The magical spark of soul mates. Do they actually burn in reality?

Yesterday I wrote about Plato’s idea that once they've found each other, soul mates don’t want to be out of the other’s sight for even a moment. Whether you agree with Plato or not, it’s a magical concept. But does it actually work? And is it good for a relationship? I’ve not had many boyfriends. Okay, I admit. I’ve had one. Other than Seth, of course. So that hardly makes me an expert. But I can and do read and I have to ask myself if I would want a soul mate if I ended up like….

Bella and Edward from Twilight. Obsessed with each other to the point that he stalked her night and day, and she launched herself off a cliff just so she could imagine hearing his voice in her head. No. Please no. If that’s what soul mates mean, then I’m not interested.

Or what about… Heathcliffe and Cathy from Wuthering Heights? Are you kidding? The two worst lovers in history. That book wasn’t about love, it was about revenge.

And Lancelot and Guinevere? They claimed to be soul mates, but their adulterous affair broke up the Knights of the Round Table. It was the classic love triangle. She was married to Arthur, but fell in love with his best friend, Lancelot. They tried to hide their affair, but you know the saying – truth will out. So even though Lancelot killed a few of his fellow knights to protect Guinevere’s honour and to hide the truth, Arthur still found out about it. He was about to burn Guinevere at the stake when Lancelot came dashing in and rescued her. Did being soul mates work out for them? Not likely. Lancelot ended his days as a hermit and Guinevere became a nun at Amesbury where she died.

Or the Beauty and the Beast? Okay. Now I’m listening. At least it wasn’t just mindless love at first sight with Belle and the Beast. He had to actually do something to earn her devotion – apart from just being sizzling hot. And we all know what the beast looked like! But if you still have doubts, then check out the movie Beastly. It’s a pretty good remake of the old classic – or maybe it’s just the beastly gorgeous Alex Pettyfer that caught my eye! But I digress…

I think most people would agree that Romeo and Juliet are the iconic soul mates …

The problem is, they were about as tragic as Seth and me. We also got drawn into a family feud. But, in our case, it wasn’t enough that the living messed things up for us, the dead had to climb into the fight too. Thankfully, since being in Shenaya, I’ve learned that love outlives the grave and can last forever. I’m sure Romeo and Juliet were delighted when they woke up in the world of spirits – the Fourth Dimension – and discovered that little fact. Talk about putting one over the Capulets and the Montagues!