In QFS usage, this means making an objective interpretation of the signs of reality. This does not generally refer to unusual psychic or sensory experiences, visions or the like.

Wishful thinking is one of the principal obstacles to seeing the unseen. Wishful thinking interposes itself between the thinker and reality and prevents one from drawing the needed conclusions even when the data exists and is at least at some level known. This is in effect preferring comfort over truth, and may lead to fatally underestimating real dangers.

Seeing the unseen involves approaching the phenomenon from multiple angles, considering motives and any other principles of detective work. The emphasis is on seeing things which can be reliably correlated with observable reality, to the extent possible in each case. The New Age use of the phrase on the other hand usually refers to unusual perceptions which generally cannot be evaluated against the benchmark of commonly observable reality. This is an important difference of approach.

See Objectivity.