“A soul connection is when two people feel they are linked on a soul level in a significant or extraordinary way,” she says, adding that the connection often seems to transcend the Earth plane. Whether you’re co-workers or lovers, she adds, those details don’t matter because “something much more brought you together or is at play.” In any soul connection, romantic or otherwise, “your souls get each other,” psychotherapist Annette Nuñez, M.S., Ph.D., tells mbg. “You recognize that soul from a past life, and there’s just a deep, effortless connection.” And don’t underestimate the power these connections can have. According to Richardson, our platonic soul mates can be just as important in our lives as romantic soul mates. “If you think of earthly life as a temporary journey for the soul, as some spiritual people do, you’ll want to have interesting, supportive companions for the trip—just like any character in an epic story or legend picks up companions along the way,” she adds. It’s also very possible (and even likely) that you’ll have more than one platonic soul mate throughout your life, and even more than one at the same time. “You can meet new soul mates all throughout your life. They don’t have to be a best friend from childhood—it could be someone from work or someone you meet in your 50s,” Nuñez says. Richardson also notes that some soul mates come and go, and some are around for the long haul. Regardless of their duration, these connections are a fundamental part of the journey. “Just like the human body needs food and water, the soul requires companion soul mates,” she says.