Mercurial Musings Works to Make Learning About Astrology Affirming and Accessible
The Mercurial Musings brand was founded by Cassidy Scanlon in 2018. (Graphic by Cassidy Scanlon).
Astrology has centered itself into the mainstream and the way people resonate with it exists all across the spectrum. You might be someone who has studied your natal chart in-depth, someone who shares memes about your “big three” on Instagram, someone who is overwhelmed by relating their lives to the stars, or you might think astrology isn’t real at all. Astrologer Cassidy Scanlon founded their brand Mercurial Musings in 2018 with a mission to make learning about astrology positive and more accessible.
“First off it's not a belief system, so it's not like a religion, or a god, although it is based on mythological gods from ancient times…I feel like to frame it as a belief system is not really seeing astrology for what it is,” Scanlon said. “I think maybe astrology is better understood as a language, but at the same time there can be spiritualism embedded with that because that's how it is for me, it's a very spiritual practice.”
Cassidy Scanlon, 26, is currently located in Florida.(Picture provided by Cassidy Scanlon)
Scanlon, 26, became interested in astrology in college as she found that it was a very affirming experience for understanding herself and she wishes to replicate that feeling with her clients. Her consultation services business began out of necessity when she needed help paying for wisdom tooth surgery in 2020. This prompted Scanlon to look at astrology from a practical lens that keeps in mind various systems of oppression to create a practice that puts a significant focus on self-care and community care.
“I'm very much in the belief that you have to care for yourself if you're going to care for your community. For the purpose of social justice… I've studied the events of charts for significant moments in social history. I've analyzed and studied the charts of activists and that it's really fun and interesting to do it that way, and also I think it's helpful to tap into your own potential to participate in social justice,” Scanlon said."
Some of the popular services include natal chart readings — which are an in-depth look at your personal astrological map from when you were born, and solar return readings — which look at your chart at the exact moment the Sun returns on your birthday. Mercurial Musings also offers workshops to learn more about different parts of astrology. Scanlon’s chart says that she’s a Capricorn Sun and Rising, a sign that is well known for high achieving in the professional world. One of her newest services is career coaching, designed for self-starters to create money magic while also keeping in mind barriers that can make it more difficult for others to achieve.
“It's challenging because whenever you're talking about money or career, you have to address capitalism, and my readings consider that. I'm not going to sit here and pretend that there are no limitations towards someone pursuing, maybe something unconventional. I think those are the clients I'm going to get, people who are self-starters who want to sort of be in charge of the direction of their career because I'm very much like that — definitely a hustling kind of energy. But I do think people will benefit from it because, again, I see the whole picture,” Scanlon said.
Scanlon believes astrology can have a positive experience on other people’s lives because it allows us to understand ourselves. They believe that there is no one sign that is inherently good or evil and that astrology reveals that each of us is special and holds a unique purpose.
“Because [astrology is] a narrative tool and a language, it can frame our life depending on how we think. So, if we believe that we have bad placements, we're going to manifest the worst expression of that placement because nothing is there to counter it,” Scanlon said. “My clients have told me that they come out of my sessions feeling really renewed and inspired, and that's the goal. I just want to hype people up, but also, read them in a way that's gentle and constructive and not aggressive.”
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