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 Handyman 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?

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 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?

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?

No one is certain what they are. However the sightings of these shadow people do seem to correspond to one another.

Most report seeing a dark figure that has no clear cut facial features.

A handful have reported seeing Red Eyes.

But on the most part they have been described as a dark figure without features clearly defined.

Shadow people always seem to be dark or shadow-like.

Many are of the opinion, because these shadow people are dark, that they may be negative energies or demons.

If they are demons, which I don't happen to believe in, why would they show themselves in this manner.

Is it just to frighten people or what?

Others believe they are astral bodies or time travelers or interdimensional beings.

An interdimensional being is a being that lives in another dimension beyond our three dimensions and their dimension runs parallel to ours.

Every once and a while their dimension crosses over into ours and as a result we see the shadowy figure of a person living in a different dimension.

These shadow people live and exist as vibrations only in our world - similar to the concept science is beginning to realize is probably true about the smallest particles exist as vibrations only in a quantum level and theory.