The Story of the Soulmate

                     

By D. I. Muhammad

In every soul, there is a soul contract  agreed upon before coming into ones incarnation.  A soul contract is an agreement that was made between souls and how these souls would show up in one's life's.  It's said that you encounter these souls taking on different roles in each incarnation you enter, making these souls your soul group. 

Soul groups can come together between 10 to 100+ souls.   The purpose is to evolve together. For the Souls to grow so that they can ascend to a new level.

Then we have Soulmates. I briefly touched on Soulmates in the, Recognition, blog.

Soulmates are meant to shake up one's life to help them grow. You can have multiple soulmates.   I found out that my daughter is my soulmate who incarnated in after she saw me hurt in one of my incarnations.  In my life I've had other souls who have appeared  briefly  to give me my lessons to help me grow, some have come for a season, and some triggered me so badly I sat years internally fighting and figuring this shit out.   When the lesson is learned we proceed to new people, experiences, and a new set of lessons.   For some it's just new experiences.

We are taught by pop culture to look for a single, perfect person who will solve all our problems and fulfill every romantic desire. But real spiritual evolution is far more complex, beautiful, and stratified.

With my new found Soulmate, I mentioned how he helped to regulate my nervous system.  He does that beautifully whether I talk to him or just briefly see him in passing.   I spoke about my Familiar briefly in that post as well. I'll fully explain all of that in a separate post.

The first time I saw my soulmate, we briefly locked eyes. I felt a connection instantly. My familiar walked by at the same time, shrinking into the crowd, so he wouldn't be seen. This man is seen. Why doesn't he realize that? I  thought that every time I watched him shrinking into himself.

My soulmate walked by differently, back straight, speaking with confidence. I felt that breeze of fresh air as he passed. No nervousness poured into me or from him. It was nonexistent. I liked how that felt.

The next year, he drove into the parking lot and took a chance to speak to me as I walked to the door. I softly let him down, not because I wasn't interested, but because I was still in a long-distance relationship I was trying to get out of. I learned a lot from that karmic connection. He's spiritually getting his butt whipped now for not listening when I gave him the message I was meant to give. He chose not to take heed.

The year after that, I saw him on his post. He tried again, and this time I turned him down out of nervousness. I kicked myself once I realized what he was trying to do. We still spoke in passing, cordial greetings, the energy still there. Here I go again, running. Is this normal, after being absentnent and out of dating for so long?

Then one day I caught him huddled in an empty hall with a female coworker. My heart hit the floor. As I got closer, he stepped back and held the door open for her to pass through. I stood at the bathroom door trying to catch my feelings. I liked him. Was that wrong?

A few months later, walking the hall, he started a conversation. We spoke briefly. The next day, he asked to read my work. The day after that, I brought him a copy of my published work, and the link to my blog. On the paper, I wrote: "I hope it's not too forward, but I would like to keep in touch with you over the summer," with my number attached.

He never reached out. I was not angry,  just disappointed. My thought was: people don't get to know each other anymore. It was innocent, honest, want-to-know-you energy. Nothing more. I didn't want a dinner date, just a meet-up at a park, a museum, Belle Isle beach. Two people getting to know each other, without the distraction of work.  It's all I want from anyone right now, that I should meet.

I came back to the start of work, after two months off, and kept things normal. I figured he'd made his choice. All I wanted was for it not to feel awkward, because there was no need for it to. From where I stand, I still liked him as a person.

I recently posted a note on my blog, addressed to my soulmate. I told him if he still wanted to reach out, he could. He already knew how. He could text, if that felt more comfortable. It sat on the page for two days before I thought about taking it down. When I published it, my gut gave a small tingle — naw. So I deleted it.

Maybe he got nervous. Maybe he's taken. Maybe all of this has been a lesson, and there was something in this he had to learn, and I was just the mirror so he could see what it is. I don't know. 

The dynamic between us has changed, and it wasn't my choice. It was never intentional on my end. It wasn't his choice either. It's just how it naturally worked out. From what I see of him, I still like him as a person, but maybe he only ever saw me as someone he passed every day and was trying to make conversation with.

I'm not angry. I hold no animosity. I'll just keep saying hi. I just hope he responds back.

