Cemetery Symbol: Why do these headstones look half-finished? No, the monument maker didn’t get fed up and quit halfway through the job. When you see a half-carved headstone such as these, it represents the transition from life into death. Additionally, half-carved stones convey the idea that while we may accomplish many things during our time on earth, we have even more to learn and do in the afterlife. So headstones like these symbolically remind us not to place too much importance on what we do or don’t achieve during our life because we still have much more “polishing” to do…
Category: Cemeteries & Symbolism
Inspired by a Microphone with Wings To me, visiting historic graveyards is like opening a dictionary or using a search engine. While I start out with a clear idea of the information I wish to find, I’m nearly always distracted by other things along the way: a unique monument, a strange name, or in this case, a microphone with wings. Not to mention that I’ve never seen seen someone described as “debonair” on their headstone before! Here’s the full epitaph for “Todd” Harith Rahman Miles a.k.a. MC Pradah Black: “Devoted Christian rapper, writer, poet, musician, and producer. He was creative, outspoken,…
Why do most headstones face east? Most people have heard the word “headstone” before. Generally speaking, headstones mark where the head of the deceased is situated. In most Christian cemeteries, the person is oriented so that the body faces east. According to this tradition, this means they will be facing the right direction when the sun comes up on Judgment Day. In a family plot, however, there is often one major headstone. While this monument may have the names of family members inscribed on it, it usually only has the family’s last name. So, you might see a large marker…
FREE Cemetery Symbols Guide: Would you like a FREE guide to historic cemetery symbolism? If so, click the image below: What does draped cloth signify on a headstone? You know how some folks say a person “saw curtains” as a euphemism for death? Those curtains refer to the veil that separates the living from the dead. In the first photo on this post, the draped cloth simply refers to the person passing from this world to the next. On the next photo, however, the book represents the pages of the deceased person’s life. The cloth falling upon the right side…
WHAT DOES WHEAT SIGNIFY ON A GRAVE? You don’t have to visit many historic cemeteries for the statistics of life expectancy then-and-now to hit home. It’s one thing, for instance, to read that infant mortality in the United States of America was 90% higher 100 years ago than it is now. It’s quite another experience, however, to walk through a historic cemetery in a town that was hit by disease and see a section full of grave markers for children under 6-years-old. For that reason, I am always happy to spot depictions of wheat on a headstone. Wheat, you see,…
What does a larger-than-life T1-30 calculator symbolize in a graveyard? CALCULATOR GRAVE MARKER: That really is a larger-than-life replica of a Texas Instruments T1-30 calculator at the top of this post. Your eyes are not playing tricks on you! So, what exactly does this unique cemetery headstone represent? Is it symbolic of a human adding and subtracting all their good deeds from their bad? Or, perhaps, did an eccentric mathematician bury his or her favorite calculator there upon its demise? I didn’t get close enough to photograph the calculator display because, sadly, I was actually attending a funeral when I…