The 7 Clair’s in Metaphysical Work
(or 8 distinct intuitive senses, depending on the tradition)
The most commonly referenced frameworks include:
1st 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) Clairaudience 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) Clairsentience 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