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A Weird Space Thing

Posted on by Joe Merkle

Happened to me tomorrow

Image by Freepik.com

We’ve all been there—moments in your life that defy definition. This is one of those moments in my life, and I will attempt to tell this story. Many of you will think it is a tall tale. That’s okay—I’ll let you determine if it is. I firmly believe tall tales are sometimes more real than our supposed reality.

APRIL 8TH, 2024: The total eclipse of the sun…or was it?

I arrived at my girlfriend’s home in Northwest Arkansas on April 7th. We were both excited about viewing the total eclipse for the first time. The sky would be clear for this event. Armed with cheap “special” sunglasses, we ventured out to the front lawn to witness this cosmic event.

She lives in a neighborhood of heavily forested properties. I expect a bear or wolf to attack me every time I visit. I’m only half kidding about that. One never knows what strange creatures are hiding out in these woods. Hmm…I think a new book could be in my future.

The moment the sun disappeared and the day became night, I was out of body, timeless, soaring towards this heavenly display. I was no longer interested in this strange marriage of the sun and moon. Instead, my attention was drawn to Mother Earth. I felt the power of love like never before. In honesty, it was overwhelming.

Then, realizing the gift I was receiving stunned me and shook me to the core. This planet I was observing wasn’t just a big rock with all types of living beings on it. Earth was love. Everything that exists throughout the universes and inner planes is love. All of life is love and was created because God is love. We are love—not these human frames we toy around with in many incarnations until we realize what we are—soul, a co-worker with God.

The subsequent realization blew my mind. God learns from us. He needs us to trip, fall, love, hate, live, and die. Why? Because he learns and grows through our experiences the same way we do—like any good parent who discovers the greater meaning of love through raising children. And like any good parent, God is always there to help.

This gift, granted to me, answered many questions that hounded me for decades. Why is there so much suffering on Earth? Why would a loving God create such an environment?

Because we, as souls, never feel pain, suffering, or loss. We are eternal and have Godlike qualities. But just like a human infant who has no idea it is human, a new soul has no idea it is a child of God. Hence, we need to learn to be love in the harshest of environments. It is a crucial factor required to experience the immensity of love.

Since that day, I’ve contemplated this often. My life has changed in ways I never would have expected. I attract more love by simply being a vehicle for divine love. Like attracts like. I see every obstacle in my life now as an opportunity for spiritual growth, to trust in the process, and, to put it simply, to be more aware. My gratitude for this gift is boundless.

© Joe Merkle 2024 All rights reserved.

Naiche’s Enlightenment

Posted on by Joe Merkle

A spiritual awakening

Image of Mt. Graham by Jbparrish — Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=101639166

Naiche was a mischievous teen
Sewing wild oats while creating a scene
To the chagrin of his father, Chief Cochise
Cochise determined it was time to intervene

He led the boy to the highest peak of Dził Nchaa Si’an
It is time my son for you to comprehend
The gifts you’ve failed to apprehend
Into the stars, we’ll ascend

Both father and son entered a trance
Through the use of the holiest of chants
Their spirits soared into the never-ending expanse
Every particle of their being was enhanced

The silence between stars surprised Naiche
You are greater than the stars, said Cochise
As humans we are incomplete
As souls, we have a window seat

To Ussen’s magnificent creation
To gift you with an undeniable affirmation
That we are simply stewards of his heavenly plantation
And to immerse ourselves in his spiritual libation

Scratching, Scratching…

Posted on by Joe Merkle

What’s That Sound?

Image by https://www.freepik.com/author/EyeEm

It was a cold, dreary late October day. The sleet was assailing them horizontally, making their umbrellas useless as they worked their way towards what she was told was the fresh burial site of her husband’s coworker, John. Suddenly Donna stopped dead in her tracks. “What’s that noise, she asked?” while she grabbed her husband’s arm for security.

“It’s probably just some squirrels playing in the trees. Let’s hurry this up so we can get warm and dry,” replied Jim.

“That’s no squirrel, Jim. Besides, it’s coming from that fresh gravesite,” she said while pointing to an open gravesite still waiting for its occupant to arrive.

“You’re crazy, Donna. Come with me,” he said as he took her arm and led her to the grave. “I’ll prove to you that your mind is just playing tricks on you.”

He led her to the edge of the site. They were both surprised to find a wooden coffin occupying the grave. “That’s weird. Why wasn’t this coffin buried when they put it in the grave?” he asked.

Just then the noise Donna heard earlier startled her. This time there was no denying its source. It was coming from the coffin. Scratching, scratching. A desperate, scarifying sound that curdled the blood flowing through her veins.

Jim came to place his arm around Donna. Not to give comfort but to throw her into the grave. He then calmly walked over to the tractor beside the grave and proceeded to bury his wife alive with the still living person in the coffin. The same person he witnessed his wife cheating with just days ago. Never cheat with a gravedigger’s wife. It can have grave consequences.

Making Love In Our Dreams

Posted on by Joe Merkle

Reliving all our childhood schemes

Image by https://www.freepik.com/author/freepik

Laughing, exhausted, and gasping for air, we collapsed on the couch. Playing all our old albums we danced the night away. Memories came flooding back. Our teen years and college days when we clubbed the nights away. The moment we met. When we said, “I do”. The births of our children. All the unforgettable memories that forty-six years in a loving relationship bring.

