How to Activate Your Five Spiritual Senses

Just like your physical body uses the five physical senses to distinguish the reality around you, certain Christians believe that our spiritual aspect also has five senses that we can develop to distinguish the spiritual reality that surrounds us as well. Sight, sound, taste, touch and smell are all used spiritually to receive the teachings of God and to feel His presence in our lives. Developing the ability to sense in the spiritual world comes naturally to some people; for others, it takes some practice, but we are all able to do it as it is an inherent part of our being.

Open your spiritual eye. Just as prophets and visionaries all over the world have been able to actually see the workings of the divine in visions, you too can use your spiritual sight to connect to the heavenly plan. The key to developing spiritual sight is using visualizations during meditation and prayer that will strengthen and develop your ability to hold images in your mind. Practice visualizing Christ or angels when you talk to them in prayer, and practice imagining what heaven looks like. Soon you will have visions during sleep and moments of waking inspiration.

Hear the voice of God. God is speaking all the time but we are not listening, and part of the reason why is that we have not developed our spiritual sense of hearing. The key to being able to hear spiritual messages is learning to silence the chatter in your mind. During meditation or prayer, try to keep random thoughts to a minimum, and focus on the love and beauty of God. When something does come up that is troubling your mind, ask God for the solution. If your mind is clear, you will hear His voice speaking strongly to you, just like it always does.

Taste the Word of God. The Word of the living God is said to feed the hearts of hungry men. Practice developing your power to actually taste these words while you are in meditation and prayer. Notice how your mind and body crave so many things in the world; they are hungry. Now notice how concentrating on God's love is more fulfilling and takes away the need for many of these things. Taste how sweet His words are, and how they fill the soul. Keep certain favorite passages from the Bible with you so that the words of God are always on hand to stave off your spiritual hunger.

Feel the presence of the Lord. Many of us feel alone as we wander about, doing our daily tasks and chores. To develop your ability to spiritually feel, concentrate on the fact that God is with you at all times, and focus on this during prayer or meditation. Soon you will actually be able to feel his comforting presence around you.

Smell the garden that awaits you. Smell is a powerful tool for bringing up emotions, memories and specific states of mind. When in prayer or meditation, practice smelling the flowers that bloom in the earthly paradise that awaits humankind. Notice how clean the air is, free from all pollutants and man-made filth. Let the smells transport you to a different state of mind, one that lasts throughout the day.