Not All Shadow People Are Scary

Some people report positive experiences with shadow people. Perhaps is all in how we look at them.

SIGHTINGS OF shadow people are arguably the most often reported type of ghost or spirit sighting. One reason for this is that many sightings might merely be ordinary shadows or illusions that the experiencer assumes is a shadow person.

For those who are more certain about their sightings, however, the vast majority describe them as scary, creepy, or even evil figures. Often, there is no real reason to attribute these negative aspects to the entities; it's usually just a feeling. This is only natural since the sighting of something dark and unknown instinctively arouses fear in the human mind: we fear what we do not understand.

That's not to say that they should not be feared - or welcomed or ignored, for that matter - since we don't know what they are or what their true nature or intent is. (That's all assuming that they are real to begin with, which is open to debate.)

If they are real entities of some kind - spiritual, interdimensional, or other - then they are probably not all the same. Just as there are reports of good, benign, and evil ghosts, we can also assume that there is a range of "personality" in shadow people. Despite claims by some that all shadow people are demons (are you getting as tired as I am of people claiming everything is a demon?), some people - although a small number - say they have gotten good vibes from them or even positive experiences.

REFLECTING OUR EMOTIONS

Perhaps how we experience shadow people is more a reflection of what's going on inside our heads rather than the nature of the entity. Perhaps it's a matter of overcoming our fears.

"I have seen a shadow person two times in my life," says Yoyo. "The first time I was 7 and I saw one hovering over my bed. I got really scared and had a sense of dread and evil. I screamed and it vanished when my mom came."

Yoyo's second encounter as a 25-year-old adult was much different. One night she was in bed getting ready for sleep. Her boyfriend was in the bathroom and there were no lights on in the apartment. "I was lying in bed when I thought my boyfriend was coming into the room," she says. "I could only see a dark silhouette. I sat up in bed and smiled in welcome. Then I heard a noise behind it - it was my boyfriend. When he came into the room, the silhouette crept along the wall and disappeared at astonishing speed. But this time I did not sense anything bad from the shadow. If they are real, I don't think they mean any harm. Maybe they just reflect our own emotions. It only seemed curious."

A PLAYFUL NATURE

Yoyo's description of the shadow entity as "curious" has been repeated by other witnesses. Others have even reported a sense of childlike playfulness.

"One year ago, my daughter-in-law and son were staying with me temporarily," says Zarina. Her daughter-in-law told her that she saw three shadowy figures that seemed to be a man, a woman, and a child.

"I have since then only seen glimpses out the corner of my eye," Zarina says, "and they have never been mischievous or harmful. I have felt playfulness and caring from them. I was down in the dumps one day. I had an orange on my coffee table. It wouldn't have been able to move off the table, yet I heard a noise and saw the orange rolling onto the floor. They were trying to cheer me up. I told them to stop playing, but thank you for caring."

Zarina felt this caring attitude on another occasion as well. "Recently I was sitting on my sofa, very upset and crying," she says. "Then my sofa started to move slowly, rocking me. When I came up to my room home and lay down, my bed was slowly rocking me. I felt someone sit down at my feet to comfort me. It was awesome. I am not afraid of them. We share the same home and we can coexist."

Next page: Positive Energy

ALMOST ANGELIC

Shadow entities can be nearly angelic in nature, say some witnesses. According in Maric, she has had nothing but positive experiences with them through her son. "Whenever I am bedridden from terrible migraines, my son says there is a shadow man standing at the foot of my bed or by the window," she says. "We have lived in many countries and he always comes when my migraines are extremely bad or I am very sick."

Maric believes that this shadowy being is looking after her family. "When my son was little, the shadow man would make faces at him to make him laugh and would also tell him to be calm when he was being naughty," she says. "Now he just stands guard. I have never seen him, but my son who is now a teenager does. He doesn't play with him anymore, but does nod to him as if to say it will all be ok.

"We have tried things like asking him to leave, but he just smiles, shakes his head, and waits until I am feeling better before disappearing. Is this a relative or an angel? He certainly is looking out for me and seems very kind and fun, but with a job to do."

POSITIVE ENERGY

Cole also disputes the general notion that the shadow people are evil or to be feared. "When one hears about shadow people, they simply jump to the conclusion from what they've heard that they're evil," says Cole. "They say not to welcome them, but living or not I say they deserve a chance and they all shouldn't be called evil, because not all are!"

As for Maric, these entities seem to come to Cole in times of need. "I'm 17 and have one living in my room," he says. "He eliminates my depression or sadness and is not shy with me. I've been told that it could be someone my dad sent me or it has a message for me. I've been called crazy and all that jazz, but I don't need people to believe what I see and feel from my shadowman. I feel his energy and everything and nothing bad has happened to me."

CONCLUSIONS

So what can we conclude about shadow people from these positive experiences. Perhaps Yoyo was on to something when she said, "Maybe they just reflect our own emotions."

I think there's a good deal of truth to this idea: "We don't see the world the way it is. We see the world the way we are." In other words, how we see and experience life is a direct reflection of how we view ourselves, seeing the world through the powerful filters of our belief systems, prejudices, desires, and experiences. If we fear everything, the world becomes a negative and fearful thing with demons lurking in every corner. If we're more sure of ourselves, those same entities take on a more positive aspect.

For example, one person can view the activities of a poltergeist that plays with lights or moves belongings about as tormenting them, while another person can look at the exact same activities as playful. It's quite possible, in fact, that these entities are direct manifestations of our inner thoughts. I think it's always best to regard paranormal phenomena not with the determination to do battle with evil, but with a sense of wonder and curiosity, and a hope to understand.