at Dandelion Medicine Liberation Co-op. She is a Haitian - American mother, wife, healer and writer. Ruth is committed to disrupting cultural dehumanization and guiding people towards their healing for accountable futures.