For fifteen plus years I have been looking into the 'shadow person' phenomenon, but my beginnings were not in the 'ghosts and hauntings' field - they started off in UFOlogy.
In this brief piece I talk a little about my thoughts on the subject, and present two people's experiences.
In this brief piece I talk a little about my thoughts on the subject, and present two people's experiences.
Shadow People
Alcatraz Shadow Person?? You hear a lot of stories with people’s experiences involving shadow people all over the world, but not too much from where I come from. People living and visiting Australia also have their own experiences with shadow people, and as an investigator and researcher, I have received many reports over the years from people who have experienced both types of shadow presence; peripheral and direct vision. Although direct visual experiences are not too uncommon, most of the reports I receive come from those who have seen them in their periphery.
I find both types of experiences fascinating, but with a lot of mundane reasons for why someone will see a dark fleeting shape 'out the corner of their eye', I tend to focus on cases where the shadow was seen directly. It is not quite as easy to debunk such a case. Although there are still reasons to explain why someone would see a dark form, even directly the experiencer seems to be a lot surer of what they have seen. I have read cases where a person has had a stroke after having a close encounter with a shadow person, as well as hearing of burning finger marks following a touch from one of these entities.
However, those scenarios are from a different time in my paranormal research. Before I set my focus on investigating claims of ghosts and hauntings I did a lot of UFO and 'Alien' research. It was during this period that I first heard of shadow people. It was around the year 1998 when I first heard of beings described very similar to shadow people, but they were not labelled as such. At first, I learned of people experiencing dark 'creatures' darting around their homes, always just out of sight. These creatures were typically human like in shape, and moved more like smoke or a mist. They were hardly seen directly.
Soon the reports took on another aspect, these 'Dark Entities' as they were now known (2000-2001), could project a feeling of dread onto a human. A lot of people in the field thought this was something to do with the frequency of human emotion patterns, and the lower frequency entity being able to interfere. At around this time there was a large change in the people I was working with, moving from a more science and technology way of investigating, to a more emotion and empathic way of investigating.
Regardless of whether you want to talk about frequency of emotion or not (I did not follow that path personally), reports were coming in that these shadows were able to put in a emotive change within the experiencer. This is true with reports today, however now instead of researching them in the UFO field, I research them in the 'Ghosts' field. Are they ghosts?
I can not tell you that. I can not tell you what they are. It is suggested they are the spirit of a deceased person with a 'black soul'. Others say they are demonic and never were hosted in a human body. The idea that most intrigues me is that they are a spirit, something of the earth.
Australian Indigenous People describe beings that very much resemble the classic shadow people in their 'Dreamtime' stories. The Dreamtime is a very complicated thing to describe, but it's essence is that it is the time when the land, and all of its forms were created, and spirits that were awaiting to take on a physical form, roamed. Stories of this time differ across Australia and from tribe to tribe, but they hold that one core aspect. The different beliefs are described as 'Dreamings', so one person may have a different 'Dreaming' from another.
It is in some of these Dreamings that spirits strongly resembling shadow people exist. Many of these dark entities took on the physical bodies of humans when their time was right. It is within some beliefs that when the body dies, the spirit is released to retake its original form, and when this happens, the shadow is able to walk the earth once again.
It has been found that within Australia many shadow people are witnessed in areas of cultural significance to indigenous people, or where they had settled for long periods of time.
What follows are two incidences where Shadow People have been witnessed directly. Both locations are either a place of indigenous settlement, or had significant cultural value to those people.
I find both types of experiences fascinating, but with a lot of mundane reasons for why someone will see a dark fleeting shape 'out the corner of their eye', I tend to focus on cases where the shadow was seen directly. It is not quite as easy to debunk such a case. Although there are still reasons to explain why someone would see a dark form, even directly the experiencer seems to be a lot surer of what they have seen. I have read cases where a person has had a stroke after having a close encounter with a shadow person, as well as hearing of burning finger marks following a touch from one of these entities.
