Can you “smell” when something is “off,” like spoiled milk, even when the due date says it’s fine? Can you smell the scent or perfume of a person, long before they arrive in front of you? If so, you may experience a type of intuitive, extrasensory perception, called both clairescence and clairalience!
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Clairalience is a form of intuition.
Intuition is a source of connection to all information. Five weeks ago, we talked in depth about intuition, so feel free to watch that video if you’d like more information. There are four main types and seven total ways (that we are aware of), to receive intuition, also called extrasensory perception or ESP. They are: clairsentience—which means “clear feeling,” clairvoyance—which means “clear seeing,” clairaudience—which means clear hearing, and clairgustance—which means “clear tasting,” clairalience, which we’ll discuss today, and the final “clair,” called clairtangency—which we’ll discuss next week. And, we also have LIVE, group Zoom discussions about our experiences with these forms of intuition every Friday, and I’ll share more about that in a bit.
Intuition is important, because each type of intuition is a means for us to receive vital information for the survival, health, prosperity, and happiness of ourself, others, and the world. When we know which forms of intuition are most prominent for us, we can tune our awareness to that wisdom and truth. This allows us to sense danger and opportunities, giving ourself more peace, vitality, and freedom—without requiring other people and things to aid or validate us.
It is important to note, that intuition and its varying forms are not just for “the gifted people.” These forms of intuition ARE the gifts, for us ALL. How “good we are” at receiving them, is just a matter of whether or not we choose to be aware, be open to receive, accept it, and do something with it.
What is clairalience?
Clairalience is psychic smelling. The word psychic, as defined by Merriam Webster, is “outside the spheres of physical science.” And clairalience is the ability for a person to clearly smell a scent without knowing how, why, or from where. When we experience clairalience, we know that a scent is real, without logic or physical communication. Clairalience is a natural ability to know meaningful and pertinent truth, by means of smell.
As listed on www.perfumeflavorist.com, the resource for sensory and wellness information, “A sense of smell not only provides us with emotional context and memorable moments, but it is an essential evolutionary tool. It can detect dangerous natural gases, rotten and unsafe food and the loss of it can signal the onset of dementia.” It goes on to share that, “fragrance can serve as a tool to tap into deep emotion and memory, and elicit positive experiences and a sense of security.” Daniela Garcia, Executive Brand Director for Belcorp Latin America, shared in the October 2021 edition of Cosmetics & Toiletries, that, “We already knew fragrance has a positive influence. When you smell nice, you feel comfortable and feel secure; but we wanted to go beyond, to understand how fragrance can transport us and help us to cope with this new daily life. It’s needed more and more, and this will continue with COVID-19, because we have become much more in touch with needing to be well ‘here’ in order to really perform well ‘out there.’”
The website crystalraven.com sites smell as the oldest sense. “Also called olfaction, it allows smells, aroma, vapors, etc. to stimulate the Limbic System.” It goes on to say that “The Limbic system allows the detection and information processing of scents that may be indicators of blooming flowers and beneficial herbs, warnings of noxious fumes, the pheromones of a sexual mate, or to determine the ingredients in a fab-u-lous glass of wine. Sometimes we are suddenly overwhelmed by scent memories – the smell of a lover’s perfume, wet dog, fresh coffee, a freshly baked pie, etc. Smell can create strong emotional responses as it connects us to our memories.
The site continues: “The sense of smell also provides protection. The sense of smell allows one to pick up different environmental clues that occur as signs, symbols, and potential warnings. The smell of smoke is indicative of a fire and may be a warning. The smell test for leftover food in the refrigerator – safety first! Sometimes we smell things that are not physical but more of an intuitive feeling, like something doesn’t smell (feel) right or something smells fishy here.”
Here’s my experience.
The good …
Clairalient information arrives as an instant experience of the smell, in its fullness. For people who are skeptics and contrarians, this concept of “knowing” by smell is nearly, if not impossible, to grasp. That’s because their version of knowing is thinking. And clairalience does not involve thinking.
