Let’s continue to have fun exploring different ways the natural world can communicate with you. Here’s a few more ways you may not have thought about.
Clairalience and Clairgustance
Clairalience, or clear smelling, is being able to smell odors that don’t have any kind of physical source. The scent of peonies may be present, reminding you that a deceased loved one is around in spirit. Certain smells can connect you to memories, like traces of briny ocean air wafting through your meditation space during your morning practice.
Often accompanying clairalience is clairgustance, or clear tasting, is the ability to taste something that isn’t there. You might experience the aroma of a pine forest and, at the same time, have a distinct taste in your mouth.
While doing a private client session in my office, I experienced the distinct smell of campfire smoke as she spoke about what was going on in her life. Immediately, I knew it was a message from nature about how she had lost her spark and passion for life.
“I’m just going through the motions,” she shared with me when I relayed this knowing. “I feel like I’m getting battered every day by a barrage of criticism at work and in my marriage,” she continued.
As I tuned in to ask her allies from the natural realm for more guidance, they suggested that she spend some time with the element of fire—if not by being near a fireplace or campfire, then simply by sitting with a candle. My client went on to do this, and it served to reactivate the fire within her, enabling her to speak up for herself and make some crucial shifts to bring more balance and harmony into her life.
Dream Time
I would be remiss to not mention our dream state as a way in which nature speaks through the astral realm. We receive so much information this way because when the conscious mind is asleep, the subconscious mind has space to speak. Th¬e same parameters apply as with the above senses, only in these situations, the messages are conveyed through our dreams, even if we don’t remember them.
Consider doing a simple ritual during the potent moments before going to sleep. Engage the life force of air by taking a few deep breaths and drop into the heart space. Once you feel centered, ask a question. If you are new to this process, start with a question that has a simple “yes” or “no” answer— for instance, Should I proceed with the new career opportunity that has been presented to me? Or Am I on the right track to resolving this issue around my health?
Upon waking, even if you have no recollection of your dream, take a few deep breaths, and ask your question again. Trust that your subconscious was indeed interacting with the quantum field while you were sleeping. When you ask the question, observe how you feel. Do you feel heavy or light? Anxious or calm? This alone can provide a wealth of information. Sensations of heaviness or anxiety may indicate a “no” or “not now” response to your inquiry, whereas, if you feel an elevation in your energy, this could be your green light to proceed.
Let’s say you have a dream you go on a road trip to the deserts of the Southwest. While exploring these vast, arid lands, you come across a patch of vibrant, thriving green plants with colorful blooms. As you inspect them up close, admiring their beauty and fragrance, a rattlesnake suddenly strikes at you from behind a grouping of stones. Barely missing his bite, you wake up in a panic.
As you regain your composure through a few minutes of rhythmic breathing, insights begin to come through. You’ve been feeling a little lost lately, like you’re wandering in a vast desert with no direction. The thriving plant life reminds you that there is more to life than how you are currently living and that it’s important to slow down and savor the beauty of each day.
You instinctively know that rattlesnake represents the anxiety you’ve been experiencing because of listening to the strong opinions of others telling you what you should do. The guidance from the natural realm is clear: You need to release the opinions of people in your life who are not serving your well being and personal growth.
You can read more in my book NATURE: Divine Experiences with Trees, Plants, Stones and Landscapes. Within these pages are some of my favorite ways to align with the natural realms and activate earth energy wisdom in your life!
ANA MARIA VASQUEZ, author of NATURE: Divine Experiences with Trees, Plants, Stones and Landscapes, has a profound connection with nature and animals. As a Multi-Sensory Animal and Nature Intuitive, she specializes in working with and helping others understand and interpret messages coming from Nature. Ana Maria sees nature and animals as mirrors to our inner landscapes that support us in making shifts that we otherwise wouldn’t make on our own.
As a shamanic practitioner and certified Intuitive Strategist, Ana Maria also helps other unpack their intuitive backpacks and utilize these gifts in their lives. Her online courses Let Nature Be Your Guide, Modern Shamanism, and Nature as a Messenger are popular courses on Sacred U.
