After covering different hauntings over the past few months, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss how to be respectful when visiting a site that you believe is haunted, like a graveyard.
I assume that all of us at some point have been to a graveyard to visit a loved one or as a celebration of life. And of course, there are common courtesies that people know to take, such as staying on paths designated for you, not veering off too far and disrupting where others lie, and avoiding stepping on headstones.
Another common courtesy in graveyards is to keep your voice low. You don’t know if someone else is in the area, and you want to respect them and their privacy. Along with this, turn off your phone and do not play music.
But there are more respectful things to do if you are visiting a graveyard, specifically if the intention is to investigate a haunting of some sort. It is very common for people to ask for permission to be there, explaining what they’re hoping to do, and hoping to find. This lets those who are at rest in the cemetery feel a little more comfortable with your presence.
Many times when visiting a specific spot in a graveyard, it is common to leave flowers, but it is also respectable to leave other offerings such as coins, rocks, or crystals, and different herbs. This shows a level of respect and gratitude for the deceased. It shows that not only are you recognizing the life they lived, but you are honoring their memory.
Another nice thing to do is to clean off older, more neglected headstones, but with permission from the best source of contact you can find. By keeping their headstone clean, you are saying I see you, even though others don’t.
If you happen to be visiting an older cemetery, it is important to know whether or not it is retired. Some older graveyards are run by families or churches, and are only for members to visit their deceased loved ones; families really might not appreciate you on their property without warning. Regardless of your reason, it is important not only to respect the deceased within the graveyard, but also those who manage and take care of it.
Once you have finished at the graveyard, just as you came in and asked for permission, acknowledge that you will be spending some time there. It is very appropriate to express gratitude when you leave and show them that you are departing. If you took anything, even as simple as a flower or a cool leaf that you found, it is respectable to show gratitude for that item because it was not originally yours.
These are very simple rules that you can follow to stay respectful of those who have passed before you, and ultimately, this is someone’s final resting place. It is appropriate to act as you would for those who have passed, the same as you would when visiting someone’s house.