I find clairalience to be exceedingly helpful, and it adds depth and joy to my experience of life. For example, I use clairalience in my work. When I meet a client, I can know many of their habits and lifestyle by the way they smell. If they are a mechanic, I can smell the oil that’s deep into their hands. If they live with a smoker, I can smell second-hand smoke that’s buried in fibers of clothing, even after it’s been washed. Meat eaters smell different than vegetarians, and people who exercise smell different than people who don’t. And I could go on. Many of you may relate to this ability on a smaller scale. For example, have you ever smelled something and instantly thought of a person? Did you turn around to see that he or she was somewhere nearby? What I do works like that, but with lots of detail.
I can smell the glory of a blooming magnolia that’s about a quarter mile away. I smell layers and depths of scents in nature, giving me a rich experience of, for example, the forest floor, tree bark, foliage, and any nearby water, field, or blooming plant. In my college years, I worked in a high-end fragrance department, and learned to recognize and name the perfume a person was wearing from 30 feet away. And as some of you may know, the scent of each fragrance changes after it has mixed with each person’s personal scent. I could recognize at 4 p.m., for example, that a woman had applied a Lancome brand lotion before she left her home at 7 a.m. Today, this clairalience also applies to scents that are given to me as psychic messages, as well as scents I can become aware of when I connect to a person, place, space, or thing. For example, I was speaking on the phone with a client. When I connected to his energy, I could feel that he was sitting alone outside, on a patio, with a light breeze, light music playing and I could smell cigarette smoke, so I knew he hadn’t quit. I also receive messages by means of scent. For example, my grandfather, who passed many years ago, sends me clairaudient and clairalient messages from time to time. Two years ago, I was in a room with a woman, at her home. The room became filled with the scent of Royal Copenhagen. For those of you who do not know what that is, it’s an old-time man’s cologne. It’s so uncommon these days that I hadn’t smelled it in about 40 years. The only person I knew who ever wore that fragrance was my grandfather. I claircognizantly knew that it was my grandfather, yet I still sought confirmation. I asked the woman if her husband was home. She said no. I asked if her husband wore Royal Copenhagen. She said her husband did not wear cologne. Then, I claircognizantly knew that my grandfather was letting me know that he was helping me with the situation I was discussing with the woman, at the time the scented message appeared.
The bad …
Sometimes, I find clairalience distracting. For example, one summer day, I was working at my computer with my window open, when a vehicle was driving by at a decent pedestrian clip of maybe 35 miles per hour. Just as the vehicle was passing in front of me, I could smell the fragrance worn by the female driver, which distracted me from my work. And, being able to smell everything, doesn’t mean that I want to … because not all smells are good, and I smell them even more intensely.
I can also detect illness by means of scent. You may have noticed that the scents in hospitals run the gamut from sterilizing disinfectant to bodily infection. I’ve smelled and brought to doctor’s attention undetected infection within my father that may have saved his life. Also in my aunt, which helped doctors eliminate some of her suffering during her stay in a nursing home before her death. I have found that the smell of health, illness, the process of death, and the smell of death itself are unmistakable.
Interestingly, and related to our current cultural struggle with COVID, new research from the Monell Chemical Senses Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reveals that immunization can trigger a distinct change in body odor.
This is the first demonstration of a bodily odor change due to immune activation. The findings, which resulted from a study using lab mice, will appear in the April 10, 2022 issue of the journal Physiology & Behavior. Bruce Kimball, a research chemist with the USDA National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) stationed at the Monell Center said, “This work provides further evidence that it is possible to use odors to ‘eavesdrop’ on the immune system, suggesting that non-invasive disease detection may be possible even before the onset of observable symptoms. The results have potential implications regarding disease surveillance in wildlife populations and food safety, bioterrorism and human disease diagnosis.”
The ugly …
As you might imagine, clairalience can be a double-edged gift. It can be beautiful and helpful, and it can also present challenges. Experiencing intuitive gifts like clairalience can help us grow in confidence, knowingness, and independence. Because other people may misunderstand it and be frightened by what and how we know things. They may criticize us or rebel against the truth. As a clairalient intuitive, I had to learn to not take this personally. The good news is, I used other people’s fear of the unknown, and their criticism of me, like fertilizer. Other people spread their fear-fertilizer, and rather than cower, I choose to grow up and through it, utilizing its nutrients to strengthen me, and I am grateful.
