Shadow People: What do they do?

Back in the early 90s we had what we called "the black dude" in the house we lived in. He mostly hung out in the pool room and occasionally in the kitchen. "He" wasn't the least bit shy and would show off for our company. He would travel around the room, knock cue sticks off the wall rack, roll balls into each other on the pool table, occasionally toss a beer can across the room if you left it sitting on the pool table rail. Most of the time he was visible- you could watch his black, man-shaped form doing those things- sometimes you saw nothing but the physical objects moving.

In the kitchen "he" would open and shut cabinets and drawers, and if you corrected one of the kids in the kitchen "he" would toss a bottle of Aunt Jemimah syrup at your head. Always the syrup- don't know why. We had a guy run out of our house screaming like a girl over that happening! Once my mother and sister were over and mom got onto one of the kids and the black dude appeared by the cabinet, opened it, and threw the syrup at her. She never came to that house again. It was many years and three houses later before she would set foot in our house.

I personally believe shadow people are attracted to negative people - especially young people with lots of energy.
I have only had 1 encounter with one and it was on my farm. I was having a party and there was a teenage boy there with a very dark aura. I didn't like him. still don't.
anyhow, several people at the party saw this typical shadow man with a hat. always just a shadow, literally.
they would look for the source of the shadow and there would be nothing there.
I was relieved when the boy left the next day and haven't seen the shadow man on my farm since. I believe he is attached to the boy and to his negative energy.
Just my 2 cents...

So far this is what I have taken from everyone stories. If I missed anything let me know. (also as you can see I'm just keep adding to the original list, this way we can get a basic idea of whats they are able to do without having to read a whole bunch of postings)

*So far others have also pointed out that they have seen these Shadow People move items (plastic bags, a knob, and a cup of water)

*We have a story where one appeared to want to punch another person (this is important since it indicates that also is aware of us, and that it knows it can harm us) Has anyone seen one move an object that wasn’t within reach of their form?

*Cats and Dogs are able to be affected by them. So has anyone noticed if other pets (fish, snakes, mice…ect…ect) are also affected by them?

*They seem to be different types (or at least they appear in different shades. Black, smoky, white) Does this mean that they have racial traits, or that they can alter their tone?

*The comment about one looking thin is great (so is the buff and height comments). I have only seen ones that appear small human sized (4-5 foot ranged) and average build (one was fat looking though). It’s great that we can get these descriptions.

*They appear to be wearing a hat at time and other times a shroud or something. The first one I saw looked like a person with a neck and head (no hat). Does this mean they wear something like clothes?

*At least one story implies that they have a high degree of emotional attachments (very interesting)

*It appears that they are not tied to a location (this is very important since it implies that they are autonomous in their actions)

As for speculations:
*I’ve heard that the reason we can see things better out of the corner of our eyes is due to the way our cones and rods are.

*I personally have never been directly attacked by a Shadow Person (other than the knob throwing incident), but it does seem like they can physically attack us since they can move objects. It also seems that there are some reports of them pushing people off of bikes (if that report can be believed) it doesn’t seem out of their abilities though.

*I’m not sure about how long ago they’ve been reported. I remember reading about tiny black figures in ancient India that would cause bad misfortune if encountered.


I like to thank everyone who responded so far.

Originally posted by horseplay
I personally believe shadow people are attracted to negative people - especially young people with lots of energy.
I have only had 1 encounter with one and it was on my farm. I was having a party and there was a teenage boy there with a very dark aura. I didn't like him. still don't.
anyhow, several people at the party saw this typical shadow man with a hat. always just a shadow, literally.
they would look for the source of the shadow and there would be nothing there.
I was relieved when the boy left the next day and haven't seen the shadow man on my farm since. I believe he is attached to the boy and to his negative energy.
Just my 2 cents...

Interesting. I wonder if this Shadow Person was following the boy around? Was it feeding off him, or protecting him? Interesting indeed.

Originally posted by Menrva

but what about if you and others saw the exact same thing at the exact same time... and did not discuss it at that precise moment? Thus there would be no preconceived notion of what was initially seen... Yet this is the conclusion reached by all those involved...

I ask because more than once, while traveling, an entire carload (me and family) of people have seen the shadow people, both standing still on the side of the road and scurrying across it. And this is not always at night either...

