🌿 Awakened Senses: Exploring Intuition and the Art of Soulful Nourishment

“Our bodies have five senses… But not to be overlooked are the senses of our souls: intuition, peace, foresight, trust, empathy.” — C. JoyBell C.

🌿 Opening Reflection: Sensing Beyond the Physical

When we think of our senses, we often limit them to the physical—sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. But what about the senses of the soul?  This is especially important for women over 50.  

Intuition. Peace. Foresight. Trust. Empathy. These are just as vital in nurturing our journey, yet we rarely place them in the same realm.

As I sat with the quote by C. JoyBell C., I found myself reflecting on a moment from college—a talk by Professor Hanson that shifted something in me. He spoke about cooking with all of the senses. At the time, I had never heard of that idea before. But it stayed with me. And over time, it began to shape not just how I cooked, but how I lived, created, and connected.

🍲 A Cooking Lesson Turns into a Ritual of Presence

When I went back to college, one of Professor Hanson’s talks stayed with me. He spoke about the importance of cooking with all of the senses.

He said: Taste as you go. Listen when you open the oven door. Smell the herbs and spices. Touch the textures. See the transformation.

It all adds to the experience. It makes you a better chef.

I remember smiling. But then I tried it. I started cooking with intention—cooking with all my senses. And something shifted.

I became immersed. My intuition would kick in, guiding me on what to make based on the challenges or activities that would best serve my family. I didn’t struggle like so many women do with what to make. I was at peace with the process.

I planned my time differently. I trusted the flow. I became more empathetic to changes in the plan and how life played out. And without knowing it, I was feeding my own soul with more wholesome nourishment.

Now I teach others the same: Be intentional when cooking, be intentional when living. Something as routine as preparing a meal can become a ritual of the senses of our souls, encompassing all of them, including intuition, peace, foresight, trust, and empathy.

🎶 What if we lived through the Sixth Sense

We often think of music as something we hear. But what if we felt it? What if we allowed it to move through us—not just as sound, but as soul?

You can listen to a song… or you can immerse yourself in it. When you do, something shifts. The lyrics land differently. The melody stirs memory. The rhythm syncs with your breath. It becomes a conversation between your spirit and the unseen.

I’ve had moments where a song stopped me in my tracks—not because it was loud, but because it was true. It mirrored something I hadn’t yet named. It held space for something I hadn’t yet healed.

And it’s not just music. Have you ever caught a whiff of a scent—fresh bread, pine needles, your grandmother’s perfume—and suddenly you’re somewhere else? Back in the kitchen. Under a tree. Wrapped in a moment that mattered.

That’s the sixth sense at work. That’s intuition, memory, and soul-sensing breaking through the noise.

These moments don’t happen when we’re rushing. They happen when we’re in the moment. When we’re attuned. When we’re living through all our senses—physical and soulful.

So what if we applied that same principle to everything? To cooking. To photography. To relationships. To prayer.

What if we lived through the sixth sense—every day?

👁️ The Unseen and Unheard

Have you ever watched someone listening to something, and you instantly know they aren’t really hearing it? Or seen someone watching a scene unfold, but you know they aren’t truly seeing it?

If we’re not living life with all our senses engaged, we’re not truly living in the moment. We’re not receiving what the universe has designed for us at that moment.

To live soul-led is to be awake. To be attuned. To be immersed.

How are you living?  Are you that person who stares beyond, or are you that person taking in everything?  I chose to live attuned and immersed.  Not always easy, and sometimes I fall short, but for the most part, I am awake.

🌬️ The Reckoning of the Senses

I believe a true reckoning with our senses—both physical and soul—happens later in life, when we have the knowledge and discipline to be intentional about our choices.  For women in midlife, women over 50, there has never been a time more important than now to focus and be centered around your senses. To live with intention. To focus on what matters and to find the discipline to stay the course.

So I challenge you:

Think about living differently. Practice it using your senses. Let it become a ritual.

I bet the flow of preparing meals, cooking, and nourishing yourself and others will be enhanced tenfold.

Or try it with a creative hobby like photography. Let your mind, body, and soul become a powerful force—connected, intuitive, and alive.

🕊️ Closing Thought: A Ritual of the Senses

When we choose to live with all our senses— Not just the five we’re taught, but the sacred ones of the soul: intuition, peace, foresight, trust, empathy— We begin to live with presence, create with reverence, and connect with grace.

Let the wind remind you of movement. Let the scent of rosemary recall your strength. Let the texture of bark ground your knowing. Let the song stir your memory. Let the silence speak.

This season, may you be fully awake. May you taste what is true. Touch what is tender. Hear what is holy.  See what is beautiful. Trust what is rising within.

🪞Reflection Prompt

What’s one daily ritual you could transform by engaging all your senses—physical and soulful?