Most people assume that the term 'soul mate' is reserved for a romantic partner that is meant to be your ideal match. Though soul mates can definitely show up as romantic partnerships, I truly believe that we connect with several soul mates over our lifetimes in order to heal, learn lessons, and overcome difficulties. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I have definitely met several soul mates in my lifetime, and quite a few in the past few years alone! There are so many meaningful and magical elements to the way that these connections formed, and these individuals have truly have inspired me and helped me to evolve and heal.
Since moving to Switzerland, I've felt extremely connected to 3 different women (my angels of Switz!). These connections have definitely surpassed the standard bonds of casual friendship. For all three, there was an immediate feeling of having known each other before, and an instant trust that it was safe to share my inner world with them. It's actually quite beautiful when I look at the way (and the timing) that brought them into my life.
Here's a summary of these wonderful ladies and how our paths crossed.
Sally: Soul Mate Since 2016
Sally was one of the very first friends I made when I moved to Switzerland in 2016. We were introduced by a mutual friend who thought we would hit it off, and she was right! *thanks, Lauren!*
Our first meeting was in the center of Bienne at this old diner called the Arcade. I was 5 months pregnant, settling into a new country, and pretty homesick.
When I saw Sally, I immediately perked up. In a room full of grey and neutral toned outfits, Sally was ALL leopard, pink, and sparkles. It was so uplifting.
We sat down and chatted so effortlessly. She was silly and sweet and we had such interesting overlaps in our lives. Sally is British, and as some of you know, my father has been living in England since 2006. So that part of me that is very much connected to Brit culture felt really at-home with her.
On a deeper level (and this took longer to unfold) we realized that we had had very similar conditioning/automatic patterns of behaviour that emerged from a young age. When we shared more of our stories', we saw that there were so many common themes in the ways in which we tried to cope with the outside world as children/teens/young adults (mostly by running from discomfort/covering it up/engaging in harmful, distracting activities to disengage).
Back in 2016, we used to sit around and dream about the day where we would publish books and help people with our writing. Then, it seemed like this far away dream, but look at us now! Sally is a brilliant coach and writer, and her book, Get Your Sparkle Back, is a masterpiece.
I feel like in another life we could've been sisters or young friends....something filled with love and innocence, cause that's how we come alive when we're together. Our relationship is really unconditionally supportive, filled with so much care for each others' wellness, so much respect for each others' choices.
What we do best: sushi dates, crystal shopping, somehow always managing to look semi-related (or like a couple, haha)
Amy: Soul Mate Since August, 2019
Amy is one of the sweetest people I've ever met in my life. Hailing from L.A, Amy has been in Switzerland for many years. We met through a women's group that we are both members of, and instantly felt drawn to each other. Amy sent me an email after having met with the group one day in August, 2019, and we made plans to meet up and get to know each other better.
2019 was super tough for me. I was pretty much going through a mental health crisis, with crippling anxiety plaguing me almost every day for months and months. It was discouraging, exhausting, and I often didn't want to see anyone, because I felt like I had nothing to give.
Not to mention, I had two babies at home that required near-constant attention, so I was hyper-focused on them, and not always taking enough time for myself (ie: never taking enough time for myself).
When I met Amy, I was able to explain to her that though I wanted to connect, I felt a bit limited with what I could offer, cause I was basically a burnt-out, hormonally depleted, anxious mess.
Amy, being the angel that she is, would come to my house without hesitation, making sure that I was in a comfortable space, and we would just talk and talk and talk. Creatively, we were so in sync, and we'd sit there and brainstorm ideas about writing and end up with pages of our respective notebooks filled with creative ideas.
Amy is a person that has gone through some heavy stuff in her life, but her resilience and ability to still show up to life with compassion and love has never stopped amazing me. She is a very special soul who entered my life when things were really rough, to encourage me to continue to connect to my creativity, and to offer support and genuine care when I really needed it.
Amy has always understood the struggles of being far from home/loved ones when difficult moments arise, and that gave me so much comfort.
What we do best: Write each other lovely 'check-in' emails on the reg, cry together, give each other the best hugs
Teresa, Soul Mate Since July, 2021
Teresa is the most recent additional to my 'soul family'. We connected in such a synchronistic way, and I love how we came into each others' lives.
Since the springtime, I've been hiking a lot here in Switzerland. It's become a bit of an obsession. Hiking has given me a physical and emotional outlet for so many of the heavy things that I've experienced in the past few years. It's healed me so much.
Teresa lives in the same town as me, and she reached out to me in late July to ask me where my hiking trail was (based on a photo she saw of my hiking in Biel). We chatted a bit and planned to meet.
Before we had a chance to make plans, life literally put us in the exact same place at the same time. In August, we were both at the beach. This is kinda funny, because we were both in the washroom with our respective sons, and we came out of the stalls and were face to face with each other. We were like, 'OMG it's you! Hi!'
So that afternoon we spent half an hour sitting on the beach together, chatting. We realized right away that we had so many similarities in our stories. Both separated, young moms. Both on a spiritual path towards healing and a deeper understanding of our journeys.
Since then, we've met another two times, and both times we've connected even more. It doesn't seem like 'just a coincidence' that her name is Teresa (I have an entire chapter in Shadow Work called, 'Dimes From Saint Theresa'). It's a name that represents a lot in my life story, and I just find it so neat that I stumbled upon my own 'dime' from Saint Theresa shortly after publishing the book.
Our chats have been so natural and organic; we can talk for hours without feeling like any time has passed. We are both in very similar situations in our personal lives, and it's so fun to talk about all the magical moments that arise in each of our lives. We are both super into signs and symbols, and it's so great to have a person that is in sync with that energy in my presence.
What we do best: tell funny stories about our pasts that make the other crack up, do tarot card readings
Ah. So uplifting to remember that life/the Universe is always looking out for our growth. When you're looking for magic, you'll find it. I hope that you can recognize when your soul family members come a knocking. They might not be sent for a long period of time, but they'll always help you level up and heal. <3