Soul connections don't always resolve the way we want them to. Sometimes the contract isn't for forever, it's for a lesson, a mirror, a moment of being fully seen by someone who then chooses not to stay. That doesn't undo what was real in the noticing. It just means this particular thread of the story is his to pick back up, or not. Either way, I already know how to be at peace with both.

Coming next: The Avoidant

In Retrospect

 

By Damali

  

I thought last week was something. This sums up my whole week.  

I  had to go check out what planets are in retrograde, and how this affects me.

The current planets in retrograde are:

• Pluto Retrograde from (May 6 – October 15, 2026) in Aquarius

• Neptune Retrograde  from (July 7 – December 12, 2026) in Aries

• Saturn Retrograde  from (July 26 – December 10, 2026) in Aries

• Chiron Retrograde (Entered Aries on September 17, 2026 – January 6, 2027) in Aries

• Uranus Retrograde (September 10, 2026 – February 4, 2027) in Gemini

(Note: Mercury is not currently in retrograde; its next period will run from October 24 to November 13, 2026.) I have to be mindful around this time. Mercury governs communication. When Mercury goes retrograde, miscommunications can occur. 

Planets in retrograde turn the planets energy inward.

A retrograde is an astronomical optical illusion where a planet appears to move backward in its orbit when viewed from Earth

Planets aren't actually moving backwards. They are always moving forward as they orbit the sun.  This optical illusion happens  because of the differing speeds of these planets as they orbit the sun.

These planets in retrograde will trigger periods of reflection, review, and recalibration.

What does the planets in retrograde mean?

Saturn is the ruler of discipline, boundaries, and hard life lessons. Right now, its  forcing one to review their responsibilities. While in Aries, its asking one to assess whether one is constructively standing up for one's self or lashing out.

Neptune rules dreams, intuition, and illusions. Neptune forces one to face the truth and gain spiritual clarity.

Pluto governs transformation, power dynamics, and rebirth. Pluto when in retrograde  brings up deeply buried fears or old power struggles so one can finally purge them. While in Aquarius, it asks you to look at how you fit into communities and society at large.

Chiron is an asteroid  known as the "Wounded Healer," Chiron highlights ones deepest emotional vulnerabilities. While moving backward through Aries, brings past pain, identity struggles, and old insecurities to the surface so one can finally actively heal them.

The following planets govern The Higher Mind affecting Unexpected Mental  Shifts.

Uranus is the planet of rebellion, chaos, and sudden breakthroughs. In Gemini, the sign of communication and intellect, this retrograde slows down external chaos and forces an internal mental revolution. One might completely rethink their belief systems or find internal freedom from old thought loops.

Finding all this out, I had to figure out how all this was effecting me, and what I needed to work more deeply on at this time.   This energy is something intense right now, and the people around me in my professional space are trying my patience.   My sense of peace, mentally and internally on all levels,  is truly being  tested and disrupted, and it's starting to piss me off.

Being that I'm a Virgo, this is how it will be testing my fellow Earth signs of Virgo, Taurus and Capricorn.  Earth signs,  are about things being tangible and stable for us.  These signs in retrograde are going to be deeply having us look at  our  security,  daily routines and long term ambitions.

It's doing exactly this for me.

I found that for my birth sign this retrograde is going to have me internally restructuring myself.  This cycle is intentionally disrupting  my external system, so that I can build stronger, better, internal boundaries.

Right now in Uranus, it's doing exactly what it's supposed to do. Slowing down the external chaos of my professional life, so that I  can see if I am actually fulfilled.  Which is why I've been verbally questioning things. Before I left for my two month Summer break, I was in deep contemplation.

If I were in a relationship, or dating, it would require me to move slowly.  It's not a time to rush anything.

My best form of survival right now is to match other people's energy, with a hard boundary.  Matching it with detachment. Letting people sit in their own mess while I preserve my energy.

That means not trying to fix others issues, or helping when others need to learn to trust themselves.  We do these things  out of love, not trying to save a person from themselves, or to be controlling. Virgos have different love languages. For some this is one of them. Neptune and Chiron are blocking all this, so others have no choice but to sit in their mess and learn how to deal with it. 

This energy is telling Virgos to let other people be, so that they can go into their higher selves.  I've been learning to do this before this energy even tapped in.  It's about being uncomfortable, and having people around you grow, so they can show up better in the world.

