Not All Soulmates Stay Together: Understanding Soul Crossings

Every so often, someone comes into your life and sticks around for the long haul—but other times, you might have shorter-lived connections that only last days or weeks at a time.

Soulmates are not just one particular person that you partner up with for the rest of your life. Our soulmates can be platonic friends, family members, and even teachers or mentors. They can also be romantic relationships that are meaningful for a time and then come to an end.

The true function of a soulmate is to connect on a deeper level, transcending the bounds of normal relationships and pushing you to grow on your soul's path. Sometimes that growth can happen in a short amount of time, and the relationship runs its course—but that doesn't mean they aren't a soulmate.

When we meet someone and feel a profound connection, only for the relationship to quickly fizzle out, it can be confusing and even heartbreaking. This is a telltale sign of a "soul crossing," or as Richardson describes it, the "ships in the night" of soulmate connections.

Soul crossings are a type of soulmate relationship that doesn't last forever but still has a big impact on you and your soul's journey.

"[Soul crossing] is a phrase used to describe someone who comes into your life, but the timing and circumstances are not conducive to a long-term relationship," Richardson explains, adding, "This phenomenon can happen with friends or lovers or colleagues, when for a short amount of time you are thrown together and share amazing experiences and awakenings."

Not all relationships are meant to be forever, including soulmates, and accepting this fact is the first step to making the most of a soul crossing. As therapist Dennis Nguyen, LCSW, previously told mindbodygreen, there will be more opportunities for different connections with different people in the future. "Life will continue on, and there are plenty of opportunities to date [and] maybe even date this right person when the time is right. Even if this opportunity passes, there will be more," he says. 

And according to both Nguyen and Richardson, rather than dwelling on the impermanence of this connection, focus instead on all it gave you. As Nguyen explains, "Maybe this person prompted you to take a serious look at where you're going in life. That is valuable! The process may have been painful and potentially very necessary."

What matters most in any soul connection is recognizing how the relationship altered who you are at a core level: what it taught you, what it healed in you, and why you cherished it so much. Know that just because the timing wasn't right, there was still a reason for this person being in your life, even if only for a short while.