The Spiritual Meaning of Sinus Infections

Sinus infections can be very painful, often accompanying common colds and allergies. While many of us get colds that easily heal and go away, some cause sinus infections, or sinusitis, which is when the tissues of the sinuses get inflamed and blocked, and are often filled with mucus as well, causing painful headaches, tooth pain, bad breath, and other issues.

Occasionally, this is caused by a bacteria that can be treated with antibiotics, but if the cause is viral or environmental, symptomatic treatment is all we can do—nasal sprays, pain medications, nasal steroids, and waiting. Sinus infections may have more to teach us, however, especially when they stick around for a long time or become chronic. What is the spiritual meaning of a sinus infection?

Blockage of the Third Eye

The main experience of a sinus infection is blockage. The sinuses, shaped like butterfly wings above the eyes in the forehead and into the cheeks, are meant to be freely flowing spaces in the face. Sinusitis blocks one (or sometimes all) of these sinus cavities, placing an obstruction over the region of the third eye chakra, also known as ajna chakra.

The third eye is the chakra most related to our inner perceptions. It is how we can see without seeing: This can include our intuitions about people and places, as well as our spiritual connection to all that is unseen. When we have a blockage in this area, there may be something going on that we don’t want to “see.” Here are some questions to consider:

• Is something or someone irritating you that you are unable or unwilling to get away from?

• Is there something happening for you emotionally that you haven’t fully acknowledged?

• If you were completely safe to be fully honest with yourself about what you see and hear in your life, what would you say? How would you feel?

• Do you feel that it’s not safe to develop your intuitive abilities?

• Has it been a long time since you’ve cried? Do you have something to cry about?

If these questions are resonating, find a space where you can be fully honest with yourself without judgment or consequence. This could be in the company of a trusted friend, counselor, or energy worker, or simply in a ritualized space alone. Light a candle, then journal about what you’re really feeling. Cry out those trapped tears.

Overthinking

Sinusitis is an irritation and swelling of the face and head: the thinking space. Sinusitis, a condition of gunk around your mind, is a lack of appropriate flow. It’s also an incredibly frustrating condition that can sometimes take a long time to recover from. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Is there something happening in your life that you’ve been overthinking?

• Are you in an impossible situation that’s causing frustration, that isn’t changing no matter what you do?

• Do you tend to rely on your mind and thinking to solve problems, but you’re in a situation where that doesn’t help?

• Is overthinking preventing you from acknowledging your real emotions?

If any of these questions resonate for you, it might be time to work with surrender. Look at what you can control and what you can’t, and stop trying so hard to figure out something that doesn’t have a solution. Again, you might need to cry and let those trapped tears go.

Breathing Blockages

Sinusitis often prevents clear breathing through the nose. Sometimes it comes with post-nasal drip, which can cause a cough. The flow of breath through the sinuses is blocked and gunky. Breath represents our ability to receive energy, or prana, and release it again. Ask yourself these questions:

• Are you in the “flow” of your life, or is there something you are resisting?

• Are you exhausted but resisting rest?

• Are you giving too much energy to something or someone and not feeling that it is being returned?

If these questions resonate for you, let them guide you toward what you might need. If your sinusitis is sticking around for a long time, there might be something that you need to change in your life before it will go away.

Experiencing more than just sinusitis? Explore the spiritual meaning of tooth pain.