A shadow person (also known as a shadow figure, shadow being or black mass) is the perception of a patch of shadow as a living, humanoid figure, particularly as interpreted by believers in the paranormal or supernatural as the presence of a spirit or other entity. Those who are experiencing and studying the shadow people phenomenon say that these entities almost always used to be seen out of the corner of the eye and very briefly. But more and more, people are beginning to see them straight on and for longer periods of time. Some experiences testify that they have even seen eyes, usually red, on These shadow figures
The mysterious sightings have become a hot topic of conversion in paranormal chat rooms, message boards and websites, and it is given widespread attention on paranormal talk radio. At first, they appear only out of the corner of your eye, furtively darting out of view when you turn to look straight at them, but are now gone. Did you really see them?
Shaking the image out of your head, you assume that it was some peculiar anomaly of your eyesight, however the feeling still lingers that someone continues to watch you. For weeks, months or years, the fast dark movements in your peripheral vision are dismissed until it finally happens without warning. You see the shadow directly in front of you: face to face, blacker than black, darker than dark, like a void that has punched a hole into the inky fabric of night itself.
Sometimes it appears as the mere silhouette of a person, usually male, but generally lacking any other characteristics of gender. However, in no way does the description end there. There are “hatted” shadow beings, hooded shadows, cloaked ones, and solid or wispy, smoky types. Some are seen only from the waist up. Others clearly have legs that are seen fleeing from their observers. They dart into corners, through walls, into closets, or behind television sets, bushes, and buildings. Sometimes they simply fade into the dark recesses of the night. Lacking in the description is one common denominator unifying the many different types of shadow people that enter our world, except that they are “intensely dark”. Even then, there are exceptions.
“What is their purpose?” Well, one thing is for certain, the personalities and intentions of shadow people are just as varied as any one of the six billion people populating this planet. While a number of witnesses believe that shadow people act as benevolent guardians watching and guiding us, just as many witnesses have no doubt of the evil soul-wrenching potential of these beings. Originally, I believed the shadow people to be ghosts, but the stories received, read, compiled and uploaded are more convincing that shadows are a type of inter-dimensional beings, from which ‘ghost’ is only one sub-category. One can only hope that serious research into this paranormal (or psychological) genre will paint a clearer understanding of the nature and make-up of these dark mysterious ‘people’. That day has not yet come.
Steve Ramsey, Ph.D. Calgary, Alberta.