I decided to resurrect a past post from the archives. Reapers, Creepers and Shadow People: A Theory Inspired by Ghost Adventures at Waverly Hills was originally published on October 13, 2010.
It’s one of my favorites theories. I modified it only slightly to rerun here. In case you missed it the first time around, I hope you enjoy it this time.
THE THEORY
Something occurred to me as I watched Zak, Aaron, and Nick investigate the haunted sanitarium: a theory about shadow people.
Maybe it’s one that’s already been proposed, but I haven’t seen it yet. It wasn’t among the theories proposed by Stephen Wagner on his About.com article addressing the shadow people phenomenon. (And he pretty thoroughly covered all the bases I’ve ever seen addressed on the topic.) So here’s what I wonder:
Instead of ghosts, demons, or aliens could shadow people be grim reapers that haven’t yet moved on?
I got to wondering this when one of the people Zak was interviewing spoke about the “Creeper” who’s been reported at Waverly Hills. That was a name I hadn’t heard yet in association with the building.
But it caught my attention not just because of the name, but because people say they’ve seen it creeping along the ceiling.
WHAT LURKS ABOVE?
Twice now I’ve been in hospitals or hospital like settings (functioning ones, not abandoned ones) where I felt presences and had the oddest notion they were on the ceiling.
The first time was when I was in the delivery room as my friend’s baby was born. The second time was when my mom was in the hospice and had slipped into her Death Sleep.
Even though they were different occassions, the energy in the room felt the same both times. It was a sort of sizzling vibration of activity. Not people bustling about kind of activity. More like the air was filled and charged and ready to act.
And there was the ceiling presence. I couldn’t see it with my eyes, but I sure sensed it in the room with me. Specifically, above me.
REAPERS MAY NOT BE SO GRIM
After my mom passed, I mentioned the weird experience I’d had to some of the nurses and other staff at the hospice. (As an aside, one of them even shared a fantastic book with me called Final Gifts. I highly recommend it if you ever have to deal with the death of someone close to you.) That’s when I learned many of them felt there were “beings” (for lack of a better word) who come to guide us as we transition from life into death.
In other words, they believed in the notion of a Grim Reaper. What’s more, they believe its probably gotten a bad rap all this time.
Yes, it’s scary to die. It’s scary to think of Death coming to claim us.
But what if it’s not the bad thing we all assume it to be? What if the Reaper is really more of a helpful guide?
Assuming there are such “transition beings,” here’s some other questions I got to thinking about:
1.What happens to Reapers when a hospital closes? Do they know to move on? Is it possible they stay behind, or are somehow trapped?
2.Do Reapers have life spans too? Who comes to guide them when they die? If nothing does do they stay behind as ghosts? Or is that how shadow people are born?
3.What about all the x-rays taken over the years at Waverly? Does that kind of technology increase or faciliate paranormal activity? Are there more shadow people in places where x-ray machines were in use?
Just a few of the things the Ghost Adventures boys got me to thinking about. What are your thoughts about shadow people?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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Talking of ghosts on the ceiling, it reminds me of the day when my sister came to my house all in a panic. She said her house was haunted, and to prove it, there was a perfect footprint on the ceiling. After chuckling at her I agreed to go back to her house to check it all out. Sure enough, when I got there and looked at the ceiling, there was a footprint. It remained a mystery for years and years until my brother-in-law secretly confided in me a couple of years ago. He told me he and my sister had been in an argument coming home from the shops. It was a rainy day and when he arrived home he had kicked off one of his shoes in a temper and it had hit the ceiling leaving a slightly muddy print. Shhhh, don’t tell my sister.
It’s an interesting theory, but I’ve always wondered why shadow people are considered separate from apparitions. It seems to me that apparitions appear in different grades. Some appear solid and quite human (i.e. Resurrection Mary in Chicago who went dancing with a cabbie), some appear are translucent, perhaps shadow people, mists and orbs could find their way in here as well.
We surmise from temperature changes and “battery drain” that are often associated with spirits that they rely on energy to manifest. Perhaps how they appear is also effected by whatever energy they can absorb?
LMAO Dave!!!! That is one of THE funniest comments/stories yet. THANKS for giving me a laugh!
Lewis, you just blew my mind. I mean, I’ve considered the whole they can only appear or do “things” depending on available energy, however I had not considered that perhaps their type of appearance is based on the available energy. Interesting stuff!
Thanks for the comments!