What Is a Twin Flame?

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It's not uncommon to meet someone and instantly feel like you've known them your whole life if not longer. Sure, you might shrug it off as nothing more than a case of compatible personalities, but if you're a bit more metaphysical-minded, you could come to the conclusion that this person is a soul mate — someone you're extraordinarily connected to on a spiritual plane. Maybe you feel like you were linked in a past life, or you believe they're someone you were "meant" to meet in this life. It's an idea that transcends cultures. For example, in Yiddish, the word "bashert" means "destiny," or a divinely predestined partner.

But while we associate soul mates with romance, there are various types of soul connections or instances in which "two people might feel they're linked on a soul level in a significant or extraordinary way," professional intuitive Tanya Carroll Richardson tells MindBodyGreen. And one type of connection is the "twin flame," which it's crucial to note is not the same as what we traditionally think of as a "soul mate."

Here, the basics on the intriguing concept.

Twin Flame, Defined

The term "twin flame" has been catching on like wildfire in part thanks to Megan Fox's revelation that she believes Machine Gun Kelly is hers.

"I knew right away that he was what I call a twin flame," the actress noted in a joint interview with MGK on Lala Kent and Randall Emmett's podcast, Give Them Lala ... With Randall. "Instead of a soul mate, a twin flame is actually where a soul has ascended into a high-enough level that it can be split into two different bodies at the same time. So we're actually two halves of the same soul, I think. And I said that to him almost immediately, because I felt it right away."

Although Fox and Kelly clearly went on to discover that they have an off-the-charts sexual and loving connection, twin flame relationships don't have to be romantic. It could be platonic or a mentor-mentee bond.

In short, a twin flame is your "mirror soul," and being with them is described as looking in a mirror and seeing the darkest, most challenging side of yourself — your inner pain, wounds, fears, unresolved issues. Ultimately, the connection you share is meant to challenge you, heal you, and propel you toward greater self-awareness. And it's an entirely reciprocal experience, as they will be equally challenged and healed through their relationship with you.

It's for that reason that twin flame relationships aren't necessarily meant to last a lifetime. In fact, one of the key hallmarks of a twin flame relationship is the drama and tumult it can dust up. Instead of presenting placid waters, the connection is meant to serve as a catalyst for understanding yourself and doing the internal work you're meant to do in this life. And it could be after that experience that you can go on to forge a long-term bond.

The Main Characteristics of a Twin Flame

• You'll share common interests, values, past experiences, and in turn, meeting them feels like you're "coming home."
  

• You'll feel as though you balance one another out — they have darkness where you have light and vice-versa.
  

• They reflect your past, unprocessed trauma — perhaps from early life but also past lives and ancestral work — back at you.
  

• Meeting them is intense, and you'll feel like you've known them forever.
  

• Interacting with them brings your insecurities and greatest inner challenges to the surface as a way for you to begin to acknowledge, address, and heal them.
  

• The relationship, if romantic, could be rocky and on-again, off-again. You chase them, they chase you, the timing is never right. There's even something called the runner-chaser stage, in which one person gets freaked out by everything the connection brings up for them and takes off, while the other, who's more open to spiritual growth, feels compelled to "chase" them. (It bears noting that this is never an excuse for toxic behaviors like mental, physical, or emotional abuse.)

RELATED: 10 Signs of a Toxic Relationship

The Intersection Between Twin Flames and Astrology

Fox, who met MGK on the set of Midnight in the Switchgrass last year shared on the podcast that on the second day of filming together, she asked him to come into her trailer for lunch. "I put him through all of this astrology stuff," she shared. "I went deep right away. I knew before I even did his chart, I said to him, he has a Pisces moon. I could tell by his energy."

Fox and Kelly's astrological charts do reflect one another's in an extraordinary way, which could be further indication that they are, in fact, twin flames. Your twin flame mirrors you, so twin flames tend to be the same element (water, air, earth, fire) or at least the same duality. Fire and air are the same "active" duality, while earth and water are the same "receptive" duality.

The Main Takeaway on Twin Flames

Not everyone will spark a connection with a twin flame in their (current) lifetime. But if you do, you can think of it as an opportunity to look in the mirror, contend with your shadow side, and come away healed, centered, and forever changed.