Twin Flames are the other half of your soul for lack of a better description. Souls with the exact same energy frequency as you, split into masculine and feminine counterparts and descended into the lower dimensions to experience, themselves, through others, ie. through relationship with others. Each piece being half of a whole, and yet complete in and of itself at the same time. This is something that many people find confusing because they look at the idea of 'half' from a 3D standpoint, not stepping outside of that to view it from the multidimensional perspective of Spirit where one can be both half, and whole - here, and there - at the same time. Your twin flame is essentially YOU in another body. Everyone whom we meet is a mirror to us in some way, but Twins mirror us back to ourselves in EVERY way. This is what is known as the Cosmic Mirror effect. You only have ONE twin flame.
A Twin relationship may seem co-dependent at times because the energy between the two is extremely intense and is unlike anything people have experienced before. It can seem similar to a soul mate connection at first but it is quite a bit different if you have been involved with both a soul mate and your twin and are sensitive enough to discern the energetic difference. Because the energy that Twins share is so intense, people often do not know how to handle it when they first meet, or even over many months or years, and so they may try to deny its existence or 'run' physically in some way. Regardless of whether they appear to 'run' or not, it is an irresistible pull; you are in one another's minds and hearts, always, and you want to be with that person no matter how terrible they may make you feel.
The reason this happens is they are mirroring everything back to you that you that you love about yourself - and also everything you need to work on for yourself. They are showing you EVERYTHING whether you like it or not. Essentially, they are not making you feel terrible...you are just seeing the parts of yourself that you do not like or have suppressed, mirrored energetically back to you via your twin, and that is what is making you feel terrible, not them. They are showing you, yourself, truly; both the parts of yourself that you love, and those that you dislike or have denied, otherwise known as your Shadow.
When you experience challenges with your twin, or times of separation, understand that this is really a blessing in disguise and the most loving thing they could be doing for you, right NOW, because they are offering you an opportunity to recognize the hurt parts of yourself that have been buried away for a very long time - your core wounds and unconscious ego themes - so you can heal these things, embrace or release them, and transmute your own 'darkness' into light. This is how we Ascend into the 5th Dimension.
Many times, people's egos will tell them they don't have any inner Shadow work to do, that it's their twin who needs to grow, and they are simply 'waiting' for their twin to be ready; be assured that if you and your twin are not together in the physical, it means that both have inner Shadow work to do, and they are showing you exactly what you need to work on without fail. The twin connection is a two way street; what one does affects the other and is mirrored back by the other energetically. To be idle without working on self is to send that energy and message to the Universe and your twin, which affects them similarly, meaning you end up stuck in a repeating loop of waiting indefinitely. Don't worry about what it LOOKS like they are doing, or not doing, either. It's not about what's happening on the surface, it's about what's going on within, on a cellular and soul level.
Twins are magnetized to one another due to their energy frequencies being an exact match, as they were once 'one' split into 'two.' This is what makes them 'different' from soul mates. Soul mates have an energy frequency that is not an exact match. Some come closer in vibration and FEEL more intense than others - Twin Souls, which come from the same soul group of origin, for one; and Twin Rays, which come from the same energetic colour ray, such as Blue Rays (I am a Blue Ray) or Indigo Rays (you've heard of Indigo children) another. Then there are soul mates who are from completely different soul groups, but who have travelled with you in one or more lifetimes and played a role in your life, and so you recognize them when you meet them again in this life. Soul mates often create contracts with us before incarnation to help us, and them, learn important lessons while we are here on Earth.
The main 'difference' between Twin Flames and other souls we have a connection with is your Twin is not someone you can just move on from; the connection is so powerful that it forces you to transform rather than 'running away' by moving on and retreating back to your comfort zone and old egoic themes. All twins are affected this way whether they are open about it or they hide their true feelings and try to pretend that they are unaffected. It is a transformation that starts within and can take many years before it begins to manifest externally, which means it requires great Belief and Trust - Faith - on your part in order to navigate the in-between times with Grace and Humility. (This is something that my Beloved AA Michael has been telling me for YEARS! Believe and Trust, he said, over and over...Believe and Trust.)
