On Valentine's Day: Another Side of Soul-mates

by Anonymous Shaker

On Valentine's Day, one's thoughts naturally turn to love (either the having or the not-having of), and this one has been doing so. I have not been in a romantic relationship in many years—by choice—and, for the most part, have been happy with that.

Recently, however, I have had reason to question my choice, as I have met an incredible person who makes my very soul sing. This was quite a surprise to me, because I was, as I said, not looking for any sort of attachment, much less meeting and falling in love with someone. It was a surprise to the person (to whom I shall refer as "A") in question as well, because A is married. The fact that A is married was, for some time, a limiting factor, in that I was not at all thinking of A as anything more than a friend.

That changed rather quickly, though, as I realized how much A resonated with me. And especially when I realized that A felt the same towards me. We had found each other, and each had found a soul-mate in the other.

Have you ever met someone, and instantly felt comfortable and familiar with her/him? Felt like you've known each other forever, even though you may not know each other's last name yet? That is what I see as a soul-mate. Not necessarily a True Love, but someone you know from All Time.

I believe that we each have lived many times before, and will live many times more, as our soul—the essence that is us—learns and moves on to a higher existence. I don't know this for fact, but of all the belief systems I know, this one makes the most sense, and resonates the most for me.

As we each move through Time and live the lives that we do, we tend, I believe, to meet up with some of the same fellow-souls over and over, and these are the souls that we recognize on first contact in each lifetime. These are the souls that have been important to us in previous lives, as friend or life-mate or even enemy. In any given lifetime, a particular soul-mate may well be a True Love, but is just as likely to be a lifelong friend.

Myself, I have been lucky enough to meet three—make that four now—of my soul-mates, and may well meet more before I move on to the next life (which will hopefully be a good long time ... at least forty years, please?). None of the first three have turned out to be what people usually think of as a soul-mate—not a life partner among them.

As to this fourth one? Well, it's too early to say. Chances are that A and I will not be "more" than friends in this lifetime—especially in the near future. If not in this lifetime, though, most certainly in some Future one.

But what person really knows what the Universe has in store for her/his life? That's what living it is all about ... the finding out.