Not every unsolicited call is one you should ignore. Take a ring to your right ear, for instance. It might be tempting to write that incessant buzzing off as a mere burden of bodily function. But beyond the biology of tinnitus, centuries of interpretations suggest that the right ear ringing may actually be a signal from the spiritual world.
Across cultures and continents, tapping into our inner world has long been linked to the inner ear. If you’ve already looked into the folklore behind a ringing left ear, here’s what history, science, and superstition have to say about the right side.
What Does It Mean If Your Right Ear Is Ringing?
The directionally challenged will be happy to hear that whether it’s your right or left ear ringing, whirring, or singing, you’ve got a spiritual message in store. This idea traces back to the first century to Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder.
In his encyclopedia Natural History, he wrote that it is “universally received that absent persons have warning that others are speaking of them, by the tingling of the ears.”
While ringing in the left ear is akin to a voicemail from your higher self in some spiritual traditions, the right ear is said to pick up messages from external forces. Some interpretations of Vedic thought associate the right side of the body with masculine energy and outward focus, making right-ear ringing a potential sign of guidance or encouragement.
On the other hand (or rather, ear), it could be a warning that someone is talking about you behind your back. Think of it as a spiritual nudge to be more selective about who you trust.
Is Ringing in Your Ear Always a Medical Problem?
Sometimes, though, a higher power isn’t trying to ping you. Medically speaking, hearing a phantom sound is called tinnitus, from the Latin tinnire (“to ring”).
In most cases of ear ringing, it’s a case of “subjective tinnitus.” As the name suggests, this means you’re the only one who can hear the noise, which is usually just your auditory system running a routine reboot. Far odder is “objective tinnitus.” In rare cases, a doctor can actually hear the noise inside your head with a stethoscope, usually caused by blood vessels pulsing or a muscle twitching in your middle ear.
Most stray rings are harmless. But if the noise persists, it might be time to snap back into reality and see a doctor. Chronic tinnitus is usually caused by loud noises, earwax buildup, or stress. Medically or metaphysically, ringing in the right ear is a sure sign of something.
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