Deja Vu Again? The Spiritual Meaning Behind Familiar Faces And Soul Connections

Have you met someone and felt like you’ve known them forever? That face in a crowd of strangers seems more familiar than it should? When you connect with some people, it feels like you’ve always known them, like there never was a time when they weren’t part of your lives. You have to remind yourself that you’ve only met recently, and yet with some others you may have known them your whole life, and yet the relationship seems awkward at best. Let’s discuss if there is indeed the common thread of a soul that runs through our incarnations on planet Earth which links these connections.

Soul connections and reincarnation

In Ch 2 v 22 of the Bhagavad Gita, Shri Krishna says, just as we change clothes, so also the soul changes bodies, whilst still retaining its soul identity. Of course, the body, conditioning, and life circumstances mean that we don’t retain memory of past lives. There are exceptions, of course, where these are as clear as day. However, we generally reincarnate with soul groups in our lives here on Earth to help each other on the journey of life. Small wonder then that someone who appears like a stranger was prolly someone that you knew intimately well in a past life and, therefore, you’ve got that strong connection.

Understanding karmic bonds

When we transact with other souls in this material world, we create invisible IOUs or contracts. These bonds are called Rinanubandhana, or the bonds of karmic debt. As the Shiva Purana eloquently explains, bonds of karmic debt are the ropes that bind the soul; only through the grace of the Knower can these knots be untied. So it’s really these karmic bonds that result in us coming across soul connections and fulfilling the commitments that we owe to them, or allowing them to play their part in our lives. As you can imagine, our worldly actions mean we are constantly creating these bonds, and it’s only the knowledge of the true nature of reality that helps us transcend these bonds and seek eternal freedom.

Journey of the soul

Life is a journey, and there is quite a clear purpose for us to be born in this Prithvi loka, or the earthly realm. Whilst we are subject to our human limitations, it’s only this dimension that allows progress of the soul in its divine journey back to the source. We can either be distracted by the temporary trappings of the material world or walk this path with our soul family, help each other progress, and gain freedom from this seemingly endless cycle of Rinanubandhana. Sarvam Shivamayam!

Published on: Saturday, May 16, 2026, 09:01 AM IST