"About a year ago, I saw a black shadow figure behind my partner. They used to only appear in my dreams, but to see one while 100% awake was beyond startling. " Starborn wrote.
When something unsettling happens like this, it is good to ask questions. Forcing the mind to be logical can ease the feelings or bring clarity to the experience.
What feelings did you feel at the time? Were they your feelings, or did they seem to come from the direction of the figure you saw? There is a separation, there, but it may take some experience to notice.
What features did you notice on the shadow , if any? Remember that when you are close to someone, your senses are more open to their protectors, deities, and Soul. First time experiences are shocking enough that you may not be able to pick out or remember details, but that doesn’t mean what you saw was evil in any way. A Being of Light can be remembered in a state of shock as a photographic negative- a shadow rather than a bright light.
Do not allow the shock to turn into fear. No matter what you have heard, what you see is not necessarily evil, and what you’ve heard is not intrinsically true. Be scientific about this, for your own sanity. This is easier said than done, I know, but it is important so you can make an informed choice.
Was the image like a photograph- not moving- or was there some action to it? Even the briefest glimpse can contain a lot of information. Did action mimic your partner? Did it seem to relate to something you know about your partner? Did the shadow notice you or react to anything else in the environment? With all the demons on your website, did any of them seem similar to the shadow? Remember, personality is one of the senses: you can get clues that way, too, but double check your ideas.
Did you get the sense that the shadow had a message it needed to express? This may be a question for after you’ve had more experience. Messages can be subtle and very personal.
Do you feel comfortable expressing what you saw with your partner? Sometimes finding the words is more difficult than anything else.
"It was a human-shaped shadow, that seemed to move as though coming from standing directly behind my partner, to tilting its head in curiosity to look at me. No features or anything, really just a shadow.
Now that you mention it, I am reminded of when the huge huntsman spider and my cat noticed each other in my old bedroom. They both were startled and ran off.
Perhaps it was a curious look followed by, “Oh! I’m being looked at!”
I told my partner straight away, who has no explanation.
They have had many night terrors throughout their life of a shadow coming towards them. Their description matches every other description of the shadow in other people’s sleep paralysis and night terrors. But beyond knowing that, they aren’t very interested in it.
I think what you’ve written is very useful. Perhaps you could start a thread with it?" Starborn responded.
It sounds like the shadow is like a lot of other spirits. They’ve been ignored so long that they don’t know what to do the first time they are seen. This shows independence from a body.
The next time it sees you, it may react as though it recognizes that you saw it: it may try to get you to help or pass you a message. If it is desperate for connection, it may react with excitement, like the second time I saw my cousin’s doppelganger. Please don’t freak. They actually can’t hurt you- nor do they want to.
My cousin’s knew I could see it and was desperate for help getting rid of the cancer threatening his life. I had little power, there, but I could convince his body and awareness to get to someone who could help.
When the doppel rushed me I felt the hair raise on the back of my neck, remembered my cousin’s anger, and knew I had to express this diplomatically, but nothing else- not even an energy spike from the contact. Then again, I knew he had cancer previous to seeing the doppel, and I knew that in Germany, seeing a doppelganger meant the person was going to die. We all die, so it meant to me that some part of my cousin was fighting to save his life, not take it away.
Next time your partner has such a night terror, ask them to hold their ground. Facing down such a terror usually reveals a treasure. It takes a steady nerve, since the night terror is a surprise, but it is worth the effort. Tell them to stiffen their muscles as though preparing for a crash, thus working with the paralysis instead of against it. Lean into the crash if possible, to let the shadow know they mean business, this time, and they’re not taking any funny business. What I’m asking, here, is easier said than done, I know.
