Sneezing is a natural bodily function that serves to clear dirt and debris from our noses, but many people also believe that sneezing has deeper spiritual significance.
There are several ways to interpret sneezing, but sometimes, it can be hard to understand the message. So, to help you decipher what it might be telling you, in this post, we go into detail about the spiritual meaning of sneezing.
Sneezing spiritual meanings
1. Somebody is talking about you
According to many cultures, especially in East Asia, sneezing is a sign that somebody is talking about you.
For example, people in China and Japan believe that if you sneeze once, it means that somebody is talking about you behind your back – and sneezing twice means they are spreading dirty rumors or gossiping about you.
On the other hand, in Poland, it is thought that if you sneeze, it means your mother-in-law is talking about you – and sneezing more than once means the things she is saying about you are less than complimentary!
2. Good luck is on the way
One popular belief is that a sneeze tells you that good luck is on the way, and Hindus believe that sneezing is a sign of divine intervention in your life.
This means if you are hoping for good luck in some area of your life, sneezing means your prayers are going to be answered.
3. Make a wish
Just as sneezing can be a sign of good luck to come, another similar belief is that if you sneeze once, you can make a wish, and the good luck from the sneeze will make it come true.
Sneezing can tell you that now is a good moment to manifest your desires, and making a wish at such a time can help turn your dreams into reality.
4. Bad luck is coming
Not all cultures have the same ideas about sneezing, and while some believe sneezing foretells good luck, others consider sneezing a premonition of bad fortune.
This means if you sneeze at the start of the day, especially if you sneeze more than once, it means something unfortunate is likely to happen before the day is done.
Similarly, if you sneeze after you make a decision, it could be a message that the decision or the course of action you have chosen is not likely to turn out well, so you should think about changing your mind before it’s too late.
5. You are releasing negative energy
Sometimes when negative energy builds up inside you, your body tries to get rid of it. One way this can happen is when you get hiccups, and another way is when you sneeze.
For example, if somebody has made you angry recently and you are still carrying around that anger, your sneezing may be your body’s way of letting the anger or resentment out.
Similarly, if you are feeling sad for some reason – perhaps due to a breakup or the loss of someone close to you – sneezing can also be a way of releasing some of the negative emotions.
This means if you sneeze, you should spend some time in contemplation to try to identify any negativity or negative emotions you might be holding onto.
Then, when you understand what is making you sneeze, you can try to process your emotions properly, for example, by forgiving somebody who hurt you or coming to terms with the breakup you have experienced and moving on in a more positive frame of mind.
6. Self-doubt
Another possibility related to negativity is that you are experiencing a period of self-doubt.
Perhaps you have been feeling down of late and your self-confidence has dropped. You could be feeling as though you don’t have any value, and this may manifest itself as sneezing.
It could also be that you are currently doubting yourself in other areas – perhaps you are questioning your performance at work, maybe you are worried about your abilities as a parent or you could be feeling insecure in your relationship with your partner.
Any such instances of self-doubt can cause excess negative energy, which may then show up as sneezing.
At times such as these, it’s important to spend time in reflection or meditation to identify why you feel so low and then to find ways to boost your morale and self-worth to dispel this kind of negative thinking.
7. You need to be yourself
Sometimes, sneezing can be the result of somebody who is not being true to themself.
For example, we all face certain pressures from society, from our parents or from our peers to do certain things, to wear certain clothes and to behave in certain ways to fit in.
However, sometimes, these pressures may cause us to act in ways that don’t represent who we truly are inside.
Are you a student who is working towards a career that your parents have chosen for you rather than one you love?
In this case, sneezing could be a sign that you need to think carefully about what you are doing because you might end up with a job you hate – would it be better to stand up for yourself and do what makes you happy rather than trying to please your parents?
Similarly, sneezing can also be related to other aspects of your life where you are hiding who you really are for the benefit of others – and the message can be that you need to stand up and be yourself rather than trying to be somebody you aren’t to keep other people happy.
8. Go ahead with your plans
According to some cultures, sneezing is a sign that you should go ahead with some kind of plan or project that you are considering.
This could mean you have been thinking about starting a new business, in which case, the sneeze is a confirmation that your business will be profitable.
On the other hand, you may be thinking about working up the courage to ask somebody out – and if you sneeze while you’re thinking about it, it should encourage you to be brave and do it since they will almost certainly accept your offer!
9. You are about to start a new romantic relationship
If you sneeze twice, some people believe that it means you are about to start a new romantic chapter in your life – so if you are looking for love, a double sneeze could tell you to be receptive to the romantic interest that you are about to experience.
For example, it could mean that you are about to meet someone new and that your relationship will develop into a strong romantic connection.
Another possibility is that the new relationship will be with somebody you already knew, perhaps someone you have long thought of as just a good friend, and the relationship you have with this person is about to transform into something new and exciting.
10. You are going to receive a letter
There is a popular rhyme that goes “once a wish, twice a kiss, three times a letter, four times something better”. We’ve already seen that if you sneeze once, you can make a wish while if you sneeze twice, it means you are about to start a new romantic adventure.
However, according to this rhyme, if you sneeze three times, it means you’re going to receive a letter – although who the letter is from and what it will be about is left ambiguous.
Nowadays, very few people write and send letters, so if you sneeze three times and then do receive one, you will know that the premonition came true.
Alternatively, some people may choose to interpret this as being updated for the digital age.
This means that instead of receiving a physical paper letter, you are going to receive an email or message via social media from somebody you haven’t heard from for a long time.
Furthermore, when the communication arrives, it won’t be an idle message but rather will represent the start of something important in your life.
11. Your guardian angel is trying to contact you
Finally, a sneeze can be an indication that your guardian angel is trying to make contact with you.
Since they can’t simply appear before us, angels usually communicate with us through more subtle means such as angel numbers.
However, sometimes, we might not be receptive to such messages, meaning we can miss them – in which case, angels turn to other means to grab our attention.
One such way can be to make you sneeze for no other discernible reason – often several times – and when this occurs, it should remind you to be more attuned to the world around you to see if you are missing other signs or messages from the other side.
A spiritual message to interpret
As we’ve seen, more than just helping clear your airways, sneezing can often represent a spiritual message or omen.
To understand what your sneezing might mean, think about how it might apply to your current life situation – then, by following your intuition, you will be led to the correct interpretation of what occurred.