Do you know if anyone had died on that area of the raod, or if it is a high accident area? I would be interested to know this.

Originally posted by sled735
Shadow people along the road....
My cousin called me totally freaked out awhile back telling me she was driving home from visiting her mother one evening. It was just barely turning night...dusk. As she was driving she said this dark figure stepped out in front of her car and she ran right through it. She didn't have time to swerve to miss it. She said she saw it, and heard it make a swooshing noise as it passed through the car right beside her. Her daughter and son were in the car too. They also saw and heard it. They were all freaked out by it. She said she felt it was trying to make her wreck.

From all the stories I've heard, I think these evil beings are doing whatever they can to try to kill people.

"WHY", is still the question.

I'm not sure if all of them are harmful. A lot of people seem to be dealing with them without any protracted effects. Have you had any encounters that you're willing to discuss?

Originally posted by littled16
Back in the early 90s we had what we called "the black dude" in the house we lived in. He mostly hung out in the pool room and occasionally in the kitchen. "He" wasn't the least bit shy and would show off for our company. He would travel around the room, knock cue sticks off the wall rack, roll balls into each other on the pool table, occasionally toss a beer can across the room if you left it sitting on the pool table rail. Most of the time he was visible- you could watch his black, man-shaped form doing those things- sometimes you saw nothing but the physical objects moving.

In the kitchen "he" would open and shut cabinets and drawers, and if you corrected one of the kids in the kitchen "he" would toss a bottle of Aunt Jemimah syrup at your head. Always the syrup- don't know why. We had a guy run out of our house screaming like a girl over that happening! Once my mother and sister were over and mom got onto one of the kids and the black dude appeared by the cabinet, opened it, and threw the syrup at her. She never came to that house again. It was many years and three houses later before she would set foot in our house.

So did you feel that he had cloaked himself, or did you feel that he wasn't there but still able to move objects?

I have had shadow people around me most of my life in one form or another. What I mean is that they are not always "people" like, sometimes like animals or misty. I have ejected them all from the house for fooling with the fire alarms too many times-through prayer. However, once when I was trucking, I had to stop in Kansas City because I had a stomach virus...so I checked into a hotel and got a room in the back. While sitting on the bed I watched a black mist like a wave of water go from the bathroom across the ceiling directly over me. I said to it "I am sick and I just want to rest, if you don't fool with me, I won't fool with you." I did not have any issues and it left me alone the whole weekend. I have had other issues with entities banging stuff, or taping on walls and the such playing with the cd player- I just ignore them and ask them not to break anything. I am not bothered by this anymore...although I see the clear ones moving around some. I am very religious these days...I know when I do not pray- I tend to have more issues. I am like a magnet for these things.

Lengthy: Part 1

When it comes to my experiences with the "shadow people", I have determined a distinct difference between them and what most refer to as ghosts. But, first a little background.

Most who know me on ATS, as well as those who know me in person, are aware that I have a certain fondness for anything paranormal. And, although my reasons for investigating and researching these subjects may differ, I generally use the same methods, modes and techniques as most scientists, inquisitors and explorers do. The main difference between them and I, though, is how I incorporate unfounded, unproven or abstract data into my theories. For whatever reason, I have a knack or "gift" if you will, that allows me to position a piece of the "puzzle" without having another connecting piece. I can't really explain it any better than to say that, I just KNOW if something is part of the answer, without it actually tying to another part, yet. Now, I'm quite sure that I'm not unique when it comes to this ability, and I've even went as far as attempting to assemble those who may possess this talent, to try and establish it, and/or enhance it's usefulness to humanity. To date, I have been unsuccessful in these attempts.

Now, to the shadows...

It has been my experience that the main difference between the shadows and "standard" ghosts, is the sheer intelligence displayed by the shadow folk. I have interacted with several "entities" at different times and in different places in my life. I am unsure, at this time, if they are related, or if they could even be the same entity. I do know when I became aware of them for the first time. And as cliche' as it sounds, it was immediately following the first time that I used an ouija board, ALONE! Now, of course I had been warned of the danger involved in doing such, and of course I was too arrogant or dismissive to heed those warnings. (I was 18...go figure) Without divulging too much, I wish that I had listened. Now, the experience itself, was the strangest that I had had, to that point in my life. It's nearly indescribable, the fear and uncertainty, that transpired in those brief moments. I wasn't quite sure exactly what was going on, and I wasn't quite sure if I liked it or not! Whether it's needless to say, or required at this point, every aspect of my life was very different from then on...

