In Case You Were Wondering, Shadow People Are NOT Ghosts - Here's Why
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Shadow People Are Conscious Entities, Ghosts Are Not
Paranormal experts have been debating for decades about whether or not ghosts can actually understand what's happening around them or if they're simply going through the motions of a past life. It's believed that ghostly apparitions are simply the residual energy left over when a person dies, meaning that while you may be able to see them they can't see or interact with you.
On the other hand, shadow people are sometimes corporeal beings who are, at best, believed to be from another dimension, and at their worst they may be demonic in nature. People who have had interactions with shadow people believe that the creatures make conscious decisions for how they'll treat a person, something that a ghost can't do.
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You May Have Created A Shadow Person On Accident
While no one knows exactly why shadow people exist, one interesting idea is that they're similar to poltergeists, meaning that humans create them from their own negative energy. While most ghosts are created through outside means (murder, suicide, etc.), a poltergeist tends to be created when someone with a lot of pent-up negative energy becomes a vessel for their awful feelings. This is usually done subconsciously, although you could probably manifest a poltergeist or shadow person if you tried hard enough.
If you believe that you've created a shadow person on accident then your best bet is to try and clear all of the negative energy in your life. Start meditating, cleanse your apartment, do whatever you've got to do to stop feeding that horrible creature.
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These Entities Have Completely Different Intentions
Trying to determine the intentions of a ghost is nearly impossible. You might find, depending on what type of paranormal phenomenon with which you're dealing, that the ghost doesn't have any intentions. If you have a poltergeist in the home, it's taking cues from you or whomever's negative energy helped manifest the creature, and it's going to keep doing what it's doing until you cleanse the home. If you're dealing with an interactive ghost it could be reenacting something from its life over and over without any ill intent towards you, despite the negative ramifications of a ghost clanging and banging around your house.
The intent of a shadow creature is nothing but malicious. Since the first report of a shadow person there haven't been any claims of one of these creatures doing anything positive whatsoever. Many paranormal experts believe that shadow people want to feed off of your negative energy and fear.
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Shadow People Are More Likely To Look Like A Person Than A Ghost
If you've never been visited by a ghost or a shadow person, your first experience with either can be terrifying and confusing. How do you know with which type of entity you're dealing? When it comes to ghosts, there are a few different types of entities that you can encounter. There are ghosts with "interactive" personalities, like Bruce Willis at the end of The Sixth Sense or a Civil War battlefield ghost, but there are also ectoplasmic mists that are just as visible as interactive full body apparitions.
Aside from the two visible, and easily recognizable types of ghosts there are poltergeists, or "noisy ghosts," which are essentially pure energy. You're most likely to experience one of these if you have a teenager in the home or a large amount of pent-up negative energy. They knock things down, break windows, etc. Finally, there are orbs and the swirling bits of light that are most commonly seen in photographs.
Shadow people, though, are usually described as being tall and "human-like," but as if their bodies are made of shadows rather than flesh and blood. The most notable shadow person is the "Hat Man," who's been appearing since at least 2001 since he was discussed on Art Bell's Coast to Coast AM. It's been theorized that "Hat Man" is a separate phenomena from shadow people, even though he appears in the same way as the rest of his creepy brethren.
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Shadow Beings Could Be Feeding Off Of Ghosts
An interesting theory posited about shadow people is that they're likely aware of other types of paranormal creatures and that they feed off them the same way that they feed off of humans. If a spirit or an entity is trapped in a particularly haunted location (meaning that it's rich in negative energy) then it's likely that a shadow person (or shadow people) are aware of this location and use it as a feeding ground.
It's been theorized that shadow people prefer the fresh negative energy of someone that they've trapped, but the residual energy of an entity trapped in its own torment for eternity is probably just as good.
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Shadow People May Be The Ghosts Of The Living
The most out-there theory about shadow people posits that they aren't technically ghosts or creatures of any kind, but rather they're people who are having out-of-body experiences. Some paranormal researchers believe that our consciousnesses leave our body while we sleep and allow us to "show ourselves" to other people who are tuned into our frequency. This differentiates shadow people from ghosts in a major way because it means that shadow people aren't even dead.
It could be argued that if our consciousness leaves our bodies while we sleep that they're technically the "ghosts" of the living, although it's likely that we'll never be able to determine if this is actually what's happening.
While shadow people could be a figurative shadow of a person who's still alive, spiritual medium James Van Praagh claims that actual ghosts are usually what's left of a person who can't move on past the mortal plane of existence. Sometimes they just can't accept that they're dead.
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Both Entities Are Drawn To You For Similar Reasons
One of the things that ghosts and shadow people have in common is that they're drawn to negative energy and people who are spiritually open. The main difference in this scenario is why ghosts and shadow people are drawn to someone. Ghosts may simply be making themselves visible to you because you're open, or something happened to you at a young age that made you a magnet for spiritual activity.
While shadow people are also drawn to someone who's open, it tends to be a more malicious reason. They want to feed off of you in one way or another. If they can feed off your fear when you see them, great. If they can feed off the entities around you and the fear that creates, that's also good.
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At One Point Ghosts Were A Person, Shadow People Were Not
One of the many stark differences between a ghost and shadow person is that ghosts used to be a physical person, while shadow people have always been the creepy crawlies that come to you when you sleep. No one knows why the residual energy released when humans die creates ghosts for some people and not for others, but it very well may have something to do with that person having unfinished business on the corporeal plain.
Shadow people have always existed. Whether they're from another dimension, a time traveler, or a demonic entity, it's believed that these creatures are fully aware of what they're doing.
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They Could Both Be Interdimensional Beings
No one knows exactly what ghosts or shadow people are. While they can both take on the characteristics of a human, that doesn't necessarily mean that they are or were human at one time or another. Some paranormal researchers believe that ghosts and shadow people are both creatures from another dimension and that they're simply manifesting in different ways.
Some scientists believe that alternate dimensions exist directly next to ours, it's just their vibrations are slightly off. It's possible that shadow creatures and ghosts are actually entities from another dimension that are somehow bleeding through to our own.
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Getting Rid Of Both Entities Is Similar, But Not Easy
Whether you've found yourself haunted by a ghost or a shadow person, there are a few things you can do to get rid of both entities. Unfortunately, clearing your home of an extreme haunting is harder than it sounds. Since ghosts tend to be residual energy you could always try to ignore them and wait around for the haunting to disperse. Although in the case of a poltergeist the haunting could increase if you ignore it.
Paranormal researcher Loyd Auerbach says that telling the ghost or shadow person to leave tends to work if you're forceful enough. However, if you engage the creature and you waver you could end up with an even larger haunting that you had. If you can swing it, have paranormal expert come out and sage the haunted area - that should do the trick.
