For most of my life, people have told me I am a medium. At first, I resisted the idea because it sounded impossible, frightening, and honestly overwhelming. But over the years, too many things happened that I could not explain away.

I often know things before they happen. I have predicted events, sensed danger, and delivered messages from loved ones who had already passed away long before anyone told me the news. These experiences became so frequent that eventually I stopped questioning whether something spiritual was happening and started trying to understand why.

One moment that deeply confirmed this for me happened during an aura photograph session. My aura appeared completely white. I was told this represented spiritual sensitivity, heightened intuition, and a strong connection to energy beyond the physical world. Whether people believe in aura photography or not, it reflected what I had already been experiencing internally for years.

Not every spirit encounter has been frightening. Some have been incredibly beautiful.

After my best friend passed away, he visited me not as a shadow or vague outline, but in full physical form. He looked exactly as he did in life — solid, real, comforting. There was no fear attached to his presence. Only peace. It felt less like seeing a ghost and more like briefly standing between two worlds.

The most emotional visitation I ever experienced came from the child I never carried to full term. One night, I saw him clearly. He appeared to be around two years old. Just like my friend, he was not a shadow. He looked completely human, standing before me as naturally as any living child would. I cannot fully explain the feeling except to say that it brought both grief and healing at the same time. In that moment, I felt that love continues even after loss.

But not every spirit appears in light.

The only entity I have ever encountered as a true shadow figure was my father.

The man I called Dad was violent and cruel in life. He abused us and even harmed animals. When he died, I never expected to see him again, but one night he appeared in my home as a dark shadow presence.

What made the experience even more chilling was that I was not the only one who saw him.

My cat, Sweet Pea, who has always been unusually sensitive to energy, suddenly lifted her head at the exact same moment I did. We both turned in synchronized motion toward the same area of the room where a dark figure stood. I immediately knew it was him.

Unlike the peaceful visitations from my friend and child, this presence felt heavy, cold, and intrusive. There was no warmth or humanity attached to it. Only darkness.

Without hesitation, I spoke aloud and told him he was not welcome there. I told him to leave.

And he did.

I have never seen him again.

This experience changed how I understand what many people call “shadow people.” I do not believe every shadow figure is automatically evil, but I do believe that energy carries intention. The spirits who came to me in love appeared clearly, peacefully, and human. The one who came carrying violence and darkness appeared only as a shadow.

Perhaps shadow people are not simply ghosts. Perhaps they are manifestations of unresolved energy, pain, guilt, anger, or spiritual heaviness that cannot fully reveal itself in light.

People often dismiss stories like mine because they cannot be scientifically proven. I understand skepticism. But when experiences happen repeatedly, with details too precise to ignore, and when even animals react to the same unseen presence, it becomes difficult to deny that there may be realities we still do not fully understand.

I no longer fear these experiences the way I once did. If anything, they have taught me the importance of boundaries, intuition, and spiritual discernment. Not every presence deserves access to our lives or homes. Sometimes the strongest thing we can do is stand firm and refuse entry to darkness.

Whatever shadow people truly are, I know this:

Some spirits arrive in peace.
Some arrive in pain.
And sometimes, the difference can be seen in the form they choose to wear.

Written by,

Dawn Monforte

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