Ancestral Pilgrimage

August 21, 2022January 20, 2024

Ancestral Pilgrimage

In her article ‘How travel might become more like spiritual pilgrimage: an autoethnographic study’ Laura Beres identifies the stages that constitute undertaking a travel pilgrimage. When we embark on a journey back to the ‘homelands’ we too are undertaking a pilgrimage, albeit an ancestral pilgrimage. For many of us our ancestors migrated across the seas, mine ancestors boarded the ships in the British Isles (Scotland and Ireland) during the 1800’s and immigrated to Australia. They disembarked on the ports of Melbourne, Hobart and New South Wales.

Even though they never returned to their homelands, I feel the tug at my heart to travel to Scotland and Ireland. Whether it is pulsing through my DNA or simply an inherited heart yearning, I seek to walk the land they lived on. This I seek for many reasons – a greater understanding, cultural awareness, historical significance, deepening self-awareness and to ‘close the circle’.

I was privileged to travel in the March 2019 to Scotland. For four glorious weeks I walked the city streets of Edinburgh, took the rail to Inverness, stood in awe at Skye and wondered along the banks of the River Tay. At that point though I had only just started my ancestral search. I had only uncovered a small number of ancestors who had migrated from Scotland. Now, two years on I have discovered so many more ancestors who originated from Ireland and Scotland.

When those international borders come down, I will when possible make an ancestral pilgrimage to these lands.

According to Beres one of the major benefits of undertaking a pilgrimage is that ‘on returning home, it is impossible to think that your way of life is the only way of life’. [1] We become more open to difference. It is the journey, not the destination, that differentiates a tourist from a pilgrim.

Here are the stages constituting a pilgrimage:

Preparation, which involves the planning of the trip and gathering the resources necessary before departing
the Journey itself
the Arrival at your destination
Return, back to whence you came
Reintegration, it is here where we reflect, and integrate any new insights from our journey and perhaps make changes in our life.

Perhaps consider deeply your next journey, undertake it consciously and become curious about what could be revealed.

[1] Laura Beres, ‘How travel might become more like spiritual pilgrimage: An autoethnographic study‘, Journal for the Study of Spirituality, vol. 8, no. 2, 2018, pp. 160-172.

August 7, 2022January 20, 2024

My approach to ancestral research – intuitive and heart driven

My approach to ancestral researching ‘intuitive ancestral’ is different to many. It is primarily:

guided through the heart, the seat of the soul
not by spreadsheets, dates and gaps
by the one who pulls at my heartstrings and whispers in my ear

Intuitive

My approach to ancestral researching is an intuitive process. I am not so much interested in compiling spreadsheets of data (although they do have their place), getting bogged down in dates and identifying where the gaps are in my family tree. For me it is listening to my heart and being guided to the ones that have something they want to share. I am very mindful of the delicate nature of revealing stories of those who are no longer with us. Ones who perhaps never envisaged that years later they would have someone burrowing into their lives and attempting to understand who they were and bring forth what they perhaps would prefer to remain in the past, lost to the veils of time.

When I embark on a research journey I ensure I do so with care, respect and privilege. I ask for permission to do so, seek to be guided by those who give permission and perhaps welcome the opportunity to reveal themselves here and now. Whilst I gather data, facts and various certificates and documentation as evidence of their existence I am seeking to understand their challenges, tap into the qualities they cultivated and passed on genetically.

What qualities do they have that maybe lying dormant within me waiting to be activated?

What can they show me about ‘me’ and those who came before me?

And what is there that still needs care and healing to ensure that wounds no longer impact trans generationally?

If we take this approach to ancestral researching we can have a completely different experience, one that is insightful, respectful and transformative.

