Beyond shadows was a mysterious plane of the Force to which Force-sensitives went when they separated their minds from their physical beings. The locations beyond shadows each had a corresponding, real location in the physical galaxy. The technique of separation was practiced by the Mind Walkers at Sinkhole Station, a space station in the Maw. To go beyond shadows, a being first went into a state of meditation and then pictured one number at a time, beginning with the number one and finishing with seven, which, when pictured, completely severed the being's mind from their body. The sensation felt by Force-sensitives when in beyond shadows was that time was nonexistent. Force users in this realm weren't bound by time every instant felt as if it lasted forever. As such, it was impossible to keep track of real time while beyond shadows. This made going beyond shadows a dangerous task, as, although the Force could sustain a being's body for a while, the body couldn't live without nutrition forever and thus the being could abruptly die while beyond shadows. The Mind Walkers, however, were unconcerned by this fact, as they believed that everything was an illusion except for the Force.
After the Yuuzhan Vong War, Jedi Knight Jacen Solo went on a five-year sojourn to expand his knowledge of the Force. His journey took him to Sinkhole Station, where he traveled beyond shadows with the Mind Walkers. Later, in 43.5 ABY, Jedi Grand Master Luke Skywalker and his son, Jedi Knight Ben Skywalker, embarked on a quest to discover more about Solo's fall to the dark side of the Force. They traveled to Sinkhole Station, where they met with the Mind Walkers. While there, Luke went beyond shadows with Mind Walkers Seek Ryontarr and Feryl, who showed him the Font of Power and the Pool of Knowledge. He was then joined by Ben and another Mind Walker, Rhondi Tremaine, before they traveled to the Lake of Apparitions. While there, they viewed a mysterious being who seemed to want to speak with Luke. After conferring with the spirit of Solo in the Lake, however, the Skywalkers realized that they needed to return to their bodies, and they left the realm. Later, on Abeloth's planet the Skywalkers Mind Walked with Sith High Lord Sarasu Taalon, Sith Saber Gavar Khai, and Captain Leeha Faal. Luke Skywalker later returned after the Liberation of Coruscant, where his son and the Sith Vestara Khai had been taken by Abeloth, along with Darth Krayt and Jaina Solo to battle Abeloth, who they defeated with the help of the spirit of Skywalker's deceased wife, Mara Jade, while Solo rescued his son and Khai.