12 SENSES OF HUMAN BEINGS:

and how these determine our holistic health and wellbeing

From early age onwards we are told and taught about our five senses. The five senses sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch humans have and use to perceive the physical, external world. 

To me it seems that these five senses would be enough for an unconscious being to exist in our physical world. Whereas beings with consciousness have and develop far more senses and abilities in order to live and act on Earth in holistic health and perception. If we look more closely, we can identify up to 12 senses that determine our wellbeing and our experiences of the physical and non-physical world. Rudolf Steiner distinguished between 12 senses, divided into 3 groups, which contribute to holistic health in the physical, mental and spiritual body when activated in balance.

As a conscious human being in a self-healing electromagnetic body we are only healthy to the degree of self awareness. If eg. our sense of life is not well developed we cannot properly feel sensations and energies in our body which tells us what the body needs.
If you lack in development of your sense of movement you will not be able to maintain a healthy posture. A physically unstable posture results in mental instability and vice versa.
Your sense of concept determines your ability to live in relationships and to contribute to a healthy community. And since we human beings live in constant relationship to everyone and everything it is fundamental to learn about the sense of concept and all the other of the 12 senses, not only about the five senses which literally bind us to the physical, material realm only.

Our health depends heavily on a balanced activation and perception of our 12 senses. Why is it that the education system and society teach about 5 senses only which allow the perception of our external world?
It seems there is no interest in humans developing perception of the inner self and the non-physical world.

Being penetrated with entertainment, advertisement, indoctrination, processed foods and sexualization overstimulates our five senses hearing, sight, taste, smell and touch and causes the other seven senses to wither. Thus, we lose connection to ourselves, to true human relationships, and to the spiritual world. The fundamental basis of our health.

As soon as you stimulate all of your 12 senses you will improve your overall health on all layers, physically, mentally and spiritually.

• The physical senses for perceiving one’s own body:
  • Sense of touch: Your sense of touch lets you perceive where your physical boundary is and where something else begins.
  • Sense of balance: The anchor within yourself. Balance relates to how we stand within a space. This sense is not developed at birth, but gradually develops over time.
  • Sense of life: Your sense of life helps you learn to listen to your body properly. You can think of your life sense as your inner sense of feeling. What touch is for the external world, life sense is for the internal. This sense is closely linked to attention and self-regulation.
  • Sense of Movement: is the sense that perceives the movements and positions of your body and limbs. Thanks to your sense of movement, you always know where your limbs are without having to think about it.

• The sensory organs for perceiving the environment:
  • Sense of smell: Through this sense we are taking a part of the world into ourselves. It is imposed on us by the outside world and can provoke a positive or negative reaction against which we are unable to defend ourselves in most cases.
  • Sense of taste: When engaging the sense of taste, we make a conscious decision to make something a part of ourselves. This sense is evident when we are choosing what food to eat. Our mouth allows us to taste sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami. Our sense of smell gives us secondary tastes, which makes the process of eating a much diverse experience and allows us to tailor the meal and nutrients precisely to our physical, mental and energetic needs.
  • Sense of sight: The eye can only perceive colours and the amount of light around us. The perception of light and colours has a strong influence on our mood and health.
  • Sense of warmth: The senses of warmth and touch are located all over the skin. But while the sense of touch only registers local contact, the sense of warmth depends on one’s own body temperature and the size of the area exposed to heat or cold. A physical and psychological feeling of warmth is a fundamental human need.

• Mental senses for perceiving the non-physical world:
  • Sense of hearing: is a spiritual sense and is available before birth. We hear internal sounds within us, we hear external sounds, we hear the intensity of the sound, the pitch, the “colour” or mood of what is heard, the physical distance and position relative to the sound. Hearing is a transformation process; a sound occurs and enters our ears where we process it and develop an understanding.
  • Sense of speech: serves to perceive spoken language. Where the ear hears acoustic sounds, the sense of language also perceives the thoughts, judgments, and experiences of the other person behind the words. Speech allows us to express our inner thoughts and feelings. 
  • Sense of concept: allows you to perceive one’s inner world by understanding what is being said. Words alone convey nothing; only when understanding or empathy is added can one understand the words in context.
  • Sense of self: The I, a sense of who you are as an individual. A strong sense of self is a prerequisite for being able to empathize with others. You can only let go of your own emotions and habits, empathize with others, and allow a part of them into yourself if you know your own self very well.