My ‘why’

Which leads me into my why. My personal awakening to transgenerational influences some years ago, still provides enough impetus to continue this field of work. With each ancestor who reveals themselves to me, and allows me into their life, I became further aware of the power of intergenerational impacts. Whilst I am mindful not to judge these as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, I simply am curious about what has gone on before me, influenced who I am now, and what I can either integrate or release. As I engage in this process I feel the benefits of living life authentically, from a place of wholeness and with gratitude and appreciation for the delicate nature of life. I experience the interconnectedness of all there is. With each story, with each place I travel to, I feel my way home. I release myself from past moments, unhooking from past trauma, whilst simultaneously identify qualities that lay within me waiting to be activated. I do this transformational process for myself, for those before me and for future generations. What better gift to give then one of integrating the genetic line.

How does one begin?

Three phases

I have identified three key phases that I undertake before delving in the ancestral records.

Space – I ensure I create a compassionate and supportive space within which I begin to connect and explore. I make sure I will not be disturbed and have at my disposal, pen, paper, highlighters, the folders on my laptop ready to place documents into, the software packages I use open and if I so feel inclined, music and essential oils burning. I ensure I am in a clear, calm space and ready to commune.
Connection – I undertake a brief meditation to ensure I have a clear head and heart. I ask for boundaries of unconditional love and above to ensure I only commune with those who are of love. I ask permission to raise the veils of the past and do so with grace, respect and gratitude
Flow – from there I allow my heart to guide where ‘we’ go. Perhaps today it is my maternal line (one that is distant and provides more road blocks then I like) or my paternal line (one that is full to the brim of pickings)? Maybe it is an ancestor from Scotland? Or Ireland? From the 17-19^th century that seeks attention? Or one closer to home, one who settled here in Australia and wants to share. It doesn’t really matter. I simply allow my heart to guide, and my hands to do the work. Is it ancestry.com that I delve into? Or hit the National or State archives? Is it the newspapers (via Trove) or a specific county historical society? Whatever is guided is where we go.

I appreciate this approach would be uncomfortable and perhaps messy for some. Yet for me, it’s the only way that works. I have attempted many times to gather data in spreadsheets, colour code everything, identify gaps and then fill those gaps. I found this suffocating , frustrating and fruitless. Sometimes someone just doesn’t want to be found. Sometimes the walls are up, no go zones and no matter what research you do nothing comes forth. And that is okay. Ancestral researching is like the rabbit going down the rabbit hole, there is no clear path, we twist, we turn and often come back on ourselves. It is simply a dance across generations. It is simply delicious when this dance flows. We are in sync, the veil is lifted, and we discover gems that our ancestors have scattered across the generations.

What do we do with what we find?

There is the logistics of gathering data and for me over the years I have attempted various systems and processes to record, store and monitor activity. It is an individual process and one worth investing time and energy into. Do you prefer printing documents and storing in folders? Would you rather store online (there are so many packages you can use to assist).

For me I currently use Evernote (to store), Trello (to keep track of research and task status) and I also store some documents on my laptop. I create folders by family name and tag generations, place and life experience. Whilst I have excel spreadsheets in place, I personally find this package challenging to use and keep up-to-date. So I am exploring other options. As you continue on your journey your methods will most likely need to change. Be open to reviewing what works and does not and pivot where necessary.

Uncovering distressing moments

If you discover something distressing, painful and that perhaps leans into your own personal wounds make sure you take the time needed to feel how you feel. You will uncover stories that are upsetting. Yet don’t hold onto what you feel when you discover a traumatic event your ancestor experienced. Feel it and release it, knowing it is not yours. Be grateful for this opportunity to shine a loving light on this moment trapped in time and let it go. Your genetic line will thank you for it. We don’t need to be a martyr and carry familial wounds within us. That is not our role. Your ancestor experienced what they needed to for their own growth, as you will yours. You are not your ancestor and as such, say thank you and let it go. If you feel to undertake a ceremony (such as lighting a candle, burning a document or photo) do so. Your intention is of utmost importance. An intent to be loving, respectful and an agent of change.

