The Shadow People and Waverley Hills – Real or Imagined?

I was checking out YouTube the other day and wandered into the spooky section of ghost videos. Some are quite ridiculously fake, others, who knows. I also came across several referring to the “Shadow People” and this intrigued me so I decided to do some research and find out what or who these entities are.

Wikipedia describes them as “shadow-like creatures of both modern folklore and traditional native American beliefs.”

They appear as dark, shadow like forms. People have reported spotting them as fleeting shapes out of the corner of their eye and these reports are becoming more frequent around the world. They are also known as Shadow Men, Shadow Folk, Shadow Beings and, Schattenwesen [shah-ten-ves-en].

It is said that these entities can move between walls and disintegrate at will. Witnesses have claimed that these apparitions do not emanate a sense of goodwill and in some cases have chased and menaced their victim. Unlike ghosts it appears that “Shadow People” do not have human characteristics although their shape is of a person.

It sounds like a figment of the imagination and I know that would be my first thought if I were to experience one of these visions. There are some that assert that the creatures have red eyes and they move very quickly. They are the talk of the town in paranormal chat rooms and the like.

Skeptics will most definitely blame the sightings to a too vivid imagination for sure. I have not had an encounter and I admit for that I am grateful, because it sounds like these anomalies tend to leave people with a nasty sense of dread.

They have been called demons or it has been said that it is Satan showing himself. If this is the case one has to wonder why? What purpose would the Devil have in scaring humans in this way? Perhaps he takes morbid pleasure in it. We’ll never know. I guess if he was a nice guy he would not be the Devil.

Could the shadow people be the remnants of people’s spirit who are astral travelling or dreaming? Jerry Gross is an out-of-body teacher and claims he has the ability to move outside of his body, “I go to the astral plane and communicate with my teachers, I visit other places and other dimensions, and I visit my loved ones who have left the earth plane. There are many things you can do once you develop this skill.” Jerry claims that dreaming is a form of astral drifting.

Aliens have also being held responsible for the appearance of shadow people.

Peter L. Martinez the author of “A Step Into The Light” (The Awakening Guide For The Children Of The Light)” has a different view. He says, “all ‘black matter’ created by individuals and humanity would now be released and seen during the earth changes and rising frequency of the planet. That the planet goes through these cycles of restoration every so many thousands of years, all within smaller cycles of learning for the benefit of a humanity. In my personal opinion and experience, Shadow People & Shadow Things consists of Mental & Emotional energy, and with scientific principles can be explained and transcended within the laws of “higher light physics” and “quantum physics.”

Heidi Hollis is the author of the first book ever to be written on “Shadow People” called “The Secret War”. She has posted a video interview on YouTube with a young lady who claims she saw a black shadowy figure Heidi has named the “hat man”. The young woman in question said she saw an apparition when she was around five years old and living in Hawaii. She was sitting on her bed and the shadowy figure walked across the bedroom door. The figure was unrecognizable and by its hazy shape it appeared to be wearing a hat. Heidi claims that this phenomenon has occurred all over the world and speculation has it that this may well be the Devil. As to why he shows himself to certain people is unknown as the persons involved are not necessarily bad natured or evil.

This is the link to Heidi’s interview:
Hat Man Encounter

Although many have stated that these beings have no human characteristics there are still claims that the “Shadow People” may be spirits of people who have not moved on and have remained within the earth realm. These souls may have a reason for being “stuck” here and not following the path to the “Light” such as not realizing that they have died or unresolved issues such as unfinished business on earth or fear of evolving to a different plane and are possibly in need of assistance to make the transition toward the “Light’.

Waverley Hills Sanatorium is a renowned “haunted’ institution. It was a school house to begin around 1883 owned by Major Thomas H Hayes.
It opened its doors around 1910 to treat tuberculosis patients. It cared for only a small number of patients and was later renovated to cater for over 400 around 1926. In 1961 it closed its doors to tuberculosis victims and cared only for geriatric patients until its final closure in 1982 due to allegations of patient abuse by the state of Kentucky. An estimated 63,000 folks have passed away there, although I am of the opinion that this number is too high.

Room 502 is on the fifth floor and it is rumored to be the most haunted in the hospital. A nurse hanged herself in that room in 1928 and 15 years later another nurse jumped from the balcony to her death. Yet another was allegedly murdered by a disturbed patient. These tragedies have all supposedly occurred in room 502, although to date there is no tangible proof.

Another haunted area is the “death tunnel”, the area where bodies of dead patients were placed to slide to the bottom of a chute. From here they were collected and transported to the crematorium.

The “drainage room” is yet another room where, as legend has it, bodies were cut open, hung on meat hooks and left to drain of all fluid before being sent to the crematorium; this was done because of fear of contamination. The actual building plans state the room was designed for electrical use, which I hope was in fact the case.

The building has had subsequent owners since the hospital closure. One had in mind a plan to erect the world’s largest statue of Jesus Christ hence the removal of all adjoining buildings leaving only the main hospital. I don’t know whether this was unfortunate but his plans failed and the statue was never built.

There have been various reports of paranormal activity apparitions, from children crying, voices and the infamous “Shadow People”.

This is the link to a video on you tube which depicts a “Shadow People” investigation at Waverley Hills Sanatorium Shadow people of Waverly Hills

There are some who deny the fact that Waverly Hills is haunted at all and assert that the footage is a hoax.

If you would like a tour of Waverly Hills Asylum as it is today here it is:
Ghosts, Waverly Hills Asylum

I have not ever been there but quite frankly it gives me the creeps and the energy emanating from the place feels to me like a very sad one.

Do “Shadow People” really exists or are they just imagined? Is Waverley Hills really haunted or just a creepy place to visit? Could the Devil be manifesting himself around us?

These are very fascinating questions. I would say that chances are that facts have probably been greatly exaggerated over the years but, speaking for myself, my mind is always open and I will not dismiss that there is more than meets the eye to our existence.

Check out “Waverly Hills Sanatorium “by Bobette Bryan for more info at Waverly Hills

More on the Waverley Hills sightings on Ghost Hunters Waverly Sanatorium Reveal

Recommended reading:

“Fear: A Ghost Hunter’s Story” by Kriss Stephen

“The Secret War” by Heidi Hollis

“Spooked: The Ghosts of Waverly Hills Sanatorium” by Christopher Saint Booth

“Shadow People-Spectators or Participants?” by Louis Poessel