We must have said “Do you remember” a hundred times. And off we would go to another treasured moment that lay lost in our minds as the music played our memories.

She lay in my arms. Just like the first time, I’m still kidnapped by her charms. It is one of those unforgettable moments you wish will never end. I look into her eyes and say, “Damn I’m sore.” She laughs. She has the most contagious laugh. Eventually, our bodies remember to breathe. We managed to make it to bed somehow. Out like a light within minutes. Making love in our dreams. Reliving all our youthful schemes.

Riding The Waves Of Grief

Posted on by Joe Merkle

The celestial surfboard that is love

Image by https://www.freepik.com/author/wirestock

Grieving is Soul at play, or more specifically, soul surfing. As Soul, we ride the waves of grief among its crests and valleys. We immerse ourselves in the thrill of it and rejoice in the immensity of love crashing in upon us. As well as the overwhelming emotional pain that consumes us. We are tossed like ragdolls from our celestial surfboards, gasping for air as we try to survive the pounding surf. All the while learning to let go of fear.

Eventually, we become surfing champions, able to ride the waves to shore. We grow stronger having gained the knowledge and understanding of what love is. It becomes apparent to us we need to pass that love unto others. We all become grief counselors.

Grief is another powerful step for us as souls in becoming spiritual masters. Grief helps us learn the immense power and depth of divine love. It is incumbent upon us to share this knowledge. It is the reason why we exist.

Lover’s Poem

Posted on by Joe Merkle

Image by https://www.freepik.com/author/vkstudio

When we meet
We shall touch the stars
The little children will laugh at us
And to each, we shall teach love

And we’ll float on the soft summer breeze
I’ll carve our initials in the clouds
And in a fleeting moment
That which is not tangible shall succumb

And our love will become inimitable

We’ll explore the silver sun
And search for the silver man
We’ll mix the colors on the palette
And paint the world

Then we’ll say goodbyes
And no regrets will there be
Only happy memories we share
And our initials in the clouds

The Human Experience

Posted on by Joe Merkle

Is Just Scratching The Surface

Image by Freepik

89.9% of humans cry at birth. Noncrying after birth had 100% sensitivity for nonbreathing infants after birth. Taking this into account it is highly prevalent for humans to cry at birth when we survive it. 

WHY?

Because the physical is extraordinarily harsh compared to any of the higher planes. What simile could I use to express this? I’ll let you determine this. Think of the happiest, most joyful event in your life. Relish in it. Now do the same for the worst moment in your life. And that is nothing compared to what we experience at birth.

Now there is an important reason for this. The physical plane is where we as souls choose to visit. Why would we do this? There are multiple reasons for this decision. The prime reason is so we can burn off karma quickly, allowing us to attain higher states of consciousness more rapidly. Did you catch that? We made this choice. 

Why would we be that stupid? 

Because as souls we know this is just an illusion. This life is no different than a child playing with a doll. It doesn’t matter in the least what this physical body does or doesn’t accomplish beyond learning to become a vehicle for divine love. That is why humans struggle throughout their lifetimes. They have forgotten they are souls. A soul brighter than ten thousand suns. A coworker with God.

What happens when we become a vehicle for divine love?

The world becomes a better place. Not that anything changed. You changed. You see love all around you. And everything from the tiniest molecule to the tallest mountain feeds off this divine energy you share without even being aware of it. People smile more when they are with you. They become aware something is happening to them, but they can’t quite explain it. Without their knowledge, they become vehicles for this divine love. They may smile more. Be more loving. Enjoy the simple treasures life on earth has to offer. 

They spread love

Be that person

The rewards are indescribable

Max And Mandy

Posted on by Joe Merkle

A lifetime of love

Image by https://www.freepik.com/author/imrandk

Max and Mandy fell in love at first sight
On the school playground at the age of six
Sharing their M&M’s candy with delight
Mandy bold enough to kiss Max on the lips

They married young, at twenty-one
Two months passed and Max went to war
Ten months later Mandy birthed their son
Night after night she paced the floor

Six months went by without a word
She searched for answers with no avail
Sending daily letters, she was undeterred
Max suffered injuries on a German forest trail

He came home to her a wounded soul
Having witnessed the worst of mankind
Doing her best at damage control
She patched him back towards peace of mind

Many years have passed, their hair grown gray
Still holding hands as they gingerly walk the park
Sitting on “their” bench on a lovely October day
Comfortable in knowing they will soon embark

On a glorious journey that will end their pains
Where the Light and Sound will light their paths
As their undying love brings more spiritual gains
Going home, home at last

My Alabaster Arabesque

Posted on by Joe Merkle

Of Womanhood

Image by https://www.freepik.com/author/digitalartworkdownload

Her alabaster skin is a whiter shade than pale
She shuns the sunlight for safety’s sake
It matters not to those who witness her beauty
For it outshines the sun, she’s a cute patootie

She wields her womanly wiles
Her most potent weapon is her seductive smile
The corners pointing upward toward mesmerizing eyes
Which is impossible for her to disguise

As she walks away her gait is suggestive
While sashaying toward me it morphs provocative
Ironically she appears unaware of this display
Of this unintended foreplay

And her laughter is impossibly contagious
Unintentionally flirtatious 
As she dances into my welcoming arms
I’m smitten, a captive prisoner of her charms

©2024 Joe Merkle All rights reserved.