W e humans tend to be a romantic lot. Like Cinderella, we hope to find the perfect love that will fill us with everlasting happiness. Cinderella had a difficult journey to find true love. She had to overcome a number of trials and tribulations before she serendipitously stumbled upon her Prince Charming. Of course, as in all fairy tales, they married and lived "happily everafter". We too would like to believe that somewhere out there is the perfect mate for us—well suited to our personality. A person who is kind, and loving—one we will recognize on a very deep level as soon as we meet them.

Plato believed that in the beginning there was only one human who was composed of two halves. At some point in time that perfect human was split apart becoming separate individuals. Ever since that separation occurred humankind has been searching for their other half to make them whole. The desire and pursuit of this wholeness is called "Love".

Much has been written about soulmates, another word for Plato’s Split Apart theory. Most people think of a soulmate in much the same way Cinderella saw Prince Charming; a romantic icon who would bring complete happiness and bliss to their lives. Soulmates; however, come in many shapes, sizes and personality types. We may have already met our true soulmate but didn’t realize it because we were idealizing the image so much. Soulmates are not always someone of the opposite sex. They can even be our brother, sister, mother, father, child or best friend.

Sometimes your soulmate may actually be the person who pushes your buttons and presents some of your biggest challenges. By doing this they are lovingly showing you the aspects of your own life that need to be changed. That is the purpose of a soulmate connection. A soulmate is someone you tend to incarnate with over and over again who has volunteered to help you learn as much as you can possibly learn about yourself while you are here on Earth. Their love for you is eternal but the relationship is not always easy.

Discovering your soulmate, (and there can be more than one in a lifetime), can be a frustrating odyssey. Noted Psychiatrist and Past Life Regression Therapist, Dr. Brian Weiss wrote about the soulmate connection in his book, Only Love Is Real. In it he told about two of his clients who were seeing him separately for similar depression and relationship issues. This man and woman had never met before in this lifetime. Working with each of them individually through the process of Past Life Regression, Dr. Weiss became aware of their links in previous lifetimes. They had often recounted to him being in the same circumstances during the same times in history. It became obvious to him that this couple had been soulmates through centuries.

Dr. Weiss arranged a meeting of the two in his waiting room where he witnessed a spark of interest, but neither seemed to sense their deep connection. He tried one more time to give Cupid a hand but still they didn’t recognize the bond that he knew they shared. Finally fate stepped in as it often will and put them on the same airplane going to New York. They talked as they waited for their flight to leave and became aware of how comfortable and familiar the other one felt. It was as if they had met somewhere before. Their relationship grew and they began sharing the stories of their past lives. It was undeniable to each of them that they had been together throughout lifetimes and that they were meant to discover each other in this life as well.

Past Life regression can be helpful in discovering the past connections that you may have had with loved ones in this lifetime. It can help you to understand why your relationships may be problematic so that you can make adjustments and bring more happiness into your life. Past Life regression is also a way of becoming prepared for those you are destined to meet so that you can recognize them more readily when you encounter them. They may not turn out to be your Prince Charming but the lessons your soulmates can teach you are always important to your soul’s development. Are you willing to journey through the passages of time to discover the importance of those loved ones in your life today?