Dear Julia:

My family has been having a problem with a dark spirit. One of my daughters says she sees a shadowy figure in the corner of her room at night, and my older daughter and I have caught glimpses of a dark figure in our peripheral vision. It seems to move very quickly, and it has a very malevolent feeling. I have had encounters with spirits before, and this feels very different from those. Do you have any idea what this could be, and what we should do about it? My daughter said something about "shadow people" the other day, but I don't know what she is talking about. Thanks!
- Joan

Dear Joan:

What you're describing does fit the profile of "shadow people."

There are all sorts of theories about what shadow people really are. Some think they are ghosts or spirits, while others think they may be demons, astral/inter-dimensional travelers, or even aliens. Regardless of the label we ultimately pin on them, they do appear to be beings from another dimension that are somehow breaking through to the physical plane.

A typical encounter with a "shadow person" usually involves seeing a dark, fleeting shape in our peripheral vision, a glimpse of something moving that disappears when we turn to look directly at it. It is common to perceive ghosts and other spiritual entities out of the corner of our eyes like this, which is why many believe that shadow people are ghosts or spirits.

There are some details that differentiate encounters with "shadow people" from everyday ghostly apparitions, however. For example, ghosts frequently appear as light, misty versions of everyday people, and spirits often take the form of glowing balls of energy. Shadow people, however, are described as being blacker than black and vaguely humanoid in form. They are also said to pass through walls and to move incredibly fast, while the energy of ghosts and spirits tends to slowly take shape and then dissipate.

Encounters with shadow people generally involve a feeling of profound fear or dread, and many describe them as demonic in both feeling and appearance. If shadow people ARE demons, then I suppose I have had an encounter with them myself, for I did have a demon "stalk" me around the time my first child was born.

I would be sitting on the couch, reading or watching TV, when out of the corner of my eye I glimpsed something dark moving behind the furniture. When I turned to look directly at it, it disappeared, but before it did, I had the brief impression of a hulking black form with glowing red eyes. It would also lurk in the corner of my bedroom, or crouch on my chest or the foot of my bed.

Needless to say, this was terrifying. Such encounters often happen when someone is depressed for some reason, or when someone is first opening psychically and is frightened by some of the phenomena they are experiencing. Both were true for me, for at the time this happened, I was struggling with severe postpartum depression, and also having all sorts of psychic experiences for the first time. (Pregnancy is often a catalyst for spontaneous spiritual awakening).

Because I was depressed when my psychic abilities ignited, I was in a very low spiritual vibration, which naturally leads to frightening psychic experiences. Some spiritual teachers suggest that demons like the one I encountered are really "gate keepers" who prevent the unprepared from wandering into dangerous spiritual territory. This makes sense to me, since once I learned how to lift my vibration out of the demon's range by thinking thoughts of love and light, I was never plagued by dark entities again. When we know how to raise our vibration, we can rise beyond the need for spiritual protection. Until then, it's best not to wander too far off the beaten spiritual path.

Some believe that shadow people are actually living people having out of body experiences. This doesn't strike me as true because I have a number of friends who are avid astral travelers, and I have perceived some of their visits to me. In those encounters, they came to me very much as a spirit would: I simply sensed their presence and was able to communicate with them telepathically. I certainly did not see them as dark shadows or feel any sense of danger or animosity from them.

Of course, there is a whole subculture of people who pin every unexplained event on aliens. If shadow people are aliens, given the way they appear and interact with us on this plane, they would still be beings visiting us from another dimension, as opposed to physical beings with the power to become invisible, or something like that.

While it seems that these encounters are on the rise, we must remember that the internet has given all of us access to far more information than ever before. This could make it seem that this is happening more often, when in fact, we are simply hearing about the personal experiences of more people.

Of course, as the planet rises in vibration, our ability to perceive other dimensions is also evolving. It's also possible that as we add more and more technology to our daily lives, beings in other dimensions are able to use the electricity from our devices to manifest in this dimension. If either of these is the case, it makes sense that such phenomena would increase.

In any case, we must remember that just as there are angels and spirit guides who interact with and sometimes appear to us, there are beings of lower natures that can do the same. While angels may appear with a mission to give us help or comfort, shadow people do not share that heavenly agenda, and we're wise to trust our instincts about them. While it's possible that they are simply observing us and may frighten us to study our reactions, it's more likely that like lower astral beings, they like to feed off the energy of negative emotions such as fear.

There are things we do that make us vulnerable to the influence of lower astral beings, and activities that open portals to other dimensions. There are also things we can do to summon help and support from Spirit, and ways we can consciously control our psychic atmosphere.

To free yourself from encounters with dark entities like shadow people, it's important to maintain a very high personal vibration. Radiating love and light is a natural form of psychic protection. If you encounter such a being, try to find compassion for it and send it love. If it is indeed of a lower nature, it will flee. (Dark entities feed off the energy of our fear and anger; that's why they try so hard to scare us.)

As for the atmosphere, dabbling in occult practices tends to open portals. Spirit communication and astral projection are obvious examples of practices that are designed to create a channel between this dimension and other worlds. Those who engage in such practices must maintain a very high vibration and also consciously establish that only beings of a higher spiritual nature may come through that channel.

It is also wise to cultivate a strong relationship with one's spirit guides/angels before engaging in such activities, and to request divine help in manifesting only positive psychic experiences. This is why using Ouji boards or exploring the spirit world can be dangerous for those who are not prepared, and at the same time be wonderfully rewarding for those who ARE ready for this level of psychic experience.

I don't believe that you are in danger of any physical harm, but on a metaphysical level, if you want to enjoy peace and true well-being, you must address this situation. I encourage you to reclaim your authority as the ultimate creator of your personal reality by consciously cultivating spiritual experiences of a more positive, uplifting nature.

- Julia