Clairvoyance

Clairvoyance, the "Sixth Sense", the "Inner Light"

Like most other paranormal beliefs, humans have demonstrated a belief in clairvoyance for centuries. Clairvoyance is the ability to experience life beyond the Five Senses and for that reason, it's often called the "Sixth Sense".

The Theosophical Society was established in 1875 with the objective to investigate, study, and explain, mediumistic phenomena.5 In his book, "Clairvoyance", Charles Webster Leadbeater (1854-1934), an active member of the Theosophical Society defines clairvoyance as "...the power to see what is hidden from ordinary physical sight" and goes on to say "Clairvoyance means literally nothing more than 'clear-seeing,' and it is a word which has been sorely misused..."

Leadbeater proclaimed himself clairvoyant, but his book, "The Inner Life" proves him as somewhat of a charlaton in that he writes that a human-like population of beings inhabits the planet Mars.6

The Rosicrucian Fellowship, an association of Christian mystics believes there are two types of Clairvoyance7; the first voluntary, wherein a clairvoyant, willingly seeks to explore the unknown and the second, involuntary, wherein the clairvoyant experiences past or future events independent of his or her individual will.

Some clairvoyance advocates believe that clairvoyants "see" with the third eye, the pineal gland.7, 8 However, the pineal gland is a small endocrine gland in the brain that produces melatonin, a hormone that the scientific community believes may regulate sleeping and waking.9

Some clairvoyance proponents also adopt the opinion that children have stronger powers of "second sight" than adults. Perhaps this belief comes from the fact that the pineal gland is large during childhood and shrinks at puberty.

However, the modern scientific community recognizes no evidence of clairvoyance as fact.10