NOT all twins are incarnated together here on Earth at the same time! It has been historically rare for twins to incarnate together, in general... most times, one twin is incarnated while the other is in Spirit, or incarnated on another world or dimension. This is another reason why we have soul mates; our soul mates are not 'inferior' to our twins, they are simply different. Soul mate relationships are just as important and valuable as twin flame relationships, and should not be dismissed or overlooked. When it is not possible for our twin to be in our lives, for whatever reason, the Universe provides us with a 'stand-in' soul mate who meets all of our needs in the best interest of our soul's growth and life experience, at that time. More and more twins have been incarnating together and 'waking up' than ever before, now, but it is still considered a rare occurrence.
This is why it is imperative to NOT ATTACH to the labels or 'romanticized' and incomplete concepts of twins, or lock yourself into a holding pattern by 'waiting' for your twin to materialize, or to grow, etc. It is also imperative to learn how to LET GO of your twin when separation times are necessary, which is completely different from forgetting about them and going on with your life or just finding someone to replace them and assign the 'label' of Twin, which is simply an ego rationalization, because your twin is your twin, there is no other. Letting go means releasing your egoic expectations and control over them and reunion and treating them, and yourself, with great patience, compassion, and understanding as you navigate your journeys, both separately and together. It means loving your twin unconditionally whether they are with you or not, whether you like what they are doing or not, whether you communicate with them externally or not. No control, only love.
A twin flame relationship is truly not a relationship, but a Spiritual Union. It can not be defined by any terms that we have known here on Earth; if you try to treat it as you have all past relationships, you will find very quickly that it can't be done. Most relationships, past and current, have been based upon ego themes of control of one or both persons and co-dependence, where one can not exist without support of the other. Twins can and do join in romantic partnership, but the relationship can only thrive in that way if it is a true partnership where each twin has done their inner Shadow work and is complete and whole in themselves without any dependency on the other. Divine Timing and Free Will of both twins are the two primary components to Reunion, neither of which you have any control over, which is why the focus must be placed on YOU rather than on a physical relationship with your twin.
The importance of twin relationships is for us to learn to BE LOVE...to simply be happy, whether together physically or not. We are never truly separated, separation is an illusion, which means whether you are with your twin or not, you both have already reunited in Spirit and are radiating love into the world around you, affecting all with the force of your merged energies. And when you DO reunite physically, it's like taking two candles and combining them...they each shine brightly on their own, but when put together, their light grows exponentially.
To get to that place where you can be with your twin in a romantic way, you must confront your ego and do your inner Shadow work, work out ALL past internal issues, thoughts, and beliefs that do not serve your greater good, humanity's greater good, and your soul's growth. These are from past trauma, this life and past lifetimes (seed fear) and ideals you were raised to believe about yourself and others such as religious beliefs, societal beliefs, beliefs about "roles" in a relationship, beliefs about the nature of "good" and "bad"...the list goes on and on. You also have to give up ALL CONTROL over the relationship to the Universe. The Universe and your higher self/selves are what orchestrate your reunion with your twin; if you try to force things to go your way in your time, you will find that it doesn't work out so well, because Divine Timing is at work and always has the last word.
The key is to focus on YOU...working out ALL of YOUR issues, loving YOURSELF, loving OTHERS, being HAPPY in your life for yourself with or without them, and loving your TWIN unconditionally, even if there is no contact and it's only through your connection (I hate to say "only" because the connection twins share is very, VERY important and they feel whatever you send to them through it, be it love or criticism, anger, etc.) Twins are extremely telepathic with one another...even if they are not consciously aware of it...they feel what the other feels and communicate on a regular basis through their shared Higher Self, in their dream states, and in other 'unconventional' ways that often go overlooked when the ego chooses to focus only on external, 3D forms of communication. This is why you will hear us say, over and over again...go within. If you are unsure, go within. If you need to communicate something to your twin, or you simply miss them and want to send them love, go within. Everything you need is inside of you, already.
I can not stress enough that our twins are our MOST BEAUTIFUL and IMPORTANT tool for spiritual transformation, and it is only by understanding the dynamics and purpose of twins, and how the energetic connection works, that you will become a Master of your path and Reunite with your twin. You can be assured that if you are upset with your twin for any reason, it is the Cosmic Mirror at work showing you something within yourself that you need to work on. Awareness and honesty with and of SELF is imperative here. The more work you do on yourself and the more you release all perceived "need" for control, the less upset and chaos you experience, until finally, nothing remains but love.