A priceless gift

What you are gathering is priceless and you need to value the work you are undertaking. It in itself is a gift – a gift to your family (past, present and future) not to mention a gift to yourself. It is the ultimate in ‘know thyself’ the key to personal transformation.

Would you like some guidance on how to get started with your intuitive ancestral researching? Get in touch with me and let’s see how I can help you out!

July 24, 2022June 26, 2022

The benefits of ancestral travel

Ancestral Travel

We all travel for various reasons. What we each seek from the experience will be different.

Perhaps it is to rest and recharge, to visit family, for work and business, to explore, to spend time with our loved ones, to get away, to be inspired, to volunteer or to see new places or be exposed to other cultures. All of which are perfectly valid.

My focus now is ancestral travel. Seeds planted many years ago when I travelled to Dunkeld, Victoria. A small country town nestled at the base of The Grampians, it was where my paternal ancestors settled after their immigration from Scotland in the mid 1800’s. Over twenty years later these seeds were watered/nurtured during my first trip to Scotland 2019. No longer was Scotland the land of my ancestors, it felt like my land too. And whilst I was set to return in the April 2020 for an extended time to further explore my ancestral roots, covid-19 put a temporary halt to that. Whilst I sit patiently and wait for the international travel borders to open, I will continue to research my Scottish and Irish ancestors, adding to my list of ancestral lands to visit.

Ancestral travel is about:

Connection
Insight
Understanding + appreciation
Healing
Reverence + respect
History + present
Transformation

Benefits

In her article ‘How travel might become more like spiritual pilgrimage: an autoethnographic study’ Laura Beres shares with us the many therapeutic benefits of ancestral travel, when undertaken as a form of pilgrimage. I have briefly summarised them below and included my personal observations accordingly.

Ancestral travel / pilgrimage can provide many therapeutic benefits:

Physical/biological
- Eating new foods
- Walking in new places
- Sensory activation – smell (air, foods), audial (hearing different sounds)

Emotional + mental
- Psychological health
- Mental stimulation
- Expanding awareness
- Growth – beyond comfort zones
- Gaining a different perspective
- Sense of belonging
- Self-reflection – challenge one’s perception of self, beliefs values, stories told
- Self-insight – becoming more aware of one’s self

Spiritual
- Deepens relationship with self
  - Gain insight into who you think you are and really are, truth vs. story
- It facilitates a connection beyond one’s self
  - to another person and tribe
  - to land and place
  - to history
- Which engenders a sense of belonging
- Reveals through timeline and exploration an interconnectedness
  - With self to past
  - between self and our ancestors
  - Their life and its impact on where and who we are now
- Presents the past in an identifiable way
  - Takes you beyond words in a history book and gives you a tangible understanding
  - Puts a name to a moment in time (ie, assisted passage, convicts, war)
- Expansion beyond physical
- Clearing the past ties

Social
- Interaction with other
- Different conversations
- Creating new friendships
- Becoming part of new communities
- Connecting with new family circles
- Exposure to new cultures and their people

Reference

Laura Béres (2018) How travel might become more like spiritual pilgrimage: An autoethnographic study, Journal for the Study of Spirituality, 8:2, 160-172, DOI:10.1080/20440243.2018.1523048

July 10, 2022January 20, 2024

Ancestral Connections and Cords

Ancestral Connections

My personal healing journey combined with the training I undertook to become a holistic counsellor resulted in a deeply intimate awareness of the role energetic cords play in my wellbeing and the health of my relationships (with self and other). Becoming aware of how I felt in certain situations, how other people made me feel, of incessant thoughts and memory recall at random moments were all indicators of the interplay between me and my environment.

Every relationship we have, an energetic connection to the other is established. Like streamers of light, these invisible, yet tangible cords may influence how we feel, and either negatively or positively impact our relationship with self, and the other.

