Seers have always been regarded with awe, as have many of those connected with magic and mysticism. While some have been predjudiced against, Seers have remained respected within the human world, such as the Oracle of Delphi.

Within parapsychology, clairvoyance is used exclusively to refer to the transfer of information that is both contemporary to, and hidden from, the clairvoyant. It is differentiated from telepathy in that the information is said to be gained directly from an external physical source, rather than being transferred from the mind of one individual to another.

Outside of parapsychology, clairvoyance is often used to refer to other forms of Anomalous cognition, most commonly the perception of events that have occurred in the past, or which will occur in the future (known as retrocognition and precognition respectively),or to refer to communications with the dead (see Mediumship).

Seers can only see clearly up to a month in advance, or a week in the inexperienced or the young. After such a point, actual 'visions' become blurred, as fate takes control and actual outcomes are unclear.