Now, it may be of interest to note, that I have encountered every type of entity described in previous threads, with the exception of the red-eyed humanoids. The typical types are the ones only witnessed in my peripheral, and as fast as I may try, I only catch them fleeting, and they are gone when I turn my head to see more. The ones that really weird me out though, are the ones that block the lights behind them, as they pass. They are the type hardest to dismiss, by natural phenomenae or mind/eye tricks.

Another point of interest, when discussing the apparent intelligence displayed by these creatures, is the correlation between their actions and that light experiment where the two photons become three, or vice versa, when the camera is looking, but not the naked eye? You may have heard of it. When you consider the ramifications with regard to any spirit or ghost, and the possible manipulation of light during their photo op's, it definitely stirs the mind...

In summation, as a former colleague stated, "Are they ghosts? Demons? Astral travelers? Time or inter-dimensional visitors? Aliens? Or are they no more than the product of fertile imaginations? No one seems to really know."

I, too, am unsure what exactly we are seeing. What I do know, is that they exist in some form. Be it, in our minds or in "real life" they do exist. And, therefore deserve investigation.

While proof may be required, for some, we here at ATS know, it's not always cut and dried. What one can prove, may make a difference. But, if you truly believe in something, that changes lives...

Part 2:

Could it be that these entities not only are aware of the differences between their worlds and ours, but that they can even manipulate them, and create these interactions? And, if so, to what end? What could possibly be the purpose for these encounters?
It's tough to comprehend. When we can barely conceive it, they have it mastered?
It is but another piece to the puzzle we are all trying so desperately to complete.

My theories, as always, are based on my belief in God. The same God that I believe created all that we know and can experience. And to be completely honest, my biggest problem and reason that I don't post as often as I'd like, is that I'm still trying to get my head around all of the currently accessible universe that we can see and smell and hear and touch. And as I apply all of the pieces of information that I garner from those interactions to the puzzle of life, it leaves little time to contemplate the bigger mysteries. (nutshell) I rarely feel compelled, to sit and type, regurgitated thoughts, devoid of any substance. As I'm sure those who anticipate my thoughts, would be less than appreciative, if I did. (nutshell)

Heck! In a perfect multi-verse, I would correlate with the billions of other "Bills" and develop a consensus of realities which would fit nicely into an existing theory, or perhaps, spawn a new one, and end the debate and speculation, once and for all. But, alas, they aren't talking to me at the moment. Must have been something I said to them, prior to the big bang.

Seriously though, where I'm at, currently, is that I believe that many of the encounters reported on a plethora of subjects, are real. And are part of something that we have, as of yet, been unable to completely comprehend or to readily determine. And, while we can identify with some of the stories told and easily fantasize about being part of others, we can't help but to imagine how they must all fit together. Now, whether this is a compunction of the human condition or our most defining attribute, that too, is left to be seen.

At present, my firmest grasp on reality, is the belief that we are quite the abomination. We have the essence of God's pure, infinite love in our hearts and minds, encompassed by an ever decaying form. An embodiment of evil and darkness, wrapped around blinding light. At times, I feel like the rabbit that I have been a lifetime chasing, has resurfaced, and brought me right back to where I've started from. But, I can't tell if this is where I'm supposed to find my answers, or if it only means that my journey has just begun?
Bottom Line:
There are too many credible people worldwide, describing encounters with objects, creatures and entities, that defy logic. There not only has to be a reason for these interactions, but there must be a way to explain who, or what they are, and why and how they can do what they do. We still have much to learn, about our own universe, and the potential of the human mind.
It's coming. That much I am sure of...

Part 3:

My colleague once asked, "One question, what if the ordered natural progression of unknown phenomena is only a mimic of intelligence?"

That's quite possible. It could be as simple as a reflection of our own collective conscious, bouncing off of the iMax screen of our contrived universe...

But, this is where it all breaks down for me. When I attempt to differentiate between "reality" and "imagination" I still end up with the same neuron firing synapses back and forth in my mind's chemistry.
If we imagine something, it's quite possible that we create it in the quantum or virtual world. Unless it already existed there, and the seemingly new thought, is just the accessing of ancient information.
It's sort of like the "chicken and the egg" thought experiment. Which came first?

