Twin Flames and Soul Mates...

"We must not believe a thing said merely because it is said; nor traditions because they have been handed down from antiquity; nor rumours, as such; nor writings by sages; because sages wrote them; nor fancies that we may suspect to have been inspired in us by a Deva (that is, in presumed spiritual inspiration); nor from inferences drawn from some haphazard assumption we may have made; nor because of what seems an analogical necessity; nor on the mere authority of our teachers or masters. But we are to believe when the writing, doctrine, or saying is corroborated by our own reason and consciousness. Only then shall we act accordingly and abundantly."

Guatama Buddha in about 500 BCE.

We will attempt to describe, briefly, the common ways which are used by souls to make connections on a planet. In this case we speak of the Earth. First a brief background. Souls are born (created) not in perfection as is sometimes taught, but in innocence. They are cared for and prepared to begin their long journey in the physical realms. First they must leave the collective and learn individualism. Then they begin. The goal of all this experience is not to acquire knowledge but to become spiritually mature and wise. These things cannot be achieved in the spiritual heavens because there it is not possible for souls to experience negativity for more than a few moments. The heavenly realms are arranged by compatibilities. Only on the Earth can we be exposed to negativity but these are the teachers and so are very necessary. To learn we have to assume physical bodies. This is the only way to wisdom. So souls are projected into form. It begins.

The soul remains on it's own plane, the higher mental. It connects to the man or woman on Earth. Upon death this connection is withdrawn. This process accounts for the feeling of being pulled away. We live for thousands of lifetimes over a very long period of time. Before we are finished we must have been exposed to every condition available on our planet. We have all sorts of bodies, male and female and every variation of personality. We experience much pain and suffering because wisdom is the child of discord. It must be done. "Why does a loving god allow suffering?" Because it is the only way forward.

Souls on their own plane are sorted into groups of kindred souls. They commonly work together, helping each other. They plan their lifetimes. Sometimes two or more will come to Earth at the same time so that certain lessons can be learned by them all. These we know as soul mates. They commonly are siblings or spouses but not always. Sometimes best friends. Seldom are soul mates parent child combinations. They work and learn together. Sometimes very strong connections exist. This is usually true with twins in expression. This is reasonably straightforward and not too difficult to agree with.

We all have guides. They are our friends. We have long associated with them in our true home in heaven. Guides are just like us. They are human beings, human souls like us except that they are a bit more senior, further on the road perhaps, than we are. After a time we, too, will become guides. Each of us will. It is not optional. It is inevitable. The service they render also trains them for greater responsibilities later. Soul guides are human souls.

There is another condition which we will examine. It is possible for a soul to project itself into two or more bodies at once. The reason would that perhaps the time is opportune considering astrological positionings or maybe some other opportunity presents itself and it is decided that for the sake of efficiency, expediency or economy of purpose it would be proper to do this. Two bodies projected from one soul. Is this what we sometimes call a twin flame? Do we all agree with this? This is neither common nor easy for a soul to do. Only those souls who are clearly on the return path will attempt this and only then with the consent of their guides.

Because a soul may be nearing the end of it's set of lives on Earth this arrangement may be decided upon. To save time. Time is an important consideration here because of astrology. In all of our wanderings we do well to remember the conditioning rays of energy that are provided for us from the great beings who coordinate such things. A stupendous achievement.... groups of stars each unique, each adapted for a particular purpose... then these constellations of stars working in concert to send their beneficial rays of influence towards our own sun which then redistributes to various planets and so on... Depending on what reasons present themselves, not forgetting astrological windows of opportunity a soul may very well decide to double up as it were.

