The 7 Clair’s in Metaphysical Work
(or 8 distinct intuitive senses, depending on the tradition)

The most commonly referenced frameworks include:
1^st Four Clairs: Often considered the core psychic

1) Clair-voyance (clear seeing)
2) Clair-audience (clear hearing)
3) Clair-sentience (clear feeling)
4) Clair-cognizance (clear knowing)
5) Clair-gustance (clear tasting)
6) Clair-alience (clear smelling)
7) Clair-tangency (clear touching or psychometry) 

Most practitioners believe that while individuals may possess many of these abilities and typically have one or two dominant modalities they use more frequently.

1) Clairvoyance is the alleged ability to acquire information about Objects, People, or Events through means other than the known human senses, often described as “clear seeing.” The term is derived from the French words clair (clear) and voir (to see). 
In spiritual & parapsychological contexts, it’s considered a form of (ESP) or “sixth sense” that allows individuals to perceive:
* Distant or hidden objects in space (remote viewing) 
* Past events (retrocognition)
* Future events (precognition)

 2)  Clair-audience is the psychic ability to Hear Sounds, Voices or Messages that are not perceptible to the ordinary physical ear.  Derived from the French words clair (clear) and audience (hearing), it literally means “clear hearing” 

In Spiritual & Metaphysical contexts, Clairaudience involves receiving intuitive information through the “inner ear” or “mind’s ear”. This can manifest as:
* Hearing voices or messages from Spiritual Guides, Angels, or Deceased loved ones. 
* Perceiving subtle sounds, such as Ringing, Buzzing, or Music, with no external physical source. 
* Receiving auditory guidance or insights that feel distinct from one’s own internal thoughts. 

While often viewed as a spiritual gift for communication with higher realms, practitioners typically distinguish Clairaudience by its Clarity, Intent & Lack of Pathological distress

3)  Clair-sentience is a psychic ability defined as “clear feeling” or the capacity to perceive emotional & energetic information through physical or intuitive sensations rather than the five standard senses.  Derived from the French words clair (clear) and sentience (feeling), it allows individuals to sense the emotional states, energies, or truths of others, places or objects without explicit external cues. 

Key characteristics include:
* Distinction from Empathy: Unlike empaths who absorb others’ emotions like a sponge, Clairsentients act as “moisture detectors,” sensing and discerning energies without necessarily taking them on or becoming overwhelmed.
* Somatic Experience: The ability manifests as internal signals, such as gut feelings, sudden chills, pressure in the chest or goosebumps, which convey intuitive messages about a situation or person.
* Precognition of Emotion: Clairsentients can often detect hidden or unexpressed emotions, allowing them to understand what someone is going through privately, even if they have no prior knowledge of their circumstances.
* Commonality: It is considered one of the four main “clair” senses (alongside Clairvoyance, Clairaudience & Claircognizance) and is described as the most common form of intuitive perception
 

4)  Clair–cognizance is the psychic ability of “clear knowing,” defined as the capacity to acquire specific Knowledge, Insights, or Facts about a Person, Situation, or Event without any logical explanation, Sensory Evidence, or Conscious Reasoning.  Derived from the French words clair (clear) and cognizance (knowledge), it manifests as sudden mental downloads or calm, unshakable certainty that feels distinct from ordinary intuition or ego-based thoughts. 

Key characteristics include:
* Instant Acquisition: Information arrives suddenly & fully formed, described as a “download” into the mind. 
* Lack of Logic: The knowing occurs without access to data or reasoning that leads to such conclusions. 
* Distinct from Other Clairs: Unlike clairvoyance (clear seeing), clairaudience (clear hearing), or clairsentience (clear feeling), clair-cognizance bypasses all five physical senses & operates purely through direct mental insight

5)  Clair–gustance (also known as clear tasting) is a psychic or paranormal ability that allows an individual to perceive the taste of a substance, without any physical contact with it.  Derived from the French word clair (clear) and the Latin gustare
(to taste).  This intuitive sense enables people to experience Flavors, Aromas or Oral Sensations—such as sweetness, bitterness or metallic tastes—that are not physically present. 

Key aspects of this ability include:
* Energetic Perception: Individuals, known as clair–gustants, are believed to taste the energetic essence of people, places, objects or spiritual entities rather than physical matter. 
* Mediumship Connection: In spiritual practices, clair-gustance is often used to validate messages from the spirit world, with the ability of tasting a deceased loved one’s Favorite Food or specific Brand of Drink associated with them. 
* Common Sensations: Experiences range from sudden, vivid tastes (like chocolate or smoke) to subtle oral sensations, including dry mouth, salivation, or unexplained cravings. 
* Development: While some view it as an innate gift.  Others believe it can be cultivated through mindfulness, meditation, and heightened sensory awareness, often working in tandem with clairalience (clear smelling).

6)  Clair-alience is the psychic ability to acquire information or perceive spiritual messages through the sense of Smell, often referred to as “clear smelling.” Derived from the French words clair (clear) and alience (smelling), it involves detecting phantom scents that have no physical source in the immediate environment. 

Individuals with this gift, known as clair–alients, may suddenly smell fragrances like Flowers, Perfume, Smoke or Food without any physical stimuli.  In spiritual and paranormal contexts, these scents are interpreted as:
* Messages from Spirit World or deceased loved ones
* Signs from Divine Energies, such as angels or God
* Intuitive Insights about people, places, or future events 

It is often considered a form of extrasensory perception (ESP) linked to the Limbic System in the Brain and emotional memory.