One of the best means of testing if a Shadow Entity is 'real' or not is if it crosses an open doorway and still retains shape.

Look on any ghost hunting or paranormal site, or ask any investigator, and alongside ‘traditional’ ghosts and dust-orbs, there is another, far more unusual and much creepier facet of paranormal research – Shadow Figures.

According to Ghost Study dot com (http://www.ghoststudy.com/) , there are three types of Shadow entity:

 

• Type A - Appear as a small dark misty cloud and are almost always under two feet in length, but can hover or float up to 8 feet high.
• Type B - Appear as a huge glob of thick cloudy mass. They typically range from 2 to 8 feet in height.
• Type C - Appear in human form and some may be seen wearing a hat. They typically appear up to 8 feet in height.

One major difference between recorded cases of 'Shadow People' and 'ghosts' is that whereas ghosts usually haunt one particular location and somehow repeat their former existence there, Shadow People have been known to 'interact' in as much as they observe and then disappear when noticed.

 

Possibilities of just what these Shadow Figures might be are:

 

a) Daemonic (given my hobbies, it's plausible

b) Paranormal, e.g. ghost

c) Alien

d) Dimensional Seepage

e) Inter-dimensional beings

f) Spirit (as in domovoi)

g) Astral entities

h) Time travellers

i) Echoes of the Self

For reasons that will be explained momentarily, c, d, e, g, h, and i are the most probable explanations.

 

Judging by the extremely brief nature of encounters and experiences with Shadow People it is apparent that these episodes are limited heavily in time factor - for what reason is unclear.

 

The lack of synchronicity of reproduced sound occasionally associated with their visitation and the indistinct, yet clearly human/hominid appearance of Type C Shadow People suggests that either only the projected aura can travel or that in order to travel through time/interdimensionally, the frequency of what we call reality must be increased massively causing poor reception at the destination point.

The innumerable sightings of beings and entities throughout history described variously as angels, demons, spirits, etc (not to be confused with the ‘Man in Black’ of the Black Goat of Le Messe Niger fame) - along with a whole plethora of modern cryptozoological specimens - do hint towards the abovementioned possibilities.

 

Lack of interaction on any concrete level and for any extended period (excluding the observation, 'babble' and then disappearance that is the hallmark of these types of paranormal occurance) suggests that SPs perhaps do not originate from the Demonic Planes or the Astral Planes of our own Reality/Time (unless the work of amateur astral Travellers).

 

Skeptics generally brush ShadowPeople and Shadow Animals aside as 'microsleep'. Driving home through the Carpathian hills I've had many occasions when I've had to swerve because of a 'Microsleep' running in front of my car. I've also had these Microsleeps standing in the hallway and then going around corners.

 

One of the best means of testing if a Shadow Entity is 'real' or not is if it crosses an open doorway and still retains shape. This implies that it is not the sleepy mind distorting ordinary shadows because in an open doorway the shadow has no place to form.

 

The Shadows (mostly animals but also a few people) I have seen on the road have always started running across my path when there was zero chance of me avoiding them. Because I drive so much - approximately 4 hours per day - and in some of the worst weather imaginable and on very bad roads - I am careful to keep conscious and focused. These Microsleeps (and their non-hitting of my Mitsubishi at N kilomteres per hour which would be fatal otherwise) whack my heart out of rhythm and it takes a good while to calm down and establish normal breathing again after the shock of the Non-Collision.

 

I'm not talking blurs but fully formed, shadowy versions of animals such as deer. The entire road network is dotted with roadside memorials and huge roadsigns saying how many people have been killed and injured on that stretch in the last few years. It doesn't take a great leap of imagination to predict that there will be a few hauntings but Shadow People do NOT repeat these pointless actions of running into a road and dying ad infinitum. These I would count as ghosts.

 

The Shadow People who could qualify as inter-dimensional entities are renowned for lurking - you know the sensation you get when your neck hairs stand on end and you just KNOW someone is standing behind you and watching you and when you turn around you see a blurred movement which your sanity dismisses as a trick of the light?

 

These peripheral vision Shadow Figures are brushed away in psychiatric terms as an aspect of Peripheral Vision Psychosis.

According to the Center for Paranormal Research and Investigation, low sound waves can even be the cause.

 

However, in the case of Shadow figures seen standing at the bottom or top of staircases (a common form of sighting) or the figure watching you in the bathroom, these cannot qualify as they are not peripheral. I, even though long exposed to psychology and its attempt to demystify the world, still don't believe that every single phenomenon can be dismissed as a psychosis (or, in the case of Saintly visions, the consumption of mouldy rye bread).

