Soulmates – 10 types of soulmates and what sets them apart from life partners

“When you meet that one person. A person. A soul mate. Allow the connection. The relationship. Than what she is. It could be five minutes. Five hours, five months. Five years. For a lifetime. Five lifetimes. Let her develop as she was meant to. She has a natural purpose. So she stays or will go again. You will become gentler. By receiving a sincere love. Souls merge into one another. Go back. Open up. And roam through your life for a whole host of reasons. Let them be who they are. And what they are destined to be.”

Translated from English, this is a poem by Nayyirah Waheed , who has built up a large fan base, especially on Instagram, through her wonderful and emotionally touching poems.

The core theme is often soul mateship and the wonderfully deep and empowering connection between two people - the soul partners. I recommend that you read the poem more than once because it contains a wealth of inspiration and makes you think and ponder.

Some people might dismiss this topic as kitsch, as a fantasy of spiritually removed old hippies or dream catchers who are difficult to teach. To be honest, I used to have a similarly critical attitude towards it.

But such contempt really doesn't do him justice and falls far short.
Soulmates are indeed a significant issue for millions of people. The idea of ​​an overarching and strong bond between two people who may seem completely different at first glance is very important to many people all over the world.

So wrote the renowned clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst Mary C. Lamia Ph.D. in Psychology Today :

“Soulmates experience communication on both a nonverbal and verbal level. Fine nuances of communication arise through facial expressions and body language, especially if you are well and sensitively attuned to another person.”

So do we achieve soulmate status if an exchange of glances with another person can give us an innermost feeling of connection? At least that's what Lamia's statement suggests.

So what exactly are soulmates? Attempt at a definition

Mary C. Lamia has already provided us with a number of characteristics to describe a soul mate. But let's try a more precise definition.

If you summarize various explanations and attempts at definition, then a soul connection exists when two people have the feeling of being connected to one another in a significant or extraordinary way - i.e. on a soul level.

It is the transcendental feeling that a connection between two people transcends the earthly and visible plane - that is, the concrete aspects of a relationship, such as being a co-worker, colleague, partner or lover - and that something much larger is at play that has brought them together .

For example, you may feel that you have known each other in a previous life or that your souls before this life agreed to meet now.
This view is based on an idea of ​​exclusivity, which spiritual teacher and best-selling author Tess Whitehurst strongly disagrees with.

She has been in a romantic relationship with the same partner for over 20 years and is convinced that the opposite is true:

“We actually have a lot of soulmates. And since we are all part of a common humanity or spiritual consciousness, we are actually all connected to each other on a soul level.”

So there are different explanations and opinions.

How do you recognize a soul mate?

“Soulmates recognize each other by their eyes...It's magical, sometimes scary and always life-changing. It's the moment you look into the eyes of the love you've been longing for all your life...

What is a soulmate?

A soulmate is “the other half of your soul,” the person you are connected to on a deeper level. It's the one person in this world who knows you better than anyone else and someone you hold in your heart forever no matter where life takes you.

The first person you want to call when something good or bad happens, the one person who always understands you just by looking at you and someone you can trust with your life..."

... this is how Deno Licina describes soulmates in the following video:

To delve deeper into the topic, let’s look different types of soul connections . Because the most common perception is that people can be your soulmate in many different ways.

Here comes a popular classification.

1. Soulmate

There are certain souls that you have consciously partnered with in this lifetime - these are the most common type of soulmate.

They may have agreed to be best friends, close colleagues, close-knit in-laws, co-parenting children, or opening a business together, creating a long-term business relationship.

A soulmate can be with someone you have known intimately your whole life, such as a beloved sibling, or with someone who shares your life path for just a short time - such as an influential person in your industry who offers you a great opportunity in your life career offers.

People who get to know us are like a springboard or who have significantly influenced and shaped us in one direction or another.

Soul mates are explicitly there to support you emotionally, professionally or in other ways in this life. You are needed to achieve and experience what your soul intended to do here on earth.

None of us can live this life alone, and soul mates remind us of how beautifully, masterfully and complexly all of our lives are intertwined.

2. Soul ties/soul bond

When you feel a soul tie , it is the feeling that another soul is in your life for a reason.

For example, if your life is very hectic and dominated by your stressful job, but you still, and perhaps completely unexpectedly, meet a new colleague or business partner, the feeling that you have a soul connection with this person could inspire you to change your life life to make room for a new relationship with that person.

A soul tie gives you subliminal clues that getting to know a particular person could positively change and enrich your life.

3. Like-minded people/relatives in spirit

Kindred spirits are not always soulmates by definition, but they certainly can be.

Spiritual relatives – or more commonly known as like-minded people – are generally people who get along really well. You may feel that a kindred spirit is someone who shares the same spiritual beliefs you have or agrees with you on important cultural, moral, or ethical issues.

