Could You Be Psychic? (example article)

While some only experience the world through the five senses, others can tap into intuitive skills that provide deeper perceptive insight. These are known as the “clair- senses” and are the psychic abilities that build your intuition. Some people are able to experience these skills instinctually, while others need to practice and hone them over time.
These intuitive skills get their names from the french word “claire,” meaning “clear,” and each of these skills adds a layer of clarity to one of the natural senses. Clairvoyance, clairaudience, claircognizance, and clairsentience are the heightened skills of seeing, hearing, knowing, and sensing. We walk you through these four major “clair- senses” to break down how you can identify these skills within yourself!

Clairvoyance

This is the one most commonly associated with the psychic senses. Clairvoyance means “clear seeing,” which can take on different meanings depending on the person. People with this skill tend to be highly visual, with intuitions appearing as daydreams at times. They can have an extremely active imagination, with frequent, active dreams. Sometimes called the “Third Eye,” clairvoyance can manifest in various forms, from full visions to smaller objects like colors or symbols. While this is the most popular of the clair senses, this isn’t the only form intuition can take.

Clairaudience

This means “clear hearing,” and can appear both externally or internally. People who possess clairaudience are perceptive listeners to the people and objects around them. While this is often worded messages, it can also be perceived through books, music, videos, or places. This can look like finding a special message in a song or an ability to easily understand what people are saying to you. This intuitive skill helps amplify outside messages, which gives you clear, immediate insight into what those around you are saying. People with this skill are able to easily and astutely perceive subtext from those around them as if said aloud. It can also be internal, though, with thoughts or ideas popping into your mind suddenly as if told from another person or dimension.

Claircognizance

This means “clear knowing” and is a very perceptive skill that can act as a sudden drop of intuition. This sense is sometimes referred to as a “gut feeling,” and can feel like a clear bodily sense of knowing. Sometimes living in your stomach, this can feel like an explicit signal of guidance or understanding. People with this skill often feel as if they know things without clear evidence, and get sudden bouts of inspiration that are often proven true. Claircognizant people are prone to deja-vu, with things feeling as if they already happened or as if they instinctively knew what to do.

Clairsentience

This means “clear feelings,” and can be described as feeling things deeply or intuitively. This is a very empathic skill — people who possess clairsentience can easily sense the feelings and moods of those around them. Similar to claircognizance, this is often an instinctual bodily feeling. While claircognizance is a gut feeling, clairsentience can be more like chills or goosebumps, giving your body an indication of what’s going on in your physical environment. Clairsentience is an experiential sense of knowing, and people with this ability are very sensitive to their spaces. At times, this can also act as a “gut feeling,” but tends to refer to environments and people around you, more than it refers to your decisions.