Shadow People – Types | Theories | How to Protect From Them

Have you ever seen a shadow of someone or have you felt a sensation of someone standing behind you and when you try to see it clearly, it disappears? If so, then you might have experienced what is known as a shadow figure or a shadow people.

What are Shadow Figures or Shadow People?

A shadow figure has many theories and definitions, but it is commonly described as a perception of shadow of a tall figure, about seven feet in height and a human-like form. From the scientific view, it is simply our imagination where our minds fill the blank spaces and create a humanoid form.

Most people who experience this phenomenon say that these shadow figures are used to be seen out of the corner of their eyes and disappears as they look straight into them. But, more and more people have also experienced looking straight to them for longer periods of time. Some people even witnessed seeing eyes, usually red or green in color, and also shadows wearing a hat and named as “Hat Man”.

From religious point of view, these dark figures are called by different names such as demons in the Christian faith, jinn in Islam, sgili in the tradition of American Indians.

Different Types of Shadow People

Many types of shadow figures are studied in the paranormal subject, but here we will look into the common types that most people experience.

Some findings concluded that shadows are of either human shaped or animal shaped. Many believe that they can be classified as different types of beings such as aliens, demons, disembodied people, animals and monsters.

Now, let us look in to some types of shadow beings-

1. Human Shaped Shadow People: These shadow people are in human shaped and most commonly experienced by many. A human shaped shadow person comes in variety of combinations such as with or without hat, having red or green eyes, hooded figures, etc. 

   These shadow figures are usually male in appearance and can be transparent or can be seen as a dark black static. The human shaped figures are sometimes seen with missing facial features, hair and even sometimes with missing hands, feet or fingers. Many people claim that this type of shadow figures disappears when they try to look at them directly. These shadow figures can be seen through peripheral vision, especially when the shadow is moving. They even appeared to be travelling through walls and doors.

2. Animal Shaped Shadow Figures: Though human shaped shadows are common, people also claimed seeing shadow animals. These shadows show up as a small animals and very difficult to spot because they stay close to the ground and move very quickly. Shadow cats are the most common to be seen but also other animals such as shadow rats, birds and spiders can also be seen.
3. Black Mist or Black Mass Shadow People: Black Mist shadow people are less human form and generally appear as clouds of black smoke. They can be seen as a dark mist with a blurred vision. They can change in shape and move very fast.
4. Forest Shadow People: Forest shadow figures appear outdoors unlike other shadows that appear indoors. These dark figures are also called as ‘shadow stalkers’ that hang around the trees. These are said to be harmless and act as protectors that guard nature. These usually mimic people who see them. That means, when the person moves, they too move and stop when the person stops.
5. Other Types of Shadow People: Other types of shadow figures have also been studied and discussed in many theories. They theorize these figures as aliens, time travelers, astral travelers or inter-dimensional beings.

Theories Behind Shadow People

Many theories are mentioned regarding shadow people in different studies. Some of them are discussed below.

• One theory suggests that these dark beings are a form of evil spirits or ghosts. Some believe this is true but others argue that appearance of dark figures contradicts the ghost phenomenon and so these cannot be ghosts.
• In another theory, it is stated as these shadow figures are the shadows of people who are having out-of-body experiences or astral projection. Astral projection refers to an out-of-body-experience (OBE) occurs when a person’s consciousness leaves the physical body and travels to the astral plane. It is the ability to separate your awareness from the physical body. This often occurs during sleep. So, this theory says that may be we are seeing these astral bodies for a short time.
• Another theory describes them as time travelers, the people from the future travelling to the past which is our present time. Perhaps as they are moving in our timeline, they appear to be shadows.
• Another paranormal explanation for these figures is that they are interdimensional beings coming from higher dimensions that exist beyond our own dimension. These dimensions exist parallel and very close to our own dimension but invisible to us.

Shadow people could also be aliens coming from other dimensions and manifesting in a shadow form as they interact with us.

There are many theories discussed other than these, but there is no way to prove one or other. The only thing we can do is to analyze our own experiences if we ever encounter these shadow people.

Why Shadow Figures Appear?

The best explanation for the appearance of shadow figures is given by modern science. It says that shadow people appearance is nothing but the human beings active imagination and the tricks played by the mind.

Another explanation is that these shadow figures are experienced by the persons who suffer from sleep paralysis. Many of them claim that it makes them feel as though someone is sitting on their chest and being unable to move the body. These sensations can be explained by conditions like hypnagogic and/or hypnopompic paralysis. These occur just before falling asleep and just before waking up.

Some even believe that we create them out of our own fear. They are attracted to negative mental and emotional fear energy.

But are all the cases of shadow figures are only because of our minds imagination? We do not know. May be the answer lies beyond science and may be they are real as discussed in above theories.

How to Protect From Shadow Figures?

When you encounter shadow people anytime, it is important to face and control your fears. If you cannot control your fears and stuck in negative emotions, it will only make worse the situation.

Shadow figures usually disappear on their own and so it is up to you to control the situation. The more fear you have, the more worse the situation will be.

You can also avoid them coming by strengthening your spiritual side and living a positive life.
Some of the methods to protect from dark beings that you can use –

• Say protective prayers of God or Angels whichever you like
• Do meditation every day and develop your spiritual power
• Learn psychic defense to protect from evil spirits
• Clean your house to remove negative energies
• Use crystals that remove negativeness and protect you from negative energy
• Raise your positive vibrations
• If situation is worse, you can seek help from psychic experts who can deal with these problems.
• Do not mess with the occult practices and something like Ouija boards. These are not something to play with. They require a good training to deal with them. So avoid these if you are not trained to do this.
• Sprinkle some sea salt around your bed or the corners of the room. This will ward off all evils.

Conclusion

I conclude by saying that it is not necessary to fear when you encounter shadow people. Control your emotions and protect yourself by being more positive in your day to day life. If required, seek an expert advice and you can also do banishing rituals at your home.