The fact that these shadow Figures are often noticed BECAUSE they are observing (the human mind and body has many in-built self defence mechanisms stemming from our days as prey rather than predator). We KNOW when we're being watched or talked about (warm earlobe as a superstitious example). These figures are often recorded because the object of their study notices them and turns around, and THEN sees them in peripheral vision - but the sensation of being watched precedes this, therefore negating the psychosis in many cases.

 

It's not a pleasant occurrence - especially if it's a lone female loading clothes into her basement washer and begins to feel prickles on the back of her neck because she FEELS someone watching her. She turns around and sees a blurred movement in her peripheral vision and her heart leaps.

How can she explain it (as I've never encountered one with red glowing eyes like Mothman I can't comment)? She'd say "I saw something out of the corner of my eye - like a blur - and then it was gone."

Unless she kept going on and on about it and started wearing tinfoil hats, it's unlikely that she'd be shipped off for Electro Shock Therapy and instead would be offered a number of mundane explanations, which she would accept as, culturally, Shadow People have no place in suburban 21st century reality.

 

An example of a Shadow Figure watching from Ghost Study dot com (http://ghoststudy.com/new6/shadowpics/page114.htm):

 

Shadow Figures are often reported by magic users following a ritual. It's extremely important before and after any ritual to 'cleanse' both the environs and oneself - not only from what was deliberately invoked/evoked but what may have also been attracted by Reality Frequency Disturbances.

 

"Some there be that shadows kiss;
Such have but a shadow's bliss"

(The Merchant of Venice, Act II, Scene IX)

To use an example: You're trying to raise a daemon (whether or not the ritual is successful is irrelevant). What you're basically doing is calling out (or down, if that's your hypothesis) in such a manner that you'll attract its attention. The same goes for Ouija and other means of Clairvoyance (except they go upwards in traditional Belief systems, unless you're Vodun...then I still haven't worked it out and haven't had chance to ask Baron Samedi yet). You're basically opening up a means of communication or, much worse, a door.

 

One reason why the Simon Necronomicon was so terrifying (and the entire principle of Lovecraft's Mythos) was that doors could be opened but not closed again. It doesn't matter, on principle, if - in the case of the Simon - you're just spouting quasi Sumerian gobbledygook - you are 'opening doors' from your location and your reality to ‘others’. It is the experienced practitioner who knows how to open a door, do the deed and close it again and go to bed at night not wondering if he or she left the light on...

 

The Sixth Sense covers an immense area of pseudo-science (as psychology was known until recently); ESP and precognition are just two of many documented aspects that do not fit within the strict structure of the scientific 5 senses yet are clearly seen in some animals. Who knows what else is in our capabilities? After all, we managed to attain sentience.

 

To go back to the doors, imagine if you will that within our 'mind' (or soul, etc) we have the ability during ritual to create a harmonic that breaches the boundaries of this reality and probes others. We have no way of knowing if this opens a direct line to our intended summonee or contactee, or if it threads its way through countless other planes and realms, attracting the attention of whatever denizens might overhear it.

 

As I have oft stated, Daemonology is similar to primitive psychology - much of magic is - in that it is isolating and focusing one aspect of our minds using symbols, chants, metals, times and dates (which is where astrology comes in handy). We set the scene to put out a call to a daemon listed in some ancient tome or - and this is one reason I heartily recommend against this method for beginners, e.g. the Chaos Magick version - one of our own creation. Not only do we open ourselves up to whatever is listening in but in the case of 'Homemade Daemons' there is no direct end to the link. The practitioner has no idea whatsoever what will answer the call - or how to deal with it when it arrives (if...if....)

 

Shadow People, as can be seen in the various personal experiences that have been recorded, appear to be attracted to environs and people that have been involved with magic. It is eerily like sharks smelling blood in the water. The fact that these Shadow People apparently do nothing once they arrive - apart from lurk and watch - does not label them as either harmless or harmful.

 

I've never heard of anyone summoning them directly. Even mediums don't count them as successful contact with the Afterlife - they're more of an unwanted side-effect.

 

Quite often when communicating with various entities, one realises that their speech is somehow distorted as if coming through a filter; eg too fast, too metallic, too 'bubbly'. This really leads me to believe that in order to cross planes/time-space, there has to be frequency adjustment. Anomalous Voices, such as that which inspired me to begin research intro EVPs and Reversed Speech, are often associated with the appearance of Shadow People – and both are clearly ‘out-of-sync with this reality.

