Sneezing: spiritual meaning and emotional causes

What sneezing is

A sneeze is a sudden, forceful burst of air through the nose and mouth. It is a reflex: something tickles or irritates the lining inside the nose, and the body clears it out. A single sneeze is normal and harmless.

Frequent sneezing or sneezing fits usually have an ordinary cause. The most common are hay fever and other allergies (dust mites, pets, mould), a common cold, and irritants such as smoke, perfume, dust or cold air. Some people also sneeze when they step into bright light. Care depends on the cause: avoiding the trigger where possible, antihistamines, a steroid nose spray or saline rinses for allergies, and rest for a cold. A pharmacist is a good first stop.

The emotional meaning of sneezing

Spiritually, sneezing is linked to irritation. Something, or someone, is bothering you, and the body pushes it out in one sharp breath. The first step is simply to look at the moment: what you were doing, and who was with you.

What is bothering you

Is it the situation that disturbs you, or the person? Sometimes the irritation is turned outwards, towards someone you are criticising in your head. Sometimes it is turned inwards, towards yourself. Either way, there is a dissatisfaction that has not found words yet.

The wish to get free

A sneeze expels. Symbolically, it can echo an unspoken need to pull yourself out of a situation, to free yourself, or to put some distance between you and a person. The questions here are direct: what would you like to reject from your life? Who or what would you like to be rid of?

What needs to come out

The sneeze can also be heard as something that needs to be expressed rather than held in. And when the irritation points back at you, it may show a part of yourself that you are resisting.

In folklore

In popular belief, not medicine and not the spiritual interpretation above, a sneeze has long been treated as a small omen. Saying "bless you" goes back to old fears about what a sneeze might let in or out, and in parts of East Asia it is said that a sneeze means someone is talking about you. These are customs and sayings, nothing more.

A gentler way to hold it

• Look around you. When a sneezing fit comes, notice what you are doing and who you are with.
• Name the irritation. Ask whether it is the situation or the person, and whether you are judging someone, or yourself.
• Say what needs saying. A calm conversation with the person concerned can clear the air more than avoidance does.
• Change what you can. If the situation itself is the problem, take one concrete step to put it right.
• Take your place. You are allowed to occupy your space without having to push anyone away.