This retrograde is about finding my internal peace, and not focusing so much on external control. I had a handle on that part. This is also about me sitting with my vulnerabilities,  and learning to trust people.  I guess this is why I've leaned so much toward post that have me wearing my heart on my sleeve. 

Astrologically speaking this is why everything, and everyone in my professional space is bringing on the feeling of Bullshit.

                                                           Lift The Spirit -   I posted a lot of blogs, and now I want to help settle your mind, relax, and bring you back to you.

                                                    

Events Happening Soon

 

This is for all my poetry lovers again.  There are two upcoming poetry events happening soon for those interested.  I'll be listing more events as I find them. 

                  September 27, 2026

October 29, 2026

 

              

If you go, you won't be disappointed. 

The Take Over of School Pictures

 

By D.I. Muhammad 

 

In February of 2026 while scrolling through social media before bed, videos filled my feed on LifeTouch Pictures. The frenzy was how LifeTouch was selling pictures and the connection with Jeffrey Epstein.

Anyone who went to school would remember having their pictures taken for yearbook or just the package your mom picked out, so she could have you posted on the mantle, and the other pictures she gave out to your grandmother, uncle and auntie.

It had me thinking back. When I did I recalled having my high school pictures being taken down in the basement of my High School.   Didn't know we had a basement until that day. I recall it felt creepy walking down those stairs. Everyone else was joyful and happy, but me, it didn't feel right. 

Let's dive into who LifeTouch is, and if parents really had a justified concern.

LifeTouch is an American photography company based in East Prairie, Minnesota, with a Canadian company located in Winnipeg,  Manitoba.   There are facilities in Ohio, Indiana and Nevada.  The company was founded in 1936 by Bruce Reinecker and Eldon Rothgeb.

They were two traveling sales men working for a school photography  studio in Kansas City,  Missouri.  In 1936, Reinecker and Rothgeb raised $500 to set up there own photography studio in Minnesota.  Their studio was called, National School Studios. By 1939, they had 10 sales men who sold packages to schools. They were the first to also offer the 3x5.  No other photography studio did this.  Employees had a share in the company. 

The name would change in 1980 to, LifeTouch Studios.

"On August 1, 1984, Erickson announced a new name for the corporation—Lifetouch—saying that the new logo in script "looks like we're signing our work." Business units, each with separate identities, were rebranded: NSS became Lifetouch National School Studios; Kinderfoto became Lifetouch Portrait Studios; Prestige Portraits became Lifetouch Senior Portraits (now Prestige Portraits); and Universal Publications became Lifetouch Publishing (now Lifetouch Services)."

In 2018, Shutterfly acquired LifeTouch for $825 million cash.  

In 2019 Leon Black, owner of Apollo Global Management,  acquired LifeTouch's parent company Shutterfly.   Black came in as a beneficial owner.  I had to look up what a Beneficial Owner was.

"In domestic and international commercial law, a beneficial owner is a natural person (or persons) who ultimately owns or controls an interest in a legal entity or arrangement, such as a company, trust, or foundation. Legal owners (i.e. owners of record), commonly described as registered owners, may hold those interests as beneficial owners or for the benefit of someone else, in which case they may be described as nominees.

Beneficial owners hold specific property rights (use and title) in equity that belong to them, even though legal title to the property belongs to another person. A beneficial owner is subject to a state's statutory laws regulating interest or title transfers." (Wikipedia)

The summarized version: They benefit from the assets of the company, even if they're the front face for the company, and their name is not officially on the paperwork.  The person listed on record, the "Legal Owner", may be holding it on that person's behalf.

Black bought out the shareholders, and then made the company that was on the stock market, private.  This is what Black did with  Shutterfly and LifeTouch.

In 2026 it's Canadian - based, 

"Everest Solutions would acquire the Canadian operations of Lifetouch, Lifetouch Canada and is currently operating as "Lifetouch Powered By Everest". The acquisition makes Everest Solutions the largest provider of school photography in Canada. Everest Solutions was founded in 2021 by former Lifetouch."

My interest is does Life Touch have a monopoly on this sector with school photography, and how did that happen? Why don't they have competition? I'm sure there are local school photographers in each state  that could do it.