 

One theory I formulated many years ago concerning déjà vu, but which applies equally well to the appearance of Shadow People (I get really scary-arsed episodes of déjà vu, usually prior to something bad happening to me) was the Lag Theory. This is a bit Acid-esque but is basically based upon the theory that each decision has a number of possibilities, each of which creates another number of possibilities with different consequences, and so on virtually ad infinitum (the reason why it's not possible to travel to the future and return again as you'd never find your way back through the 'choice-labyrinth'); an extension of this is the parallel universe theory whereby at the point of each decision a new universe/reality is created in order to fulfil the possibility chosen by Self A, Self B, Self C, etc.

 

In the Lag Theory, Alpha Self (e.g. the you reading this) chooses the reality that I am currently in tune with, however, Alpha Self is still Beta Self and Gamma Self up to the point where their choice-route takes them on an utterly divergent course than that chosen by Alpha Self (we'll just ignore the even more Leary-esque type thinking whereby 'Am I Alpha Self or Beta Self, etc'? as that argument goes on forever). For the sake of argument, we are Alpha Self.

 

Okay, Alpha Self is in Reality 1, Beta Self is in Reality 2 (until the next branching of possibilities - over simplified I know, and not taking into account the innumerable realities caused from birth onwards). Let's say that Beta Self (who diverged from Reality 1 several years back but has followed a similar course with only minor differences) encounters a personal disaster after choosing one possibility in his/her own Reality. Example - Beta Self's friends ask him to come for a drink. Beta Self says he feels tired so declines the offer and goes home instead. On the way home he has a car crash and dies. This (either deliberately or as a Reality Impulse) sends a shock wave back along the branches and interacts with whichever other Self is currently in a near-identical situation. On a minor scale, this is like Gut instinct or Female Intuition - where the Self knows instinctively, although for no quantifiable reason, why something 'feels right or wrong'.

 

In the case of Shadow People, it's possible that they are either emanations of Delta or Epsilon Selves whose Reality has somehow crosswired with Alpha Self's, or - and this is where it gets scary - something else entirely that has come along to watch just which possibility your Alpha Self chooses at a particular moment, knowing that the consequences of this choice (and it could be something as simple as eating an apple or not eating an apple) will create a Butterfly Effect further down the Time Line. In this sense, they could be construed as 'Monitors'. When they appear after a magical ceremony (remembering that the limit of their interaction is usually running off when noticed - or, perhaps giving a grin and then running off), it's possible they're there merely as spectators waiting to see just what mess Alpha Self has caused throughout the planes and what the consequences will be.

 

Whatever they are, they show intelligence that is unknown in ghosts; they do not fit the criteria of the plethora of recorded daemons, they do not appear as fully formed entities swaying me against the alien argument. That leaves two main possibilities : Time and Dimensions.

 

When purchasing a crystal ball, study several, hold them and look deep into the inside. One should feel "right." After bringing it home, you must prepare it. Immerse the ball for twelve hours in salt water (preferably rock salt). Some readers use vinegar and water. Wash the crystal under running water, ideally from a natural source, such as a stream or waterfall. If this is not feasible, tap water will do. Polish the crystal with a chamois or a natural fiber cloth; cotton is excellent. Set it in the sun for a few hours. Afterwards, don't ever allow anyone else to touch or even gaze into the ball.

 

To train and prepare for readings, place the crystal on a small plinth or stand draped with black cloth. Ideally, the cloth should be silk as it is a completely natural product and less susceptible to vibrations. If you wish, you can darken the room slightly and put on a dim light. A red light works best to draw the spirit world closer. Practice sessions should always be conducted at the same time each day but never late at night. Cup the ball in the cloth and hold it to your forehead, close to, but not touching the third eye. While training, you must keep the crystal within your aura. The means keeping it wrapped in its silk or velvet cloth on a table next to you while you sleep, read, watch television, etc.

 

Never read on a full stomach, or if you are upset or angry. Do some deep breathing exercises before starting and use relaxation techniques. When you feel you are in a peaceful state of mind, proceed. Gaze, trying not to stare too hard. into the ball.

 

If you begin to see symbols, right them down. Any symbolic elements that are personal to you should be noted with great care. The crystal will begin to cloud and it is important that you stay calm and not get excited or the vision will be lost. Red or "orange" smoke is a warning of danger, blue or green is all right. (Red or orange objects are okay; it's the red smoke that is a warning.) The visions will go out of focus and return more sharply but you may have to wait as long as five minutes for this so persevere until the ability comes. When an image materializes, wait for the message that will accompany it. This message will come into your mind through the help of your spirit guides. Be sure to ask for your guides for assistance.

