Clairvoyance in History

Clairvoyance has always been mentioned in the histories of many different cultures but have been perceived in different ways. Cultures that put an importance on the clairvoyant experiences of some individuals often made use of their abilities during rituals. Religious rituals across many cultures have all relied on a certain foresight not seen or experienced through the five basic senses but through a sixth sense, a different plane, or an altered state of consciousness. Much importance was put on these trances as some produced accurate results, especially if ascertained by individuals who really do have the ability of clairvoyance. Clairvoyance may be induced or experienced spontaneously, the former by using herbs and other agents that precipitated hallucinations while the latter was an unprecedented event.

Clairvoyance in religion

Religion has in part, helped perpetuate the belief of clairvoyance throughout history. Religions such as Buddhism and Taoism put a high premium in clairvoyance, setting the bar that to achieve a state of being all-knowing, one must undergo a spiritual awakening after thorough meditation and prayers. However, as religion spread, particularly that of the Catholic or Christian faith, paganistic or shamanistic rituals making use of clairvoyance fell out of favor. Clairvoyants were either seen as working with the devil or a force from the dark side.

Clairvoyance in the scientific age

Science became the new religion that frowned upon the paranormal practices because of the lack of reasonable explanations. Along with the advancements in physical and psychological medicine, those who reported to have had such experiences were often labeled to have mental or emotional imbalances. However, in the 1950s, the Soviet Union started experimenting with a different kind of surveillance using people with clairvoyant abilities. The US followed suit in the 1970s.

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