A Sensory World

By Rev. Amari Magdalena

As I drive about at this holiday season and see all of the displays of Light and enjoy the smells of Cedar, Cinnamon, and Ginger, I am reminded of what an amazing sensory world we live in.  In the rush of our daily lives, I feel we often take our five senses for granted until some event triggers a memory or an acknowledgement.

While we have five physical senses, we’ve also a sixth sense that may or may not be well developed. Sight is a miracle for those blessed with sightedness. Our eyes are the windows to the world.  They can afford us an unparalleled vision of beauty or expose us to the worst visions of humanity.  I’ve chosen to see or seek beauty in this elder passage of my life.  If I should have negativity or worry descend, I direct my focus to beauty.  And, beauty is all around us if we just look beyond the limiting vision of our living boxes. I believe beauty is the portal to the soul.

Hearing the sounds of a beautiful symphony, lullaby or Gregorian chant can trigger a splash of positive endorphins and oxytocin hormones being released in our oft stressed systems. We hold so many memories of the music of our generation.  Music can also be cacophony and grate on our peace.  Science is now learning that even the planets and stars have a sound. Sound can open doors to new worlds, if we are willing to listen. Folks with clairaudience have fine tuned the sounds to understand messages from beyond our normal range of listening.

Touch!  So vital to newborns under all circumstances and a needed commodity throughout life. The Puritan, WASP, influence in the early founding of what we call America, led to less touch than is desirable.  As our melting pot of a country has brought peoples of all cultures, we see more touch demonstrated in some than others.  Lack of touch can lead to depression. Kinds of touch in our environment speaks volumes to our mental states: soft, soothing, harsh, rugged, etc. Touch is ultimately about connection. The more, and better quality hugs we receive, the more we feel our existence is affirmed and valued.

Smell, and all the memories associated with it, may be carried from childhood through our adulthood.  The scent of our familiar family has a long-lasting impact on our later connection with people who enter our lives.  We do not all smell alike. Mother’s bond with their newly born infants through smell-they smell like the mother. Scents can enhance our natural smell or repulse others.  Scent sensitivities are growing as natural ones are replaced with chemicals. Even our mental outlook can be impacted by smell.  Surrounding our homes with scents that speak to us in a most positive way, can be uplifting.

Taste, and our culinary preferences, have evolved into an entire smorgasbord of foodie industries. We equate taste with other aspects of life also.  We might say an interaction left a bad taste in our mouths.  Conversely, we exclaim, “Yum!” at a great experience or culinary delight. Another expression of taste is with a value judgment-good taste or poor taste in friendships, home décor, etc.  When our taste buds are keenly developed in all aspects of life, we tend to be more open to the new and untried. 

Development of our Sixth Sense can open a whole world beyond the material. I believe that all of us have the capacity to open that 3^rd Eye.  Much of our early conditioning impacts whether we’ll allow that awakening. When we trust that there is indeed more than what seems to be through our illusions of permanence, a wondrous world of possibility invites our tenancy. With the opening we have a foot in both worlds.

Years ago, I read in a Reader’s Digest article that listed the true capacity of our five physical senses. An example of this is: “See a small candle flame from 30 miles away on a clear, dark night.” Other examples spoke to the other senses.  Our crowded cities with overload on our natural senses have dulled most of them.  Isn’t it time to reclaim this sensory world? In wide open spaces, in nature, away from the proverbial madding crowd, we may discover a world of wonder.

I encourage us all to not depend on seasons or holidays to reawaken our senses.  Choose now to value them, activate them, and experience one of the true joys of having a human body. Add a color to your décor.  Try some new music. Add a new spice to food. Find a pleasant natural aromatherapy oil to diffuse in your living room and bedroom. Choose a new fabric in your clothing or furniture. Experience more of life! And, if you trust yourself, do something to wake up your sixth sense!  And remember, love is the poetry of the senses. (Honore de Balzac)

"Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul." Oscar Wilde

"There are four Powers: memory and intellect, desire and covetousness.  The first two are mental and the others sensual.  The three senses: sight, hearing, and smell cannot well be prevented; touch and taste not at all." Leonardo da Vinci

"Man has no Body distinct from his Soul; for that called Body is a portion of Soul discerned by the five senses, the chief inlets of Soul in this age." William Blake