 

After you have mastered the technique, try and read for some patient sitters. People you know little or nothing about are best. Have them hold the crystal in its cloth for two minutes in silence and take it back, replacing it on its stand. Shade the crystal from light and begin to relay whatever comes through. As soon as your sitter acknowledges something meaningful, it will come more quickly. Feedback is always good. Be certain to keep notes and assess your progress.

Hail!

In ancient Celtic society the Druids and Druidesses composed an intellectual elite, whose knowledge and training placed them as priests of the Celtic religion.  Their training normally lasted over twenty years and consisted of the memorization of literature, poetry, history, and Celtic law as well as astronomy.  The Druids mediated for their people, preformed sacrifices, interpreted omens, and presided over religious ceremonies.  They believed that the soul did not die with the body, but passed on to another. The mistletoe and the oak tree are great symbols for them.  In fact, the word Druid was derived from the word for oak, which in Gaelic is darach and in Greek drus.  The Druids held nothing more sacred than the mistletoe and the tree that bears it, always supposing that tree to be the oak.  They chose groves formed of oaks for the sake of the tree alone, and they never perform any of their rites except in the presence of a branch of it.

 

The first observations of the Celts by ancient sources do not speak of the presence of women as priestesses or seeresses.  The Druids and their associated male colleges, the Vates and the Bards, seem to have monopolized the field.  These Roman observers, products of a male dominated culture which may have marred their observations, may not have taken note of the Celtic females in roles of power. The Roman men thought of women as possessions so as a result the thought of women in public positions, such as ruler or chieftain, was preposterous to them.  Finally in the first century CE, Tacitus reported "that the Celts made no distinction between male and female rulers.

 

Since Druids committed very little to written forms until after the introduction of Christianity, there are few, if any, first-hand accounts by Celts themselves. 

Only the myths that have been transmitted through the accounts of the Romans and Christian monks have survived.  Legend has mystified many of the female rulers of ancient Celtic society; giving them mystical powers and making their lives seem too extraordinary to seem true.  As a result it is very difficult for people today to know if these women truly did have such powers or if they were indeed Druidesses.  Women such as Boudica, Onomaris, and other nameless rulers/Druidesses whose burial tombs were found at Vix and Reinhamshow that Celtic women, in some instances, may have wielded power as much as men, but the evidence remains difficult to decipher.

Adieu.

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DISCLAIMER:  This is not intended to initiate anyone into Druidry. This entry is for informational purposes only.  If you have additional knowledge, questions, or constructive comments you are welcome to post them.

All argumentative comments will be annihilated.

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 Hail!

 

The word "Druid" comes to us from another time and place. The Druids are mysterious and shrouded in the mists of ages, a dream of times and place's ancient and forgotten. There are as many dreams concerning the ancient Druids as there are dreamers. Many of these visions are wild and fanciful, even romantic. To some, the dreams are of wise old men, wearing white robes, worshiping beneath an oak tree, or parading around a stone circle at the Summer Solstice. Other dreams are a little more realistic. They were men and women of high intelligence, versed in all the arts and skills of their people. Priests and doctors. Teachers and warriors. The Druids carried all the knowledge and history of the Celtic people. They were advisors to kings and commoner. They were judges and poets. This is who the Druids of old were.

 

Over the past decade many people have set out on a great voyage to understand. As the understanding grew, the desires changed into recreating and reliving the past of the Druid. People seeking spiritual growth and inner peace began to worship the old way, they sought out the beliefs and practices of the ancient Celt and began to call themselves Druids and their new spiritual path Druidry. Even many of the old Druid orders which have existed for a hundred years or more, began to find the roots of the tree they called Druidry. These orders had functioned for years as fraternal organizations and charities. They eventually began to look to the pagan past for fulfillment and a sense of purpose. As knowledge and understanding of Druidry increased, people flocked to fill the Groves and Orders all across Europe and the United States. Yet, this growth has been both a bane and a blessing.

 

What has drawn people to this path over the years? It is the mystery or secrets that are now lost? Is it the word "Druid" in and of itself? What kind of image comes to mind when this word is spoken? And more important, what feelings are stirred in the heart, unspeakable and elusive, but real and strong? Many people come into this path seeking understanding and answers to long unanswered questions. They seek understanding of the world and themselves, others are looking for something, they don't know exactly what that something is, all they know is they are looking. Most come into this path with open minds and hearts ready to learn and grow within and without. These are the goals of people walking the Druid path in our day, reaching an understanding the inner universe.

