Soulmates

​The idea that two souls are actually two parts of the same soul and are so deeply connected that they seek each other out in each lifetime trying to make themselves whole/complete is not a new concept. While it is said the first use of the word soulmate was first known to be used by the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge in a letter in 1822, the first known mention of the concept was in Plato’s Symposium which was written somewhere in the 4th century BCE. The symposium is a fictional story about 7 real men at a banquet (that never actually happened) who are challenged to speak praise about the god Eros (the god of love and sex). It was in Aristophane’s speech that told the story of how people (our primal ancestors) used to be creatures with faces on opposite side of the body. Much like two people back-to-back, but with round bodies. They tried to climb to Mount Olympus and Zeus cut them in half, separating the two halves into individuals. Thus creating the idea we were not “whole” and could potentially spend eternity searching for our other half in an attempt to regain our primal nature.
The concept that we are in constant search for the perfect mate that “completes” us is the basis for many romantic movies, tv shows, and books. It has even been specifically mentioned in some (I recall a particular episode of Bones in which she tells the tale to Booth). We, as humans, put a lot of time and effort into finding a “perfect” mate, that person that just feels right; feels like home. One of the common misconceptions about soulmate theory is that this has to be a romantic connection, when really that was not stated in Plato’s story. One’s soulmate does not have to be a romantic partner at all. Some spiritual beliefs say that our souls travel in groups. That throughout our reincarnations our souls will have stronger relationships with those in our group, though the dynamics of those relationships change with each incarnation. So two souls may be lovers in one lifetime, but siblings or parent and child in a another, or even just good friends. If we are truly here, lifetime after lifetime, to learn lessons to further our soul’s growth, then it would make sense that we would need different teachers in each lifetime, that other souls in our group would need to play different parts so we learn different lessons and support each other in different ways each time.
One part of this story that is rarely (if ever) mentioned is that there were three types of primal creatures. There were males that were descendants of the sun that had two male parts, females that were descendants of the earth that had two female parts, and hermaphrodites that were descendants of the moon that had a male and a female side. After hearing this my daughter pointed out that she would have thought the female aspects would have been descendants of the moon, and I had to agree, but that was how it was written.
So, if we have a soulmate, would that soul play a predominate role in each of our lifetimes? Would we learn our greatest lessons from the other half of our own self? Would the role they play have to be different each time? I don’t have all the answers, that is one of the great mysteries of life. Maybe we will find out on the other side, just to forget it again and start all over. What do you think? Do we have a soulmate? Is there someone out there that completes us? Do we travel in soul groups, helping each other to learn and grow? Or maybe we are all thrown in together like a giant spiritual science experiment to see what happens?