Almost all of us have come into contact with the word 'soulmate' at some point. Maybe you know two people close to you who are each other's soulmate, or you are in a relationship with your own soulmate. Many times we associate the word soul mate with romance, but the fact is that a soul mate can be much more than that, and have you ever heard of soul mates or karmic relationships? Learn the difference between all three types of relationships here!

What is a twin soul?

A twin soul is said to be like a mirror image of yourself, your other half or your twin. Someone who is so incredibly similar to you in terms of personality and who knows everything about you on an intuitive level without so much verbal communication being required. At the first meeting with your twin soul, the recognition is total, and it can feel like you have known the person for ages. Before meeting, you can dream about the person or feel their energy. Once you get in touch with each other, it often feels like you've been waiting so long to see each other, much like when you've been away for a long time and finally get to come home. One can often recognize one's soulmate's voice, smile, eyes or other physical features, and meeting one's soulmate can come like a bolt from the blue.

However, a relationship with one's twin soul is rarely a bed of roses, as the twin reflects sides of yourself that you still need to work on. Twin souls are often very straight and honest with each other, which is beneficial for personal development but something that can also be tough if you are not ready for the truth. A twin soul relationship is one of the most evolving and challenging relationships out there, designed to grow the people. A twin soul relationship often includes crises and separation, but this is something that is meant for the highest good of the people. Once you've gone through the trials of a relationship with your twin soul, there is no love greater, deeper, and more obvious.

What is a soulmate?

Unlike soul mates who are almost always love partners, a soul mate can be family members, friends, colleagues or the like. A soul mate is someone who comes from the same soul family as you, and whom you have met in lifetime after lifetime. At the first meeting with your soulmate, the recognition is also perfect, and after just a few hours it can feel like you've known each other forever. Often the relationship develops very quickly, and it can feel like for the first time you are allowed to be your innermost, true self. With your soul mate, there is no pretending, the person understands everything about you without you having to explain, and they see and love the whole of you without excuses. It may feel like you are baring your entire being for the first time, but there is security in knowing that the person will always be there. Even in soulmate relationships there is an obviousness and security, but what separates this type of relationship from that between soulmates is that soulmates teach each other unconditional love, while that unconditional love is what lays the foundation of a soulmate relationship.

What are karmic relationships?

Karmic relationships are the most common type of relationship between people, and they mean that you have a karmic lesson to learn in meeting each other. Karmic relationships are often based on the ego and the physical. This means that you are, for example, attracted to an appearance or attached to other things on the surface. You can also have karmic relationships with family members or friends, they don't have to be romantic only. It is common for contradictions and power struggles to arise in karmic relationships, where one tries to change the other so that it fits into one's imagined image of the person. Karmic relationships can be experienced as tough, but they are there to dissolve karma and to make us heal. Karmic relationships are something our souls have chosen just like everything else in our lives, and through these relationships we evolve, heal and move towards the highest expressions of ourselves.

Facts taken from: minervas.se