Bachelor's Grove Cemetery

Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery

Located in Midlothian, Illinois, Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery dates back to the early 1800s and has long been known as one of the most haunted places in the state. Stories surrounding the cemetery include sightings of a phantom woman known as the White Madonna, a disappearing black dog, and other strange, unexplained phenomena.

Yet beyond its ghost stories and deteriorating condition, I find Bachelor’s Grove to be a beautiful, quiet, and strangely peaceful place. It is small, secluded, and surrounded by the stillness of Rubio Woods, making it a meaningful place to spend an afternoon with my camera, a cup of coffee, and a few moments of meditation. Bachelor’s Grove may be known for its hauntings, but for me, it also holds a deep and quiet stillness.

These black-and-white images help bring out the cemetery’s quiet sense of mystery with the worn and damaged stones and overgrown landscape. Places like this are a gentle reminder that meditation does not need a typical setting. It does not require a cushion, a studio, or complete silence. As I explore in my book, The Calm Within, meditation can be practiced almost anywhere, even in unexpected places, whenever we pause long enough to become present.

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