Walls Are For the Living

As we were scrolling through Facebook—yes, that realm of digital folklore and unsolicited opinions—we came across a post that tried to explain why spirits “move through walls.” Against our better judgment, we read it. Naturally. We are a bit masochistic, after all.

According to this post—and we're not sure whether the person wrote it in earnest or if their consciousness had briefly slipped into a world of metaphysical gymnastics—the SOLE reason spirits move through walls is because they’re following the original floorplan of the building. Apparently, when ghosts drift from one room into another like vaporous interior decorators, it’s only because back in their day, there was a hallway or a door where your modern drywall now proudly stands.

Now, let’s give credit where credit is due. This explanation isn’t entirely pulled from the ether. It actually has some merit. Spirits do sometimes behave as though they are still inhabiting a version of the place they remember—a kind of echo or residual pattern called the “etheric double” of a location. This means that if Aunt Mabel’s ghost walks straight through the pantry wall, she might not be doing it just to freak you out (although, to most people, seeing Aunt Mabel's spirit would already do just that). Maybe, in her mental blueprint, there used to be a doorway there leading to the tea room. And who are we to challenge Mabel’s spiritual feng shui?

But here’s the thing. This isn’t the full story. Not even close. And honestly, the fact that this explanation has gained traction tells us something very worrying: people are terrified of simple answers.

Let’s make this really, painfully clear.

Why do spirits move through walls? Because they can.Because walls are made of brick, plaster, and wood.And spirits, dear reader, are made of not that.

You see, once a being no longer possesses a physical body, they are not bound by the physical properties of the material world. That’s it. That’s the explanation. No doctoral thesis needed. No need to bust out ancient blueprints or architectural records from 1873. They're spirits. They are not physical. Physical barriers don’t apply to them. It’s not a hard concept. We promise.

You don’t ask why sunlight moves through glass, do you? Or why radio waves pass through walls? You don’t go, “Well, maybe the radio is remembering where the living room used to be before the renovation in 1992.” No. You accept that immaterial things do not obey material boundaries. Simple.

But humans—oh, humans—how you love to complicate things. Give someone a ghost, and instead of saying “Oh, look, it’s not made of atoms,” you’ll get a ten-page thread about multi-dimensional topography and Victorian staircases that no longer exist. Don’t get us wrong—there’s a time and place for that conversation. Spiritual perception, layered realities, energetic memory, etc. But when we’re talking about why something incorporeal doesn’t stop at a wall, the Occam’s razor answer is often the best one: it’s incorporeal.

So next time you see a spirit gliding through your living room wall like it's got somewhere very important to be on the other side, don’t panic. And don’t call your local historical society asking for floorplans from the 1800s. Just remember: that wall is a suggestion to you. To a spirit, it’s a non-event.

Sometimes the truth really is that simple.

But hey—if you still want to believe that ghosts are lost in outdated blueprints, that’s fine. Just make sure to leave a copy of the renovation plans in your will, so the next generation of spirits doesn’t keep walking through your new en suite bathroom.

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