So we see that such a thing is not common but that it can be done. Now for a bit more. Twin expressions of a single soul are usually separated by both geography and culture. This is done because, going back to the reason for this double projection, dissimilar goals are normally pursued. To facilitate this the two personalities will necessarily be much different. If they were to meet they would not feel any compatibility or common purpose. They would, however, walk away from such a meeting feeling they were trying to remember something. This would perhaps be a hint of something. I will ask why would twin soul projections be both involved with the same or complimentary goals? This would not be beneficial. Consider the requirements of karma. We commonly delay cleaning up our karmic debts. Sometimes we wait too long. In this case a soul might feel it a good idea to use two personalities each with a portion of karmic work. The most beneficial arrangement is for the two bodies to be in different cultures and to have slightly differing astrological signatures. They normally work independently of one another. More is gained when there is no interference 'tween the two.

I have provided just a hint of the reasons and considerations regarding souls and their projections on a planet. There is a bit more though. There is something which is very important for us to remember.

It is not very likely that those on this, and other, forums are beginners in the spiritual quest. It is very likely that there are some very advanced souls present. It is to expected however that most of us are somewhere in the middle of our travels. No matter who we are or what our particular position on the path we do have the Earth in common. A very necessary part of Earth living is immersion in the fires of the astral plane. It is a wonderful place to be sure. There is much there of value. There are also very galmorous traps waiting for the unwary. All these, too, are with purpose. We learn to recognize and discriminate. These decisions lead to more wisdom. The astral plane can be frightening, mundane or it can be deliciously captivating and sometimes almost seductive in it's allures. This plane is the Trickster Coyote of the Native Americans. It is not called the plane of glamors without reason. Do not avoid it but understand it and step around the little stones that it places before us on our paths. We might ask why is it there in the first place. It is there so that we can be real human beings while on Earth. We could not be emotional were there no astral plane. etc, etc... There are other reasons for it as well but they do not relate to this topic.

There is one thing more. Thought forms. These constructs are everywhere waiting for the unwary to stumble upon. We all make these usually of astral or ethereal matter. Once made they will endure until they are thrown away by a knowing soul. But sometimes we encounter one and it seems so very real that we are sure of it's authenticity. Then we pick it up and carry it with us for a long time. This is neither bad nor good. It simply is. No matter what we do the end of the road is always drawing nearer. There is another meaning within this statement for those who will see it.

At this point I ask that the reader go back to my first paragraph and reread the quote from Buddha. It is very good advice. Then consider what is written here, compare it to what is currently known and/or believed and then arrive at a conclusion based on what we, each of us, will accept. This is what we ask. In this remember the astral plane and how we sometimes are distracted in it's mazes of wonder.

We thank the reader for assisting in this small effort.

[Goddessa]

Thank you for your insights Bartholomew

I've always had trouble with the concept of the one soul splitting into two and inhabiting 2 different bodies. I'm not sure why my mind just can't quite fully accept that idea. The description of twin souls inhabiting different cultures and geography, however is scarily accurate in my case. In fact that whole paragraph describing twins (especially the initial meeting) and the differences between them resonated with me.

As evidenced in this subforum though, many of these couples are not geographically or even culturally different. Many of the stories will tell of couples who met while they were still children, for example, growing up together in the same town. I've even come across some variations of this tf concept where it is stated that you actually meet your twin early in life.

How important is divide in culture and geography in identifying what we call on this forum, twin souls?

[goodwill]

Thanks. It was an interesting read! :-)

I still have a hard time imagining my soul divided into two bodies. Makes no sense at all to me.
But I do believe that the heart builds a spiritual magnetism and attracts the right mate according to a divine law. This twin soul/soulmate could be living on the north pole and still there would be an established connection and a pull towards him/her. Maybe they even shared one or more past-life(s) together with the goal to perfect their divine friendship & love for each other.

[Aldous]

In this book
http://newtoninstitute.org/books/jou...l-newton-1994/
the author claims to have found people who live parallel lives, ie. one soul incarnated into two bodies at the same time.