I can recall one instance of a shadow encounter, where the shadow would appear to recognize when I became aware of it, and fleet to another distant location. Upon giving pursuit, it would then remove itself to a new, more distant vantage point, and so on. Each time, the distance between us grew exponentially, until it was no longer visible. As if it was mocking my feeble means of locomotion, or at least that was how I felt.
The same scenario has been recounted numerous times, with alleged "Bigfoot" sightings.

The similarities are notable.

reply to post by GoOfYFoOt


Thank you for this reply. I'm going to digest what you've presented here.

As I have stated before, my intention is to catalog each of these encounters so that we (as a community) can possibly figure out what these creatures are. It would seem that these Shadow Creatures have an odd relationship with our world. I'm not sure if they are part of it, or if (and this is highly speculative) they are a highly evolved species that live here (I'm just throwing that out, but they could be anything)

Anyways I'll be making an updated posting later with more information. I like to thank everyone that has responded so far, and encourage other to talk about their encounters so that we might be able to understand these creatures better.

I have been doing some research mainly in Italian websites and i found a document in pdf, about 60 pages that talks about shadow people, i can't find an english version of the pdf yet, but if i do i will post the link.
But i would like to share this part, including the original text just for transparency.

Una delle teorie più creative afferma che gli umanoidi ombra sono manifestazioni delle nostre formepensiero, che significa che c’è un insieme di energie psichiche negative nell’area dove eventi traumatici hanno avuto luogo o persone malvagie sono state presenti.

"One of the most creative theories says that the shadow people are a physical manifestation of thoughts, that meaning there is a collection of negative psychic energy in places where traumatic events have taken place or evil people were present."

those of you that claim to have seen them...do you know by chance if something negative happened around the area you saw them? in the tone of "I see them in X street and there was a murderer in this area some time ago" or anything like that?

Originally posted by IShotMyLastMuse
I have been doing some research mainly in Italian websites and i found a document in pdf, about 60 pages that talks about shadow people, i can't find an english version of the pdf yet, but if i do i will post the link.
But i would like to share this part, including the original text just for transparency.

Una delle teorie più creative afferma che gli umanoidi ombra sono manifestazioni delle nostre formepensiero, che significa che c’è un insieme di energie psichiche negative nell’area dove eventi traumatici hanno avuto luogo o persone malvagie sono state presenti.

"One of the most creative theories says that the shadow people are a physical manifestation of thoughts, that meaning there is a collection of negative psychic energy in places where traumatic events have taken place or evil people were present."

those of you that claim to have seen them...do you know by chance if something negative happened around the area you saw them? in the tone of "I see them in X street and there was a murderer in this area some time ago" or anything like that?

If you can find that link (even if it's in Italian) that would be helpful.

The grim event link is something that needs to be looked into. It seems like they are in many places even if nothing bad ever happened there.

reply to post by Guyfriday


here it is! have only read a few pages but that did catch my attention, given that most of the times people fear them, it would make sense that there is a "negativity" attached to them, that they are, to some degree, evil.

www.croponline.org...

Originally posted by IShotMyLastMuse
reply to post by Guyfriday

 

here it is! have only read a few pages but that did catch my attention, given that most of the times people fear them, it would make sense that there is a "negativity" attached to them, that they are, to some degree, evil.

www.croponline.org...

Thank you very much.

I wonder if people fear them because we don't know what they are or if because that they feed off of us? I really don't know, but hopeful that we can figure this all out.

Simply because in some cases Shadow Spirits are evil, does not constitute that all Shadow Spirits are evil. Possibly the reason they hide out of your sight is so as to not incite fear in you. Apparently, if one could throw a knob at you then they could interact in a far more dangerous way if they chose. Who knows though, maybe there is something blocking certain people from being harmed by these spirits and maybe some spirits have free reign to do whatever they want to you. Guess that just depends on the person and/or spirit.

reply to post by Guyfriday


Your welcome.

(Again, please forgive the length, but I feel the background is very pertinent to the experience, so...)

