THE TRUTH ABOUT GHOSTS IN GRAVEYARDS: Not All Who Are Buried Rest In Peace

Cemeteries may look peaceful by day, but when the sun dips below the horizon, they become eerie thresholds where history, sorrow — and something else — linger near the stones in the dark.

For centuries, cemeteries have been repositories of as much mystery as of memories, serving as quiet places of reflection and remembrance, but also as the keeper of secrets that have intrigued — and terrified — people around the world. The forgotten tombstones and the ruinous mausoleums are not mere resting places for physical remains — many believe they are crowded venues for the spirits that refuse to leave straightaway.

HAUNTED LANDSCAPES: THE GHOSTS OF HISTORY AND MEMORY IN THE HAUNTED GROUNDS

To get to the root of why people believe cemeteries are haunted, we need to own our time machines and step into the history books. Burial grounds are among the most ancient examples of human architecture; primitive humans were buried in caves or laid to rest in open grasslands and tended to include the deceased’s possessions for their journey to the afterlife. As societies developed, burial customs also did; fancy tombs and cemeteries as we know them today grew out of this evolution.

Around the world, burial grounds were revered as places where the living could connect with the souls of the departed. Those who came thousands of years ago constructed great pyramids and tombs believing it was important that the spirits of the dead had a place to rest as they made their way to the afterworlds. This respect for cemeteries was, in part, based in the widely held belief in spirits and the spirit world and an afterlife.

THREE BRANDS OF CEMETERY SPIRIT

Not all ghost hunters are the same, either. Paranormal investigators and researchers of spectral phenomena usually classify the entities that inhabit cemeteries into three primary categories:

Ghostly Residue — These are like psychic echoes of sorts, or “recordings” of emotions and events. They are not in touch with the living but are instead caught in a sort of supernatural loop repeating literal ghost stories from their lives. They don’t know they’re being watched, and they repeat patterns over and over.

Conscious Spirits — Intelligent Spirits. These do not bide among us and they think. They could try communicating through EVP (electronic voice phenomena), moving objects, or appearing as specters. These are the entities that might respond to you when you talk to them or acknowledge your presence.

Guardian Spirits — Some feel there are spirits that linger to guard the grave of lost relatives, bringing them comfort and protection. These are not trapped or suffering spirits — they’ve made a choice to remain behind as sentinels, and sometimes show up to family members who visit.

WHY ARE CEMETERIES PARANORMAL HOT SPOTS

There are a few reasons why cemeteries serve as hotbeds of activity:

Emotions — Grief, love, and regret all soak the cemetery ground. Most paranormal investigators feel this high emotional atmosphere makes it easier for spirits to manifest. The energy generated by mourners’ sorrow could be the energy that the spirits need to be able to communicate.

Historical Value — The history is undeniable, and certain cemeteries have been around for hundreds of years, with graves that are generations old. So many lives have been interred here over the centuries that the historical tapestry is woven deep and thick. The massed energy of so many deaths in one location can pull the veil aside between the worlds.

Rituals and Ceremonies — From a variety of cultures, funeral customs provide meaning and purpose to the service. Such rituals can spiritually link the cemetery with the burial site, emphasizing the cemetery as a threshold space between the living and the dead.

FAMOUS HAUNTED GRAVEYARDS AROUND THE WORLD

Here are a few cemeteries with a reputation for being extra haunted:

Highgate Cemetery (London, England) — Another in our list of the most haunted cemeteries on Earth is Highgate. It is home to many dignitaries like Karl Marx. Exploiting its design style of Gothic Victorian, and its reputation for apparitions to appear — not least the ghost of the “Highgate Vampire,” a flowing cape-dark figure witnessed floating through locked gates and over gravestones — while we can’t see the ghost for looking, there’s no denying the building itself is some heavyweight haunting material.

Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris — This winding necropolis is home to the final resting place of Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde and Édith Piaf, but, according to visitors, not all the ghostly inhabitants are content to slumber through eternity in their ancient resting place — visitors often report feeling observed as they make their way past the tombs. Others say they have encountered the spirit of Jim Morrison or felt unexplained cold spots next to particular graves of the famous.

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, New Orleans — The city’s oldest cemetery is home to the tomb of Voodoo queen Marie Laveau, whose restless spirit is said to still be practicing rituals between the mausoleum-like crypts. Offerings are left at her grave; people hope these will bring them luck, or spare them her curse.

Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh — The 16th-century graveyard is a dwelling place for the notorious “Mackenzie Poltergeist,” and the site of hundreds of reports of visitors being touched and scratched. People who come near the tomb of Sir George Mackenzie, a cruel prosecutor of Scottish Covenanters, have complained of scratches, bruises, and even passing out.

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH THE DEAD

The strongest evidence for haunted cemeteries are the firsthand accounts:

Take Emily, who stopped by a Civil War cemetery one evening and saw a soldier in period uniform standing silently by a gravestone. Thinking he was a historical reenactor, she walked up to ask a question, only to see the figure vaporize in front of her. Subsequent studies suggested that the burial was of a soldier killed in combat.

Or John, the doubting historian, who listened to whispers in a dead language while studying rain-streaked gravestones. The voice had come right into his ear from nowhere, and yet nobody was there — and since he’d always been a skeptic, he now found himself questioning his beliefs when it came to the supernatural.

Even humble visits to loved ones’ graves can become the stuff of the supernatural. Sarah got a warm hug when she left flowers at her grandmother’s grave — the feeling of a hug though she was standing alone. Some believe these are comforting visits from the dead who are still connected to the living.

SCIENCE VS. SPIRITS

Not everyone is convinced that cemetery interactions are of supernatural origin. Statistical explanations are provided by the following:

Environment — Obviously, cemeteries are quiet, lack man-made sources of light, and are remote. Such an environment can hyperstimulate our senses, leading people to notice subtle sounds and movements they might miss in other situations; wind through trees, small animals and weather changes can all take the blame for seemingly supernatural phenomena.

Psychological Things — Humans believe and our amazing suggestibility and pattern-finding ability can create ghostly apparitions. Once you know you’re in a “haunted” space, you’re primed to interpret anything that happens as supernatural — a psychological phenomenon called “expectancy bias.”

Electromagnetic Fields — A portion of scientists argue that shifts in electromagnetic fields can induce hallucinations or a funny feeling. Cemeteries can have various levels of EMF due to the metal fences, gates and electric systems and this could have effects in sensitive people.

THE FINAL WORD… OR IS IT?

In our culture, at least, cemeteries are still liminal spaces — places where the dividing line between life and death feels porous. If, in your opinion, the whispers and shadows are actual spirits or simply figments of the mind and nature, these hallowed grounds remain ingrained in the fabric of not only the bedrock but society.

The next time you find yourself in a cemetery, go with an open mind and doff your cap. I mean, pay attention during the lulls in the cemetery. Keep an eye on the shadows as darkness descends on ancient graveyards. You may just stumble across something — or someone — from the other side.

SOURCES:
Encyclopaedia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/topic/burial-death-rite
The World History Encyclopedia:https://www.worldhistory.org/burial/
Ecobear: https://ecobear.co/resources/dying-and-death/history-of-cemeteries/
ThoughtCo: https://www.thoughtco.com/death-and-burial-customs-1421757
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burial