Most recently my ancestral research endeavors, along with studies of history, have highlighted another way in which who I am ‘here and now’ may be influenced by external forces. Each ancestral story I discovered, every ancestor who revealed themselves to me, resulted in an internal feeling. A feeling experienced physically and emotionally, along with a mental thought. I became curious as to how one distant great, great grandmother, a person who I never met felt so close and connected to. It was this moment through which I began to explore the potentiality for connection beyond the grave, through cords. Was it possible that beyond a genetic connection, there was another more eternal one? One that resulted in a deep knowing of who this person was and is? Beyond transgenerational influences was I able to connect through my heart in this way?

The cords that bind us

Since her ground breaking book ‘Hands of Light’ was published in 1987, Barbara Ann Brennan has become a leader within the field of personal spiritual transformation. [1] Barbara is a world-renowned healer, teacher, writer and NASA physicist. [2] Her work in the field of energy consciousness has now resulted in two other books ‘Light Emerging’ and ‘Core Light Healing’. [3] [4] It is her work that I share with you now, in particular her research and discovery into energetic cords and our interaction with the human energy field.

According to Brennan’s there are five major types of cords: [5]

Soul Cords that the ongoing soul carries from its original God connection within the spiritual worlds
Past-life Cords from experiences on Earth and elsewhere
Genetic Cords that are gained by connecting to birth parents. Genetic cords are created between the heart chakra of the person wishing to be born and the mother-to-be.
Original Relational Cords that grow with the primary caregivers, usually parents
Relational Cords that grow through relationships with others – humans, pets and special objects we have personal connection to.

These cords exist simultaneously. Whether we are conscious of it or not, energy is constantly being exchanged. Like water running through a hose, if the slightest bit of dirt infiltrates, the water becomes muddied. The same with cords, one negative thought can impact the energy flowing to and from us. Cords need our care and awareness.

the cord connections from past lives help us remember the connections we had with people before this life
Barbara Ann Brenan, ‘Light Emerging’

From the ancestral research work I continue to undertake, it is the genetic and relationship cords that give validity to my ongoing personal experiences. Not that I seek it. Yet it certainly solidifies my instincts and engenders a deeper purpose to scrolling through hundreds of ancestral records! Every time I discover a new ancestral record, I have the opportunity to feel how this is in my body. What sensations arise? Is it fear based? Or love based? What can be cleared through these cords and in doing so engender wellness within me and down the ancestral lineage? It opens up a whole new portal.

If you want to understand how these cords are created, how they can become damaged and the influence they have on our health holistically I encourage you to explore the work of Barbara Ann Brennan.

If you want to explore how to keep your energy system clear, reach out for some helpful resources.

In her recent publication ‘Core Light Healing’, Brennan introduces the concept of ‘traditional ancestral roots’ [6]. If this is an area of interest for you, read this article.

From this first experience with this great, great grandmother, there have now over the years been many more. Not all ancestors feel familiar, yet many have and do. Cords established can and do exist after death as my research and training revealed. With each piece of my ancestral puzzle that I put together, I am now also given an opportunity to clear cords with this person. In doing so co-creating a harmonious ancestral line and unhooking the past.

References

Barbara Brennan School of Healing, ‘About Barbara’, https://barbarabrennan.com/about-barbara, accessed 13 December, 2021.

Brennan, Barbara Ann, Hands of Light, A guide to healing through the human energy field, Bantom Books, USA, 1987.

Brennan, Barbara Ann, Light Emerging, Bantom Books, USA, 1993.

Brennan, Barbara Ann, Core Light Healing, Hay House Australia, NSW, 2015

[1] Barbara Ann Brennan, Hands of Light, A guide to healing through the human energy field, Bantom Books, USA, 1987.

[2] Barbara Brennan School of Healing, ‘About Barbara’, https://barbarabrennan.com/about-barbara, accessed 13 December, 2021.

[3] Barbara Ann Brennan, Light Emerging, Bantom Books, USA, 1993.

[4] Barbara Ann Brennan, Core Light Healing, Hay House Australia, NSW, 2015

[5] Ibid, p. 160.