However, those scenarios are from a different time in my paranormal research. Before I set my focus on investigating claims of ghosts and hauntings I did a lot of UFO and 'Alien' research. It was during this period that I first heard of shadow people. It was around the year 1998 when I first heard of beings described very similar to shadow people, but they were not labelled as such. At first, I learned of people experiencing dark 'creatures' darting around their homes, always just out of sight. These creatures were typically human like in shape, and moved more like smoke or a mist. They were hardly seen directly.
Soon the reports took on another aspect, these 'Dark Entities' as they were now known (2000-2001), could project a feeling of dread onto a human. A lot of people in the field thought this was something to do with the frequency of human emotion patterns, and the lower frequency entity being able to interfere. At around this time there was a large change in the people I was working with, moving from a more science and technology way of investigating, to a more emotion and empathic way of investigating.
Regardless of whether you want to talk about frequency of emotion or not (I did not follow that path personally), reports were coming in that these shadows were able to put in a emotive change within the experiencer. This is true with reports today, however now instead of researching them in the UFO field, I research them in the 'Ghosts' field. Are they ghosts?
I can not tell you that. I can not tell you what they are. It is suggested they are the spirit of a deceased person with a 'black soul'. Others say they are demonic and never were hosted in a human body. The idea that most intrigues me is that they are a spirit, something of the earth.
Australian Indigenous People describe beings that very much resemble the classic shadow people in their 'Dreamtime' stories. The Dreamtime is a very complicated thing to describe, but it's essence is that it is the time when the land, and all of its forms were created, and spirits that were awaiting to take on a physical form, roamed. Stories of this time differ across Australia and from tribe to tribe, but they hold that one core aspect. The different beliefs are described as 'Dreamings', so one person may have a different 'Dreaming' from another.
It is in some of these Dreamings that spirits strongly resembling shadow people exist. Many of these dark entities took on the physical bodies of humans when their time was right. It is within some beliefs that when the body dies, the spirit is released to retake its original form, and when this happens, the shadow is able to walk the earth once again.
It has been found that within Australia many shadow people are witnessed in areas of cultural significance to indigenous people, or where they had settled for long periods of time.
What follows are two incidences where Shadow People have been witnessed directly. Both locations are either a place of indigenous settlement, or had significant cultural value to those people.
Experience 1
Lesley was living in the Wollongong suburb of Albion Park Rail when she experienced the following in 1987. Although it is told with her words, I have edited it a little to help it make sense to people who are not fully aware of all the circumstances surrounding the encounter.
“My boyfriend Daryl and I had moved into a house he was buying and on the night I had the experience I had a evening class. Due to a preplanned event with my boyfriend falling through we had a argument and I told him he could sleep on his own and I made myself a bed on the fold out lounge.
At some point during the night I was woken by the cat jumping on me and purring. As I pushed her off me I noticed someone standing at the bottom of the bed. I couldn't see any features just the shadow of a man. At first I thought it was Daryl and was going to ask him what the hell he wanted but then I realised it wasn't his build. I knew no one could get into the house (I make sure to lock everything up at night) and thought I must have been seeing things. I closed my eyes and when I opened them again "It" was still there. I closed them again and pinched myself under the covers because I thought I must have been dreaming and it hurt. "It" was still there when I opened my eyes again.
I once again closed my eyes trying to work out how someone could have gotten in and wondering whether I should jump up and have a go at them but when I opened my eyes again "It" had vanished.
Now I know no one left by any of the doorways and our floorboards would squeak so badly in that house there was no way anyone could have gotten out without me hearing them leave: "it" just vanished.
The next morning I decided to suss things out and I asked Daryl what he had wanted the night before. He didn't know what I was talking about. I told him I had woken up and saw him at the bottom of my bed and he told me there was no way he was coming anywhere near me that night. I told him what happened and he had no explanation either. I used to joke it was probably a guardian watching over me because I was so upset with him but to this day, my watcher remains a mystery.”
