"BRIDA" by Paulo Coelho
What do you mean "Soulmate"?
'We are eternal because we are all manifestations of God, that is why we go through many lives and many deaths, emerging out of some unknown place and going towards another equally unknown place.'
"And when people think of reincarnation, they always come up against a very difficult question: if, in the beginning, there were so few people on the face of the Earth, and now there are so many, where did all those new souls come from?"
'In certain reincarnations, we divide into two. Our souls divide as do crystals and stars, cells and plants. Our soul divides in two and those new souls are in turn transformed into two and so, within a few generations, we are scattered over a large part of Earth.
"And does only one of those parts know who it is?"
'We form part of what the alchemists call the Anima mundi, the soul of the world. If the Anima mundi were merely to keep dividing, it would keep growing, but it would also become gradually weaker. That is why, as well as dividing into two, we also find ourselves. And that process of finding ourselves is called Love. Because when a soul divides, it always divides into a male part and a female part.'
'That's how the Book of Genesis explains it: the soul of Adam was split in two, and eve was born out of him.'
'In each life, we feel a mysterious obligation to find at least one of those Soulmates. The Greater Love that separated them feels pleased with the Love that brings them together again.'
"How will I know who my Soulmate is?"
'You could tell your Soulmate by the light in their eyes'
'By taking risks, by risking failure, disappointment, disillusion, but never ceasing in your search for Love. As long as you keep looking, you will triumph in the end'
"Is it possible to meet more than one Soulmate in each life?
'Yes. When that happens, the heart is divided, and the result is pain and suffering. Yes, we can meet three or four soulmates because we are many and we are scattered.'
'The essence of Creation is one and one alone, and the essence is called Love. Love is the force that brings us back together, in order to condense the experience dispersed in many lives and many parts of the world.'
'We are responsible for re-encountering at least once in every incarnation, the soulmate who is sure to cross our path. Even if it is only for a matter of moments, because those moments bring with them a Love so intense that it justifies the rest of our days.
'We can also allow our Soulmate to pass us by, without accepting him or her, or even noticing.Then we will need another incarnation in order to find that Soulmate.'
'And because of our selfishness, we will be condemned to the worst torture humankind ever invented for itself: loneliness'