Dark Hooded Figures

This apparition was also in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens's was also know to have a bad case of Sleep Paralysis

People have been experiencing sleep paralysis and nightmares since the beginning of time.

In the middle ages, many people claimed to have been attacked by succubus and incubus type beings.  In modern times, some people believe that alien abductions are part of sleep paralysis experiences.  Despite the fact that there has been scientific research done on the phenomenon, and that there is a logical explanation for much of it, some are still so moved (and frightened) by their experiences that they can’t help but feel that there really was something supernatural involved.

Recently, there have been many reports of people seeing black robed figures or hooded figures in their rooms while they were in a state of sleep paralysis.  Much of these reports are similar, in that the hooded figures tend to have their faces covered, and have the robes of perhaps a medieval monk.  Since their faces are covered, nobody knows exactly what they look like, or even if they have faces! 

These beings, whether they are actual entities or products of the subconscious mind, are seen by more than just those suffering from sleep paralysis.  Some individuals also report seeing them during out of body experiences (OBE’s).  They never seem to say or convey anything---although their mere presence is strange or even frightening enough.  Sometimes only one hooded being is seen while other times a few of them are.  There have been a few instances, however, when the hooded entity would grab the individual’s ankles, shake the bed, mess with the sheets, rap on windows or doors, etc.

Of course, all of this could be contributed to the hallucinatory experience that usually goes hand-in-hand with sleep paralysis, but some people are not so sure.  Some seem to accept that what they experienced was perhaps a strange dream, while others feel that it was too “real” to be a dream or hallucinatory experience.  If these beings are real, though, then what are they?  What are they want?  Do we even want to *know* what they are or what they want?

Perhaps the most frightening theory that some individuals have put forth is that the hooded being is Death.  After all, Death is often symbolized in the form of a hooded figure.  None of us would like to think that Death is standing at the foot of our bed in the middle of the night, especially if the entity really is trying to convey an ominous message.

Maybe this type of entity, if indeed real, isn’t evil at all.  Some express that their hooded visitor was robed like a monk, after all, and monks are generally (although not always) associated with goodness and peace.  The being could also be a spirit guide or ghost.  Not everyone feels negative or evil vibes coming from it.  Whatever the hooded entity is, it does have a sense of creepiness about it, if nothing else, and it does seem to be appearing more and more, as the number of accounts and reports increases every day.