Now, I would like to offer additional substance to what the OP is attempting to disseminate, by giving a description of an incident that happened to myself and one other individual, personally, plus the corroboration of two more people that were partially affected. (This is the only incident that I experienced which differs from others' recounts, so far in this thread, which, several of, I have experienced similarly. As so, I won't clog the thread with redundancy...)

DISCLAIMER: I do not recommend that anyone attempt to recreate, copy or otherwise use the following, in any way, shape or form. In hindsight, it was foolish and was never attempted, again.

I guess it's been about 8 years ago, now. There were a series of bad storms that came through our area, that year, and on this particular night, the power had been out for several hours. Myself, my wife and two other couples, were having a gathering of like minds, to discuss some of our favorite topics, and to generally just hang out. It was a regular thing for us to do, and the evenings usually became pretty lively, as we would progress with our conversations to sometimes, outright debates. On regular occasion, the women would decide to play with our Ouija. The men would supervise and make sure things didn't get out of hand. Tonight was no exception.

We had recently, a few months before, undertook an "experiment" in which we collaborated on the procedure, peripherals and materials used, to construct a homemade Ouija board. Our attempt was highly successful due to the extreme nature of our "contacts" through this medium, versus ones we typically encountered, on commercial boards.

Without divulging too many specifics, our attempt from the start, was to enhance our experiences with the phenomenon, and enter into it in the most clinical way, conceivable. We were meticulous in the materials used, the construction parameters and the way we intended to garner information through the use of this board.

Each participant's job was deliberated on, decided through consensus, and enacted per each session. The format was simple. Always the same. The same list of questions were asked. The same person taking notes. The same two individuals handling the seer, etc...Times, weather conditions, even world events occuring during the sessions were noted in the documentation we amassed. Many of the sessions revealed several mentionables and this went on for about a month.

After awhile, we decided to shake things up a bit. It became apparent, that one of the individuals participating in our project, was not as "in to it" as the rest of us were. A decision was made to replace her, but with whom? It was debated and voted on, that we would elicit a more dark individual to our group. Not by skin color, but someone who seemed to have a penchant for what we were dabbling with. Someone with perhaps some insight beyond what we were bringing to the table. I knew just the person.

Sorry guys, I have to run an errand...


to be continued....

Originally posted by Guyfriday

Originally posted by sled735
Shadow people along the road....
My cousin called me totally freaked out awhile back telling me she was driving home from visiting her mother one evening. It was just barely turning night...dusk. As she was driving she said this dark figure stepped out in front of her car and she ran right through it. She didn't have time to swerve to miss it. She said she saw it, and heard it make a swooshing noise as it passed through the car right beside her. Her daughter and son were in the car too. They also saw and heard it. They were all freaked out by it. She said she felt it was trying to make her wreck.

From all the stories I've heard, I think these evil beings are doing whatever they can to try to kill people.

"WHY", is still the question.

I'm not sure if all of them are harmful. A lot of people seem to be dealing with them without any protracted effects. Have you had any encounters that you're willing to discuss?

I think what I saw was an earthbound ghost when I was six years old. It peeped around the corner of my cousin's house. It appeared as a human figure, very light in color, and transparent. But, who knows for sure if it was a human spirit, or a shadow person? I can't really say.

Then when I was around eleven or twelve there was a very dark figure that peeped around the corner of the hall at me in my house when I was alone one day. All I saw was the upper half of its "body". It didn't really have any facial features, just a black mass in the shape of a head and torso. I left the house in a hurry until my mother came home!

After I saw the first "ghost" at my cousin's, there was "something" with me or her every day afterwards. If it wasn't with me it was with her.
It just did whatever it could to scare me, like opening my closet door, banging on the walls, scratching my bed rails at night, and once something grabbed me by my ankles, and pulled me down toward the foot of the bed. I didn't see anything there, but I felt the hands on my legs. Most of the time I just felt an evil presence, so I would call my guardian angel to come help me, and it would.
There is a lot of stories in my thread (link in my signature) if you want more.
I had to work overtime this morning (on my day off... )so I'm really too tired to think right now.

Originally posted by Guyfriday
So did you feel that he had cloaked himself, or did you feel that he wasn't there but still able to move objects?

Pretty sure he was cloaked. We could feel when he was around whether he showed himself or not. There would be almost like an electricity feeling in the air that you could even smell sometimes. It wasn't an electrical problem however, the husband was and is an electrician and tested EVERYTHING.