Answer
The idea of a spiritual spouse, a supernatural entity that forms a marriage-like relationship with an individual, has roots in various religious traditions. From traditional African religions to Voodoo to New Age spirituality, the idea of a spiritual spouse is deeply embedded within diverse spiritual practices. However, the idea of a spiritual spouse should be biblically challenged and ultimately rejected.
In many traditional African religions, spiritual spouses, also called “spiritual husbands” or “spiritual wives,” are spiritual entities that have marital relationships with humans. Such relationships can manifest themselves in dreams and have real-world consequences, sometimes causing marital discord or even infertility.
Similarly, in Voodoo (or Vodou) and Santería, some people are married to lwa (spirits) or orishas. These relationships are formalized through rituals and are believed to bring blessings and protection, although they can also demand specific behaviors or sacrifices.
New Age and other esoteric traditions believe that spiritual spouses are “soul mates” or “twin flames”; that is, a spiritual spouse is a perfect spiritual counterpart destined to complete one’s soul. This belief is often presented as the ultimate spiritual union.
The common thread between traditional African religions, Voodoo, and New Age spirituality is the belief that humans can have an intimate, binding relationship with a spiritual entity. However, the idea of a spiritual spouse has no biblical support.
The Bible teaches believers to worship God and Him alone, refusing to worship or engage with other spiritual entities. Deuteronomy 6:4 declares, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (ESV).
The idea of a spiritual spouse can be viewed as a form of idolatry, which the Bible condemns. In Exodus 20:3–4 God commands, “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth” (ESV).
Believers are engaged in a spiritual war against deceptive forces. Ephesians 6:12 warns, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (ESV). The idea of a spiritual spouse is a deception from evil spiritual forces that seek to entangle people in sinful practices.
The Bible upholds marriage as a sacred covenant between a (human) man and woman. Genesis 2:24 explains, “A man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (ESV). This God-ordained union leaves no room for a third party, whether human or spiritual. The belief in a spiritual spouse therefore undermines the sanctity of marriage as God intended.
For those who feel bound to a spiritual spouse, there is hope in Jesus Christ, who “has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13–14, ESV). In Christ, believers are freed from sin, including any supposed bond with spiritual entities.
Despite the prevalence of the spiritual spouse idea across various spiritual traditions, believers must stand on the truth of God’s Word. Scripture unequivocally rejects the idea of forming any kind of bond with spiritual entities. Let us pray for those who believe they are married to a spiritual spouse, and let us point them to everlasting hope in Christ.
