This rite is a way of connecting to the land but one thing needs to be known; areas have land Guardians and not all of them are benevolent so we need to be wary. First try and find an old Oak or Thorn tree with a large root system, spend some time there and get the feel of the place, some folk use a pendulum as I did to ask the wights of the place if our presence is accepted. When you feel a positive response, sit down facing the tree and use a meditation/trance method to get a better feel of the area, spend about 15-20 mins on this.
When you feel positive about the area, on your next visit you should take a bowl of milk as an offering and a candle to use as a watch-fire as this is used as a beacon for the spirits. Lite your watch-fire then in your own words present yourself to the Guardian and wights, you can use your Mothers Maiden name too, then make the offering/libation of the milk to the tree and sit using a trance method. You should try to spend an hour or two at this visit.
On your next visit you should then be able to draw the compass-ring and perform the Houzle/Red meal. After several visits using the compass-ring and houzle you will have made a deep connection to the area and can then perform a dedication to the place and work your craftings there.
The Ancestors are an important part of Trad Craft as we make connections with them during our rites. The oldest Ancestors in Shamanic or Traditional practices would have seen the Gods themselves as being the Ancient Ancestors and would have seen a link between themselves and the Gods thus making us sacred and having a divine spark within us. Mythology plays a part within this too !
You can try and trace your Ancestors through Surnames and Maiden names etc by use of the local library or Internet. My Fathers surname originates in Berwick and means 'of the Tweed' and my Mothers maiden name has Scandinavian roots and seeing as I was born in an area that covers SE Scotland and NE Northumbria which was known as Bernicia, I follow an Anglo/Saxon-Norse path and look at their Mythology too !
Tapping the Bone is all about Ancestral memories. We all have these memories that lay deep within us and it is said that these lay within the bones.
Bones contain similar structures and qualities as some crystals esp quartz and these can store information too. The use of skulls is quite common in Trad Craft and animal skulls can be used as they have a connection to our shamanic Ancestors who would have had a deep connection with these animals. I use a Roe Deer skull for this but remember never harm an animal for this, you could try asking your local forest ranger as animals are sometimes culled because of disease etc or buy one online.
The skull is usually placed on top of the Stang with a candle placed between the horns then lit. Then we call on the Ancestors and breathe Ond (life-force) onto the skull using 3 breaths, the last breath should be takin in deeply and then forced out with a haahh sound, and feel the Ancestors take possession of the skull, then you can sit in your compass-ring and just let thoughts come to you, any ideas or thoughts that come can be empathic and may well be an Ancestral Guardian guiding you or you can ask the Ancestor for help in your craftings.