This can go so far that you can finish each other's sentences that you have started. A kindred spirit could also be someone who has had a similar life experience as you or was shaped in a similar way.

4. Soul friends from a past life

Many Eastern religions and philosophies discuss the concept of past lives. And you're probably familiar with the phenomenon of meeting new people you've never met before, but still feeling like you've known each other your whole life.

If two souls have shared a significant past life (or perhaps several), when they meet again in this life they may be inexplicably drawn to each other. In romantic relationships, sexual chemistry can also deviate significantly from the traditional spectrum in this case.

What people feel in this type of connection is the accumulated and built-up energy from past lifetimes.

According to Brian Weiss, MD , a psychiatrist and past life regression expert, argues that it would be possible for two souls to agree to reincarnate and move toward each other even after being separated for 1,000 Earth years. Isn't that incredibly romantic?

5. Karmic relationships / Karmic connection

Karmic soulmates are sometimes referred to somewhat disrespectfully as “wrecking ball soulmates.”

Astrologer Monika Geiger explains in the video: What is a karmic relationship?

But instead of viewing karma in a completely polar way, as good or evil, or as a system of punishment and reward, it can also be viewed as a neutral energy based on the principle of cause and effect.

The earthly level is largely determined by its causal chain of cause and effect. We are constantly creating karma with other people, through small and significant interactions.

Every interaction with another person creates energy that can manifest itself in karma.

Karmic soulmates can come into our lives as positive change agents and, through positive, negative or neutral interactions, provide us with opportunities or ways to improve our karma.

This allows us to grow and develop. Remember that the soul is always craving new experiences, growth and evolution.

6. Romantic soulmate

Whenever we enter into a meaningful, fulfilling romantic relationship or fall deeply in love, there is a chance that we have found our soul mate. This enables us to have an intimate and wonderful relationship.

Such a relationship provides fertile ground for both people to heal, learn, and grow with and from each other.

Whenever two destined souls enter into a romantic relationship with each other, they enter a shared room that has wonderful things in store for them.

It's common to hear people in romantic soulmates say, "I feel like I've been waiting my whole life to meet this person." The wait is almost always worth it.

7. Soul Contracts

Highly intuitive person and spiritual teacher Robert Ohotto describes soul contracts as agreements you have made at a soul level to do certain things in this life. One could therefore speak of appointments for a specific purpose.

You may have a soul contract to care for a child together or write a specific book. These contracts are not set in stone and can be renegotiated.

So if you find yourself in a harmful situation, leave the dynamic or change it to a healthier one. Feeling like you have a soul contract to do something challenging, like starting your own business, can give you the lasting inspiration and perseverance to get through the difficult parts of such a journey.

To determine whether you have a soul contract with another person for a specific purpose, it is worth following your intuition.

While some believe that the twin flame or dual soul is the ultimate romantic experience, any relationship you enter into with another person - romantic or otherwise - can hold the potential to help you become more enlightened.

The book author Margret Martincolo describes sibling souls as follows:

“Dual souls are like egg whites and egg yolks.

They must first be separated, stirred and beaten,

to meet again in the cake batter in the grand finale.”

It refers to the fact that with dual souls there is initially a painful process until the intimate relationship between two souls intended for each other can develop. It can happen with two people who love each other that they separate again after a short time, believing that they are so different.

Only to realize afterwards that the heartbreak and the painful absence of the other show them the way to finally deciding for each other again and this time.

Are you perhaps currently in a phase of heartache and separation pain? Then you can read more about Margret Martincolo's explanations on the topic of sibling souls in this article .

8. Twin Flame / Twin Soul / Dual Soul / Sibling Soul

These popular terms are very common in the spiritual world. They are used as synonyms of each other and all refer to the same type of close soul connection.

They describe a very intense form of soul connection. Some people even claim that twin flames are actually one and the same soul, divided into two bodies only on a physical level.

According to this theory, twin flames can love, challenge, teach, and heal each other in unique, powerful ways. However, Whitehurst warns against feeling like you need another person to complete you.

Twin Soul: 6 Cosmic Signs You've Found the Other Half of Your Soul

This video post describes the experience of being with your twin soul. He will help you understand whether you have found your spiritual match.

Essentially, a twin soul is literally the other of two halves of the soul that are meant to be together and complement each other in every way. Those people who are lucky enough to find the other half of their soul find that their lives are far richer and more fulfilling.

When a twin soul is reunited in this world, both complement each other in their lives, protecting and enriching each other's energies and spirituality, and moving together
as a unified force that can achieve anything.

Many of us wonder how we will ever know if we have found our twin flame. Although this can be very subjective, the following are some commonalities that most twin souls share.

Have you found your twin soul? The following video article provides answers.

