Walter Mercado Popularized Astrology and Helped Us Decolonize Our Ancestral Spirituality
Walter Mercado was a Supernova household staple in Latinidad who left a legacy to be respected for Indigenous, Latine/x, and Hispanic generations to come
Photo: Flickr/Charles C
Walter Mercado was a Supernova household staple in Latinidad who left a legacy to be respected for Indigenous, Latine/x, and Hispanic generations to come. Aside from Mercado being a creative genius and gender fluid icon, he was intentionally guiding us back to our indigenous and ancestral roots byway of the estrellas. He was a spiritual advisor and predecessor, inspiring us to finally arrive at this point in the collective where we now see Astrology and our Indigenous spiritual roots with more empathy, validity and transparency in mainstream media, pop culture and our personal veneration work.
No matter how you found Astrology, as an indigenous, Latine/x or Hispanic youth growing up in the U.S., you have Walter Mercardo to credit for some aspect along your journey of one’s eventual Astrological affinity. He is a generational ancestor for us all. An elder who helped us awaken to our personal power while encouraging our inner curiosity of self-exploration. His image alone gave us unspoken strength to question everything we were taught through the narrative of colonized religion and harmful patriarchal programming. He taught us what inspiration could transpire through spiritual authenticity.
His influence to this day, has unconsciously attributed to our admiration and reverence of navigating back to our ancestral roots that of our indigenous ancestors and reclaiming their ways. Our ways.
Growing up, many of us were enamored by the wisdom he shared on his weekly television show that we watched as a byproduct of our families. We tuned in for his guaranteed flair, inspiration and mysteriously accurate analysis of our Zodiac signs. What we can now reflect on is the understanding that his mission of popularizing Astrology has always been tied to guiding us back to respecting our spiritual roots.
His weekly show, or teachings rather, became instrumental for intergenerational healing and has paved a way for our personal decolonization process to unfold.
Astrology has always been part of our culture.
Western Culture positions Western Astrology as the supreme cosmic language. However, our Indigenous ancestors of MesoAmerica such as the Aztec, Mayan, Mexica, and Toltecs didn’t view the planets and stars as entities outside of them. Better known as Cosmology, our ancestors practiced Astrology. You’ll see our ancestral Astrology referred to as Cosmology among White-centered Theology as a means of discrediting the intelligence of our ancient elders. A malicious intention heralded on the bias of education, masking pompous White-washed rhetoric, to say the Astrological knowledge of our ancestors should be viewed as disreputable.
Even through what’s viewed as pseudoscience, they found a way to further silence the strength of our ancestral roots. But not anymore.
From Aztecs to South American Inca communities, our Indigenous ancestors understood the significance of the cosmic currents as inclusive and instrumental to their daily life from farming to burial practices.
Astrology is an intimate dialogue. It’s a personal language between you and the Universe. Mercado understood that and knew how to transgress it beyond Latinidad that’s been built off Colonized oppression. Through his mysticism and genius, he glamorously packaged Astrology for us to digest as a healing modality.
Cosmology Indigenous Astrology is a practice rooted within all of us. A known alchemy by our ancestors that we are reclaiming. Astrology is personal, political, spiritual and so much more. It is an expression of defying systemic oppression while healing ourselves. Through its understanding we are performing active ancestral veneration work.
Mercado understood the freedom that Astrology provided in combat to colonized religion. As Latine/x we grew up culturally romanticizing the trauma bond that exists between us and Catholicism. Astrology and Mercado have influenced us to think critically through the cosmos. They’ve brought us spiritual healing outside of societal constructs.
Through Mercado’s influence we have learned the power of Astrology and along the way have begun healing our identities.
Astrology is a language that guides us back to our divinity. Its empowering messages are forms of effective anti-patriarchal magic. Astrology isn’t limited to horoscopes. We are tapping into our personal magic that’s been gaslighted by the colonizer. We are rising against oppression for ourselves and our ancestors by remembering our true esoteric histories. Astrology astral travels us to the past, present and future. We are eliminating negative misconceptions through the guidance of our ancestral roots and remembering we are as limitless as the Universe.
May we continue honoring the wisdom of the ancestors.
May you manifest wisely.
