Activate Your Intuitive Gifts With This Ancient Healing Technique

You've heard of intuition, and you've probably also heard of reiki, but you may have never considered how these two things can work together. Here, we look at how reiki can strengthen intuition, plus how to work with the particular types of intuition, or "clairs," that you have, to tap into your own innate intelligence.

We all have access to the clairs—and most of us are already in tune with at least one or two. There are many modalities to awaken your intuition, with reiki being one of them.

As reiki clears the way for energy to flow through your chakra centers, and you're better able to tap into your intuition, here are the eight clairs to watch out for, plus how to work with them. (Keep in mind, you may be strong with some clairs and not so much with others, but all of them can be strengthened!)

These feelings relate to the gift of clairsentience because we can literally feel the energy of the other. Our ability to feel others' energies gives us intelligent information on where we can choose to give and receive our energy.

Observe your energy throughout the day and notice when it ebbs and flows. What environment were you in? What people were surrounding you? How did that influence your energy fluctuating? Keep track of this over time, perhaps in a journal.

Another clair is clairvoyance, or the gift of sight. Some healers are so gifted, they can see other people's auras and spirit guides. Clairvoyance is also pronounced in dreams, repeating numbers, animals, colors, and the imagination.

To expand upon the gift of clairvoyance, practice visualization. Bring out a blank canvas or notebook pad and paint, draw, or color your favorite place in the world.

Clairaudience is the gift of hearing. Some may experience this clair as hearing repeating affirmations or words of wisdom in deep meditation, while others may experience things like hearing a song play in a serendipitous moment. When this voice or message comes through you, it immediately uplifts you.

Listen to the lyrics of a song and try to write out the lyrics as you hear them. This will flex your hearing muscle.

Claircognizance is the gift of knowing. Have you ever pulled an idea out of "nowhere" that was genius and made for great success? Or have you ever had an easy time learning something new? The gift of claircognizance represents our ability to just know things. The key to differentiating this gift from our mundane thoughts is honoring when you have a genius idea flow through you.

The next time you have a random idea, write it down. Then, take action on it. Can you share it with someone who can support it coming to fruition? What tools do you have right now to start bringing it to life?

A similar thing can happen when you hold an object that belonged to a loved one that has passed. Certain memories or feelings may come forward when you engage with this object, giving you the ability of clairtangence. 

Collect an article or object from an ancestor and sit with it. Observe any memories or feelings that come forward.

Clairempathy is strongest with people we are close to and opens up our ability to feel when something is or isn't right with them. It can give us insight into when we can be of service to others and offer them support.

The next time you think of a friend out of the blue, send them a text that you were thinking about them. Continuously practice this and notice the synchronicities unfold.

Clairalience is the gift of smell. Have you ever been somewhere and smelled something very strongly, yet the person next to you couldn't smell anything? This particular clair awakens us to scent that provides information beyond our physical senses. Certain angels and guides are actually thought to have specific smells, such as archangel Michael, who is known to smell like freshly baked cookies.

Cook a meal with at least five to six different spices and herbs. Close your eyes, and identify the smell of each of them.

And last but not least, clairgustance is the gift of taste. Some may experience this sense of taste as a strong urge to cook a favorite meal of a loved one who has passed. The taste comes in so strong, it can feel as if you just took an actual bite of it.

Before your next meal, think of what it would taste like. Taste every ingredient in your mouth as if you were really enjoying it in that moment.

This piece was co-written by Rachel Jeffries.