9. Soul guide / soul teacher

A shaman, spiritual healer, or spiritual mentor can come into your life by divine or cosmic providence, simply because they are a soul mate.

For example, it could also be the college professor who encourages you to pursue a particular course of study or career path. A professional mentor, counselor, or alternative practitioner who will teach you how to better manage your fears.

Sometimes a spiritual guide shows up to teach you by challenging you to do something different, explore new paths, and step outside your comfort zone.

Soul teachers are special relationships, and each of us has probably been in both roles - that of student and that of teacher. We don't even have to consciously realize it. Such soul relationships may have been relatively fleeting, but with a great impact on both of our lives.

10. Soul Encounters

In English usage there is the expression “ships that pass by at night” . This expression is used figuratively to describe someone who comes into your life unexpectedly and unannounced.

However, this someone will not take a permanent place in your journey, but rather will simply move on like the passing water.

This phenomenon can be observed in friends, lovers or colleagues when the waves of fate throw them together for only a short time, but during this fleeting time together they leave behind amazing experiences and deep traces.

Even if a person doesn't come into your life for a long time, wonderful moments can be shared together. For example, a hot lover who you meet on a retreat and lose sight of again after a short, intense time - this can be such a soul meeting.

In this case, both people should value the time spent together, as well as the lessons you may have learned.

Soul encounters teach us not to judge the meaning and depth of a soul connection based on the length of time in the relationship.

The differences between soul mates and life partners

These two terms are often used interchangeably or confused in everyday language. It is also common to combine the idea of ​​a soul mate with that of a life partner. This often causes confusion and misinterpretations.

Reason enough not to close this article without defining these terms.

The differences briefly summarized:

A life partner is basically a trustworthy and reliable person with whom you spend a lot of time, while a soul mate is a person who comes into your life specifically to enrich it, promote your development and ultimately bring you to a higher state of consciousness to help. Both are incredibly important and enriching for our lives.

Key Difference #1: A soulmate teaches you an important lesson

A soulmate can be a friend, a romantic partner, a colleague or a family member. Move away from the rigid idea that there must necessarily be a romantic connection (see different types above).

That being said, soulmates always inspire your very own passion and push you to better fulfill some aspect of your potential.

Typically, these people leave your life once they have learned the important lesson.
This can hurt, but it doesn't contradict their soulmate status. In contrast, a life partner shares your interests, supports you, and helps you take and overcome risks.

They are usually part of your life in the long term, regardless of the challenges and phases of life that arise. They also share a deep and reciprocal bond with you (e.g. partnership, ...).

Key Difference #2: Intuitive Understanding vs. Evolved Understanding

When you meet a soulmate, you will feel like you have known each other your whole life. Somehow you intuitively understand how you think, feel and approach life without ever having met each other before in your current incarnations.

On the other hand, your life partner probably has a different background, and the resulting differences can spark curiosity in both directions.

This leads to you feeling comfortable with each other, which in turn promotes the development of a deep and lasting friendship or romantic relationship.

Key Difference #3: Emotional vs. Logical Stimulation

The primary form of stimulation you experience with a soulmate is deeply emotional. You often don't need words to communicate your needs, desires and ideas.

Communication is often non-verbal and almost automatic. They know each other like themselves and the connection is constant and effortless.

With a life partner, you primarily enjoy intellectual stimulation. A stable, often entertaining way to gain mutual benefit from piquing and maintaining each other's interest.

In both cases, physical attraction can exist, but it is driven by a desire for fusion in a soul mate on the one hand, and a curiosity for contrast in a life partner on the other.

Key Difference #4: Two Opposite Poles

The type of connection you have with a soulmate affects the heart and consciousness. Therefore, the relationship you have with this type of person is intense, constantly evolving, deep, and likely to include both pain and pleasure.

The lessons that soulmates can impart will improve your life and move you into a higher form of being. Passing lessons can be both stressful and exhilarating.

On the other hand, the connection you have with a life partner usually only develops when you are both already in a state of self-love and self-acceptance.
This is a peaceful type of connection, and it is often the turmoil experienced with a soulmate that creates the space for this type of bonding with a life partner.

Key Difference #5: The timing is different

Soulmates appear in your life when you need to somehow find closure and urgently need to learn a lesson to move forward. The resulting experience is ecstatic and causes you to encounter both the best and worst within yourself.

In contrast, a life partner appears in your life when you are ready for something light, calming and able to focus on the present moment.
A life partner can often make a wonderful spouse, as a healthy marriage is usually based on a willingness to be "one" in some sense while remaining interestingly different.

Finally, please note that your soulmate can also be your life partner and that a life partner can also develop a deep connection with you.

The key difference is that you can choose a life partner. Not a soul mate. This comes into your life without your intervention. Neither is superior to the other. Both are mutually dependent and are equally important for our lives.