Isn't falling in love a wonderful thing? Such unbounded union of two people -- total mergence. When enraptured in love, the feeling is undeniable and the inner conviction screams out that you have found your soulmate. To fall in love is to experience your soul at one with the soul of another. In that moment, you are soulmates.
The soul is the sense you have of the depth of your being, the totality of your essence, that Transcendental level that lies beyond space, time, and physicality. When you fall in love, you both see the Transcendental level, the Divinity that lies deep within one another. You experience your souls as one. The truth is that all souls are one, but people only see that within those whom they love. When they have that experience with another person, it is an overwhelming experience. It makes sense then that many believe they have found their long lost, one and only soulmate.
Some say you have only one soulmate. That your life's journey is to return to that soulmate, that twin flame, that other half that when reunited, births wholeness, completeness, and fulfillment.
In fact, we are all soulmates. We are all, in our essence, that same one divine spark -- that one essence that many people call "God." The very notion of a single soulmate arises from the fact that for most people, perception on that deepest level of life is a very rare phenomenon, experienced only when having fallen in love.
So generally, it is believed that your only soulmate is the one with whom you are currently in love. You experience that your soul and their soul are unified. However, you can have that experience with another person and then it can slip away. When lost, the sadness, hurt, or disappointment may compel you to decide that you were mistaken -- that person was not your soulmate. The truth is, for a period of time, you indeed experienced that person as your soulmate.
The idea that throughout time you have only one soulmate, whom you must search for, is understandable. It comes from a longing for the ultimate perfect union. That union we long for is in fact a level of consciousness, a level of union with everyone and everything. At that level of life, it's not just about eros, falling in love, or finding your ideal lover. Instead, it includes all relationships. The longing is real and valid. Though beautiful and sweet, the interpretation of that longing is not accurate.
Eastern philosophy refers to two types of relationships: Karmic and Dharmic. In both sorts of relationships, you can fall in love and feel that you have found your soulmate.
Karmic relationships are essentially birthed by the winds of time and happenstance. Two people come together, fall in love, even though in a larger sense your individual life paths do not support one another. Karmic relationships are not easy. Personal issues overtake the relationship, resulting in conflict, discontent, and heartbreak. Generally they end with both parties wondering, "How could I have ever thought that person was my soulmate?" Of course, for a period of time, you were soulmates, but due to Karma, that period of time comes to an end and usually, soon.
Dharmic relationships are mutually supportive of one another's life path. Of course, early in the relationship, everyone considers their relationship to be Dharmic, but sadly many turn out to be Karmic. In either case, while you are in love, while you see the Transcendental Divinity within that person, they are your soulmate.
As the novel Siddhartha teaches, to understand the currents of a flowing river is to understand life. Souls share different currents, some through long periods of time and others for only a brief period, until each go their own way on separate currents. For those who believe in reincarnation, the concept of reuniting with another person through the millennia underscores the experience of a soulmate -- when once again from across the room, you notice and remember that person. When understood for the beauty that it is, the true nature of life and soulmates is exquisite -- a sublime melody that plays on throughout time.