Identify Your Abilities: Clairolfaction

You didn’t know that there were psychics who smell their information did you? Ok maybe you did. Clairolfaction as an ability is much less commonly discussed, and it employs the nose to filter energetic information.

That means molecules of a smell may not be physically present for our olfactory to process, but our brain is still giving us the signal that the information is there. This is quite a fascinating ability, and one that science is still trying to understand. Normally our scent functions because molecules travel up our nasal and mouth passageways to the olfactory. The olfactory nerve then transmits a signal making us aware of a scent that is present. You can read more about the typical physiology of olfaction here.

Just as in all of the psychic ‘clairs’, the etymology of this one derived around the 19th century. Clair meaning ‘clear’ and olfaction essentially meaning ‘the process of smelling’. This ability is also sometimes referred to as ‘clairaliance’. However, the etymology of the word is a bit unclear. Whereas we understand the olfactory being a physically identifiable part of the brain and nervous system, the root of the word ‘-aliance’ is not something I was able to trace to smelling or the nose with confidence. However, if anyone is a French or Latin etymologist, and can help me derive this connection, I’d love to edit my article!

Have you heard the phrase ‘scent is the strongest thing tied to memory’? We experience clairolfaction when we smell perfume or flowers, which are not physically present, but can be associated with a specific person. When my great aunt visits me, I tend to smell Jovan White Musk. We were very close and that is a scent I will never forget her wearing, while I cuddled her as a child. She was my mother figure and our bond was very strong, so it comforts me when she shows up and this scent is a quick identifier.

Another example would be smelling cigarettes or cigars in a space where there is no smoking, nor history of smoke oils penetrating the area. Often a spirit may be coming through to identify themselves. I had one experience just this winter where I could smell thick cigarette smoke in my home, and I have a canary. It was negative degrees outside and nobody was smoking in my neighborhood. I had to open my windows to air out the smell because I didn’t want my little canary getting sick. Later that evening I read for a private party at a small business and one of the ladies shared that her house has been smelling like thick cigarettes lately, as I was talking about her ex husband appearing during the reading. It became clear that he showed up in my home in preparation for the reading later that day, I just hadn’t tuned in psychically yet, because I was working on other things earlier that day. What a fascinating moment of validation for both of us!

These are two limited examples of clairolfaction occurring. In some cases I have also received information via smell at a location, which helped me understand activity that had happened there in the long ago past. Can you think of a time that you experienced clairolfaction or clairalience?