Ancestors can seem like a distant, abstract sort of concept. Once you look further back than the ones you can name, there are a lot of them. There's a lot to be said for being able to make more substantial connections with them. One good way of doing this is seeking ancestors in the landscape.
For Druids, there are three kinds of ancestors to consider - those of blood, those of place and those of tradition. No matter where you are, there will be something of ancestry of place to explore. Something as simple as a footpath represents a connection with people of the past. Old buildings, the shapes of fields, the history of hedges and woodland can all be worth finding out about.
Ordinance survey maps are a great source of information about historical features. Going to visit a site is a great way of making a physical connections with your ancestors in the landscape. There's nothing like standing in a place and knowing something about what it meant to people in the past - and any place where you know something of the history can give you this.
I see prehistoric ancestors as ancestors of both place and tradition. I don't claim any direct link with the practices of ancient people, but at the same time this is where I draw a lot of my inspiration from.
In the photo, I'm standing at the Nympsfield barrow. It's been opened up and excavated, it isn't what it was but that also means there's a connection with early archaeologists. I remember first going to this barrow as a very small child, and not really understanding what I was seeing beyond the feeling that it was important.
This is a place I'd like to spend some serious time sitting out and contemplating, which for various reasons I have not so far managed to do. I've spent more time inside the next barrow along the hill line, which is complete and sometimes accessible. I've also spent a lot of time at the next barrow in the other direction, sitting out. I find it meaningful just to put my body in these spaces and be present. It is enough for me to share space with my ancestors of place, and to know them a little through what they've left behind.
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