[6] Barbara Ann Brennan, Core Light Healing, p. 167.

June 26, 2022January 20, 2024

Ancestral roots – ‘the ties that bind’

Ancestral Roots

In her book ‘Core Light Healing’ Barbara Ann Brennan introduces the concept of ancestral roots.[1] My sensory experience as an ancestral researcher and storyteller reinforces what she shares. I ‘feel’ my ancestors with each record I uncover and use these sensations as a guide as to what within my genetic line needs care and healing. Transgenerational influences continue ‘down the line’ until someone stops long enough to discover, listen, feel and heal.

I have shared previously that at a point in my life where I felt disconnected and unsure of who I was, ancestral researching provided me with a sense of connection. Through my ancestors I knew where I came from and that fostered a feeling of belonging. Within them, my existence made sense. I was literally the result of the love of many before me. This in itself provided comfort.

Whilst ancestral records provide a framework, attempting to discover stories is another facet, albeit it personal, to genealogy. In researching the history of a place, a time and its people you can start to collate a familial story, a narrative you could say. These stories of our ancestors, are our stories. These stories connect us to our roots.

our foundations are rooted to the Earth and to the past with our ancestors who prepared a way for us to move into the future [2]

Here are some of the key sharing’s from Brennan regarding ancestral roots. For those new to the concept of cords, I suggest you read my previous article on ancestral connections.

Ancestral roots are different from relational cords, yet there is a connection between them.

Ancestral roots are strong, solid black and flexible
These are the ties that bind us to our birth families
They stretch from inside the seals in our chakras down into our core central connection to the Earth
They can become disfigured and very unhealthy, predominately through negative intergenerational imprints, referred to as traditional ancestral roots.
Traditional ancestral roots can be used to manipulate current generations through the imposition of traditions, based from elders onto the next generations
- In their extreme negative condition they can be misused to control other and interfere with free will. This can be seen in the need of a parent (or grandparent) to perpetuate religious, cultural beliefs, prejudices or in wanting to maintain traditions.
- Another way to relate with them, is where a parent who was not able to create what they wanted out of life will, through genetic cords with their child, influence the child to do what he/she sought. [3]

Each generation has the right, to forge their own path. Whilst our sense of identity is initially molded by the family narrative we are born into, at some point in our journey we must step into and become who we are. This is authenticity and uniqueness. It is challenging to unhook from family ways, but if these ways are outdated and do not serve you, it is the most loving step to take. Not easy, but necessary.

References

[1] Barbara Ann Brennan, Core Light Healing, Hay House, NSW 2017.

[2] Ibid, p. 168.

[3] Ibid, p. 169

June 16, 2021October 3, 2021

Richmond, 3121

Richmond, is a place.

Richmond, is a footy team.

Richmond, is family.

Richmond, is home.

Richmond, Tiger town. Is in my blood, it is cursing through my veins, moving in and out of my heart.

Bridge Rd, Swan St, Punt Rd, Church St.

Ancestral

Richmond, ancestral ground. How many others before me? A place where my grandmother was born, where my great grandparents lived. Maternal and paternal. Both sides. Genetics. Influence of place. Richmond. Cell resonance. Known by my physical body. Where there is an innate knowing, yes this is where I arrived ‘here’. Richmond, Bethesda Hospital. Birth place. Richmond, home. Comfortable. Safe. Refuge.

Richmond, brings a lump to my throat, tear to my eye. Richmond is home. Home of my ancestors, my birth place, my safe place, its where we gathered, its where I was loved.

Richmond, history. Before my time, after I am gone. Continuation. Tradition. Passing the baton. Connection. Shared experience. Family. Walking up Bridge Rd, MCG car park, walking into the ‘G’.

Richmond, loved, love.

Richmond Football Club

Richmond, football, passion, connection, belonging, my religion, joy, anxiety, family time, yelling, screaming, cathartic, my weekly purge, time away from her, let me out of the home, give me some breath space. Fresh air. Stadium. Family time. Hot chips. Tea at half time.