I find it interesting that Lesley would 'joke' that it was her guardian, as there have been people that suggest a shadow person could be some form of guardian angel. It had been Lesley and Daryl's first fight, which would have definitely been stressful, as they were purchasing a house and were making a go of it. Guardian angels are said to be there for someone when they are at a point of sudden sadness or crisis. Whether Lesley’s 'visitor' was a positive entity or not is quite open to debate. In Lesley’s' experience, the entity did not evoke a emotion other than the shock or surprise of seeing it. However, in the following story the experience was much different and more dramatic.
“My boyfriend Daryl and I had moved into a house he was buying and on the night I had the experience I had a evening class. Due to a preplanned event with my boyfriend falling through we had a argument and I told him he could sleep on his own and I made myself a bed on the fold out lounge.
At some point during the night I was woken by the cat jumping on me and purring. As I pushed her off me I noticed someone standing at the bottom of the bed. I couldn't see any features just the shadow of a man. At first I thought it was Daryl and was going to ask him what the hell he wanted but then I realised it wasn't his build. I knew no one could get into the house (I make sure to lock everything up at night) and thought I must have been seeing things. I closed my eyes and when I opened them again "It" was still there. I closed them again and pinched myself under the covers because I thought I must have been dreaming and it hurt. "It" was still there when I opened my eyes again.
I once again closed my eyes trying to work out how someone could have gotten in and wondering whether I should jump up and have a go at them but when I opened my eyes again "It" had vanished.
Now I know no one left by any of the doorways and our floorboards would squeak so badly in that house there was no way anyone could have gotten out without me hearing them leave: "it" just vanished.
The next morning I decided to suss things out and I asked Daryl what he had wanted the night before. He didn't know what I was talking about. I told him I had woken up and saw him at the bottom of my bed and he told me there was no way he was coming anywhere near me that night. I told him what happened and he had no explanation either. I used to joke it was probably a guardian watching over me because I was so upset with him but to this day, my watcher remains a mystery.”
I find it interesting that Lesley would 'joke' that it was her guardian, as there have been people that suggest a shadow person could be some form of guardian angel. It had been Lesley and Daryl's first fight, which would have definitely been stressful, as they were purchasing a house and were making a go of it. Guardian angels are said to be there for someone when they are at a point of sudden sadness or crisis. Whether Lesley’s 'visitor' was a positive entity or not is quite open to debate. In Lesley’s' experience, the entity did not evoke a emotion other than the shock or surprise of seeing it. However, in the following story the experience was much different and more dramatic.
Experience 2
Old Tailem Town is a pioneer village located a little north of Tailem Bend along the River Murray. Unlike a lot of pioneer villages that are new buildings, the majority of Tailem Towns buildings are historic, and have been purchased from under the demolition hammer and moved on site. When a photo surfaced taken in the Wolseley Church of a strange fluffy light apparition, Adelaide's own Paranormal Field Investigators (PFI) went in to investigate.
After being given permission by the towns founder and owner to spend the night in the village, PFI set up in the church, but soon found themselves having a look at the other buildings in the dark. It was on this night that the shadow person of Tailem Town was first seen.
Alison Oborn, founder and lead investigator for PFI, was the first to take a look in the 'Bent Elbow Hotel'. She walked up to the front of the building and shone her torch through a window. At the end of the hotels long main passageway, Alison saw a dark shadowy figure cross straight through her torch beam. She describes it as a three dimensional shadow. Unlike a shadow cast on a wall, this 'entity' had depth and a definite human shape. Unfortunately, more detail was not noted, as it moved quick, almost to make her think it might not have happened.
Old Tailem Town turned out to be quite an active location, and when Alison set about creating her ghost tour business, 'Adelaide's Haunted Horizons', Tailem Town was to become the main attraction, the Wolseley Church its star.
