Researchers have found that bees and pigeons have iron oxide particles (magnetite) in parts of their body that assist in their magnetic-field orientation to home.
Attaching small magnets to pigeons on cloudy days disrupted their steering mechanism, but on sunny days they were able to counter the magnet's effects with celestial navigation.
Even humans have displayed a magnetic sensing ability enabling them to tune into the earth's magnetic field.
Electricity and magnetism are co-related, so where we can use an electroencephalogram (EEG) to reflect electrical brain wave output, we can also use a magneto-encephalogram (MEG) to distinguish the brain's magnetic waves.
The weak magnetic field in the human head is represented by lines of force that go from the left hemisphere of the brain around the head and back into the right hemisphere.
The massive Olmec stone heads of ancient Mexico show signs of once being decorated with magnetite stones, presumably representative of their creators' knowledge of human reactions to magnetic fields.
Between 1976 and 1978, studies at Manchester University in England revealed that blindfolded students had an uncanny sensing 'instinct' for home.
In fact, the homing accuracy was greater the farther the students were taken from home (tested up to 48 miles distance).
On the other hand, when bar magnets were placed in helmets on their heads, disorientation resulted; whereas control groups with brass bars instead of magnets in their helmets maintained their homing instinct successfully.
As an exercise, and as a good demonstration of your body's reaction to the earth's magnetic field, simply stretch out your arms on each side of your body and slowly rotate your body 360° while noting the sensation in your fingers and palms.
Since your hands are of opposite polarity (right hand is positive & left hand is negative), the line of connection can be sensed between one hand and the other as you rotate through the north/south axis and even quite strongly between the east/west directions as well.
Identify words, images and feelings to describe each direction so that the next time you face that direction you can recognize what it feels like again.
After discerning what the sensations feel like in the different directions, it becomes obvious that the human body standing vertically can act like a magnetic compass as it reacts to the earth's magnetic field.
To further improve your magnetic abilities, work with another person who has a bar magnet with a strength of at least 2,000 gauss.
Blindfold yourself and have your partner use the N pole and bring it close to your head in different locations, keeping the magnet moving in small circles to improve perception.
You then indicate what part of your head the magnet is located.
Use the S pole next in the same way.
You will soon find that with practice, each side of the head will have a discernibly different feeling between using the 2 poles.
If the N pole is placed at the right ear for instance, a kinesiological test of an indicator muscle will show weak (review "Exercise -- Improve Your Physical Strength in 7 Days").
This effect does not occur if the S pole of the magnet is tested at the same point.
The opposite is true with the other ear.
Since there appears to be magnetite in human blood, try hyperventilating for a few minutes to raise the pH level.
The magnetite in the blood will rotate its resonance and your sensitivity to magnetism will often increase with this method.
With practice, your north-south orientation abilities will improve markedly from here.
Once you acknowledge and understand your sensing abilities, your overall sensitivity to magnetic fields will always be with you as an additional skill.
To illustrate how your body's energy field reacts to pain, have a friend lie on his back on the floor.
Now suspend an ordinary magnetic compass a few inches above the solar plexus region of his body.
If the person is given pain, as in a severe pinch, the compass needle will deflect considerably.
Give your friend a guided visualization where he imagines himself suddenly falling off a ladder and hitting a pavement, and a similar reaction on the compass will be registered if his imagery is vivid enough.
He may even tell you that he felt a twinge in his solar plexus as well, when he visualized the action.