How’s the Mercury Retrograde doing for you guys? I can’t recall a more schizophrenic retrograde in my life, and I’ve sure had enough.

Mercury retrograde has sucked out every last ounce of my patience. Every day since the first week of November the planets have been doing a dance, particularly with technology and communications – make that miscommunications!  Nothing has gone smoothly:  important emails were lost, some of my Christmas online orders were lost, phone communications misinterpreted, and computer and techno issues abound. Thank goodness I have no travel plans till just after the madness ends Christmas Eve! Certainly, I can’t be the only one enduring this madness?

On November 16th, Mercury went into its 3rd and most powerful retrograde of the year in the fire sign of Sagittarius. The ‘pre’ retrograde began approximately 2 weeks before when things began going wonky. This phase will end on December 7th, but don’t be fooled, it will linger until the tail end has vanished by Christmas Eve. Everyone will be affected by this retrograde, but most prominent signs to feel the affliction will be, Gemini (oh yay my sign), Sagittarius, Virgo, and Pisces.

In case some of you aren’t familiar with Mercury retrograde, this is how it works. …… Nobody goes unscathed whether aware of the syndrome or not, only that you may be questioning many things and asking WTF?

What is Mercury Retrograde?

The planet Mercury goes into retrograde 3 to 4 times a year. In 2018 it retrograded 3 times. While in retrograde Mercury ‘appears’ to move in an opposite direction to earth. The planets run from west to east, circling the sun, but when Mercury turns, appearing to go east to west, this transition is called Mercury retrograde. Since Mercury travels faster than earth, it frequently catches up and passes earth, occurring 3 – 4 times a year. One year on planet Mercury is shorter than one year on earth, the equivalent of 88 earth days compared to earth’s complete solar loop of 365 days.

While Mercury goes into retrograde, it will feel as though the planets are moving backwards, but in fact they are not. Mercury travels around the sun quite quickly from west to east, and around every 4 months it passes us here on earth in its orbit, making it look as though it’s moved from east to west, but that in fact is an optical illusion.

How does Mercury Retrograde affect us?

Retrogrades are notoriously similar to Murphy’s Law – Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. This is a time where communications go awry, energetic forces overpower the norm, causing havoc for such things as, email and website snafus, delayed and cancelled flights, sensitivities are heightened, making many things happening feel ‘hyper-real’, among just some of the unpredictabilities. Mercury also rules other industries such as publishing, writing, editing, advertising, sales, public relations and all things related to transport, like airlines, the post office and pretty much, all modes of transportation!  Anything involving technical, you can expect mishaps. Our patience is being tested, and heated words have a propensity to take place within friendships and relationships. Typically, retrogrades are not a good time to start new ventures, seal new business deals, and lest I mention, political issues are escalated.

This past year in particular, the 3 retrogrades that have passed were powerful and stinging for many. This has been a year of transformation and change for many as the ‘clutter’ is brushed away with all these sweeping retrogrades, finally allowing us to breathe better and smile more in 2019.

What can we do to get through this retrograde with minimal collateral damage?

Since Mercury rules communications, affecting travel, contracts and most things technological, I suggest allowing lots of extra time if you must travel in this period as well as its shadow periods which typically begin 2 weeks before the retrograde and linger 2 weeks after as it wanes. I also recommend avoiding committing to signing any important contracts at these times and waiting for the retrograde to pass before finalizing any decisions regarding contracts. Plan ahead!  If you’re working on a special project just before the retrograde begins, try and sew it up before or be prepared to encounter several glitches along the way.

Mercury retrograde is a good time to slow down, take notice of your surroundings and the people and circumstances in your life. It’s a great time to reflect for changes you need to make in your life, but again, don’t plan on making any drastic changes until the phase has passed. Pay attention to the signs the retrograde is passing through because often, if your sun or moon sign is involved in a particular retrograde you can expect everything much more intensified in your life.

Reminders for Mercury Retrograde:

Read the fine print!

• Don’t purchase expensive electronics as you can expect the unexpected with glitches or flaws, but if you can’t resist, just make sure you triple check warranties and service agreements
• Backup your computers!
• Don’t make life-changing decisions
• Double check your reservations and scheduled travel times if you must travel in these retrograde periods
• Take things slow
• Mind your words when feelings are heightened
• Despite not being the best time to start new projects, retrogrades can be a good time to tie up loose ends and projects
• And last of all, try hard to maintain a sense of humor about everything and don’t forget to breathe!

“I love to tell stories that have lessons in them, and hope to empower others by sharing my own experiences. I write raw and honest about my own experiences hoping that others can relate and find that we always have a choice to move from a negative space to a positive. We need only the courage to take the leap.”

