Almost all people have a longing for company. Sometimes we can understand this desire as a guideline towards union with God, and at other times, as a desire for union with another person.
Two ideas come together in the material from Edgar Cayce’s readings about choosing a partner, particularly a life partner. First is the principle that we are here on earth for the purpose of growing and developing our consciousness. Furthermore, associations with some individuals are more conducive to growth than associations with others; therefore, it is wise to choose our partners carefully. This principle is probably easy for us to accept if we simply reflect on the kinds of influence that various friends and acquaintances have had on us in the past. The impact is most powerful in a marital relationship, and a good union must be based on a shared purpose in life and the ability to help each other grow.
The second principle relates to reincarnation: we, as spirit beings (or souls), experience our growth in consciousness through a series of lifetimes in human physical form. In other words, we have been to earth many times before and, more specifically, we have had close personal relationships with particular souls. The attraction to another person and thoughts about marriage are most likely related to memory patterns (even subconscious memories!) Of having been with that soul in the distant past. In the readings, Cayce suggested that we are often attracted to a particular person for marriage in this life because of that relationship at least once before.
But if reincarnation is a fact, we might expect that we have married many souls in the course of other incarnations. Which of these associations is the best to build now, in this life? Does each person have exactly another special soul that they should be with whenever possible?
Many sources of psychic information and other metaphysical teachings have proposed concepts such as “soul mate” and “soul mate”. Cayce’s readings, while at the same time raising some provocative questions, shed some light on this topic.
At the beginning, as noted, it was presented that this became the Sons of God, in which man and woman were as one … Reading 364-7
A fundamental issue is the very nature of the soul. Is it male or female? Both or neither? The readings propose that the soul itself has no gender.
However, in order to learn and grow, a soul enters the physical domain (which is characterized by polarities such as light / dark, positive / negative, thought / feeling, etc.) and chooses to incarnate in a masculine or feminine expression. Probably, in the long-term growth of the soul throughout many incarnations, masculine and feminine experiences are needed. By selecting one gender over the other in a particular life, a condition is usually created in which a balance or complement is needed, as can be found in a marriage partner. This is not to say that significant spiritual growth is impossible during a life without marriage; rather, the marital relationship is a great avenue of development.
Perhaps this growth pattern has not always been the usual one. Some readings suggest that in ancient prehistory, such as the time of Atlantis more than 12,000 years ago, a soul could incarnate in such a way that masculine and feminine qualities manifested simultaneously. It is not clear what form the physical body took in these cases. One person was told in a reading about an Atlantean incarnation: “because then both man and woman could be desired in one.” (288-27)
So what is a soulmate? Is it the soul one has been married to in most incarnations? The frequency of marriage may be a factor because, according to Cayce, soulmate status is built through physical experiences shared over a long period of time. However, a more precise understanding is this: a soulmate is a complement to oneself. One reading poetically describes it as “the tongue to the furrow, the ear to the shroud …” (1556-2) It is more than a mere physical attraction; It is the ability to help each other on a physical, mental and spiritual level.
Another interpretation of the term “soul mates” was offered by Hugh Lynn Cayce, who was present at several of his father’s lectures on this subject. He wrote: “The idea of soul mates and affinities is closely related to the theory of reincarnation, as explained through the Edgar Cayce readings. Two souls can, in various incarnations, grow closely together in their pattern of spiritual evolution. These souls will need each other’s help and assistance as they evolve and therefore, in any incarnation, they will bond closely due to their many past associations and the intricate intertwining of their respective personalities. “
Soulmate status is also a matter of ideals. An important passage said: “It can be said that those who have found an ideal in an experience are soul mates and not married couples. [are] made in heaven nor by the Father, except that each one does his commandments “(275-38).
These criteria suggest that one might have more than a lonely soulmate, although such a fact is not explicitly explained in any Cayce reading. However, we must undoubtedly be cautious about leaving a current spouse simply because we are attracted to someone else. In all likelihood, the same problems and “opportunities” that we face today would be the same regardless of which partner we have in our lives; in relationships where we usually come to terms with those things we have to work on ourselves, even though we can sometimes think of our partner as the source of our frustration. Those who come across the idea of soul mates after being married can rest assured that their partner is, in fact, a “soul mate.”
For those who are single and would like to find their soul mate, what does Cayce’s readings have to offer?
First, they suggest choosing someone who will help you have a “more useful, more sustainable, more balanced life …” (364-7) In modern language, we could say that we are looking for someone who has the “right vibrations” to U.S. In fact, this is a phrase used in the readings to describe the type of experience that could be felt between soulmates: “with the union of two that vibrate or respond to those vibrations in themselves …” (364-7) Together , the two of them would help each other find a balanced life.
But even if we find someone who fits these criteria, someone who may be a soul mate, this does not guarantee a good marriage. The two will still have to work together for the great potential of the relationship to flourish. This is what the readings seemed to suggest in the following question-and-answer exchange. We could assume that the question, in effect, was whether these two people were soul mates or not.
Q. Is this girl the type and quality of femininity that best suits this man for a successful life? R. It can be done like this in each one. No one adapts exactly in the beginning, unless they have been predestined through the ages of each mating. (Reading 257-15)
The final statement is not clearly explained. We could understand that “predestined” includes a choice made by the two souls before being born this time, or it can be related to very strong ties built over many married lives (that is, “the mating of each one”).
A similar concept to soul mates is “soul mates”. When Cayce used this term in the readings, he did not mean to imply that two souls were identical. Instead, they are two souls who share a common purpose or ideal. They would not necessarily have had prior marriage incarnations. In other words, soulmate status is largely built on the material plane of experience (although, as mentioned above, it has mental and spiritual components beyond sexual attraction). However, soulmate status evolves more from a similarity in the non-material realm, in idea, or on the ideal level.
An example of soul mates, according to Cayce’s readings, is Jesus and his mother, Mary. One reading says: “At first Mary was the soul mate of the Master at the entrance to the earth!” (5749-8)
Finally, we might ask ourselves: “Where does this topic of soulmates and soulmates take us? Is it our destiny to find and meet some other special soul?” That’s not the point of view of Cayce’s material. They refer to Jesus’ teaching that, in the celestial kingdom, we are neither married nor given in marriage. As helpful as marital relationships on earth may be, beyond this material domain, our destiny is to find fulfillment within our own souls. If one must think in terms of being destined for final union with some other soul, then think of that other soul as the Christ Soul. One reading put it this way: “But know, the soul is more the soul mate of universal consciousness than of an individual entity.” (2988-2)
The principle of soul mates and soul mates is therefore potentially helpful and misleading. These concepts can help us understand some of the key factors in making the right spouse decision and can remind us that some relationships are huge reservoirs of love and support that can be reawakened. However, these concepts can be misleading if we forget that our last companion is the Christ, or if we are tempted to give up the responsibilities of relationships that we have already committed to in this life.
