We have been taught since childhood that we have 5 basic physical senses: Sight, Smell, Taste, Touch, and Hearing.

On this journey of awakening, spirituality, metaphysical study, whatever you may call it, we have been made aware of the “clairs”(meaning clear): Clairvoyance (seeing), Clairaudience (hearing), Clairsentience (feeling), Claircognizance (knowing), and Clairalience and Clairgustance (smelling and tasting- not as common, but it’s worth noting).

You’re probably aware there are more than 5 physical senses, at least, I hope that you are. Science concludes that there could be from 22-55 senses, and honestly, probably a lot more depending on how specific we wanted to categorize them.

In this article, we are going to look at the parallels between the 5 physical and Clair senses, which may be kind of obvious, but hey you may learn something.
We are all capable of all of the Clairs, even if one is more predominant, or if you think you do not have any at all. You do. These are as natural to us as the traditional 5 senses, we just haven’t learned about them since a young age.
But what if you did? You would have accepted it as fact, and paid attention.
You would see, hear, taste, smell, and touch the physical and nonphysical planes! What a badass kid.

We are an energy body before we are a physical body. A physical manifestation is a direct result of an energetic stimulus.

Overlay of the Five Senses

Sight and Clairvoyance

Okay, so this is one of my favorite exercises for vision. Pick a point, far-ish away, you can play with distance later but let’s start out with something at least 20-30 feet away. While keeping your head and eyes aligned with that point, I want you to open up your vision and start to take in the panoramic scene around you.
Look how much you can see, without moving your eyes. Our panoramic vision is extraordinary, however, it is not often utilized, we have to train ourselves to see more than what is right in front of us.

This is what we are doing when we are building our gift of clairvoyance, clear sight. We are paying attention, and we are open to seeing things that are not within our direct field. This is the most well-known clair and is generally associated with visions and mediums. However, this sense can be applied to our physical sight, in the way of seeing signs. Angel numbers, animals, rainbows, shooting stars, seeing someone in your dream or random thought and then seeing them in real life. All these things are ways your higher self communicates with you through your sense of clear sight, the panoramic view of your soul.

Hearing and Clairaudience

The ‘normal’ hearing frequency range of a healthy young person is about 20 to 20,000Hz. Hearing is an incredibly fascinating sense, especially since I have delved into the world of frequencies.
Hearing is just energy vibrating against a physical structure in our ears.

I did not realize until a few years ago that when I was younger I had a heightened sense of hearing, clairaudience. When staying at my grandparents, I would wake up hearing the TV on in the living room, to walk out and it was off. In church, I noticed if I focused on a certain person, I could amplify that person’s voice in my head, could also do this on the TV or in a very large group of people. I also have randomly heard music playing either outside or inside, this one still happens.
I never talked about it, and I never really explored it more, and it eventually faded out, but of course, is never completely gone.
Clairaudience isn’t all about hearing voices, although there are those who can do that, from energies around them. I believe it is being open to hearing the music that isn’t playing, the random ringing in your ears, and the subtlety of a bird chirping.
It’s again being open to information that is not thought of as perceptible to our human range of hearing. It’s out here folks. Information is all around us.

Touch and Clairsentience

Our sense of “touch” is an extreme generalization. Touch is probably the largest category of sensation because is information that comes in from a variety of different nerve receptors. A few examples of an expanded touch sensation would be temperature, pressure, itching, and tickling, just to name a few.
I could write about the importance of touch all day long, however, I want to include some key physical aspects of touch here. Our bodies were designed to be touched, our bodies release hormones necessary to proper human development in response to touch, and our ability to take in information through the intricate sensations of the body is nothing short of mind-blowing.

Because our sense of touch is so powerful and communicates with us in a variety of attention-getting ways, it is no surprise that clairsentience is the most physically persistent type of energy communication.
When people describe clairsentience, it is generally described as the picking up of energies within a person or space, like the next level up from an empath.
This is all good and true.
But I want to explore a little more here, to bring into your awareness how you are a powerful sentient being, even if you don’t identify(I dislike that word) as an “empath”.

Goosebumps. Getting goosebumps when you talk to someone is an incredibly physical sign that you are right where you need to be, that you are onto something and that you are tuned in and turned on. The same goes for sudden chills, a random itch, and the feeling of a bug crawling on us. Next time these sensations arrive, take a moment to become aware of what you were thinking, and what was someone saying, look around your physical space, is there something you are supposed to see?
The way we build our energetic senses is by awareness, by being mindful and in the present moment.
Since touch is an easily recognizable physical sensation, it makes sense that you would get a strong “gut” feeling about someone or something. Or the fact that your body can release these powerful touch hormones without physical touch because you can FEEL love when you are connected to someone even with the distance between.
The sense of clear feeling is transferred through the physical senses of the body. Without that connection, it would be claircognizance, which we will cover soon.