Going to the footy, my escape, my refuge from the rules, from the masks, from the parameters, free from the shackles. The ‘G’ a place where I could let it all out and no one told me off. A time each week, where I could yell, scream, jump up and down, escape from a life of fear.

Richmond Football Club, torture, passion, pain, joy. 80%. Leave at the 20 minute mark of the last quarter if we are losing. Pulling out. Not following through, dynamic established unconsciously. Leave before you witness the loss. Don’t want to lose, don’t want to see other in pain. Not following through. Pulling out if things are not going well. It’s a strong pull. It’s so deeply imbedded within my cells, my genetic makeup. When they lose, I lose. When they win, I win. My cells respond. Reflected glory.

Richmond. Legacy. Blood. Connection.

Influenced my view of life. Financial, cultural, familial and social.

Richmond, the one constant through the vein of my life.

June 2, 2021May 29, 2021

You will never walk alone…

March 7, 2020January 21, 2024

The tears that flowed at Duone Castle, Scotland

Present-day;

At Kincardine by Duone, Scotland my four times great grandparents John Junkine and Johanna Stewart Graham were married on the 16th Nov 1816. Whilst one of many great grandparents I have traced, this particular marriage took my attention. Why? Because of the place. Duone, Scotland.

Duone Castle, Duone, Scotland 2019 – Libby Kinna

8 months prior;

Duone Castle has a commanding presence. Sitting majestically atop a small rise it dominates the skyline. I arrived here late in the afternoon as part of a one-day Outlander tour. Yes, I am a bonafide Outlander tragic. For those fellow Outlander fans, Duone Castle was the filming location for Castle Leoch. If you aren’t an Outlander tragic, this castle was also the filming location for Game of Thrones Winterfell (in the pilot) and used in one of the Monty Python movies.

I digress. Having undertaken the audio tour within the Castle, I found myself standing outside now taking in the surrounds. The wind was chilly and what was left of the sun was setting, the day was coming to a close. My gaze wandered attempting to take it all in. To the right of the Castle, my eyes came upon an opening. The explorer in me wanted to follow the path. The little girl within me was frightened, fearful of being told off for going where she shouldn’t. There was no sign to indicate I could or couldn’t follow the track. I had time. Others were still inside the castle. Like the girls at Hanging Rock, something pulled me towards the opening. Even if I wanted to stay still I couldn’t. My legs had their agenda. They were at the whimsy of a force that I couldn’t see yet could feel. Hesitantly I took the first few steps and started up the small incline. Trees framed the castle to the right. The path went along the wall of the castle. I couldn’t see what was on the other side. It didn’t matter. I was being called by the land. I followed.

My heartbeat increased. My palms were sweaty. I felt excited and scared simultaneously.

My pace quickened. The closer I got to the top I could hear water. Yet I couldn’t see. As I reached the top and walked through the opening, I saw a river to the right. It was barely visible through the trees and was a far drop from where I stood. One false step and I would be tumbling down into the river. This river swept alongside the perimeter of this Castle on a hill. It was moving quickly. It had an energy of its own. In rhythm, the winds swept through the trees. The sounds enticing. The wind through the trees, the sound of the icy cold water currents making music. Music that my heart connected to.

“The trees that spoke”, perimeter of Duone Castle, Scotland 2019 – Libby Kinna

Whilst the path continued further alongside the Castle, I didn’t move. I stood transfixed. Taking it all in. My heart rate increasing, my arms sweaty. I became aware of my emotions. Something was stirring within me, deep out of sight. Like a train coming through the tunnel, these emotions roared towards me. I closed my eyes in an attempt to block the noise and feelings. It was no use. I was at its mercy. A part of me yelled “Move, get out of here,” but I couldn’t. I was engulfed. Tears began trickling down my cheeks. Like waves crashing the shore, emotions of grief, of loss a rage and anger tossed me. Tears continued to fall. What the hell was happening? I had not been here before. Logically this made no sense whatsoever “get a grip” I told myself. It was pointless. I was at its mercy. Whatever drew me towards the small opening wanted me here, now. To feel this, to release. I surrendered to my experience and allowed the tears to flow without trying to work it all out.

