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Meet the Ancestors

Meet the Ancestors Weekend Workshop

Held on Samhain weekend, November 2nd and 3rd 2024, this weekend workshop is the crème de la crème of the wider project known as Dreaming Ancient Landscapes and involves a guided shamanic and archaeological tour of prehistoric landscapes of the Mesolithic and Neolithic world of Britain.

What it’s about 

Dreaming Ancient Landscapes is a project which was born of both my academic life and my experiences travelling around the British countryside, connecting with the spirits of the ancestors and the nature spirits still present and often undisturbed in long forgotten landscapes full of prehistoric monuments.

Walking over hills crested with the remains of ancient human bone, hidden under large mounds and ditches carved out of the land with antler, hands and sweat. Huge standing stones and caverns, small and dark, diving into the earth. These places, rich in memory, hold clues to ourselves.

Who built these places and why? Who was buried here and why? Is it possible to catch glimpses, faint smells and colours, of those who lived and died at these enigmatic prehistoric monuments and landscapes? Is it possible to meet the ancestors?

Look back to the world of the Late Mesolithic and Early Neolithic; a time of the cusp of early farming communities and incredible societal change, when seasonal movement and hunting and gathering food were still practiced. A time when Britain was still covered in wildwood and scrub; before the first large scale clearing of the trees took place and before the first permanent structures were built.

Into this world, people came from the south and the east of Europe, with new practices; of domestication and settling down and ideas involving stone and the ancestors. This is the time of the first monuments in this country; of long barrows and strange circular banks and ditches known as causewayed enclosures. These were both monuments of the dead and also of the living.

What’s Involved

All but lost to us through the fog of time, it is possible to connect with the shamanic traditions of this land via journeying and via experiencing & communicating with the ancestors themselves at the monuments they have left behind.

Meeting the ancestors within the land, connecting with their ancient practices and bringing back wisdom from the past to help us to navigate our present world, aiding a reconstruction of a modern shamanic practice rooted within the ancient past.

The weekend starts at Under Westwood, in Bath, where we dive into the prehistory and archaeology of Mesolithic and Neolithic Britain, beginning to dive into practices to connect with ancestral spirits of the land, including shamanic journeying, to aid connection with the spiritual practices of ancient Britain.

The weekend includes a guided tour of the monumental landscape of Avebury in Wiltshire, spending time at significant places within the landscape to connect with the ancestors via shamanic journeying and spirit connection.

Who is it for?

The workshop is open to people who have previously attended workshops or courses with me or, for those who have some experience of, and feel confident in, shamanic journeying. If you haven’t attended any of my workshops or courses before, please get in touch before booking to see if it will be suitable for you. The spirit connection work we will do this weekend is quite advanced so won’t be suitable for everyone - sorry!

It would suit you if:

  • You have experience of spirit connection and/ or shamanic journeying

  • You have relationships with your animal spirit guides

  • You want to learn about British prehistory and archaeology

  • You want to learn about the prehistoric shamanic traditions of Britain

  • You are open to connecting with spirits within ancient monuments

  • You can handle walking around the countryside visiting several monuments, over uneven ground, during the course of a day

  • You are comfortable spending time outdoors in exposed areas in winter

  • You will be comfortable with being in a group

Please note that the spaces I offer are neurodivergent friendly. I completely understand (being neurodivergent myself) the edges involved in coming together with a group of strangers to dive into work that can be personal and challenging and I do my very best to help everyone feel comfortable and safe. The groups are small and I hold a space free of judgement and shame. I invite people to bring their true selves fully into the space. Sharing is not timed and is completely optional, you can freely come and go and move as you please, there is zero pressure to do or say anything and no question is too much.

It wouldn’t suit you if:

  • You have little or no experience of spirit connection

  • You are currently struggling with mental health issues that could impact your perception of reality

  • You struggle to feel grounded/ connected with your body

  • You would struggle to walk over rough terrain to and around ancient monuments

  • You are unwilling to spend time outdoors during winter exploring ancient monuments

  • You are not that interested in British prehistory and archaeology

  • You are not feeling open to new experiences

Please note: some of the monuments we visit won’t be too far from a car but will still involve walking over grass and potentially rough terrain. Some monuments are reached via a steep climb. We will visit several over one day in winter. However, based as we will be at Avebury, there are cafes and a pub there and if you need to pass on some of the walks, that will be possible.

Booking information

This is a non-residential weekend held between 10am and 5pm on Saturday November 2nd and Sunday November 3rd 2024. The primary venue is Under Westwood, in Bath but we also head into the Avebury landscape for the day on the Sunday, visiting a variety of monuments including long barrows. Transport may be provided to sites within Avebury - please enquire.

The cost of the weekend is £250, including lunch on both days.

If you are curious but unsure whether this weekend is going to be suitable for you, I would encourage you to get in touch and book a free half hour chat with me to discuss. My email is: samara@rewildingthesoul.org

Booking

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