Like many of you, I have heard about the four “clairs” of intuition: clairaudience, clairvoyance, clairsentience and claircognizance. In fact, more of these intuitive gifts exist.

A couple of months ago, during a spiritual workshop, I learned about other clairs, including clairalience, or “clear smelling.” There are times when, all of a sudden, I will smell something that is nowhere to be found in my immediate environment. It happened during the spiritual workshop, when we did a silent meditation with a crystal bowl sound bath. For a brief moment, I smelled fresh rosemary.

The other day, I was extremely busy at work. It can be a challenge to the spiritually attuned when I am inundated with emails to answer, etc. However, if Spirit wants my attention, I will undoubtedly receive a sign or clue. I was plugging away in my home office when, out of the blue, I smelled a magnolia tree blossom.

There are different kinds of magnolia. Here in Texas, the most common type is the Southern Magnolia, with its large, white flowers that smell like lemon. When I was a kid, we lived a few years in Central Texas, and had a Southern Magnolia tree in our front yard. I have fond memories of climbing up that tree, and smelling its flowers.

Sitting at my desk, I knew this was an instance of clairalience, as there was nothing lemon scented inside our home. I use lemon-scented wipes to clean some of our wooden furniture, but I had not used any recently. I just knew this was Spirit getting my attention.

I was inspired to take a break from my work duties, and look up the symbolism of magnolias. With different varieties found throughout the world, there are many meanings. In Chinese culture, it symbolizes purity and nobility. In Japan, it can also represent a love for nature, perseverance, and dignity.

In the American South, magnolia trees were historically planted to bring luck and economic stability.

According to the color of the magnolia flower, there are specific meanings. The white flowers I have admired since childhood represent purity and perfection.

I definitely got that Spirit was reminding me to persevere and trust in my abundance, but purity? What was that about?

It was when I was driving home from the grocery store in the pouring rain on a Saturday that my curiosity was answered. I suddenly noticed that the automobile in front of me had “RAFA-12” as its license plate number. I then noticed that the time was 4:44 p.m. and then, on my car stereo, the song “Return to Innocence” by Enigma started playing.

The combination of the numbers “444” and the license plate “RAFA-12” pointed me to the angels. Twelve is a number often repeated in ancient sacred scripts, as well as in metaphysics.  In the Kabalistic tradition, there are twelve archangels, including Raphael, which is spelled Rafael in Spanish. He is associated with healing – his name literally means “God has healed.”

In this instance, I got that Raphael was communicating about the healing of my heart space, more than physical healing. And this connects to spiritual purification. In my daily meditations, I call upon the angels and spirit guides to take from me that which no longer serves me, and make it available for new creation. I also call upon Gaia to do the same.

Those negative feelings of stress, anxiety, stuckness, etc. I imagine being carried away from me in golden bejeweled coffers in the hands of the angels as they fly up into the celestial plane. I also imagine descending from me roots of light that go deep into the core of Mother Earth to let go of the unwanted energy that she can transmute and transform into nourishment for all of her children.

Through this synchronicity of the license plate and time on my automobile’s clock, and the Enigma song, I connect purity to innocence. When we first incarnate, we are closer to the pure beingness of love that we are on the other side of the veil. We are also a blank canvas upon which the first colors of our newborn experiences start to be brushed.  

The particular lyrics of this song that was popular on the radio when I was in high school have always spoken to me:

Don’t be afraid to be weak
Don’t be too proud to be strong
Just look into your heart my friend
That will be the return to yourself
The return to innocence

And if you want, then start to laugh
If you must, then start to cry
Be yourself don’t hide
Just believe in destiny

Don’t care what people say
Just follow your own way
Don’t give up and use the chance
To return to innocence

We all have the power to return to the innocence of the “new” state of beingness we experienced when we were born. A state in which we immediately trust that we are being provided for and taken care of, and experience every new thing in our life with wonder and joy.

As adults, we all have a lot to juggle, and life can seem very heavy and tiring at times. This is when we most need to call upon our angel friends and spiritual guides for help. We can turn over to them our burdens and anxieties, and clear ourselves from within.

Now, going back to that smell of fresh rosemary. I waited until right now to look up its spiritual meaning.

Rosemary symbolizes, among many things, remembrance (remembering something important, or remembering or feeling close to an ancestor or loved one who has passed), love, and faith. It was used in ancient times to ward off negative energy.

I am awakening to the truth that I have the power to clear away and transmute all negative feelings and emotions, at any time. But, like any human being, I need Spirit to remind me of it!

With all of my love,

Daniel