Does a TF always have to be considered a lover or soulmate?

[Spirit bird]

I am not quite sure if I worded that heading right. I don't really know much about twin flames as I'm sure there are others who have researched them more than I have. But I am questioning wether they always show up in the capacity of a lover or soulmate only. Can they just be a friend, someone you are not really attracted to physically but you are blown away by how much they mirror your own thoughts and feelings on just about any topic life puts our way? Including being very open and the spiritual as well. It's almost as though they can be the male version of myself (I'm female by the way). I feel at times that things are said that are exact verbalizations of things I have said on subjects that we've shared in conversation. I am blown away by much of it and have questioned this exact thing. Yet outside of a friendship capactiy only I am not attracted to them physically, yet their spiritual energy is profound that is the reason I question this. We are both in other relationships and content being in them. But what I didn't know is if a friendship could be considered a TF by energy alone and being duplicates in our thinking. Any advice is helpful.

[immortal coil]

This depends on the level of awareness. When your inner world resembles your outer world, everyone you meet is a reflection of self. However, to possess this inner radiance and have it reflected in a life partner is a very special occasion.

[happyhaunts03]

I don't buy into the standard definitions of twin flame, so maybe I'm not the best person to talk to, but I'm going to share what I've come to know about my own TF experiences and my experiences with my soul family.

I definitely believe someone in your soul family can have a very similar energy to what you're describing. I've had a handful of people in life that I just connect with on a whole other level energetically.

Now, to answer about TFs specifically, I believe only you can know that. We all hold our own truths. We may hold commonalities and those commonalities become the lore we read, but we're also unique and experience perception differently. I believe personally that TFs can have any number of roles in our lives. They aren't always there to be a lover. In fact, if you look at most of the experiences discussed on these forums, very few people are actually with their TF in that capacity, or if they are, it doesn't last. A kundalini awakening can feel a lot like physical attraction, but it's different. And if you perceive it differently, but still feel that connection, who can really say what you have is not a TF?

I guess my point is that you should look inside yourself for the answers. As much as anyone here can give you ideas, they don't hold your ultimate truth. But, if you trust your intuition, you'll probably have your answer.

[Eternal Flame]

A Twin Flame is a different term to Soul Mate.

A soul mate can in fact be non-romantic.

So A soul-mate is kinda what you are after there.

A Twin Soul when embodied with you, comes as a lover. It's simply how it's always been set up.

People need to stop labeling everyone.

I might love my mechanic after he fixes my car, but he's not my Gay Twin flame or anything. He's my mechanic.

[Inika]

i sometimes wonder if it's the other way around

does a lover or soul mate always have to be labled a TF?

It seems the popular theory of TF is lover, soulmate, combined soul, energy, everything and to top it off...a deeply intense love - romantic physical life love relationship.
Tf's meet and come together in this lifetime because it's their 'last' lifetime here on Earth. to help and assist each other and others into ascension. smashing old templates "this is how love MUST be or it is not love"
"this is YOUR role and how you MUST be (insert gender)"
They express and display larger spiritual qualities from higher heart space rather than ego desire and gratification space.
to get there, takes dark night of the soul and shedding who they always beleved they are, were at ego level and everyone else too. Perception shifts with conscious level shift. the awakening emerges and can be very disorientating and confusing. but it's like coal turned to diamonds in the end.

the romance and love often gets some caught in despairing traps. still used to old templates. that if they are not in your direct orbit, then they must not be interested or 'connected'. that gets more focus and lowers the vibration 'back down to earth'
often leaving some question if it was ever 'real' in the first place.

some say soul mates can be a tf. it's depending on reaching the higher mind, higher heart together and being in that place to express tf new template love.
this can be why some believe you can have more than one TF. it can depend on their soul seeing your soul if on the same level and vibration.

some say tf is one soul split in half. and in that, there is a lot of confusion as to a soul being whole or not and if not 'needing' in a co-dependant way, that one particular soul to work with them to become 'whole'
that would be an awareness in both to see that as their shared reality.