Smell and Clairalience

This one is a fun one. Our sense of smell is closely linked with memory, probably more so than any of our other senses. This is because the smell goes in our nose through the olfactory bulb and directly into the limbic system. The limbic system comprises a set of structures within the brain that are regarded as playing a major role in controlling mood, memory, behaviour and emotion.
We all know that certain smells can trasport us back to grandmas kitchen, the woods behind our house, or some other impactful memory. I’d like to start creating more of these scent bridges…anyhow.

Clairalience is the ability to smell things, that aren’t there. Again, I believe this happens to all of us, we just maybe weren’t intune with it. Most people with clairalience experience smells that they can’t identify when it comes to other people’s moods or energy. Being able to smell how someone could be feeling sounds almost impossible, but those with highly developed senses of clairalience experience this. How interesting to smell something you don’t have a name for!
I’m interested to learn more about this sense. There are definetely times that I’ve smelled a smell that should not have been where I was, or caught a whiff of the past. Next time I’ll be sure to observe!
Are you familiar with clairalience? I’d love to hear from you!

Taste and Clairgustance

Honestly, I had no idea that clairgustance was a thing until today. However, considering clear smelling is a thing, it only makes sense that clear tasting is a thing.

Our sense of taste is actually quite a fascinating set of processes if you like to nerd out on how the body works. I won’t go into it here but the National Library of Medicine as a good read on it.

To put it sweet and spicy, those who have the clairgustance ability will tend to taste things when they are not in their mouth, or even around them. A memory or a smell can evoke a full-mouth experience, which is another way of your higher self or Source communicating with you. Very unique, and this is another one I’m interested to explore more personally.
I think I was a smoker for so long, I’m just really looking forward to getting my full smell and taste back!

Claircognizance

Clear knowing. Because sometimes we just freaking know things! And wish people would listen, haha. Sometimes they do. But we have to be willing to listen to the knowing first ourselves.

Honestly, this is as simple as that knowing. When you just seem to download the information straight from the Universe. When your intuition doesn’t want there to be any funny business in deciphering the message, so it just gives it to you as straight as it can.

Tips to Strengthen the Senses

It would be rude to inform you of these intuitive senses and the fact you possess all of them, without giving some suggestions for how to strengthen them!  Spirit Guides and Clairvoyance by Mari Silva is a great little read for this.
Practice each one for at least two to four weeks before moving on to the next one. If it is an area you are already stronger in, then that can be shorter, or you can work on two at a time. Generally, it isn’t recommended to try and hone in more than one at a time because this isn’t a parlor trick. Strengthening your intuition requires intention, focus, determination, and practice.

Clairvoyance– Use the peripheral exercise I described above (closer objects work). Do this for 3-5 minutes and journal what you see in your peripherals, any colors, shapes, etc. By cultivating awareness through stillness, you’ll start to “see” more at other times.

Clairaudience– You get to listen to the voice in your head and not be crazy! To strengthen this voice, go somewhere quiet and safe, outdoors if possible. It’s always important to set the intention you are here to enhance your intuition and ask your guides for assistance. Close your eyes and hear yourself take a few deep breaths, then start to listen to the sounds around you. Identify them, really hear them and feel them resonate. After a few minutes, go deeper, listen to the sounds underneath those sounds, and do the same. This can take precision and patience, but you’ll quickly start to hear sounds, and the inner voice, more clearly.

Clairsentience– This is a good practice to practice reading into other people’s energy! Ask a friend or family member to show you a picture of someone they know very well, but you’ve never met. Look at the picture and try to focus on the person’s eyes and try to tune into the energy of this person when the picture was taken. Was this person happy, relaxed? Or do you feel anger and stress? At first, you may just try to pick up positive or negative vibes. Ask yourself what kind of person this individual is. Would you trust this person?
When you’re done, ask your friend for feedback. How correct were you?
Also, just listen to your body, all day long.

Clairalience & Clairgustance- I am putting these together because the practices are similar. For smells, take some time to reflect on smells that you are familiar with, recall those smells, and journal the experience related to them. You can do this for tastes as well if you have ones that specifically stick out.
If you have a partner that can blindfold you and offer different smells (or tastes), really feel into each one. Describe it with as many words as possible, recognize any emotions that they trigger, and of course, try to guess what it is. But really the being right part isn’t the main goal here, it’s feeling into the energy of the smell or taste so that if you run into it again, you’ll have a baseline.

Claircognizance– Listen Linda! Trust that knowing, before the ego gets in the way. The most simple and profound way to strengthen this is by journaling. Set a timer for 10 to 20 minutes, set the intention of being an open channel for the highest good, and then ask a question such as, How can I find resolution with a problem? What guidance do I need today? Then write. Let it flow, don’t spell check, get messy, and don’t think too much. This will be difficult at first and you’ll feel like you’re just tripping over yourself. It gets better, I promise. You’ll love what you have to say.

As Above, So Below

I really hope you’ve enjoyed this read paralleling the physical and the intuitive senses! I was intending to write about some of the senses outside the main physical five, however, this got long enough to be its own, so stay tuned for that next addition next week!

All of our senses are such a blessing, and whether you are trying to strengthen your intuition or not, take a moment to sit and show gratitude to each of your five senses and how they truly allow you to fill your life with beauty.

Love and vibes,