As quickly as this began , it stopped. The wind ceased. The trees became still. The river became calmer. Their dance, their music had slowed. Calm surrounded me. My breath returned to its normal pace and air entered my lungs. I became aware of myself within the surroundings once more. I was completely alone. No one or nothing was in sight. My legs were heavy and planted firmly in place. How long had I been here? What just happened? I allowed the questions to move through my mind. Knowing answers would not come. It was pointless. I sat down and felt the coolness of the grass on my legs and buttocks. This took the heat out of my body. As much as I wanted to get up and run away. I knew something had occurred, a transformation, a release or recognition of what was. Something had happened at this place not to me as Libby, but along the time line. There was a recognising beyond the physicalness of self. I had made myself available, I placed myself here and the opening presented. Healing had begun, transformation occurring. What was locked up was now released.

As I carefully made my way back around to the front of the Castle I stood and looked back. Was this a portal? A path to another time? Logically it doesn’t make sense yet the experience was real and profound.

Duone, the place, the River was now firmly entrenched in me. I knew I had to research this place further. What had happened historically? What went on in this castle that could have left such an imprint of grief and loss? Were my ancestors connected to this land? I was curious and the exploration would continue.

Whilst part of the Outlander tour, I didn’t realise that my casual visit to the Castle would result in such a profound experience.

On my return to Australia, I tagged Duone as a place to explore further. One day casually reviewing ancestry tips I was going ‘down the rabbit hole’ with my fourth great grandparents. As you do, you open tips and see what they reveal. Most times they are insignificant. Yet this day, Duone was looking straight back at me through the search records. I squealed with delight when I saw they were married here. I had connected the place and my profound experience with my ancestors. It wasn’t just some random experience. Two of the dots connected.

In regards to the grief I felt, I discovered that the Castle was used as a Jacobite prison and a dower house for widowed Queens. One can only imagine the sense of grief that was imprinted on the land from its previous use.

Current day;

Doune Castle (pronounced ‘doon’)

The castle is sited on a wooded bend where the Ardoch Burn flows into the River Teith.
It lies 8 miles north-west of Stirling, where the Teith flows into the River Forth.
14th-century courtyard castle
Built for the Regent Albany
Substitutes for the fictional Castle Leoch in Outlander was used in the pilot series of Game of Thrones (Winterfell) and in Monty Python
Later was a royal residence, dower house for widowed queens and a Jacobite prison

https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowUserReviews-g1010312-d286657-r673914610-Doune_Castle-Doune_Stirling_Scotland.html

February 29, 2020January 23, 2021

The ancestral view from Stirling Castle, Scotland

Stirling Castle, Scotland 2019 – Libby Kinna

Stirling Castle sits high atop Castle Esplanade in Stirling, Scotland overlooking surrounding lands as far as one can see. Its commanding presence indicative of its historical imprint in Scotland. From here you can see the National Wallace Monument on the edge of the Ochil Hills. Towards the north-east, you can view the mountain peaks of the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park. Simply stunning. Rendering one feeling quite small in a land of grandeur and natural beauty.

I arrived here one cold windy blistering March day, part of a one day tour through Loch Lomond with our end destination Stirling Castle. Towards the end of our time at the Castle, quite late in the afternoon, I found myself resting at the back of my tour bus. Having spent a couple of hours exploring the Castle and soaking up its stories of Scotland’s Renaissance Kings and Queens, I was weary. My head full of Robert the Bruce, King Edward, William Wallace, Queen Mary of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie.

