Shadow People Did you see that dark, fleeting shape out of the corner of your eye? Perhaps you caught a glimpse of a strange entity that is being seen with greater regularity around the world. "What was that?" You were sitting comfortably on your sofa reading the latest issue of Fortean Times in the dim light when movement across the room caught your attention. It seemed dark and shadowy, but there was nothing there. You returned to your reading - and a moment later there it was again. You looked up quickly this time and saw the fleeting but distinctly human shape of the shadow pass quickly over the far wall... and disappear. What was that? Some natural shadow? Your heightened imagination? A ghost? Or was it something that seems to be a spreading phenomenon - apparitions that are coming to be known as "shadow people" or "shadow beings." Perhaps this is an old phenomenon with a new name that is now being discussed more openly, in part thanks to the Internet. Or maybe it's a phenomenon that, for some reason, is manifesting with greater frequency and intensity now. 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 experiencers testify that they have even seen eyes, usually red, on these shadow beings. The mysterious sightings have become a hot topic of conversion in paranormal chat rooms, message boards and websites, and it was given widespread attention on The Art Bell talk radio show. Art's listeners even submitted their drawings of how they perceived these beings, and they can be seen in a haunting gallery on Art's site. What are shadow people and where do they come from? Several theories have been offered. The Imagination The explanation we get from skeptics and mainstream science - and who are usually people who have never experienced the shadow people phenomenon - is that it is nothing more than the active human imagination. It's our minds playing tricks on us... our eyes seeing things in a fraction of a second that aren't really there - illusions... real shadows caused by passing auto headlights, or some similar explanation. And without a doubt, these explanations probably can account for some if not many experiences. The human eye and mind are easily fooled. But can they account for all cases? Ghosts To call these entities ghosts demands first a definition of what we mean by ghosts.  But by almost any definition, shadow people are somewhat different than ghost phenomena. Whereas ghost apparitions are almost always a misty white, vaporish or have a decidedly human form and appearance (very often with discernable "clothing"), shadow beings are much darker and more shadow-like. In general, although the shadow people often do have a human outline or shape, because they are dark, the details of their appearance is lacking. This is in contrast to many ghost sightings in which the witness can describe the ghost's facial features, style of clothing and other details. The one detail most often noted in some shadow being sightings are their glowing red eyes. Demons or Other Spirit Entities The dark countenance and malevolent feelings that are often reported in association with these creatures has led some researchers to speculate that they may be demonic in nature. If they are demons, we have to wonder what their purpose or intent is in letting themselves be seen in this manner. Is it merely to frighten?   Encountering the Shadow People Readers report their own unnerving experiences with the mysterious shadow people phenomenon, and also offer some additional theories to explain them. In the recent article on shadow people - dark, ghost-like shadowy entities- it was mentioned that this phenomenon seems to be on the rise around the world. There appear to be more sightings with greater frequency. Many readers seem to concur and have responded with their frightening, sometimes bizarre personal encounters with these strange beings. Here are their stories: House of Shadows I became aware of the shadows shortly after moving into my house in New Jersey. My daughters' playroom was in the basement and they were constantly complaining that they were always seeing something move out of the corners of their eyes. My youngest also said they hovered near the ceiling. In later years, I had my floral workshop in the basement and saw them constantly. It got to the point where I would talk to them with my mind, not that they ever answered back. They were black. We saw them all over the basement, but mostly along one wall, and occasionally saw them along the same wall on the first floor and in the kitchen near the back door. We did not see them anywhere else in the house or elsewhere on the property. But even when we did not get a glimpse of them, we were aware when they were present. Some of them seemed to have an evil presence. A few years after we moved in, I told them they were not welcome in the house and the evil presence seemed to go away. Still, we had an uneasy feeling about them. Not fear. We just accepted they were there, as several steps taken over the years to make them go away didn't work anyway. Only once after the evil ones were told they were not welcome was I aware they came back. And I am not sure if they were evil or just upset. I will explain later. Only once did it see one clearly. But it happened in a split second and I did not see it from top to bottom. I was walking through the breakfast room into the kitchen. The kitchen light was on in the corner. It was by the back door in front of the stove. I was startled. I thought someone had come into the house. It all happened very fast. But the light from behind it did not pass through as it would a shadow. It was short and stocky and appeared as a silhouette of a person. It had a head (there were no discernable features, including no eyes) shoulders, arms and a torso. It disappeared too fast to take note if it had legs or feet. I sensed it was as surprised as I was and did not intend to be seen. Then our house caught fire. It was a major fire that started from a shorted TV along the wall of shadows in the den. We were out of the house six months while it was repaired. About a week after the fire, I stopped by right before dark to pick up a few things. As I came onto the back porch and looked through the six-foot hole where the picture window once was, I looked across the breakfast room at the basement doorway. I sensed three shadows near the doorway. It was almost dark outside, so I did not actually see them. I also got a very bad feeling about them and told them by thought that the evil ones were still not welcome in the house whether I was there or not. Then I turned and left without entering the house. I was quite rattled. Whether I had this feeling because I was also emotionally upset about the fire... I cannot say. The next day, I went back and it seemed the house was full of shadows, although I only caught a glimpse of them, as usual, fleeing in the basement. And I am not sure I really saw them as there were no lights on down there and the only light was from the window-well windows. It was the only time I ever sensed that they tried to communicate. It seemed they were upset that we were not there because the house was all black, there was no light for them in the kitchen, and there were strangers in the house (the workers) every day. A few weeks later, burglars tried to steal the new appliances for the house. Everything was left in the kitchen by the back door. My daughters and I joked that they met up with the shadows and were scared off. Who knows? - MSF Shadow Man on the Road I've always been very observant and I notice everything around me in detail. When I was 13, I was riding home from the supermarket with my older brother. All of a sudden, a dark figure dove under the car. It happened very quickly, but I saw it straight on. It was definitely in the shape of a man and it seemed to appear out of nowhere. I said to my brother, "I just saw a... a... a shadow man." Of course, my brother made a joke of it. I went along with it, but it was more than a joke to me. I saw another shadow man that very night when I got out of bed to go to the bathroom. I know it was not my mind playing tricks. - Jason Thank You Ghostmist* for Sharing