Jon Solo Sebastian 11/23/2024:
If you were hiking along the Santa Lucia Mountains of California and you looked ahead to see a tall shadowy figure staring at you, what would you do? This area has been a hot spot for ten-foot tall shadowy figures wearing hats and carrying walking sticks for centuries. Some say the “Dark Watchers” as they’ve been named, have popped up in folktales stemming back possibly thousands of years. What are the Dark Watchers? We have scientific explanations, and we have what others say. I also have a thought on whom or what they could be, but you might think I’m weird, so beware ha ha.
I’ve pointed out in my other pieces that when the details of encounters or sightings vary, the realism of the cryptid or story tends to invalidate itself. The case of the Dark Watchers is one of the rare ones where most stories share the same or at least, very similar details. They only seem to appear during the golden hour; the hour right before sunrise, or the hour right before sunset.
Standing on top of the mountains, they’re either staring up toward the sky, turning to look at you, or are already watching you. If you try to approach them, they disappear into the mist. Some have tried speaking to them, but they only disappear. There are no reports of the Dark Watchers communicating with the hikers or anyone who has seen them. Unlike some cryptids, these do not appear to be aggressive in any way. They are just watching. Is this some sort of illusion or Jedi Mind Trick? Is it possible that what you’re seeing is yourself looking back at you?
Here’s my whacky bananas take on them. I wonder if the Dark Watchers are gods. If I look at the details of the shadowy figure, I also wonder if it’s just one Dark Watcher. Up in the mountains where no one can bother this person while they’re taking in everything down below; observing his/her people. Could the Dark Watcher be God? The reason he disappears when you approach or speak to him could be that it’s not time for you to meet God, or he moves over to another part of the world to observe; or he goes off to observe another universe. I know, it’s weird, but it’s no stranger than the other theories.
What or Who are the Dark Watchers?
One of the popular theories is that it’s Pareidolia. What is Pareidolia? In simplest terms, it’s when someone sees a pattern or an image of something that isn’t really there. An example of this would be seeing images in a cluster of clouds, or the infamous Jesus on toasted bread.
When a person goes hiking in the Santa Lucia Mountains and sees a tall shadowy figure looking at them, it might just be their own shadow cast upon the fog, mist, or clouds and not a spectral figure looking back. Once one person sees it and the word spreads, everyone will go there to look for the Dark Watcher and likely find it because the blanks were filled in. Their minds have already constructed the details of the Dark Watcher before they get there, so whether it’s actually there or not, the looker sees what they see. This is likely the best explanation of what folks are seeing here.
A similar version of the Dark Watchers is the Brocken Spectre. “German locals near the Harz Mountains have, for centuries, reported seeing shadowy figures on Brocken peak,” Dowd wrote. “In reality, the Brocken spectre … happens when shadows — like those of a hiker — are cast on particularly misty mountain peaks. If the sun is behind the observer, the mist plays with the shadow, making it look huge and menacing.”
Where do you stand with the theories of the Dark Watchers? Do you believe they’re something celestial, or something divine? Could it just be our imiginations? I’d like to believe it is of the divine; something like that could confirm we’re definitely not alone in the universe. Perhaps we aren’t ready for that type of confirmation yet.
Let me know what you think! My email box is always open, as is my mind!
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