The inclement weather taking its toll, the warmth of the bus was enticing. As I started to settle in and wait for my fellow travellers to return my tour guide turned to me and said. “Weren’t you the one who mentioned your ancestors came from Clackmannanshire?” Yes, I replied. Earlier that day I struck up a conversation with him. Explaining that part of my reason for being in Scotland was to explore my ancestral lands. I rattled off some towns, foreign to me, only as names appearing on ancestry.com. A friendly guy who paid attention to his guests. He remembered our brief chat. “Well come with me”. Putting my coat and beanie back on I stumbled out of the bus. The blustery winds shook out any weariness. He walked me over to the edge of the car park. “There” here said pointing towards the base of the mountains, “There, that is the land where your ancestors lived.” It was so far away I couldn’t see detail, yet I saw where. Where they lived and worked.

To some, it was a speck on the sprawling landscape to me though, a weary wanderer from Oz, a seeker of connection… it was gold. I hadn’t come ‘here’ on this tour with this expectation. I was merely spending a day exploring a loch and a castle. Never did I expect to be shown, to see and to feel the land of my ancestors. I stood transfixed and he continued to share with me about the type of life they would have had and experienced. I was given an insight into them. Who they were and why they would have left. It was deeply profound. Whilst the trip was loosely ancestral focussed I didn’t have the fortitude to arrange to hire a car and exploring small Scottish villages on my own. However, it wasn’t needed. I was here, I was seeing and I was learning.

It felt full circle.

Stirling Castle view to Clackmannanshire, Scotland 2019 – Libby Kinna

In the late 1850s my great grandparents 3 times removed left Scotland. Embarking on a journey many Scots had taken to a land far, far away. A land so foreign nothing they were prepared for.

They left perhaps seeking a better life. One can only imagine how different my life would have been if they had travelled to the Americas instead. They left in an attempt to improve.

Their choices gave me the life I have now. It provided me with freedom. Freedom that resulted in me travelling here to Scotland. Their land, my land. They didn’t get to return. I have done that for them and with them. I felt this strongly standing on this hilltop at Stirling Castle. As the winds continued to howl and a slight drizzle of rain moved through, a tear trickled down my cheek. A tear of gratitude and belonging.

No longer was Scotland just another tourist destination. Something happened at that moment. It was my home too. Through the DNA pumping through this body, there was a recognition and remembrance of those that came before me.
My tour guide sensing this internal shift, left me to be. To be with them, to be with me.

This is the magic of ancestral travel.

I didn’t set out looking for this place. Yet the land found me. It drew me towards it. It wasn’t planned or expected. Yet it found me. Pulled etherically.

I stood as long as I could. Until the others had returned to the tour bus. Until I was called. It was time to leave the car park at Stirling Castle. I had arrived a tourist. I was becoming an explorer. I was connecting to place in a way previously unknown. My journey had only now begun.

Interested in finding out more? These sites are worth a visit:

https://www.yourstirling.com/clackmannanshire/

https://www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/stirling/

https://www.stirlingcastle.scot/

I highly recommend the 1-day Loch Lomond and Stirling Castle tour with Rabbie’s Tour Company. https://www.rabbies.com/en/scotland-tours/from-edinburgh/day-tours/loch-lomond-national-park-stirling-castle-day-tour . I am not receiving any financial incentive to say this.

#enlightenedtraveller #ancestraltraveller #ancestry

February 15, 2020January 23, 2021

Planning your Scottish Ancestral pilgrimage

Glencoe, Scotland 2019. Image by Libby Kinna.

Scotland may be small geographically yet it is rich in offering for your ancestral pilgrimage. Don’t be fooled into thinking a few hours driving and a couple of visits to small villages and your ancestral journey is done!

This land is ancient and seeped with historical offerings. Whilst our Scottish ancestors initially immigrated here in the 1800’s their stories go back hundreds of years. Many left through an ‘assisted passage’ scheme with dreams of establishing a new, abundant and healthy life.

Here are some sites you can start exploring BEFORE you leave Australia.