 

Our modern culture is fascinated with the mysterious past, and the Druid past is shrouded in the mists of a thousand years. Things that are hidden, secret or mysterious must be solved, there must be an answer to the question "Why?" It is the nature of mankind to ask questions. The never-ending quest for knowledge is buried deeply in the human psyche. It was this desire to understand the world that first brought mankind out of the caves and into the brightness of the world. The desire to understand so that survival would be assured. Not much different from modern man, you might say, but there are many differences which must be observed. We are engaging in that same ancient play, the quest for knowledge which can enlighten and empower. Modern man knows the reasons the ancients sought to understand their world, it was a means of survival. What is now different, are the reasons and goals.

 

We have forgotten the reasons why we seek to understand our world. The differences lie in the reasons for understanding. The ancients sought to understand their world by living with it, by becoming one with nature. They understood the importance of all the forces of nature, their survival was dependent upon living with the world, in the right way. We on the other hand, tend toward seeing the world as something that should be controlled and conquered. Modern humans have forgotten something which our ancestors knew, the controllers become the controlled and the conquerors become the conquered.

 

Many of us who have walked the Druid path, wouldn't change the lessons we've learned or the experiences we've had for all the treasures in the world.

 

The Quest of a Druid

The quest of a modern Druid is an internal quest, to find the self and understand the connection we share with the rest of the universe.  It is the breath of the spirit that enables us to learn our place in the world. Through the breath of the soul we are able to reach out with our senses and touch the world around us. By interacting with our world we not only add to the knowledge and experience we have collected through our countless lifetimes, but also add to the experience of the whole of creation.

 

When we open our hearts and allow our spirits to reach out into the world we learn how the universe works. We find within the abstract understanding of our universe that we are connected to it in a vital and beautiful way. An ancient Celt viewed his physical self as existing at the "center" of the world. This view is not based on egotism, or by placing the person ahead of nature. By being at the center one automatically admits that they are connected to everything around them.

 

The universe exists around us and within us. In order to understand our existence within the universe we need to set aside our linear thought patterns and begin to feel the universe in a different way. Feeling involves using all the senses. Use your senses, feel the changing patterns, feel the life. Watch the animals, smell the myriad scents, and listen to the song of life. Reach out and touch the land, embrace it and allow it to embrace you.

 

Through ritual and learning we work in two directions at the same time. Delving into the depths of the soul and at the same time working to understand the outer world. Because everything is interconnected we reach understanding of the outer world more easily if we understand the inner world. This is what we work toward as Druids. When we have learned how our own inner universe operates we come to a better understanding of how the world outside and around us exists and functions.

 

Druid ritual takes many forms, it can be simple or very ceremonial. It can involve one solitary Druid or a whole group of like minded Druids working together to reach a common goal. The learning of a modern Druid attempts to mirror those subjects that our ancient forbears would have studied. We know that Druids filled many roles in ancient Celtic society and our studies attempt to mirror those roles preparing the student of Druidry for a lifetime of growth and service to their tribe. The Druids of old were lawyers, poets, theologians, philosophers, magicians, healers, craftsmen and much more.

 

Those who walk the path of Modern Druidry call ourselves Druids in honor of those who taught and maintained the knowledge of our Irish ancestors. We understand that we cannot reclaim or recover most that these ancient men and women believed and taught, but we can attempt to mirror their duties in our modern society and build upon the knowledge they did leave us. Druidry needs to be interpreted and made useful and available to modern people. We cannot be the Druids of old, but we can try to be like them and use the knowledge and wisdom left to us for the betterment of our society.

 

Everyday Celtic scholars, translators, archeaologists and modern druids are rediscovering lost pieces of ancient lore. There are thousands of manuscripts awaiting translation from Gaelic into English. Though all of these documents come from the Christian era, there are tantalizing bits and pieces of ancient knowlege hidden throughout the tales, legal tracts and genealogical records. Finding those bits and pieces of thought and belief and finding ways to incoporate them into modern Druidry is an on going task. The true student of Druidry will be a student for many lifetimes.

 

And so, we embark upon this noble quest to learn, to discover and to grow.

 

Adieu.

Hail!

I would like to establish myself as someone interested in exceeding the limits of what is meant for human comprehension. Now whether I'll ever achieve that is yet to be seen but there is one truth that I know for certain – such wisdom can only be achieved through the exchange and application of knowledge.  Knowledge becomes wisdom becomes power.  I welcome you, friends and adversaries as well; your thoughts, ideas and the sharing of what you know to be your own personal truths are respected here.  While here there will be many discussions upon topics that will hopefully elicit a variety of opinions, personal convictions, and beliefs - it is asked of you to be respectful of others and the knowledge that they bring forth.  There is no right or wrong - only room for growth. 

Adieu.