Will we stand in knowingness, or back down?
It’s up to each of us whether or not we’ll put up with people who put us down. As the old saying goes, there are only two things that are never-ending, the grace of God and the foolishness of man. The fantastic news is, by choosing knowing and intuition over attempting to pacify people’s insecurities, we become more confident, and our knowing grows even stronger.
What’s the difference between clairalience and make-believe?
From my perspective, if you’re wondering if it might sound “nuts” to know things that “don’t make sense,” well … don’t let fear hold you back from knowing what is true. Here’s what I’ve gleaned about the difference between clairalience and make-believe, from my 50 years of experience. The difference between making things up and knowing true, intuitive messages, is grounding. What I mean by grounding, is that it is grounded in reality. For example, a reality-based, grounded, clairalient intuitive message will NOT be accompanied by fear, desire, or emotions, and will not accompanied by mental constructs such as: anxiety, paranoia, escapism, excitement, drama, guilt, pain, shame, and any resulting psychological disorder. Grounded, clairalient messages will not instruct us to do immoral, customarily defined as criminal, acts. Rather, when one receives a clairalient message, it’s like smelling clear, statements as facts. The scent is what it is, the messages are what they are, and that’s it. It has the same factual sense as looking at a math equation.
So, if we feel fear, desire, or any emotion at the moment we receive the information, it is NOT clairalience!
Are you clairalient?
Here are 10 tips to know! There are lots more, but try these and see if any fit you!
- Your sense of smell can be intoxicating. Pleasurable scents can feel immersive and ecstatic. Bad scents may cause you to pass out or lose your lunch, so to speak.
- You see the range of effects that scent has on people. Some people do not smell what you smell at all, others may notice what you smell only after you point it out, some people smell and ignore it, others smell it and point it out as well, and then others, like yourself, smell a scent as an experience, the same way some people watch and experience a movie.
- You smell changes in the weather.
- You know instantly if it is possible for you to share space with someone. By the way they smell.
- You can smell when someone is healthy or not.
- You avoid, or hold your breath around, pungent odors. You have to mentally “rev yourself up,” so to speak, before you walk into places that smell bad, like a shoe repair shop and the fish department of the grocery store.
- Smells have an instant effect on you. You may get a headache, feel dizzy, or lightheaded.
- You make choices based on what you smell.
- You don’t smoke. If you do, it may be one cigarette or cigar a month or so, since the scent and taste combination is so strong that it can generate headaches, and impair or block your keen ability to pick up on more delicate scents.
- You may not breathe deeply. Since the more you breathe in, the more scents you take in, you may unconsciously limit your olfactory intake by adjusting your breathing to be more shallow.
Why would we ignore clairalient truth?
Although it may be difficult, we may deny our own clairalient truth if we want to fit in or not change. We may want to seem “tough.” We may not want to exclude ourselves from the togetherness of a group that may hang out in the many smells within crowds and/or the intense smells of old bars. We may be in our limited mindset, and only want the thoughts that our mind generates to get our attention. We might also feel afraid of the vast capability to know anything, and the sheer vastness of the amount of information available by means of scent. And, we might be afraid of whatever we may need to change, once we smell and know the truth—such as if we were to smell the scent of a lover on a spouse.
Intuitive clairalient information is available to each of us.
The clear smelling that is available to us by means of the Holy Spirit and God within us needs to be uncovered, honored, and cherished. When we connect to all truth via any or all of the sources of intuition, we live in the expansive possibilities of learning an infinite perception of ourself and life. This type of open hearing and perception allows us to see and be, in meaningful and joyful ways.
Why develop our clairalience?
Clairalience gives us a real, powerful edge to know what was, is, and will happen. It brings us vital information. It might forewarn us of an illness, it may inspire us to take positive action and do or say something that could lead to a wonderful, joyful, meaningful experience in life and love. It’s a solid, stable connection to truth. It’s a powerful sense of peace. And a fun way to explore life! Personally, I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
Is it possible to hone our clairalience to access more information?
