Karma or soulmates?

I recently read somewhere that soulmates are friends who stay together for life- two complete souls that walk side by side; while karmic connections are strong ties that remain for limited time frames in someone's lifetimes until they learn their relationship lessons. Twin connections are masculine and feminine connections that manifest seperately for lifetimes until they rejoin at key periods. They are two sides of a whole, and "twin flame" connections are rather rare, because most souls in this world are still at the process of reaching that point. Twin souls do not meet in every lifetime. When twin souls are done with their human experiences, they depart this world into eternal consciousness.

I recognize my own relationships through this. It makes perfect sense, this concept of purpose in a relationship. My first relationship was a form of Karmic debt that my ex and I owed to each other- we needed to know what we did not want in a relationship and we found out through each other. I learned many things from him about his South East Asian culture, value systems and society. I also was inspired by him- he came to the United States at 14 as a refugee and had to make a living for the first two- three years selling newspapers with his mother. He did not speak any English, and yet, today, (almost 18 years later), he is in Medical School. His attitude of reaching for the highest goals rubbed off on me, and helped me do well in college. I faced a lot of flak from my family during that time, but his strength kept me going. I became his motivation to go to medical school. He enjoyed my youth and innocence; he benefited from our communication because he always felt that he could talk to me about anything without being judged. I also nudged him to bridge the communication gap with his mother. I was with him during his most important days and I introduced him to Indian culture- a knowledge with which he won over his next girlfriend Pooja's heart. We were not meant to be together forever, and despite the initial discomfort and sadness, it felt right when we broke up.


Karmic partners seek out each other's energy. Their relationships often begin with great passion yet end without any attraction. These relationships may also leave one partner feeling particularly drained. When karmic partners part, this is a sign that business has been settled and debts are paid or the timing is not right to accomplish these goals and it's all right to move on.

I've have soulmates here- Minoti is a soulmate. Her and I are two schoolchildren who will always walk through life together. She cares for me more than I care for her sometimes; she always looks for solutions for me, and although she can be hotheaded and impulsive, I love her for her honesty. She looks out for me and tries to protect me from being hurt. I always give Minoti a non judgmental ear. I advise her and cheer her on to the best of my ability. I help her with her wardrobe and I am her go to person for make up- I'll be doing that for her on her wedding day. The woman my uncle in India married is also a soulmate- in fact, they say, I chose her for my uncle (I was not yet 4 at that time). In India, arranged marriages were common that time. I went with my family to the woman's home. As everyone else was talking, the attention whore that I was (and still am), I walked over to her and snuggled into her lap, calling her "my nice auntie". She fed me some cashews and almonds from her hands. I fell asleep in her arms. My uncle married her within the next 6 months. We remain best friends, forever. My best friend Shruti, the one whose wedding is this November, is also a soulmate. We used to only meet for 15-20 days in a year, when I used to visit my mother's parents, but we became friends at 3 and we have been best friends since. I don't need to see her frequently to resume a deep, connected conversation with her. In fact, when I was leaving India at the age of 11, I had made a wish that after we get married, her and I would stay in the same city. That wish may come true, because her fiancee is studying in New York at present, and he will be looking for job, possibly in Los Angeles, this upcoming year. There is another person who is my soul mate as well, and I am glad that I recognized our connection.

When soul twins reunite, both of them experience an acceleration of their spiritual growth and awakening. They get on the fast track of learning about esoteric wisdom and experiencing other states of consciousness. They usually haven't been together all that often during their series of lives on the planet, and so their backgrounds may be different. Guidance is strong with these relationships, and usually one or both have good psychic abilities. Their connection is telepathic, and, here's the biggest giveaway- hugging or holding each other feels like coming home for nourishment.

Twin connections are marked by difficulties and obstacles- whether it be distance, a previous romantic attachment, or simply fear from such a strong energy (this bond is so intense that it can scare the strongest of us). The biggest reason twins have to separate after coming together is their individual emotional baggage. Because in the presence of your twin, there can be nothing between you, nothing blocking your closeness. This means that everything comes up for healing that you haven't previously healed. Everything! Of course, they do come back together once both the halves are ready. Every previous relationship feels like "practice" for this grand "twin soul" relationship. I am lucky enough to have experienced all of the above mentioned relationship connections. The best relationship is one in which individuals are both soul mates AND twin souls- complete by themselves and fulfilled with each other.