The Book of the Ancestors
A gentle guide to learn, reflect & venerate your ancestors.
Your people are not gone. They are waiting to be named, remembered, and carried forward — in your own hand, in your own words, in a book only your family can fill.
“To the best of what I know, I've written my ancestors' story down, and I want you to do the same." — Nikki Zaahir
There is a book that no one else can write.
Not because the history is missing — but because the history is yours. The names your grandmother whispered. The recipe no one measured. The migration that made you possible. The faith that carried them, and the practices that carried them before that.
The Book of the Ancestors is a guided keepsake for doing sacred, unhurried work: learning who came before you, reflecting on what they passed down, and venerating them the way our traditions always have — with attention, with honor, with love. In small doses. Bite size.
You don’t have to know everything to begin. You only have to be willing to remember.
For a long time, we were told we had to choose — our faith or our lineage, the church or the altar, God or the grandmothers. You don’t.
You can have Jesus AND your great great great grandmother, too. — Nikki Zaahir
This book is my contribution to the continuation of the riot.
Ancestral veneration is one of the oldest, most human things we do. It elevates the ones we’ve lost, it keeps historical memory alive, and it empowers the living by tying us back to the movement we come from. For the Black family especially, remembering is not sentimental — it is reclamation. It’s how we say, out loud and for the record: we were here, we survived, and we are still here.
The Book of the Ancestors moves through 17 sections — gentle, section by section, so the work never overwhelms you. You’ll be led to gather, to write, to remember, and to honor:
Your family story and lineage, the names said for the record, the stories of how your people survived — and space to write it all down before it’s lost.
Their Names & Their Stories
Healing traditions, remedies, and divine interventions. The legacy of your grandparents. The work they did and the trades they mastered. The knowledge, skills, and talents passed down to you.
What They Carried
Building and honoring the altar. Your family’s history, timelines, and cultural context. The faiths they followed and the rituals they practiced.
The Sacred
Connection (“I am you, you are me, we are we”), ancestral meals and food memories, and the migrations, moves, and returns home that shaped your family’s path.
The Ties that Bind
The way your people played, the songs they sang, the rhythms they moved to — sports, music, and dance as living memory.
How They Moved
And finally — you. Personal reflections for you and the descendants who will one day hold this book and read your name for the record.
Your Story
This isn’t a book you finish. It’s a book you fill.
Fill the pockets of this book with your people. Include photos, handwritten notes, documents, and artifacts. Let their presence — and yours — live inside this book. — Nikki Zaahir
Tuck in the old photograph. Tape in the funeral program. Write the story the way your auntie tells it. What you’re making is an heirloom — something your children’s children will open, and find you inside.
Ways to Begin
Wherever you are, there’s a way in. Start with the book. Add a sit-down with Nikki when you want personal guidance. Or walk the whole journey with support beside you.
The complete guided keepsake — all 17 sections, ready for you to fill with your people. Begin at your own pace, in your own time, in the privacy of your own home.
The full 235-page guided book
Prompts and space to gather names, stories, recipes, and remembrances
Pockets and pages for photos, documents, and artifacts
A lifetime heirloom for your family line
The complete guided keepsake — all 17 sections, ready for you to fill with your people. Begin at your own pace, in your own time, in the privacy of your own home.
The full 235-page guided book
Prompts and space to gather names, stories, recipes, and remembrances
Pockets and pages for photos, documents, and artifacts
A lifetime heirloom for your family line
For when you want a hand to hold as you begin.
Everything in The Book, plus a private one-on-one session with Nikki Zaahir. Bring your questions, your grief, your stuck places, the branch of the family tree that goes quiet. Together you’ll open the door to your lineage and set your intention for the work ahead.
The full Book of the Ancestors
Personal guidance to help you connect, reflect, and venerate
A grounded, judgment-free space to meet your ancestors
For when you want a hand to hold as you begin.
Everything in The Book, plus a private one-on-one session with Nikki Zaahir. Bring your questions, your grief, your stuck places, the branch of the family tree that goes quiet. Together you’ll open the door to your lineage and set your intention for the work ahead.
The full Book of the Ancestors
Personal guidance to help you connect, reflect, and venerate
A grounded, judgment-free space to meet your ancestors
For those who’d like to journey through, and receive 1:1 support
What's Included
1 physical copy of Book of the Ancestors
One 2-hour private session with Nikki — virtual or in-person
Personalized guidance through the client's specific family history and ancestry work
For those who’d like to journey through, and receive 1:1 support
What's Included
1 physical copy of Book of the Ancestors
One 2-hour private session with Nikki — virtual or in-person
Personalized guidance through the client's specific family history and ancestry work
1 physical copy of Book of the Ancestors
One 2-hour virtual private session with Nikki
6–8 weeks of live guided group experience with Nikki
Weekly live touchpoint — group call or Mighty Networks session
Small cohort of 8–12 participants for intimate, meaningful group energy
Community space within Mighty Networks for between-session connection
1 physical copy of Book of the Ancestors
One 2-hour virtual private session with Nikki
6–8 weeks of live guided group experience with Nikki
Weekly live touchpoint — group call or Mighty Networks session
Small cohort of 8–12 participants for intimate, meaningful group energy
Community space within Mighty Networks for between-session connection
Not sure which is right for you? Email hello@bitesizespirituality.com and we’ll help you choose.
A WORD FROM NIKKI
I’ve spent years in the records and the archives, chasing my ancestors’ names — 150 grandparents I can name, and countless more I’ve yet to meet. Some of what I found may not be perfectly accurate, because they lied. But to the best of what I know, I’ve written my ancestors’ story down.
Now it’s your turn to write yours.
— Nikki Zaahir
FROM THE COMMUNITY
Peace Mama Nikki! I love you and thank you for all that you do for the collective and personally, for me… I give thanks to you and all of our ancestors and guides for sharing so much love and divining our connection and paths.
—Damia F.
Your ancestors have been waiting to be remembered. Say their names. Write them down. Keep them close.
There’s no commitment, pressure, or obligation.