At first glance, it seems unfair that the most romantic day of the year, Valentine's, falls during the dead of winter. While finding a soulmate in life is hard enough, doing so while fighting the less-than-inspiring seasonal conditions doesn't exactly help the search to find the ideal life partner.

But do we idealize the definition of a soulmate without knowing what it truly means? To that end, maybe winter-induced hibernation could be the perfect time to contemplate just what exactly it is we're all looking for. To find out more about the search for that ultimate other-half, psychoPEDIA consulted two psychics. The first, Maria Papapetros, a Greek-born psychic with 35 years of experience, travels between Houston, New York, and Athens, giving private readings and conducting seminars on developing psychic abilities. Her upcoming book The Psychic Life is due out this spring, and she's planning a trip to NYC for a special seminar at the end of this month. The other, Mayumi Harada, is a Japanese, New York-based psychic who has written five best-selling books on intuition (none yet translated into English)– the first of which was even endorsed by Yoko Ono. Talking about twin souls, spirituality, and finding that "spark," here are Papapetros and Harada, in their own words:

How do you explain the concept of soulmates?
MP: Soulmates could be friends, brothers and sisters. For lovers, there is an electro-magnetic energy– the spark.
MH: People talk about soulmates in many different ways. I look at it as a spiritual marriage to complete your spiritual revolution. To me, a soulmate is someone who is evolving, or willing to evolve, in the same rhythm and same goal as you– on a spiritual level.

How does someone recognize "the one"?
MP: Usually the woman is aware first, because it's such an awesome energy. It is too strong for a man.
MH: You feel the connection, and you want to see the person all the time. Everything else becomes secondary. I'm always looking for that best encounter with a person. There are a lot of people [where right away] you feel the connection. Maybe it's because the person is going through the same problems in life, but a lot of things like that just don't work out. It has to be a person who can have the same spiritual goal.

What can a person do to speed up the process?
MH: To find a soulmate, we have to know ourselves first, because the soulmate helps us complete that missing part of ourselves. You have to know what you have and what you don't. We seek what we don't have – what we're all doing is trying to complete happiness. There are two types of relationships: survival and spiritual. A survival relationship is a material relationship, for money or career. A spiritual relationship doesn't have to do with physical survival– it inspires spirituality.
MP: I'm a psychic and believe in divine order but also in choices. We should be working on the self. We should become what we want to attract. I'm a firm believer in “like attracts like.” The right person always comes along if we grow and develop [ourselves]. Life is work. It's not mystical. [Soulmates come] when we’re ready, but sometimes we look so hard we can miss it. We can be sitting next to our soulmate and not even know it.

Where do we find that someone special?
MP: Our twin soul could be around the corner, but we should give it time. Even when we meet our twin soul, we are not necessarily going to be with that person. We always have a choice. I do believe God has an agenda, but we have a choice. So it's important not to rush.
MH: You really have to know who you are and what you need– your weaknesses. Then you can find somebody who will have those great qualities.

Are people overly obsessed with finding their soulmates?
MP: Absolutely. It's not because you don't want to be alone, or because you want to be taken care of. We expect the other person to “do the trick” for us. Too much has been done on twin souls with people who are dreamers. It just doesn't work that way. Life is work. If you do the work, you’ve got it made.

Have either of you found yours?
MP: I've come close.
MH: I believe I have. I prayed, "I don't want to be alone the rest of my life." I said to the universe, "I'd like to find the father of my child." I didn't even ask for money. I asked for understanding, someone responsible, all of the things I love. I intuitively got a date. That day my husband called me through my friend. I asked the universe if this is the person I accept. We have the same spiritual goals. I don't have to explain a lot to him.

~Sara Costello