One time when I had an out of the body experience, I went out into the hallway outside my bedroom and found that I couldn't see anything so I tried to open my eyes and was able to open my astral body eyes and also, unexpectedly, the eyes of my physical body that was still back in bed. When I did that I could see from both bodies at the same time and could feel my consciousness in both bodies at the same time which were about 15 feet apart. My consciousness was in two places at the same time. That was the only time I did that. When it happened I felt a strong pull back to my physical body and the experience ended quickly. After a lot of experiences with astral travel, I got the impression that the astral body seems to be able to project itself, you can return to your body in an instant and can even go some place miles away in a second. I wondered if the spiritual part of me was a kind of projection from some kind of source to my physical body.

[goodwill]

But, wouldn't that also mean that they collect more bad/good karma at once? How is the soul supposed to get rid of all this mass amount of karma then?

I do believe that the soul can exist parallel in the physical, astral & causal realm. But not in two different physical bodies as two different individuals at the same time.

[selene]

Thank you for this beautiful post Bartholomew. It is really inspiring and thought provoking. Thank you also for the quote at the beginning.

I have trouble, indeed, understanding the concept of a soul manifesting in two separate bodies, as well as understanding the body as entirely separate and only connected while living with the body. I mean, if I do think about it, it does make sense, I have but to agree but it is not an understanding that I seem to carry with me. There is no reason for this, it simply seems like the state of being. Does this make sense?

I was writing a very long response why my experience is very different and has brought me greater sense of purpose and certainty, and how the bond is very harmonious... and then, I remember the first couple of months after meeting my TF and the first month after our separation and I realize that while the lesson has become clearer now and has brought me closer to my purpose, back then, things were weird, to say the least. It gets better but it was not always like that.

I need to process what you wrote, Bartholomew, but I wanted to acknowledge the thread, one we asked for collectively here as a response to another post and thank you for taking the time and effort and respond to our questions :).

[Spiritworldnamehere]

Thank you so much for this message.

I have a thought I'd like to share about the differing cultures/locations thing. I have very often thought that as the world has changed/is changing, being separated by physical distance is not the hurdle it once was. Don't get me wrong - I understand that its still not easy to nurture a bond with someone on the other side of the planet and I don't mean to belittle anyone's pain or difficulty. I am just pointing out that in times past, (and it wasn't that long ago that we had no planes and no internet!) distance would effectively permanently and totally separate two people. Today, this is much less true.

I believe that in our time, the whole notion of different cultures dividing us might be the (or one of the) final difficulty or hurdle or stone in our path that we have to face. There is nothing more inherently negative than a bunch of humans sharing one planet who spend the majority of their resources fighting each other and nurturing things that "separate" (i.e. borders), none of which are even real in the bigger picture.

Consider these two scenarios:
1. 2 people meet somehow who live in two different cultures on two different continents. They feel a connection that they can't explain, but can't ignore. They stay in touch, they bond, they email and message and skype. They long to be together, or one of them does or they take turns wanting that, but for now they can't overcome the distance and the cultural differences. They hopefully learn deep important lessons from this experience, whether they end up being together or not.

2. 2 people meet somehow who live nearby or at least a manageable distance apart. They feel a connection that they can't explain, but can't ignore. They stay in touch, they bond, they email and message and skype, and also get to see each other in person sometimes or often. They long to be together, or one of them does, or they take turns wanting that, but for now they can't overcome the circumstances of their lives such as socioeconomic level differences, racial and/or religious differences, the fact that one or both of them are already married/in relationships. They hopefully learn deep important lessons from this experience, whether they end up being together or not.

So what's the difference really? In my opinion, not much.

So maybe that is another level of this - you meet someone to whom you're drawn like a magnet, you have that feeling like you're forgetting something as Bart said, but for various reasons you "can't" be together.

You are one, but you are held separate by things that are not even real. Its like the struggle of the entire planet occurs between two people. Both states of being (oneness and separation) are true in this reality. Now that is one heck of a learning experience!

My two cents.

[Inika]

I for one actually are in full agreement with batholomew's entire post.