The thing is that LifeTouch has a 40% margin on the education sector when it comes to school photography. That's a large net in the market.  There are other school photographers such as Barksdale.  I call this a monopoly, while others may view it as creating a "captive market".

LifeTouch has bought over 250 smaller regional

Photography companies.  The next largest company only covers 5,000 to 7,000 schools.

To sustain this "captive market", LifeTouch offers schools incentives in order to keep them as customers, so that they don't and won't seek out the competitors.   In order to not be a monopoly, a company would not have rivals.  But how can competitors compete if one company is saturating the market.

In 2021, Leon Black was forced to step down from his position when his name became connected with the Jeffrey Epstein case.  When he stepped down he lost operational control of LifeTouch even though he still owns 9% of Apollo Global Management.

"Because he co-founded Apollo and still owns millions of shares, he profits when Apollo’s investments do well. If Lifetouch and Shutterfly make money for Apollo, it indirectly drives up the value of his stock." (Wikipedia)

Does Leon Black have connections with Epstein?  According to the Epstein files his name is listed in 8,200 of the files.  According to nbcconnecticut,

"Epstein and Black intersected as far back as 2001, when Epstein served as the director of Black’s family foundation, a family statement in the Epstein files shows. Emails and texts in the trove of documents released by the Justice Department show the two had meetings over the years and indicate that Black received financial advice from Epstein. Black’s full name appears in the Epstein files more than 8,200 times, though some records may be duplicative."

In 2025, Artnet.com wrote that, "Black is still being investigated by the U.S. Senate Finance Committee over more than $150 million that he paid to Epstein for tax-related work between 2012 and 2017. For example, in 2016, the billionaire collector and former chairman of the Museum of Modern Art sold an Alberto Giacometti sculpture, Figure Moyenne II (1947), for $25 million to a trust controlled by Epstein."  How did Black not know Jeffrey if his services were secured to help with advise on tax-related work for five years. 

It's said Black taught Epstein hacks to avoid a Capital gains tax that is placed on the purchase of art.

Black's team denies affiliation,  but it doesn't sit right with me.

On September 16, 2026, the U.S. Congress held Leon Black in contempt. 

"The resolution says, “Mr. Black’s willful refusal to comply with the Oversight Committee’s subpoenas constitutes contempt of Congress and warrants referral to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia for prosecution as prescribed by law.

The full House is holding him in contempt without any regard to the active litigation challenging the lawfulness of the Committee’s actions and the ethics complaint against Chairman Comer,” they wrote.Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the committee chair, said Wednesday: “No one is above the law. Leon Black defied two subpoenas, and the U.S. House of Representatives acted swiftly to find him in contempt of Congress.

The top Democrat on the panel, Rep. Robert Garcia of California, called the vote “an important step towards justice and accountability.” He said members need to know why Black “gave Jeffrey Epstein $180 million.”

Why avoid subpoenas, if you are not aligned with what Jeffrey was into? Why ignore it? Why not just say it was for  advise on taxes?   This just came through 5 hours ago, so 3pm my time.

Parents are concerned about what happens to the data of their children,  and why does LifeTouch retain it even if the child is not taking pictures.

If you still choose to have your child take pictures with this company,  they are providing a site where you can opt out of them holding your child's data. 

What Is the Men in Black

         

 

By D. I. Muhammad 

For the last two days I have been hearing the Men in Black song by Will Smith,  looping over and over again. I didn't have the radio or television on when I would hear it. My Clairaudience was kicking in. I was hearing it off and on so much, that I would be around the house singing the chorus.

So who, what, are the Men in Black?  Was it just a catchy rap performed by Will Smith, or is there more meaning behind the term?

When most hear Men in Black, they think of Will Smith. Then there are those who have had an experience with strange looking humanoids dressed in black, who I had heard through different contactees experience telepathy. 

How did their presence come about?

We have to go back to Washingtin's Maury Island in 1947. Harold Dahl was on his boat when he saw six metallic donut shaped craft hovering above his head. 

The next day a man in a black suit appeared asking Dahl about what he had seen. Recounting his every move while the ship's were in sight. The man in black told Dahl to never speak of it again, threatening him with dire consequences if he every did. 

The ufo community grabbed hold of this story, even though it later became known as a hoax.   This men in black story would later evolve a MIB mythos that morphed into stories and movies. 