On Easter Saturday 2011, Alison was running an investigation tour through the village. Although the village held a feeling of heavy gloom, this was not abnormal. The tour itself finished and a break was called for tea and coffee in the administration building. Although a large number of the tour left, more than half stayed behind to have their hand at using some investigation equipment in the old church.
Events started almost immediately after everyone had entered. One of the tour started feeling very sick suddenly, and everyone else could feel a sense of dread. Anyone who has been in this situation will know exactly the feeling, a heaviness that plays on your nerves, making you want to vacate the area.
It was not five minutes before someone was physically sick, and had to leave escorted by a backup tour guide. About ten minutes after they had left, all those left in the church heard the distinctive creak, crack and groan of the floorboards, as if someone had entered the church. Looking towards the back, Alison and two on the tour saw someone enter the church and stand amongst the back line of pews.
Alison, thinking that her guide had returned, inquired whether the person who had left was okay. No answer. After repeating herself and still no answer, she shone her torch towards the figure. No one was there. No one had left, as the figure stayed in view until that torch was turned on, and it had disappeared. When Alison radioed to her backup guide to ask where he was, he stated he was just coming up the street, and was several hundred feet away from the church.
Three people had seen the shadow figure and all had heard it. Since that time, the figure has been seen repeatedly about the town, and nearly always brings with it a sense of dread. It is always described as tall and slender, without detail and appears without forewarning.
After being given permission by the towns founder and owner to spend the night in the village, PFI set up in the church, but soon found themselves having a look at the other buildings in the dark. It was on this night that the shadow person of Tailem Town was first seen.
Alison Oborn, founder and lead investigator for PFI, was the first to take a look in the 'Bent Elbow Hotel'. She walked up to the front of the building and shone her torch through a window. At the end of the hotels long main passageway, Alison saw a dark shadowy figure cross straight through her torch beam. She describes it as a three dimensional shadow. Unlike a shadow cast on a wall, this 'entity' had depth and a definite human shape. Unfortunately, more detail was not noted, as it moved quick, almost to make her think it might not have happened.
Old Tailem Town turned out to be quite an active location, and when Alison set about creating her ghost tour business, 'Adelaide's Haunted Horizons', Tailem Town was to become the main attraction, the Wolseley Church its star.
On Easter Saturday 2011, Alison was running an investigation tour through the village. Although the village held a feeling of heavy gloom, this was not abnormal. The tour itself finished and a break was called for tea and coffee in the administration building. Although a large number of the tour left, more than half stayed behind to have their hand at using some investigation equipment in the old church.
Events started almost immediately after everyone had entered. One of the tour started feeling very sick suddenly, and everyone else could feel a sense of dread. Anyone who has been in this situation will know exactly the feeling, a heaviness that plays on your nerves, making you want to vacate the area.
It was not five minutes before someone was physically sick, and had to leave escorted by a backup tour guide. About ten minutes after they had left, all those left in the church heard the distinctive creak, crack and groan of the floorboards, as if someone had entered the church. Looking towards the back, Alison and two on the tour saw someone enter the church and stand amongst the back line of pews.
Alison, thinking that her guide had returned, inquired whether the person who had left was okay. No answer. After repeating herself and still no answer, she shone her torch towards the figure. No one was there. No one had left, as the figure stayed in view until that torch was turned on, and it had disappeared. When Alison radioed to her backup guide to ask where he was, he stated he was just coming up the street, and was several hundred feet away from the church.
Three people had seen the shadow figure and all had heard it. Since that time, the figure has been seen repeatedly about the town, and nearly always brings with it a sense of dread. It is always described as tall and slender, without detail and appears without forewarning.
There you go! My thoughts and experiences investigating the phenomena, and two accounts of very different types.
What experiences have you had with shadow people?
They do not have to be from Australia and everyone would love to hear them!
What experiences have you had with shadow people?
They do not have to be from Australia and everyone would love to hear them!
Ashley Hall 2013
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