The paranormal term of clairvoyance originated in the French language. Clair means clear in French, voyance means vision and a voyant is a visionary. And clairvoyance is clear vision and a clairvoyant is an individual who is a clear visionary. The literal translation, however, is not accurate and is not helpful.

To further complicate the definition, clairvoyant has been used in reference to a variety of things over the years. The term clairvoyant applies to an individual who has exhibited abilities in a range of psychic or paranormal talents and has emerged gradually over the years. An all-encompassing meaning which truly fits is that a clairvoyant is an individual who has the ability to know places, people, events and objects by other means other than the five physical senses and refers to a form of extra-sensory perception (ESP).

Usually, however, clairvoyance involves an individual that knows of something happening at the moment. But happening a distance outside of the physical senses. There is, however, documentation of cases of clairvoyants having knowledge of an event taking place either in the past or the future. In view of this clairvoyance is considered a form of prophecy or precognition.

The clairvoyants means of retrieving this hidden information is varied. But generally it can be broken down into one of six categories. The remote viewing phenomenon is where clairvoyance is most associated. With remote reviewing a clairvoyant views a person, place, object or event. This can take the form of visual hallucination or at other times the individual will view a place, person, object or event with their minds eye.

The second form is called clairaudience. In this form the clairvoyant receives information by way of remote event from sound. The individual may hear noises or voices other people and recording equipment does not or cannot hear. Some times the clairvoyant might hear voices of the dead. In this case the phenomenon crosses the line into a medium form.

The third form or type is called clairsentience. With clairsentience an individual gains their knowledge with feeling and touch. This may include the feeling an object that are not present. This is more of a feeling or ‘vibe’ that a clairvoyant gets from events, locations or people that are out of the clairvoyants visual view.

Clairalience refers to knowledge coming to the clairvoyant in olfactory form. The clairvoyant may smell grass and flowers from a meadow (or anything else) which clues them into the source of the smell. Only the clairvoyant can smell these scents, which come from no obvious source.

Clairgustance is analogous to our sense of taste. Clairvoyants may sometimes taste flavors at a distance or those which come from no apparent source.

Sixth and final form is Claircognizance and perhaps the most difficult to explain or define. In this form a clairvonyant has information on a person at a remote distance. An object, person, place or event, but is unable to explain how they received that information. They just know it. Claircognizance is a catch all category, to some extent.

Clairvoyance is something which is known in every part of the world and has a place in every single one of the world’s cultures. The phenomena also figures into most of the world’s major religions.

In the Buddhist tradition, clairvoyance (specifically in the form of clairsentience) is thought of as one of the six types of extrasensory abilities which are granted to people through advanced study of meditation. Buddhists believe that these people are able to perceive the vibrations given off by other people.

Clairvoyance is part of the religious traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam as well. In the Abrahamic religions clairvoyance is believed to be a miraculous experience granted to the clairvoyant by divine intervention. In Catholic tradition, St. Clare is believed to have had a vision of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, even though she was many miles removed from the event. In honor of this vision, the Catholic Church named St. Clare the patron saint of television. It’s a fitting assignment; after all, the word television literally means to see at a distance.

Clairvoyance in Catholicism, for instance, has been considered miraculous. More than five hundred years ago, a disciple of Saint Francis, Saint Claire, had a vision of the death of Saint Francis despite that Saint Claire was miles away when she had the vision. Saint Claire, interestingly enough, was sainted the ‘patron saint of television.’ Televisions literal meaning is ’seeing over a distance.’

Many, of course, are skeptical of clairvoyance, but it is a part of human nature to deny something’s existence because they have no understanding of it. Not long ago, in our earlier history there were skeptical scientist who had even denied the existence of electricity and magnetism.

How clairvoyance works is not yet understood, but this shouldn’t be taken as a reason to ignore the existence of this phenomenon. There are a growing number of people who believe that any one of us can learn to use clairvoyance and other latent psychic abilities with practice and dedication.