Harold Dahl wasn't the only story. In 1947, Kenneth Arnold would write the book, "They Knew To Much About Flying Saucers." Kennenth Arnold was a pilot who had a UFO sighting in 1947.   This is what brought the MIB figure and UFO narrative into a broader spectrum.

In 1950, Albert K. Bender, a UFO enthusiasts,  also made claims of having encounters with MIB figures. 

How have the Men In Black been described?

According to Wikipedia,  "men in black (MIB) are allegedly government agents dressed in dark suits, who question, interrogate, harass, and threaten unidentified flying object (UFO) witnesses to keep them silent about what they have seen. The term is also frequently used to describe mysterious men working for unknown organizations, as well as various branches of government allegedly tasked with protecting government UFO secrets or performing other strange activities. They are typically described as tall men with expressionless faces, slightly pale skin, and usually wearing black suits with black sunglasses."

Another case was recorded in 1976. Dr. Herbert Hopkins. 

"...the men in black visited Dr. Herbert Hopkins, a respected physician, and UFO investigator.

Back then, Dr. Hopkins was dealing with a strange UFO case in the nearby town of Norway, Maine.

The case involved two workers who spotted a strange flying object and tried to approach it, as they reach close to the unidentified craft, they were engulfed by a blinding white light and they passed out.

When both the workers came to their senses, they found themselves a mile further down the road and realized that they had been lying there for hours and could not recall anything that happened.

Being a trained hypnotist, he examined one of the workers and was fascinated by the accounts provided by the worker of the missing time.

Hopkins felt that he was on the edge of a breakthrough in understanding the phenomenon of Alien abductions."

The story continues with Dr. Hopkins receiving a phone call from a man claiming to be the Vice-president of the New Jersey UFO Research Organization,  wanting to speak about the case he was working on. Dr. Hopkins agreed giving the man his address. After the call, Dr. Hopkins went to the porch to turn the light on. He noticed a man approaching the house thinking, this could not be the man. 

There were no vehicles in sight. The man approached, with Hopkins taking note of his appearance.  The man was in a black suit with a black Homburg hat. His skin was chalk white when he removed his hat. 

They discussed the case in a calm manner. When the man got ready to go his demeanor changed. The man's voice was menacing. He told Hopkins to get rid of the tapes. He gave Hopkins a coin. Hopkins watched it disappear in front of his eyes. The man in black then said, "Neither you nor anyone else on this planet will ever see that coin again. We can do the same to your heart."

Well, damn.

Needless to say, Hopkins destroyed the tapes and all other materials he had.

It's said other researchers were visited by the MIB, who also decided to go silent.

I still don't fully know why this song took hold of me the way it did. It started about three weeks ago, and even now, every so often, it creeps back in silently, and there I am, singing it again.

Maybe it was nothing more than a catchy hook resurfacing from memory attached to something or someone. Or maybe, given how my clairaudience tends to work, something was trying to get my attention long enough to send me down this rabbit hole. Either way, I know a lot more now about who,  or what, the Men in Black actually are than I did two weeks ago.

So I decided to ask my dowsing rods a few questions about it.

Dowsing Rod Session

August 29, 2026

*Are Men in Black real? Yes

*Do they wipe memories? Yes

*Do they actually look like Aliens? Yes

*Are some human looking? Yes

*Do they verbally talk? No

*Do they work for human governments? Yes

*All of them? No

*Do some look humanoid? Yes

*Are they melanated beings? Yes

*Are these the true Guardians of the Galaxy? Yes

*Do they wipe memories after viewing a craft? No

*After viewing an extraterrestrial being? No

*After talking about an extraterrestrial being? No

*Will they ever present themselves to a human on the Earth? No

*The non-melanated Men in Black that humanity knows of, were they created by other humans? No

*Malevolent beings working with our military? Yes

*Are the melanated men in black Malevolent? No

They are good guys? Yes

The Centaurians

Upcoming Article:  The Take Over of School Photography

Recognition

 

By D. I. Muhammad

I woke this morning crying, and it took me a while to understand why.

