 | | Shadow people | Shadow people (also known as shadow men or shadow beings) are a supernatural phenomenon reported by some individuals. Most accounts of shadow people describe them as black humanoid silhouettes, lacking mouths or eyes, although they are sometimes reported to have red eyes. They are generally described as lacking mass, although their specific nature varies from two-dimensional (like a shadow) to vaporous or distorted. Shadow People File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
The supernatural (Latin:super- exceeding+nature) comprises forces and phenomena which are beyond the realm of current scientific understanding, and which may actually directly contradict conventional scientific understandings. ...
Observers of shadow people most commonly report that the forms appear at the edge of their field of vision, and that they disintegrate or move into walls when noticed, usually within a split second. However, many also report shadow people appearing in the center of their vision, appearing very close to them, or remaining for several seconds before disappearing. Some individuals have described being menaced, chased, or (more rarely) attacked, by shadow people.
Sightings of shadow people have been reported all over the world. They are a recurring topic of the late-night talk radio show Coast-to-Coast AM, and the host of this show, Art Bell, is probably responsible for coining the term "shadow people." However, reports of beings fitting the description of shadow people have been recorded for centuries in literature all over the world. Coast to Coast AM is a late-night syndicated radio talk show dealing with current events particularly as they relate to paranormal issues. ...
Arthur Art Bell, III (born June 17, 1945) founded the paranormal-themed radio program Coast to Coast AM, and remains an occasional host. ...
Differences from Ghosts
Alleged eyewitness accounts of shadow people differ from those of ghosts in many respects. Ghosts are said to be the disembodied spirits of people and are usually said by alleged eyewitnesses to take on the appearance of people, orbs, or mist when seen. Reputed ghost of a monk. ...
While ghosts are often said to resemble actual people, accounts of shadow beings generally do not. Although accounts describe shadow beings as having humanlike form, they are generally not described as resembling actual individuals (living or deceased). The cause of shadow people or shadow beings is also not generally attributed to be haunting by ghosts.
Since accounts ghosts and shadow people are anecdotal and have not been scientifically verified, such differences are not conclusive.
Eyewitness Accounts Alleged eyewitness reports of these beings are often similar. In these accounts there are almost always the same forms: a blob-like cluster that sometimes has tendrils, a child-sized being, sometimes with a hood, a tall willowy figure with a jack-o'-lantern-sized head, and a tall figure with a hat. In these accounts, the figures typically follow a progression from the ambiguous blob and finally the tall man, meaning that over time they take on more human appearance.
The more consistent accounts typically describe a feeling of dread associated with the presence of these phenomena, and animals are said to react to the phenomena with fear and hostility. Shadow Beings are said to move extremely fast and travel through solid matter. They typically are said to have no discernable features such as mouths, noses, or eyes. Their forms are usually described as somewhat skeletal or thin. Direct visual contact is rarely reported by alleged eyewitnesses with shadow people; they are said to usually disappear before they can be seen clearly, and are seen "in the corner of one's eye." These beings are said to often appear in mirrors. A mirror is a reflective surface that is smooth enough to form an image. ...
Explanations Several explanations have been proposed for the appearance of shadow people.
Paranormal explanations Some explanations for shadow people come from the fields of parapsychology, metaphysics, cryptozoology, and demonology, and are considered by many to be pseudoscience. Other explanations make no scientific pretense whatever, and lie more within the realm of religion and the occult. Shadow people relate to the fields of Parapsychology is the study of the evidence involving phenomena where a person seems to affect or to gain information about something through a means not currently explainable within the framework of mainstream, conventional science. ...
Metaphysics (Greek words meta = after/beyond and physics = nature) is a branch of philosophy concerned with the study of first principles and being (ontology). ...
Cryptozoology is the study of rumored or mythological animals that are presumed (at least by the researcher) to exist, but for which conclusive proof does not yet exist, or are generally considered extinct, but occasionally reported. ...
Demonology is the systematic study of demons. ...
Phrenology is seen today as a classic example of pseudoscience. ...
The word occult comes from Latin occultus (hidden), referring to the knowledge of the secret or knowledge of the hidden and often meaning knowledge of the supernatural, as opposed to knowledge of the visible or knowledge of the measurable, usually referred to as science. ...
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- One of the more creative theories is that shadow beings are manifest thought forms (known in occult circles as egregores or tulpas), meaning that they are either collections of negative psychic energy from areas where traumatic events have taken place and evil people frequent, or have been intentionally created for some nefarious purpose. The negative psychic energy begins to manifest and takes on form and motive, thriving on fear and negative emotions for sustenance.
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- Shadow beings have also been described as forms of ghosts, demons, inter-dimensional beings, and space aliens. One of the more popular explanations seems to be that they are some sort of other-dimensional beings whose dimension of origin occasionally overlaps with ours, which is said to explain their ethereal appearance and fleeting nature.
Definition Egregore is a term from Old English which is fading from general use in modern English. ...
In Tibetan mysticism, a tulpa is a being or object which is created through sheer willpower alone. ...
Reputed ghost of a monk. ...
In folklore, mythology, and religion, a demon or demoness is a supernatural being that has generally been described as a malevolent spirit since Christianity, but was viewed as a sort of elemental spirit prior to that (e. ...
Extraterrestrial, as an adjective, refers to something that originates, occurs, or is located outside Earth or its atmosphere. ...
Dimension (from Latin measured out) is, in essence, the number of degrees of freedom available for movement in a space. ...
Non-paranormal explanations Eyewitness accounts of shadow people are neither hoaxes nor actual paranormal experiences, but rather hallucinations or delusions. A hallucination is a false sensory perception in the absence of an external stimulus, as distinct from an illusion, which is a misperception of an external stimulus. ...
A delusion is commonly defined as a false belief, and is used in everyday language to describe a belief that is either false, fanciful or derived from deception. ...
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- Hypnogogia (waking sleep) is an accepted state of semiconsciousness in which a person can be thinking clearly and yet perceiving images that are being dreamed. This state is often used to explain apparently paranormal experiences.
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- It has also been proven recently that areas with erratic or powerful electromagnetic fields can interfere with the electrical impulses or firing synapses of the human mind, thus influencing people subjected to such environments over time to believe that they are hearing or seeing ghosts, aliens, or perhaps shadow people. Such environments include old buildings with substandard wiring, power plants, and areas with naturally occurring strong magnetic fields.
The similarities between eyewitness accounts of shadow people remains difficult to explain scientifically. In particular, the tall gingerbread-like man with a hat that is reported as often by 4-year-old children as with adults. The similarities may, however, simply reflect common archetypes. Hypnogogia, also spelled hypnagogia and hypnopompia, are the names of experiences a person can go through when falling asleep in the case of hypnogogia, or waking up, in the case of hypnopompia. ...
Dreaming is the subjective experience of imaginary images, sounds/voices, words, thoughts or sensations during sleep, usually involuntarily. ...
Archetype is defined as the original model of which all other similar persons, objects, or concepts are merely derivative, copied, patterned, or emulated. ...
Related phenomena Mothman was the name given to a strange creature sighted many times in the Point Pleasant area of West Virginia, on the border with Ohio between November 1966 and November 1967. ...
External Links - Typical website dedicated to information on shadow beings
- Coast-to-Coast website search for "Shadow People"
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