When I was a kid, the one oddity that stuck out to me most was when my left or right ear would begin to ring. My friends would say the ringing was caused by someone in the distance talking about me. My mom would say the ringing meant that I had a nasty ear infection again. Yes, certain medical conditions can cause ringing in your ear. But if you know for certain that you don’t have tinnitus, there could be a spiritual meaning behind the sound.

Medical Reasons for Left Ear Ringing

In the medical field, ringing in the ear is called tinnitus. It affects roughly 15-20% of people, and there are a few common causes.

1. Hearing loss.

The everyday sounds you hear are transmitted to your brain through a complex process involving tiny hair cells sending electrical impulses to your brain which then interprets them as sound. These hair cells can be easily damaged over time by loud sounds, head injuries, and aging. When that happens, the hair cells might send random electrical impulses to your brain, causing you to hear ringing in your ear despite no external sounds causing it.

2. Ear infection.

Ear infections can cause fluid to block your ear canal and cause a buildup of pressure, which can ultimately cause your ear to ring. If your hearing is muffled or you’re experiencing a fever along with the ringing in your ear, consult your doctor. It’s also important to see your doctor if tinnitus causes dizziness, hearing loss, anxiety, or depression or if you develop the ringing in your ear after an upper respiratory infection. RELATED: Hearing Voices? Maybe You’re Clairaudient — What It Means & How To Tell

Spiritual Meanings of Ringing in the Left Ear

If you’ve eliminated any medical reasons for ringing in the left ear, this phenomenon may not make too much sense on the surface. It’s worth the deep dive into understanding what ringing in the ear could mean spiritually.

1. Someone is talking about you.

One common superstition claims that ringing in the ear means someone is talking about you. People who associate the ringing with gossip tend to be the ones who are desperate to be liked by those closest to them; they also tend to be people-pleasers. One reason you may assume someone is talking about you is that you may have struggled with communication in past relationships. Your guardian angel may be giving you signals to share less information about yourself with others when the ringing occurs.

2. You feel like you’re not in control of your life.

If your left ear starts ringing, it may be because you’re losing control of a situation and your guardian angels are trying to send a message to you to reel yourself in. This is especially true if the ringing is low-pitched. It’s a signal that you’re harboring negative energy due to stress leading you to vibrate at a lower frequency. If this is the case, try to understand what in your life may be causing you to feel out of control. Once you do, it’s possible to raise your vibration which may alleviate the ringing in your left ear.

3. You’re headed in the wrong direction.

It’s often the case that when you have physical symptoms with no readily identifiable cause, it’s your spirit guides sending you a message. Ringing in the left ear may be such a message from your guides who are warning you that you are headed down the wrong path. The moment you begin to hear these strange noises, it is a clear indication from your guardian angel to get yourself together. You may be in a weird place in your life and you may question why certain things are/are not happening to you. Pay very close attention to how you are responding to life’s challenges. It takes a lot of focus and a true desire to better yourself when you are depicting the areas in your life that need reconstruction.

4. You’re experiencing a spiritual awakening.

If the ringing in your ear is high-pitched, it may be because you’re in the process of raising your vibration. The realignment of your energy may cause a high-pitched ringing in your left ear. Great changes are about to occur in your life. Watch out for messages from your guardian angels that may help you figure out what is going to happen, such as angel numbers (or repeating number sequences) and other synchronicities. RELATED: 5 Signs Of A Spiritual Awakening Destiny Duprey is a writer who covers spirituality, astrology, and love.