I equate intuition with personal empowerment. I also equate it with self-care, which I believe is another form of personal empowerment.

By listening to my intuition, then, I'm empowering and taking care of myself.

Is it really listening, though?

The better question here may be, "Is it just listening?"

The answer to that is, "No."

Intuitive insights, sometimes referred to as extrasensory perception (ESP) or psychic "hits", can be smelled, heard, tasted, felt and seen.

Our intuition is referred to as our sixth sense, and yet that's misleading. In actuality, it can use any one of - or any combination of - all five of our physical senses to communicate its wisdom.

1. Clairalience, a.k.a. Clear Smelling

This is a straight-up conventional method. Clairalience is your sense of smell, taken up a notch... or ten. The thing is, rather than needing to breathe in to pick up on an intuitive smell, it "blossoms" in your nose. (Most of the time.)

When I smell fresh-baked bread in my house, and I haven't been baking bread (or anything, for that matter), I know my maternal great-grandmother is present.

When I smell pipe tobacco, I know my spirit guide Jasper is present. There was one time when someone else smelled his "signature scent," too.

When I smell a certain type of perfume that I'm not even sure is still on the market, I know my Auntie Martha is present.

In addition, I may smell spices, herbs, and/or other foods when the subject of a client's health comes up during a session. It's another layer of information to validate what spirit guides may say.

2. Clairaudience, a.k.a. Clear Hearing

This sense, much like clairalience, "blossoms" in the organ it mimics. In this case, clairaudience refers to hearing "between the ears." It doesn't apply to external paranormal sounds.

Disembodied voices - which I've heard - are another energy form. I don't mind admitting that having someone in spirit yell "hello" at your left ear can be a little disconcerting.

This sense falls into one of the most frequently used within the realm of my intuition. It's how I receive some messages from spirit guides, and in-spirit loved ones, during intuitive sessions.

3. Clairgustance, a.k.a. Clear Tasting

This is also a straight-up conventional method, and it still catches me off guard at times.

It shows up during medical intuitive work. With its help - along with clairalience - I discern that the person with whom I'm speaking may need something herbal or nutritional. I've tasted chamomile, garlic, coconut, pineapple and much more in those situations.

It sometimes shows up during an energy investigation of a property. In one notable instance, it showed up in a basement area with a dirt floor (root cellar).

At first, I felt the softness of the dirt underneath my feet (a cool experience all on its own). Then, I got a second hit on my tongue with the unmistakable earthy taste of dirt. While an unexpected way to validate the sensation of the dirt, it did the trick.

4. Clairsentience, a.k.a. Clear Feeling

This sense applies to both physical feelings and mental-emotional feelings.

It could apply to the sensations felt when you come into contact with a person, an object, or the energy of a space or spirit.

For example: When I scan an energy-healing client with my hands, I may feel a change in temperature as they hover over certain points of their body. Also, in tuning into a client's energy, I may feel empathic sensations in my own body that mimic their physical discomforts.

Another example: There are times when the air pressure around me will change, causing my ears to pop. When that happens, I know there's a spirit energy close to me. Another spirit-energy indicator: icy cold "air" around me.

When it comes to emotions, the response is very similar to physical sensations. Rather than picking up on heat or discomfort, I pick up on anger or sadness, etc.

5. Clairvoyance, a.k.a. Clear Seeing

You'd think seeing was seeing, and yet I regularly use clairvoyance two ways: with my third eye behind my closed lids, and with my third eye with my physical eyes open.

With my third eye behind my closed lids, I've seen past lives; the energy imprint of buildings and properties; the chakra system and energy body and energy field of humans; various images from those in spirit; spirit guides - both mine and others; elementals.

With my third eye with my physical eyes open, I've seen the energy imprint of buildings and properties; the chakra system and energy body and energy field of humans; various images from those in spirit; spirit guides - both mine and others; elementals.

It's fascinating to me that our third eye - our soul eye, as my guides call it - permits us to see both within and without. It also makes sense, in an as-above-so-below way.

+1. Claircognizance, a.k.a. Clear Knowing

The reason for this being a plus-one is because it doesn't relate to a physical sense. Instead, this sense is all about knowing something out of the blue. It's as if someone plants a seed in our mind and it blossoms into a fully-formed knowing that:

♥ a specific person is calling or texting you

♥ a woman who shows no sign of it is pregnant

♥ a loved one is in trouble

♥ something significant is about to happen

This intuitive sense is as confounding as it is helpful.

Invitation to Explore Your Intuition

I invite you to explore how your five physical senses may reflect intuitive insight. And I invite you to explore that sense of knowing, too.

Think of this exploration in terms of self-empowerment and self-care. Tapping in to your intuitive abilities - which we all possess as a birthright - can result in improved quality of life.

Want more information about your intuitive sense? When you subscribe to my email list, you can opt in to my free e-course, Intuitive Explorer.

Any questions about these intuitive senses? Leave them in comments.