Where Did The Term Soulmate Come From

After a difficult split ten years ago, I started to look into it. I was interested in linking the different versions of the soulmate ideal across time as a historian of religion and culture with a background in the history of ideas.

In a letter dated 1822, poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge writes, “To be happy in Married Life… you must have a Soul-mate.”

Coleridge believed that a successful marriage required more than just economic and social compatibility. It necessitated a spiritual link.

Plato, the Greek philosopher, authored a treatise several centuries before Coleridge “Symposium” explored the causes for people's desire for a soulmate. According to Plato, Aristophanes, all humans were once united with their other half, but Zeus divided them apart out of fear and jealously. The transcendent sensation of two soulmates reuniting is described by Aristophanes as follows:

“And when one of them meets his other half, the real half of himself… the two are engulfed in awe of love, friendship, and closeness, and neither of them will remain out of the other's sight for even a second.”

Where did the idea of a soulmate come from?

The idea of finding one's “soul mate” has about as much validity to it as the idea that each of us has a doppelganger (an “evil twin”), and that if we happen to cross paths, a bloody duel will always ensue, because one of us must die.

The concept of a soul mate originates with Aristophanes, a humorous playwright and Plato's contemporary. He narrated a fable about two-headed hermaphroditic giants who were cleft apart by a jealous Zeus and were doomed to seek their other half for the rest of their lives. If you can get over the unromantic image of two-headed giants lumbering around on four legs, I suppose the idea of a one-in-a-million quality in one's alleged soul mate has some romantic appeal.

Who coined the term soulmates?

The term “soulmate” is now commonly used to describe a romantic or platonic partner, with the idea of a lifetime commitment. It has the sense of being the strongest link that one may have with another individual. It is widely assumed that after one has found their soulmate, they will feel ‘complete,' as it is primarily in the perceived concept that two souls are meant to merge. In a letter written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1822, the term “soulmate” first appeared in the English language.

When were soulmates created?

After studying in Egypt, Plato wrote the modern version of soul mate theory around 400BC, according to which the formerly-known supreme god Atum, who became Atum-Ra in the Early Kingdom, Amen-Ra in the New Kingdom, and Zeus, or Amen-Zeus, as Alexander the Great (332BC) subsequently legally designated him,

Is soulmate in the Bible?

There is no such thing as a true “soulmate” according to the Bible. While there might be a soul tie or link formed when a person is intimate with another person, the Bible does not explicitly state that a predestined relationship exists between two people.

What did Plato say about soulmates?

Plato's ‘Symposium' is a philosophical book in which famous people give lectures at a banquet on love. It's a conversation about what love is, what love's purpose is, and much more.

“Love is a desire for beauty – a value that transcends the particularities of the physical body,” Plato writes in his ‘Symposium.' “One ached for its other half, and so they would fling their arms around each other, weaving themselves together, desiring to develop together,” Plato says of soulmates. “Love is neither mortal nor eternal, neither beautiful nor ugly,” Socrates tells Diotima, “it is the desire to possess what is beautiful, and one cannot desire what one already has.”

Check out ‘Allegory of the Cave' quotations and Greek quotes if you're looking for more related quotes.

Is soulmate really exist?

Soulmates are real and can be confirmed by science, according to the very out-there website The Science of Soulmates. However, after reading through the lengthy, wordy site, you'll discover that the “scientifically verified” hypotheses stated on the site to illustrate that soulmates are real are quite woo-woo.

TL;DR: Soulmates appear to be one manifestation of the energy patterns that run through everything in the universe. “Scientific instruments recorded proof of a fundamental energy pattern that exposes the source of existence and the phenomena of soulmates,” according to the website.

Despite the fact that this “proof” is muddled and difficult to understand, it appears that some people believe that soulmates can be discovered by researching energy patterns. I'm open to this idea — I was raised in an unconventional household and am open to many transcendental concepts — but I'm not certain that this website actually provides any concrete proof that soulmates exist, at least according to science. As a result, it's back to the drawing board.

Why do soulmates separate?

Soulmates will have to be physically separated at some point. You may need to separate, but you do not have to break up. Your soulmate may need to relocate to another city for employment, to visit family or friends, or simply to disconnect for a while.

This separation, on the other hand, could lead to a breakup. When soulmates' relationships become too passionate, they may find it difficult to be together for an extended period of time. This could lead to them ending their relationship and parting ways.

It's highly likely that you and your soulmate were not intended to be together if you split up. Furthermore, the timing is most likely off, and you are not yet prepared to be together.

Dealing with soulmate separation, for whatever cause, is challenging and unpleasant. Parting from them will be unbearable due to the strength of your love and connection with each other.

How are soulmates made?

Effective and polite negotiation of issues has become regular for a couple in the later phases of a fulfilling marriage along these lines. Love and respect for one another have been practiced so frequently that thoughts of divorce or separation are unthinkable. One's spouse could never be replaced because the relationship has gotten so complex and the compatibilities so intimately intertwined. Soul mates are two people who have become perfect for and irreplaceable to each other.