Clairgustance is probably the most rare and unusual of all psychic perceptions. It is the nonsensory perception of gustatory or ‘taste’ impressions. Psychics and mediums with this psychic preference experience various mental ‘taste’ and ‘flavor’ impressions.
The term gustance means ‘pertaining to taste' or 'tasting’ from Latin gustatus ‘sense of taste; a taste,’ and gustare ‘to taste,’ from root geus- ‘to taste; or to choose.’
What might the purpose of such an odd psychic preference be? Well, it does come in handy. Forensic or medical psychics and mediums, for example, benefit greatly from the ability to perceive ‘taste’ impressions relating to chemicals, drugs, or even blood. These psychic impressions can offer clues to the cause of disease, or how a victim was kidnapped or murdered.
Some medical psychics and mediums can perceive taste impressions of foods, substances, and flavors that indicate nutritional shortages and other health issues. For example, tasting ‘chocolate’ while channeling for a patient might indicate they have a magnesium deficiency. A ‘saline’ taste may signify a sodium deficiency, while the taste of ‘blood’ or ‘raw meat’ could point to a chronic iron or vitamin B deficiency. Tastes of medicinal substances can also indicate probable causes of illness, or what kind of treatment to seek.
Scarcely one person in a thousand is capable of tasting the happiness of others ~ Henry Fielding
Clairgustant spirit mediums sometimes rely on their tasting ability to channel afterlife validations. In this case the taste impression is associated with the former human personality of the spirit entity, or the special relationship the soul identity had with their family while they were in this life. The ‘taste’ impression usually identifies exactly whose energy is ‘coming though’ from the other side.
For example, few things are more validating in a mediumship reading than a ‘cinnamon taste’ reminder of granny’s home-baked biscuits made from her secret recipe, or the ‘sweet and sour’ memories of a beloved sibling’s favorite ketchup brand, which he always smothered his food with at family gatherings.
In physical mediumship, various oral sensations, such as dry mouth, belching, hiccups, and salivating are also reported by some mediums. The Brazilian physical medium Amyr Amiden, for example, is able to anticipate his manifestations of unusual stigmata whenever he experiences an ‘acidic taste.’ [1]
But psychic taste impressions are not only applicable to the dearly departed and nonphysical spirit entities. Psychics also experience tastes associated with the living. For example, when I am about to receive a phone call from one of my closest friends, I always get a strong taste of Cabernet Sauvignon, his favorite red wine cultivar. He is an avid wine collector and connoisseur, and whenever we meet, he always opens a bottle. Over the years, I have come to associate this taste with his personal ‘energy signature.’ Surprise visits from him are therefore impossible, try as he might!
But I do not experience these clairgustant impressions very often, and fortunately I usually have to deal mostly with pleasant flavor impressions, whenever it does occur in a channeling session. The worst I typically perceive is the strong taste of ‘cigarette butts’ or ‘ashtray,’ when I channel for clients who are avid smokers — to the extent that I sometimes even experience a ‘choking’ sensation during those readings. Some psychics and mediums, however, report much stranger and more unpleasant taste perceptions, including ‘rubber, charcoal, urine, and bile.’
Clairgustant psychics and mediums typically also perceive clairolfactory or psychic smell impressions that accompany these taste perceptions. It is logical that this mental partnership would exists in a metaphysical context, since our ordinary perception of taste and smell also go hand-in-hand. In fact, without smell people are unable to accurately distinguish most tastes.
Research on psi phenomena relating to gustation is limited, but some evidence has been reported in related studies. Researcher Frank Podmore demonstrates in his telepathy experiments, for example, the telepathic transference of simple sensations, including taste, between two subjects in various states of consciousness. Experimenters (senders) tasted certain substances and then asked the participants (receivers) to describe what they were tasting. Vinegar was described as a “sharp and nasty taste;” port wine as “between eau de cologne and beer;” and nutmeg initially as “peppermint” and then “no, what you put in puddings…nutmeg."[2]
In a systematic investigation of psychometry or ‘token object reading,’ early psychic researcher Joseph Rhodes Buchanan studied an American Civil War general who experienced an unpleasant ‘metal taste’ whenever he touched brass objects. Inspired by this discovery, Buchanan soon found that many of his own psychometry students were able to identify various unseen metals, wrapped in paper, purely through touch.[3] Buchanan then went on to experiment with impressions of taste by asking students to touch envelopes containing various substances, like sugar and salt, and even emetics (medications used to induce nausea and vomiting) and found many of them susceptible to these influences.[4]
The Russian psychic Nina Kulagina was observed being able to telekinetically spin a compass; stop a pendulum or change the direction of its swing; as well as prevent a scale from unbalancing. She would lose as much as two kilograms (4.4 pounds) of body weight during these psychokinetic demonstrations (more than would typically be lost in a similar period by means of strenuous physical exercise). Furthermore, she reported other adverse physical effects, including the perception of a ‘metallic taste’ in her mouth.[5]
© 2022 Anthon St. Maarten
REFERENCES
[1] Wehrstein, KM (2018). Amyr Amiden (Physical Medium)’. Psi Encyclopedia. The Society For Psychical Research.
[2] Podmore, F. (1894). Apparitions And Thought-Transference; An Examination Of The Evidences For Telepathy. Walter Scott.
[3] Abreu, N. & Riise, T. (2018). Ordinary People, Extraordinary Experiences: Real Cases Of Transformative Phenomena. Independently Published.
[4] Buchanan, J.R. (1885). Manual of Psychometry. Holmax Brothers.
[5] Wehrstein, KM (2021). Nina Kulagina. Psi Encyclopedia. The Society For Psychical Research.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anthon St. Maarten is a psychic medium and destiny coach with a global clientele of thought leaders, business executives, celebrities, politicians, academics, and luminaries in the arts and sciences in more than thirty countries spanning five continents.
He is also a metaphysics teacher, psychic development coach, podcaster, and spiritual blogger. Anthon is a hereditary psychic medium in professional practice since 2004 and a liberal arts post-graduate with a major in psychology.
Anthon publishes the spiritual life design blog, The S Word, and is the author of Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny and The Sensible Psychic: A Leading-Edge Guide To True Psychic Perception.
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