| Many of us have had a distinctive experience of | | | | However, there are considerations which may make |
| having met someone for the first time, someone with | | | | the concepts of soul mates and spiritual twins valid |
| whom we feel we are incontrovertibly connected | | | | metaphors for our experiences of being thoroughly |
| deep within our souls. We may believe this new | | | | connected with another person's soul. |
| person is our soul mate or our twin soul. But what are | | | | Perhaps our souls have somehow divided themselves |
| our soul mates or twin spirits really? Can we truly be | | | | and our souls have thereby created an independent |
| linked to another spirit and destined to meet one | | | | twin or a soul mate. This is one explanation I can offer |
| another in many different incarnations? Were we | | | | which would make soul mates or twin spirits a |
| somehow made for one another by a divine creator | | | | reasonably valid metaphor for the experience of |
| who provides for all of us someone special with whom | | | | meeting a very special person. When I examine the |
| we may share our lives? | | | | beginning of creation at the time our souls are created |
| Like many spiritual beliefs, the concepts of twin spirits | | | | I do not see any of us in the roles of twins or mates. |
| or soul mates are predicated upon deep spiritual | | | | So if soul mates or twin spirits truly exist then perhaps |
| experiences for which there are really no adequate | | | | they must come much later. If they did come later then |
| words. We use metaphors to try to describe such | | | | that would make them a different order of being from |
| experiences until the experiences become so | | | | what I would call our primary souls; those infinite sparks |
| commonplace that new words evolve to more | | | | cast forth in the first moment of creation. Each of our |
| accurately describe our experiences or the metaphors | | | | primary souls is like a hologram such that every one of |
| stick like glue and we come to accept the metaphor | | | | us contains every one of us within ourselves. If we |
| as a literal description when in fact it may still fall short | | | | were to become divided and become two separate |
| of being a valid description of our experience. | | | | specially related souls we might then be twin spirits, but |
| While it is undeniably true that many of us have | | | | we would no longer be the primary soul from which |
| experiences in which we recognize another soul with | | | | we originally came, even though each of the souls we |
| whom we are intimately connected in some | | | | have become has its origin in a pre-existing undivided |
| inexplicable way, perhaps we should examine the | | | | state of our soul. |
| metaphors we use to describe these experiences to | | | | Another possibility would be that twin spirits or soul |
| shed some light on what may really be going on. | | | | mates may simply have shared many experiences |
| Metaphors are used to apply past experiences which | | | | together over many different incarnations or have |
| we understand to new experiences which we have | | | | always remained close to one another throughout |
| no proper concepts for. Without clearly understood | | | | most of their experiences in the spiritual world of our |
| concepts we can have no words which accurately | | | | souls. |
| describe our new experiences which is why we must | | | | Soul mates are sometimes described as being paired |
| resort to metaphors. But a metaphor is only an | | | | opposites, however opposites is a weak term to |
| approximate likeness between two experiences which | | | | describe this state of connectedness since it appears |
| will usually accurately describe our familiar experience | | | | to preclude areas where two 'soul mates' may be |
| but which will provide only a reasonably close 'as-if' | | | | very much alike. |
| description of our new experience. | | | | The philosophy of twin spirits or soul mates is most |
| So when we meet someone with whom we feel we | | | | often predicated upon a belief that god provided for |
| share a common past or destiny we search for a | | | | every one of us a perfect mate. But then why is |
| way to explain this feeling and our culture has | | | | finding that perfect mate so difficult? Has god created |
| developed the concepts of soul mates and twin spirits | | | | our perfect mate only to challenge us to find them? I |
| to accommodate our need for words to describe how | | | | doubt that it is like that, god does not seem perverse |
| we feel. | | | | to me. |
| The metaphors of soul mates and twin spirits come | | | | I think we all began in an identical state or condition and |
| from our real experiences with having partners in life, | | | | that we have then evolved into what we will become. I |
| our mates, or having known someone with a twin, a | | | | think the concept of twin spirits or soul mates is too |
| biological condition. Both indicate a degree of | | | | limiting in regard to the potential scope of our love, and |
| relatedness that is above and beyond the way we | | | | that we are meant to love everyone and are not |
| appear to be related to most other people in our lives | | | | meant to cling to only one special soul throughout |
| and that is the essence of what we are trying to | | | | eternity. |
| express when we find someone with whom we | | | | Of course I may be mistaken, these are only my |
| communicate on a very deep level of our souls. | | | | thoughts of the moment and my position may change |
| Neither marriage nor twins may have any real meaning | | | | as I consider these questions more carefully over time. |
| in regard to our spirits, so the popular concepts of soul | | | | One issue I have with the concepts of soul mates and |
| mates and twin spirits may be off the mark in the | | | | spiritual twins is that they are predicated upon the |
| context of the spiritual reality of our souls. We may | | | | cognitive process of duality and ultimately duality is an |
| have wonderful people in our lives with whom we are | | | | illusion imposed upon us by our limited abilities to think |
| deeply connected whom we may have a great | | | | clearly. Again, I may be mistaken, but I do not think that |
| affinity for in the context of our spiritual lives beyond | | | | duality applies to who we are as spirits in the most |
| the limits of our incarnations, but they may not be our | | | | primal sense of our being. Duality appears to be only a |
| twins or mates, but something other for which we | | | | tool for picking apart our experiences so that our |
| have not yet found adequate words to accurately | | | | conscious minds can discover useful terms with which |
| describe these very special relationships. | | | | to describe our experiences. |
| Marriage is a societal convention, mates are | | | | Regardless of the validity of the metaphors we use to |
| temporary phenomena, the lives of our souls in the | | | | describe the sweet experiences we have of meeting |
| spirit world may have vastly different social | | | | someone with whom we may feel we have shared |
| conventions and we may have many mates all of | | | | eternity, many of us most definitely connect in a very |
| whom are special to us each in their own way but | | | | unique and intimate manner with some very special |
| none of whom we may be mated to or married to in | | | | person in our lives. Thos people with whom we click in |
| any sense that is either permanent or exclusive of | | | | this extraordinary manner often become pivotal people |
| someone else. | | | | in transforming our lives for the better so that we help |
| Likewise, this special person with whom we share an | | | | one another to grow and to evolve as more loving, |
| incredibly intimate bond may not be related to us in the | | | | nurturing and compassionate human beings. |
| manner of a twin. Our spirits seem unlikely to have | | | | If you are lucky enough to believe you have found |
| grown from a single egg and our spirits all share the | | | | your soul mate or a spiritual twin you then should go |
| same womb from which they were born so we | | | | for broke. The person whom you have found may |
| cannot be twins in the fraternal sense in any manner | | | | indeed reflect that belief in your deep union and prove |
| that may be considered special since in the ultimate | | | | to be a loving partner or a deeply cherished friend well |
| sense we must then all be twins to one another | | | | worth knowing and loving and keeping close to you in |
| including every other spirit in creation. | | | | your present incarnation on earth. |