I understand the deep desire for romance. Yet it is not at all what it's about. It would totally distract the pair from their lessons for the soul and the soul is not working for romantic intent for its own profit. the soul is a part of a collective and what it learns goes back each time. That is one of the true and major values of the pairing. that is why it's so very very rare of the pair to ever if even to be in a romantic physical relationship. There are billions of other souls they can learn those romantic lessons with and bring to the collective pot. if they are indeed one soul in two bodies then each lessons with others serves the greater good.

I understand too the intense desire for close contact and that romance and it may have crossed both minds of the pair yet something of an unseen force out of their control or ability will keep that from happening. The intensity is mezmerising and pulls you in yet it's been misunderstood due to romantisizing it to fit the picture of the conditioned mind of how love is to be played out through romantic bonds and memories of past.

once you can let go of it much more opens up. see a butterfly. its so pretty. look at its beauty freely flying in the air, taking a ride on the winds of love. so much to admire. its colours, its freedom. we capture in in our hands. I want it, its so pretty. yet now it's not going anywhere. it's not doing what it's created to do. its going nowhere, kept in covered hands that bring what seems an apparent darkness. its not seen. its wings fluttering under your palms and fingers. its not flying. it can be only admired from a limited view. why? what would be the point of that if only for some personal satisfaction?

[carebear]

Interesting message. Thank your for sharing your perspective

Originally Posted by Inika

see a butterfly. its so pretty. look at its beauty freely flying in the air, taking a ride on the winds of love. so much to admire. its colours, its freedom. we capture in in our hands. I want it, its so pretty. yet now it's not going anywhere. it's not doing what it's created to do. its going nowhere, kept in covered hands that bring what seems an apparent darkness. its not seen. its wings fluttering under your palms and fingers. its not flying. it can be only admired from a limited view. why? what would be the point of that if only for some personal satisfaction?

This was beautiful. Thank you.

Originally Posted by Aldous

In this book
http://newtoninstitute.org/books/jou...l-newton-1994/
the author claims to have found people who live parallel lives, ie. one soul incarnated into two bodies at the same time.

One time when I had an out of the body experience, I went out into the hallway outside my bedroom and found that I couldn't see anything so I tried to open my eyes and was able to open my astral body eyes and also, unexpectedly, the eyes of my physical body that was still back in bed. When I did that I could see from both bodies at the same time and could feel my consciousness in both bodies at the same time which were about 15 feet apart. My consciousness was in two places at the same time. That was the only time I did that. When it happened I felt a strong pull back to my physical body and the experience ended quickly. After a lot of experiences with astral travel, I got the impression that the astral body seems to be able to project itself, you can return to your body in an instant and can even go some place miles away in a second. I wondered if the spiritual part of me was a kind of projection from some kind of source to my physical body.

James: What you describe sounds like a lucid dreaming to me. Everything seems to fit. During normal sleep or sometimes at random times we pop out bringing waking consciousness with us. We then are, in effect, astral traveling although we can go much higher too. It all sound real to me. The major difference between an ordinary dream and a lucid dream is that, in the real time of the event, we experience real time consciousness. We thus can look back and see our body in bed or some such. It is my opinion that more folks experience this sort of thing that we might suspect. I have had these too but not very often. Those who go to Dr. Nelson and those who are to be found on sites like this one are usually at least somewhat further along the path than ordinary folks. It should be no surprise then that we hear of such things more often here. Your experience seems a normal and healthy one to me. If there is any conclusion to be drawn I would think you could probably feel good knowing that all is well.

Yes... In order to better understand what a soul is (our spiritual self) do not think in terms of the body and personality. They are not central to our existence. They are merely things that the soul uses. The soul is not eternal but it lives for a very long time. It is not in the body except in the case of a very advanced master who for some reason is using a physical form. The soul remains on it's own plane and is only connected to the body. We are not personalities with souls as so many think. We are souls that use personalities. The soul, on it's own plane, is a composite of all the personalities that it has used in it's long life. Th\is is the reason that sometimes we have dreams of different people in far away places. Sometimes these are soul memories. This is important because it indicates to us that we really are connected to a soul.