

What Is A Twin Flame In Astrology, And How Can You Tell If You’ve Found Yours?

It's the "ultimate soul mate."

A. Steinberg PhotoGetty Images

Whenever you meet a potential new suitor, you go through all the usual stuff to make sure you’re compatible: how your values and life goals line up, and whether they’ll actually watch The Bachelorette with you—you know, the important stuff. Later, as things heat up, you’ll probably compare zodiac sign compatibility—purely to confirm you’re a match, of course. While that's great and all, there's something way better: finding your twin flame.

Say what? A twin flame is a truly next-level bond—and one that you'll have for life. Your twin flame is like your soul mate, but even deeper than that. Felt like you’d known your S.O. for ages when you first met? It could be a twin flame thing.

"When first meeting your twin flame, there might be an automatic pull between you two, something that is hard to even explain," says astrologer Narayana Montúfar, author of Moon Signs: Unlock Your Inner Luminary Power. "It's almost like knowing everything about them at a soul level without them even telling you about it."

Sounds pretty amazing, right? There’s even more to it. "There's a certain magnetism between you and them, which can become pretty intense from the get-go," Montúfar
says. "So, if you meet your twin flame, you will definitely feel it right away."

Think of it like love at first sight, but much more than just a physical attraction. Curious to know if you’ve found your twin flame? Here’s everything to know about what this love phenomena means—and more important, how to find yours.

Ooh. What is a twin flame, exactly?

Listen up, folks, because a twin flame is no joke. It’s "essentially the other half of your soul," says Patricia Hicks*, a psychic advisor at Keen.com. A twin flame makes you feel complete—they’re a mirror of yourself, soul-wise, as if you were cut from the same cloth.

While that’s pretty awesome, being in a relationship with your twin flame can be challenging at times because you’re so alike.

Still, there’s an "unconditional love and bond that sticks," Hicks notes.

Whoa, so is my twin flame my soulmate?

Yes and no. A twin flame is the "ultimate soulmate," according to Hicks. You can have several soulmates during your life, but you can only have *one* twin flame, she explains.

In other words, your twin flame is your soulmate, but not all soulmates are twin flames. In fact, most aren't—since, like Hicks said, you can only have one. (Stupid odds...)

What is the purpose of a twin flame?

It’s actually not meant to be the love of your life. "Because a twin flame is a karmic connection, they are helping you work through some of your deepest psychic material by bringing intense experiences into your life," Montúfar says. "While most people think that meeting your twin flame is like a beautiful walk in the park—it's not, it's actually just the opposite."

A twin flame can cause an "intense connection" that makes you feel enlightened, Montúfar says, which sometimes means pointing out your flaws and insecurities and making you deal with them head on.

What zodiac signs are twin flames?

Here’s the thing: Your Sun sign (i.e. the one you look up when you read your horoscope)—and your Venus sign—can help you figure out if you’re compatible with your S.O. But a twin flame "goes way further that just comparing two people’s signs," Montúfar says.

Instead, a synastry chart reading, which compares two charts and the aspects they make to each other, could tell you whether you and your beau at least have a soul connection.

Maybe your zodiac sign can't tell you your twin flame, but at least it can tell you what you're like in bed:

How does a relationship with a twin flame compare to other relationships?

For starters, it’s totally unique. "This is a one-of-a-kind relationship that doesn't compare to any other," Montúfar says. "The reason is that your twin flame is like a part of yourself [is because] at some point [they] got separated from you."

Montúfar says that it’s "basically impossible" to compare your twin flame relationship to other relationships, because it serves a totally different purpose in your life. "A twin flame relationship serves as a mirror and a vehicle for your soul's growth, which is something that only happens once," she says.

How will I know if I’ve found my twin flame?

Since you and a prospective suitor can't just look up your zodiac signs to see if you’re twin flames (because that'd just be too easy), this is a gut feeling kind of thing.

If your gut's already pointing in that direction, Montúfar says to look out for these specific signs that you may just have found your twin flame:

  • You feel a magnetic pull toward one another.
  • You feel a strange sense of familiarity and feel safe in each other’s presence.
  • Even though you know you haven’t met before you did, you feel like you already know them really well.
  • You share an intense psychic connection and are highly sensitive to each other’s energies.
  • You mirror each other’s fears and insecurities so much that it’s freaky.
  • You bring out the best in each other, but challenge each other, too.

    In general, you know you’ve found your twin flame when you meet someone who is super similar to you. They're so similar, in fact, that your interactions can even be a little uncomfortable, as well as super gratifying, Montúfar says.

    "Because they act like your mirror, and you like theirs, you know they are twin-flame material because you are helping each other grow in such a deep and meaningful way that no one else can," she explains. "This is a fated connection, and you will feel it deep inside in the moment you first meet them."

    Does my twin flame have to be a love interest?

    If all of the above sounds like the kind of bond you have with your bestie, good for you!

    Your twin flame isn't always and doesn't have to be a romantic interest. You may even be in a better boat that way, since, like Hicks mentioned, dating (or marrying) a soul clone of yourself can get a little...challenging.

    Does everyone have a twin flame?

    Not necessarily...womp womp. You can meet your twin flame in your life, or you can simply have a spiritual energy that’s a twin flame, Montúfar says. (As in, it could be a soul that isn't in a living human body anymore, which you may or may not recognize.)

    So if you happen to meet someone and you feel like they just ~get~ you—like, REALLY get you, in a way you couldn't even dream up—consider yourself very lucky. You've found your twin flame.

    *Last name changed for confidentiality and privacy purposes.

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