Though many people see shadow people as just dark ghosts, others are convinced they are not the same thing. Appearing as dark shadows out of the corner of your eyes, they have also been captured on many photographs, making us wonder if we are being stalked by dark malevolent beings. To date, no one has reported being injured by a shadow person, so do we have reason to be afraid?
It’s always the unknown that frightens us, so perhaps by learning a little more about this phenomenon we can all be a little less afraid. Where do they come from? Why do they stalk us? What do they want? These are all questions that come to mind, and we will answer what we can to the best of our ability; however, we feel it’s important to reiterate that they have not as of yet posed a danger to anyone, and they might be nothing more than tricks of they eye.
So turn the lights down low, nuzzle down with a warm glass of milk, and follow us into the creepy world of the shadow people …
The Origins Of The Shadow People
Dark phantoms, as they have often been called, have been around with us for thousands of years. Appearing as dark shadows, they often take on human form, which is probably what creeps us out the most. After all, would you be frightened by the dark shadow of a gerbil? Of course not! However, the dark shadow of a human alerts us to the presence of a nearby human, and when we can’t find the body that’s creating the shadow it makes sense that we become frightened.
At first, they were believed to be malevolent spirits, trapped between the worlds of life and death. Though much like ghosts, they are unable to manifest themselves fully, which is why they are often seen as something different. In fact, there are those who believe them to be demons on the material plane, looking for souls to snatch, as well as those believe they are beings that are summoned by black magic and then trapped in our world.
A more reasonable possibility is that shadow people are actually people living out there lives in another dimension and crossing partially over to ours. If this is the case, then it’s possible we are as much a shadow to them as they are to us, which could explain why they often fleet away from us once they are seen. One thing is for certain, too many shadow people are reported yearly to ignore the phenomenon. People are definitely seeing something – we just can’t be sure what it is.
A Scientific Explanation
As we are a species who likes to explain things away, scientists have spent much time trying to unravel the mystery of the shadow people sightings. The leading explanation is that the stimulation of a certain part of the brain manifests these spirits inside the mind, but this doesn’t explain away the instances where several people have seen the same thing.
Another trick of the mind is the eye’s ability to misinterpret things we see peripherally. This is an effect easily demonstrated by sitting motionless as you stare forward, and try to identify objects to your left or right. In fact, you can quickly make yourself paranoid doing so – try it, it’s fun!
The fact that we often feel like we are being watched is often manifested by one of the above, which allows our minds to perceive what we must obviously assume to be there. But as we said before, these explanations only work when we are alone, and can not account for the many pictures that have been taken of these dark spirits.
Hypnagogia is the final explanation given, which is as flawed as the others. It states that the mind can enter a realm between being awake and asleep where reality blends with our imagination. This can occur when we are awakened, but not fully. It’s a private moment and a scary one, which can often be accompanied by difficulty breathing. Still, this can’t explain away all of the occurrences.
So, how can we explain them away?
Mass Hallucination
In the dark, our minds race to make sense of a world we can barely see. More often than not, in reports where multiple people have seen a dark specter, it was pointed out by one and then seen by the others. This seems to imply that suggestion plays a role in such sightings. For someone to see a shadow person they must first accept it’s possible. From there, the mind fills in the blanks and makes it manifest before everyone’s eyes.
Case closed … or maybe not.
What about all of the photographs? People are taking pictures of these things. Are we sharing in their hallucination by proxy? Is this even possible?
While some photos are obvious hoaxes, it’s always possible that a few are the real deal. In those cases it’s possible that the mind is making something abnormal out of a regular shadow, but some are quite convincing. Are photos the ultimate proof of such occurrences? Only if they are taken by a skeptic!
As for why shadow people are stalking us and what they want, we can’t truly say as they don’t make their wants and desires known. This leads us again back to the most likely (though admittedly far-fetched) explanation, that they are nothing more than people living their lives in a different dimension and somehow crossing partially over to our own. It’s the one explanation that fits everything, so it’s the best one we can offer.
Then, is it possible that ghosts are the same thing – only they cross the boundary further and appear more physical in appearance? Perhaps, as that makes sense as well. As all ghosts seem to be manifestations from the past it would seem they are spirits time traveling into the future, and for those who have delved into the possibility of time travel they have already forecast we could go forward, but never backward in time.
So many mysteries revolve around the appearance of shadow people, and yet, there are so few answers. As they appear to pose no harm to mankind, then perhaps they are an oddity best viewed for our own amusement. So the next time you see a shadow out of the corner of your eye, be friendly, as the shadow might be just as frightened of you.
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