Clairvoyance is the ability to perceive matters beyond the range of ordinary perception. This may be information about an object, person, location, or physical event, knowledge of which the clairvoyant can only obtain through extrasensory perception. A fortune-teller, for example, practices clairvoyance when she gazes into a crystal ball to see her client’s future.
Although the existence of clairvoyance has been documented throughout history, there is still much scepticism about it in scientific circles, who do not accept the existence of the paranormal.
Precognition, retrocognition and remote viewing
Clairvoyance is generally split into three types. Precognition is the ability to perceive or predict future events, retrocognition is the ability to see past events, and remote viewing is the perception of contemporary events happening outside of the range of normal perception.
In Pagan religions, the gift of clairvoyance was often associated with Oracles.
Early in Bonds, Becca experiences clairvoyant abilities when she has visions and dreams about Antony, seeing things she could not possibly know about his presence even before his sarcophagus is disturbed.
‘Who is buried beneath that tree?’ Her voice was barely a whisper, hoarse and broken.
‘What makes you think that someone is buried there?’ A feeling of unease began to settle over Father Michael as he spoke to her.
“I can feel him,’ she said and turned to stare at him.
The 5 best-known clairvoyants in history
Joan of Arc (1412 – 1431)
Also known as the ‘maid of Orleans’, Joan of Arc was considered a heroine or a woman of courage in France due to her part in the Lancastrian phase of the Hundred Years’ War. She is a glorified and a beatified saint by the Roman Catholic.
She is said to have seen herself being injured at Orleans and being captured by the English people. Her ability allowed her to save lives by instructing soldiers to change locations in order to avoid danger.
Nostradamus (1503 – 1566)
Michel de Nostradame was a French apothecary and a regarded and well known clairvoyant, seer, oracle and prophet. He was famous for his fortune-telling and published 1000 prophecies many of which have yet to be witnessed. He even predicted his own death on the 2nd of July 1566, telling his secretary that she wouldn’t be seeing him alive the night before.
Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand (1772 – 1843)
Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand was a famous French fortune-teller during the Napoleanic era. It is believed that she was taught by the gipsies how to read tarot cards; she acquired her first deck from them at the age of fourteen. She was popular among the rich, not only for her ability to predict future events and happenings, but also for her skill in revealing people’s characteristics and hidden personalities.
Edgar Cayce (1877 – 1945)
Edgar Cayce was an American and a professional psychic who was able to answer a lot of questions about future wars, reincarnation, Spiritual healing, Atlantis and the future events – famously whilst in a trance-like state.
Baba Vanga (1911 – 1996)
Bulgarian Baba Vanga’s full name was Vangelia Pandeva Dimitrova. Born premature, she had been expected to die at a young age. Her parents, therefore, decided not to give her a name unless she survived. The name Vangelia comes from the Greek word “Vangelis”, meaning “herald of the good news”. As a child, she was caught in a storm and was later found in an abandoned field with her eyes full of dust and sand. Her family was unable to afford an operation and she began to lose her eyesight and go blind. She believed that going blind was the awakening of her psychic abilities as she began seeing things that could not be seen by the naked eye. She established recognition as a mystic, clairvoyant and herbalist.
Cats and clairvoyance
There is an age-old belief that cats possess strong paranormal abilities, a sixth sense that is unexplainable by humans through science. This could be interpreted as a form of clairvoyance.
This unique ability is illustrated In Bonds, when Becca’s cat Spook senses that Becca has been changed by Antony.
‘What a beautiful cat,’ he said, ‘What’s his name?’
‘Spook,’ Becca said, glancing towards the French doors. ‘He’s been behaving oddly all day, ever since I woke up on the kitchen floor and found…’
Other forms of clairvoyance
Other forms of clairvoyance also exist. One of these is clairsentience. While clairvoyants see things, clairsentients – like myself – have the ability to feel the present, past or future physical and emotional states of others, without the use of the normal five senses (smell, vision, touch, hearing, and taste). This can be overwhelming, especially when picking up on darker energy.
’Til next time.
