Who Are The Shadow People?

Photo of silhouette of man by Arifur Rahman Tushar from Pexels

Updated 2024.12.16. This post contains affiliate links and Amanda Linette Meder will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links.

There are many reasons why a Shadow Spirit may come into your life.

Many times they appear as a tall, dark man in a trench coat with a wide-brimmed hat. Shadow Spirits can appear in a variety of ways. 

The dark mist of a Shadow Person was presented in modern culture with Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

In this book, a dark shadow can be nefarious, and it can enter into any vulnerable being, usually a woman, and influence them. It can also change shape into man, wolf, or mist. 

In Clarissa Pinkola Estés’ book, Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype, Estés discusses the regular appearance of Shadow Spirits, also primarily focusing on their appearance to women.

She suggests that the shadow some people see is their own negative energy leaving the body. 

When I’ve seen shadows, and when members of my family have, it’s typically an ancestor or a relative, or a local land Spirit who is acting as a protector, as not all shadows imply suffering.

Men also see Shadow Spirits so this isn’t a women-only phenomenon.

Sometimes seeing a shadow implies a dense collective of energy passing in front of a light source, as I talk about in my article, How To See Spirits: A Short Guide To Spiritual Clairvoyance.

If you have seen Shadow People, there are a variety of types of Spirits that appear this way, and a variety of reasons why they do.

Here are just a few:

3 Types of Shadow Spirits

Who are the Shadow People? 3 Types of Shadow Spirits. Photo of silhouette of man by Arifur Rahman Tushar from Pexels with text overlay of title.

The light spirit types

Light Spirits, such as Deceased Loved Ones, Ancestors, Spirit Guides, and Angels, can lower their vibration to appear to us on earth. They can gather the collective energetic molecules in the environment to create a dense energy mass, through which they can appear.

Earth Spirits can also appear as shadows.

If a collective energy mass happens to pass between a physical light source and a wall, door, or solid background of some kind, a shadow can be cast, creating a shadow looking entity, though it is positive.

If this way of appearance bothers you, simply ask those in Spirit to appear to you in another way or show themselves to you using another form of communication so you can verify their intent and their identity. 

Shadow Spirits can also be protector energies.

The protector types

These are the kind that usually appear in human shape. Are you going through a vulnerable life transition, such as an intense period of soul growth and emotional awakening, a dark night of the soul, or a change of any kind?

There is a theory out there that Shadow Spirits are actually protector images that can wake you up or watch over you to keep you safe. 

Because they are high contrast and easy to see, you may see them better than the light flashes of Angels.

A Guardian Spirit may be appointed to you to protect as you sleep, during a period of temporary weakness or just in general. 

A woman who runs an art gallery north of my house calls in Guardian Energies to stand at her front door when alone. I called these energies at my home when I first moved in, and they can appear and feel heavy and dense, acting as a form of spiritual protection.

I like to have Protector or Guardian Spirits come in when home alone, and others do too. 

Guardian Spirits often appear to those they watch over as dark, heavy, and dense energy masses. They can stand at doorways and in stairwells. 

They often do not speak, have any facial or bodily features though they often look masculine in body type. This is one of the known characteristics of shadow energy, their masculine feel. Some people see them at the foot of their bed when they wake up at night. 

Shadow People who are protecting you may not communicate with you with words, but you may be able to feel their energy clairsentiently. Think of these as guards - no speaking - their job is to watch, protect, not speak.

If you are going through a transitional period or you just moved into a new house, and you see a Shadow at the foot of your bed, this is likely who it is. Some people thank their Shadow protectors, and some can identify them through historical or family records.

The non-human energies

Shadow Spirits can also be non-human entities such as releasing low energy masses, beings from other dimensions, or even just mysterious creatures we don’t understand yet.

Non-human energies typically depart quickly and don't stick around, and they can appear less human in shape, more like a darting cloud.

A general rule of thumb for Spirit identification, in addition to what you see clairvoyantly, you want to use your other senses to identify the energy. If it feels creepy to you, it probably is. 

Though most Shadow People may be a mystery, as a large part of the universe’s energy mass has yet to be identified, there are lots of possibilities for who the Shadow Spirits are - these are just a few.

So to recap, Shadow People can be:

Photo of person in grayscale with hooded cape standing at shoreline by Engin Akyurt from Pexels
  • Ancestors and Loved Ones that you know

  • Protector or Guardian Spirits of the land

  • Potential non-human energy masses

If you want to get rid of these Spirits, remove yourself from the situation you are in either physically, spiritually, or emotionally, and do a space clearing. 

You can do this by removing toxins from your life of all kinds. You can sage, and energy clear the space. Or you can focus on love and joy in your life.

Though, if they are part of the land or property and Guardians of that space, they may return. In this case, it's better to identify them, appreciate them, and make peace with them - as they can be peaceful. 

I sometimes see shadow energy myself right before something is going to happen in my business, almost as a sign of change. 

Some people see the energy when there is a potential interference of a third party in their home life. For example, as a warning to you to be aware.

Seeing a Shadow Spirit can be a helpful omen of something else going on. The presence of Shadow Spirits can be a premonition symbol, alerting you of a shift going on in your life.

There is little proof this energy is necessarily 100% negative. Pay attention to how you feel, if it invokes fear, it may be something to release. There are so many possibilities.

Above are just a few of the types of Shadow Spirit out there, and the reasons they may appear to you. As you can see, some of the reasons for these Spirits are good.

Sometimes it’s just the way the light is cast or a Protector Spirit, which is an energy most people like to keep.

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