Mercury Retrograde is in full swing, apparently. It seems like everyone has been talking about it, and it’s become a more common term in the last few years. And with the longest Blood Moon eclipse of the century having happened on Friday, July 27 along with a full moon and four other planets in retrograde, those who know about this cosmic juju say we’re in for a doozy.
In a city famous for spirits, a certain magic, voodoo as well as an abundance of those who are masters of the spirit realm, we thought it only made sense to consult a French Quarter celebrity clairvoyant. So, we chatted with Priestess Catherina, who is a fortune teller who can read palms and tarot cards and has an actual crystal ball. She’s been featured in the Guinness Book of World Records for creating the world’s largest voodoo doll in 2015. We turned to her to learn more about Mercury Retrograde and what this particular MR cycle means, the second of 2018, following July 27th’s Blood Moon, full moon and total lunar eclipse. On top of all this, this weekend, we experience a partial solar eclipse.
So, what exactly is Mercury Retrograde?
“What it means is it’s coming when it’s not supposed to come, and that’s why it’s called retrograde,” said Priestess Catherina, who has been featured on several TV shows, including, most recently “Southern Charm New Orleans.””Mercury has a mind of its own. It’s going to do what it wants to do. It’s not going to follow pattern.”
Others have said that this astrological phenomenon means that Mercury, which rules communication and travel, begins to move slower while Earth rotates faster, which makes it seem like the planet Mercury is moving backwards.
When Mercury is in retrograde, it is thought to cause more technology and communication issues than normal. During Mercury Retrograde, what usually would be a simple conversation can get blown out of proportion and become a major misunderstanding. When you pull your phone off the charger, only to find it dead because it wasn’t connected fully, when your electronic work badge isn’t working and then you can’t connect to the company wifi once at your desk, someone could say it’s because of Mercury Retrograde.
But that doesn’t mean that everyone is going to be experiencing technical chaos or an abundance of miscommunications and relational misunderstandings.
“It’s going to play out differently for each individual,” Priestess Catherina said. “Some people are going to get right through it just like another day. Some people are going to be more affected by it. It can make us angry. It can make us, females, drama queens. It can heighten our taste levels. It could heighten our intelligence… It all depends on the person. No one is going to be the same.”
How it will affect an individual can depend on his or her sun, moon and rising signs.
It’s going to affect more Sagittarians and Virgos than any other sign on the planet, just because Mercury is Virgo’s ruling planet. Female Sagittarius has issues that need to be addressed, also, with Mercury. Not the male, just the female.
Priestess Catherina said, that in order to know how it will truly affect any individual, she would need to evaluate the individual’s sun, moon and rising signs. For instance, this Mercury Retrograde cycle helps Aquarians and the Aquarius moon just recently appeared as well, which affects people who were born under the Aquarius sign.
“You will see attitudes develop in other people for no reason,” Priestess Catherina said. Additionally, she said that people should not be fearful, but watchful. “Expect the unexpected.”
So, how can you take care of yourself during this time of miscommunications and possible misfortune? Bustle rolled out their Mercury Retrograde self-care tips and meditations to make it out of this retrograde summer in one piece.