I have found that with practice, yes, it is possible to hone our clairalience, and other forms of intuition, even amidst chaotic, external circumstances. In the beginning it can be challenging, since being disconnected from intuition is a habit that needs to be broken just like any other addiction. And that’s the way we need to treat disconnection—like a bad habit that kills our satisfaction, peace, happiness and connection to ourself, others, and everything.
Here are 15 ways to explore and develop clairalience.
There are innumerable ways to hone clairalience. Try some of these and see what works for you, or find your own!
- Be aware. That means not doing things that make us unaware, such as alcohol, drugs, TV, video games, unhealthy foods, spending time in low-vibe environments, etc. These limit or block our ability to receive.
- Be open to receive. That means allowing truth, not fearing it or desiring a specific truth.
- Accept it. That means knowing it fully. It means not limiting our capacity for truth by fearing, denying, repressing, and/or suppressing.
- Do something with it. Because just like you, if you regularly offer advice to someone who never applies it, you stop offering it and walk away. I’ve found that the same is true of intuitive guidance. It’s not gone, but if I don’t use it, like a muscle, it atrophies.
- Practice makes confidence. Keep exploring and noticing what you notice. Allow yourself to be inwardly pleased about your choice to learn.
- Develop the other forms of intuition. By using many forms together, it is validating and solidifying, providing even more details and greater accuracy.
- Take care of ourself, in general. The healthier, happier, and less stressed we are, the more open we are to new information.
- Trust that we are cared for, protected, and it’s OK. Regardless of what information we receive.
- Ask internally before sharing clairalient information with others. At times, the information received is just for you. And, people may not be at all ready or willing to hear what you have to say.
- Accept that other people may not understand. And drop the complex about it. To use an everyday example, whatever your expertise may be, you don’t expect people to understand the technicalities of your work, do you? Then stop seeking validation about your intuitive gifts as well.
- Know, respect, and fulfill the highest purpose. Like any tool, intuitive gifts may be used to spread education and enjoyment, or fear and destruction. Choose well, because secrets are temporary and consequences cannot be avoided.
- Don’t try. Trying is born from a fear of not being capable. Instead of trying, simply allow ourself to freely receive intuitive information, without fear or criticism.
- Affirm: “I release what blocks me from knowing truth.”
- Meditate. Because it’s like vitamins for the body, it’s a blanket of protection from stress, maintains health, and reduces the stress that can block us from receiving guidance of all sorts, including our sense of smell.
- Spend time in nature. Because it can help us know the truth of the layers of smell in this great big world of ours! It’s a great place to practice.
Support for learning and live Zoom meetings!
There are lots more tips, such as breathing, nutrition, exercise, sleep, self-care, etcetera, and there is a whole lot of great information available about the topics of clairalience and intuition. Doing it alone can be challenging. Join us for live support via Zoom, every Friday from noon to one Eastern Time. We’ll meet to share the intuitive experiences and questions we encountered during the week as we applied the tips to hone our intuition! If you’re opposed to group leaning, join anyway! The lessons you’ll learn by listening to the exploration and experiences of others will be invaluable. Also, it’s a place that’s free of judgment, criticism, and bullying, so you are free to experience and share without fear. I’ll be leading the meetings to give extra tips and tools, and making sure that no one’s storytelling takes over the meeting. I’ll also make sure we stay on task and spur you on to grow. And, group meetings are much less expensive than one-on-one mentoring. To register, click Group Growth via Zoom and donate at least $30 per month to attend all meetings, for as long and often as you wish and you may cancel at any time. So get registered and get on the ball! Just click Group Growth via Zoom.
I also recommend reading Laura Day’s book, titled, Practical Intuition. It’s the first book I used as I began developing my intuitive abilities in my 20s, and it has helped me tremendously. It’s easy to read and has fun exercises.
What say ye?
Will you hone your clairalience? Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section, so we may learn together …
Always with love,
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