“You are the question and the answer am I…”
(Shadow Dancing lyrics; Writers: Barry, Robin, Maurice and Andy Gibb, released April 1978)
Bee Gees: The Authorized Biography by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb as told to David Leaf (1979), p. 117
Recently, I was doing some research on twin souls and came across the book, The Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan: Philosophy, Psychology and Mysticism. In this book is an interesting chapter on twin souls. I like to study the concept of twin souls from other cultures and perspectives. This way you can see it from other angles besides the Western perspective.
First, who was Hazrat Inayat Khan? He was an Indian classical musician and teacher of Universal Sufism. “Hazrat” is a title used to honor a person. If you are interested in learning more about him, please see the links below:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inayat_Khan
- http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Hazrat_Inayat_Khan
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrat
As I read through his chapter on twin souls, I noticed his frequent use of the metaphor of “the question and the answer.” I share this excerpt with you:
There is a belief, which comes from ancient times, and that is the belief in a twin soul. Some people wait for this phenomenon and search for it; and sometimes this belief is the cause of much unhappiness during the greater part of their lives because they have not yet found their twin soul. What is a twin soul? One might say that a proper answer is the twin soul of a question: every person is a question and every person is an answer. And when two people meet and one of them is a question and the other is the answer to that question then they are twin souls. But unfortunately what very often happens is that either two questions meet or two answers.
Twin souls can belong to three distinct spheres: to the angelic sphere, to the sphere of the jinns, and to the sphere of the earth. Two people may have inherited from their childhood, or brought with them from the moment of their birth, qualities that fit one another. They need not be of opposite sex. They can be personalities of the same sex. They can be friends or partners in life. It does not matter. It is two souls. One answers the other’s question, as every person is a question and at the same time an answer.
These two souls who have brought with them qualities which already fit one another, become friends the moment they meet, and in coming together they find a satisfaction they have never experienced before, because all their life there has been a question and suddenly it is answered. This may come about early or late in life, but there comes a time in the life of most souls when they meet someone who is the answer to their soul’s question. Souls need not know what question they are, and naturally they do not know it, but they are a question all the same. Neither do they know what the answer is, but when it comes they know that it fits, they know that it is satisfying, and unconsciously they know that it is the answer to their question. It may be that the two were friends before they came on earth or, as many call it, in a past incarnation, but there is no doubt that a contact had been established before their coming to earth, and that is why the moment they meet they think that they have known each other for many, many years.
Khan, Hazrat Inayat. The Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan: Philosophy, Psychology and Myst (Kindle Locations 1759-1777). BookMasters. Kindle Edition.
I found this to be a beautiful description of humans at the soul level and an interesting perspective. I had never heard anyone put it quite that way. In some way, I feel that I had a question in my soul that I never exactly articulated, but it was there nonetheless. It had to do with my origins as a soul. When I connected with the soul of Robin after his passing, this gave me some answers to my questions about my origins.
My personal belief is in the pre-existence of my soul which was connected to Robin and others in my soul family prior to my incarnation on earth in 1966. That is why we were able to connect after his passing in such a profound way, as you will see in my other posts. If we did not have this pre-existing connection from the spirit world, I do not think Robin would have responded to me so strongly. Without the pre-existing connection, I do not think I would have felt so pulled to him to the point of reaching out to him, telling him I felt him to be a member of my soul family.
When a spirit comes back to you, the way Robin came back to me, you cannot help but ponder the origins of your own soul and who you really are. It’s a beautiful thing when someone you loved and knew communicates with you after their death. When it’s someone you did not know, it opens things up to all kinds of spiritual and mystical questions about why this spirit was willing to respond to you. Once I understood that my connection with Robin is one of soul family and of being twin souls, it all began to make sense! It also meant that we have work to do together in terms of getting this message out.
I also know now that life in spirit continues on, that it is active and creative and that I will continue to live on just as Robin is now, after my passing.
While reading this chapter, I recalled the matching Shadow Dancing lyrics I mentioned at the beginning of the post. Seems like the brothers added some twin soul lyrics to their song! I kept hearing Shadow Dancing playing in my head!
I found other books that match Bee Gees’ songs, so I thought it would be fun to create a Bee Gees’ songs and books category. Stay tuned for posts on Blue Island, For Whom the Bell Tolls and Miracles Happen, along with matching books!
Here’s a video of beautiful Andy singing Shadow Dancing. What better way to end this post! Enjoy!