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 Visit all D.G. Kaye’s books: Amazon Author Page

Twenty Years: After “I Do”

Click HERE to look inside  

In this personal accounting, D.G. Kaye shares the insights and wisdom she has accrued through twenty years of keeping her marriage strong and thriving despite the everyday changes and challenges of aging. Kaye reveals how a little creative planning, acceptance, and unconditional love can create a bond no obstacle will break. Kaye’s stories are informative, inspiring, and a testament to love eclipsing all when two people understand, respect, and honor their vows. She adds that a daily sprinkling of laughter is a staple in nourishing a healthy marriage.

Twenty years began with a promise. As Kaye recounts what transpired within that time, she shows that true love has no limits, even when one spouse ages ahead of the other.

Read Sally Cronin’s review of Twenty Years After ‘I Do’ at Smorgasbord Book Reviews.

Conflicted Hearts

A Lifetime of guilt — What does it take to finally break free?

“Somehow I believed it was my obligation to try to do the right thing by her because she had given birth to me.”

Burdened with constant worry for her father and the guilt caused by her mother’s narcissism, D.G. Kaye had a short childhood. When she moved away from home at age eighteen, she began to grow into herself, overcoming her lack of guidance and her insecurities. Her life experiences became her teachers, and she learned from the mistakes and choices she made along the way, plagued by the guilt she carried for her mother.

Conflicted Hearts is a heartfelt journey of self-discovery and acceptance, an exploration of the quest for solace from emotional guilt.

Read Stevie Turner’s review of Conflicted Hearts here.

MenoWhat? A Memoir

“I often found myself drifting from a state of normal in a sudden twist of bitchiness.”

From PMS to menopause to what the hell?

D.G. adds a touch of humor to a tale about a not-so-humorous time. While bidding farewell to her dearly departing estrogen, D.G. struggles to tame her raging hormones of fire, relentless dryness, flooding and droughts and other unflattering symptoms.

Join D.G. on her meno-journey to slay the dragons of menopause as she tries to hold on to her sanity, memory, hair, and so much more!

Read Tina Frisco’s review of Meno-What? here.

Words We Carry

“I have been a great critic of myself for most of my life, and I was darned good at it, deflating my own ego without the help of anyone else.”

What do our shopping habits, high-heeled shoes, and big hair have to do with how we perceive ourselves? Do the slights we endured when we were young affect how we choose our relationships now?
D.G. takes us on a journey, unlocking the hurts of the past by identifying situations that hindered her own self-esteem. Her anecdotes and confessions demonstrate how the hurtful events in our lives linger and set the tone for how we value our own self-worth.
Words We Carry is a raw, personal accounting of how the author overcame the demons of low self-esteem with the determination to learn to love herself.

Read Judith Barrow’s review of Words We Carry here.

Have Bags, Will Travel

D.G. Kaye is back, and as she reflects on some of her more memorable vacations and travel snags, she finds herself constantly struggling to keep one step ahead of the ever-changing guidelines of the airlines–with her overweight luggage in tow. Her stories alert us to some of the pitfalls of being an obsessive shopper, especially when it comes time for D.G. to bring her treasures home, and remind us of the simpler days when traveling was a breeze.
In her quest to keep from tipping the scales, D.G. strives to devise new tricks to fit everything in her suitcases on each trip. Why is she consistently a target for Canada customs on her return journeys?
D.G.’s witty tales take us from airports, to travel escapades with best friends, to reflections on how time can change the places we hold dear in our hearts. Her memories will entertain and have you reminiscing about some of your own most treasured journeys–and perhaps make you contemplate revamping your packing strategies.

Read Christoph Fischer’s review of Have Bags Will Travel here.

P.S. I Forgive You

“I hurt for her. She wasn’t much of a mother, but she was still my mother.”

Confronted with resurfacing feelings of guilt, D.G. Kaye is tormented by her decision to remain estranged from her dying emotionally abusive mother after resolving to banish her years ago, an event she has shared in her book Conflicted Hearts. In P.S. I Forgive You, Kaye takes us on a compelling heartfelt journey as she seeks to understand the roots of her mother’s narcissism, let go of past hurts, and find forgiveness for both her mother and herself.

After struggling for decades to break free, Kaye has severed the unhealthy ties that bound her to her dominating mother—but now Kaye battles new confliction, as the guilt she harbors over her decision only increases as the end of her mother’s life draws near. Kaye once again struggles with her conscience and her feelings of being obligated to return to a painful past she thought she left behind.

Read Deborah Jay’s review of P.S. I Forgive You here. 

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