This year’s NAIDOC theme Heal Country recalls the understanding that all people are connected through Country. NAIDOC week culminates on the Cancer New Moon, which aligns with the theme of Connecting to Family and Country.
When we first meet someone, we ask ‘Where are you from’? This helps us to locate the person in relation to our place of birth. Connection to Country is the starting point. Healing Country requires strong connections between people. We are all responsible for what is currently happening on our planet. Imagine what we can do together.
(Sun/Moon trine Neptune)
The second question is ‘Who is your family’? We want to know how we are connected. Do we have a great auntie in common? Are we connected through our ancestors? Ancestral linkages keep families together. The bond of memory is powerful and integral to our identity. On the Cancer New Moon, take the time to focus on your connection with people, especially those in your family. Both the family you were born into and the family you have created as an adult.
(Sun/Moon in Cancer)
Family elders
Think about your family elders on the Cancer New Moon. Connection with family makes a difference to all of us, especially our elders. There is a good chance they are feeling isolated. They may also be spiritually disconnected due to lockdowns. Make time to give them a call or arrange to visit this weekend. (Saturn opposite Venus/Mars)
Were you close to your mother when you were a child? Is the attachment still strong or has it faded or passed? The mother-child bond is especially significant on the Cancer New Moon. This luminary union amplifies the universal flow of emotional energy that sustains and protects families and children. Light a candle for your Mum on Saturday.
(Ceres square Venus/Mars)
Culture and family
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture is matrilineal. Relationships between children and their mother, aunties and grandmothers are crucial. They helps to maintain a strong culture. Assimilation policy that separated children from their mothers harmed these connections. The legacy of the Stolen Generations must also be remembered today.
(Sun/Moon square Chiron)
Honour Australian First Nation peoples on the Cancer New Moon. The magnanimity of their welcome to country is astounding given the power struggle continues every day. As expressed in the Uluru Statement from the Heart:
Proportionally, we are the most incarcerated people on the planet. We are not an innately criminal people. Our children are aliened from their families at unprecedented rates. This cannot be because we have no love for them. And our youth languish in detention in obscene numbers. They should be our hope for the future. These dimensions of our crisis tell plainly the structural nature of our problem. This is the torment of our powerlessness.
On the Cancer New Moon, supporting the Statement campaign is an act of solidarity and nurturing of our Indigenous heritage. Be strong in acting for our children’s future.
(Pluto opposite Sun/Moon)
Astrotessa offers Caring for Self and Others sessions for caregivers.
Find nourishment and support from a qualified spiritual carer and counsellor. Give attention to your needs as you care for your loved ones. Find out more about this and other specialised services on my website.
Kindly, Tessa