It wasn't about the rough first week back. It wasn't even about the job itself, though I love it. It was this: I'm tired of not being heard when I speak. I say something plainly, clearly, with a solution attached, and it gets a shrug, a slow "yeah..." that leads nowhere, and then the same problem shows back up the next day as if I never said a word. That wears on a person over time, even when you love the work.

Underneath that was something scarier,  I don't fully know what else I want to do besides write and sell my books. That's the truth I was crying about. Not knowing is uncomfortable. Wanting out of a place that doesn't hear you, without a clear next place to land, is its own kind of grief.

And in the middle of all that, my mind went somewhere unexpected: soulmates, and familiar souls. I think I was looking for the one place in my life where I do feel heard, where recognition doesn't take convincing.

What is a Soulmate?

A soulmate is, at its root, a "soul-meet",  someone who mirrors your frequency, your values, your desire to keep evolving. When you meet one, there's an ease to it. You feel comfortable being around them. They give you a sense of inner peace and harmony. The bond feels safe, calm, effortless, the opposite of having to repeat yourself to be understood.

Soulmates aren't only romantic. You can find one in a parent, a child, a friend. Anyone who becomes part of your support system, who helps you get through what you're going through, can hold that role. A romantic soulmate does the same thing, just with an added layer.

What is a Familiar Soul?

A familiar soul is different. It's someone who triggers an immediate sense of recognition, or déjà vu, the feeling of "I know you from somewhere," even the first time you meet them. Sometimes that's literal: a stranger stops you in public and says, "You look familiar. What high school did you go to?"

The belief underneath this is that these are souls you've had some deep connection with in a past life, and your paths have crossed again in this one. That recognition can be confusing, because it doesn't always come with warmth. Sometimes it comes with intensity, or unease, or a pull you can't explain. Both soulmates and familiars are considered part of a larger soul group,  people whose relationship to you was decided before either of you arrived in this lifetime.

What is a Divine Partner?

This is the one I rarely see written about, so I'll offer my own understanding of it, channeled rather than found anywhere else.

A Divine Partner carries the same recognition as a soulmate, but with a different purpose. It's a soul made specifically for you, so the two of you can carry out a shared mission,  building or creating something the world needs, that neither of you could build alone. It isn't given until both people have done enough of their own individual work to be ready to hold something that large. The love between Divine Partners is unconditional, not because it's easy, but because both people have already done the harder work of loving themselves first.

Why This Is What My Mind Reached For

I don't think it's an accident that grief over not being heard sent me toward soulmates and familiars. Both are, at their core, about recognition, about someone or something finally meeting you at your real frequency instead of asking you to shrink or repeat yourself to be understood.

I have people in my life I'd call a soulmate and a familiar, in the sense I've described here. My soulmate regulates my nervous system without even trying, the chatter in my mind goes quiet in his presence, and just seeing him can be enough to carry me through the rest of a hard day. When I see him he's a breath of fresh air. I exhale, and relax fully when I speak with him , even briefly at work. 

My familiar came on differently. The recognition was fast and heavy, the kind that made me want to understand it, and the moment I looked too closely, he turned avoidant, retreating instead of meeting it. Neither relationship is fully resolved, and I'm not writing this to resolve it. I'm writing it because both taught me the same thing from opposite directions: real recognition, when it happens, doesn't require convincing anyone of anything. It's just felt, and known, on both sides.

That's what I want more of,  in my relationships, and honestly, in my work. To be met at my actual frequency instead of managed around. To be heard the first time I say something, not the third or the never.

I don't know yet what leaving this profession would mean, or what comes after it. But I know what I'm not willing to keep doing: shrinking my voice to fit rooms that were never built to hold it. Whatever comes next, in love, in work, in whatever I build with my writing, I want it to start from that same place my soulmate's presence gives me for free: room to exhale, and to finally be heard.

Erotic Poetry

 

CALLING ALL LOVERS OF POETRY

Enjoy a night of poetry and laughter at the Magic Bag.  Somewhere in Detroit, has done their poetry events at intimate settings throughout the city since 2016.

This year they have secured a larger venue in Ferndale, MI.  If you're interested in attending the Sunday performance, tickets are limited. The Somewhere in Detroit website has sold out its VIP, and Platinum tickets.  As of this writing you can still purchase Gold tickets and Standing Room Only.

This is for Adults 18 and over. 

Somewhere In Detroit Erotic Poetry Tickets