Lesson 4 - Shielding

[~Elise~]

Okay--there are as many ways to shield as there are magicians/witches out there. Everyone has their own favorite way.

The key to effective shielding is both simple and intensive at the same time - DO IT DAILY for at least three months.

I can not stress enough how important this is. If you don't do it daily, it doesn't become instinctive and automatic. If you have to stop and think about it -- it is too late for most attacks that are going to be directed at you.

I'm going to post several different ways to shield yourself. This is done after grounding and centering yourself. If you aren't centered and grounded, you will not be able to shield effectively.

I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but this and the last lesson HAVE to be a daily practice or they will not be effective. It doesn't take that much time and the payoff is more than worth it.

For your homework...try out several different methods -- post your results and tell me which one you're going to end up using.

Elise

[~Elise~]

This is one of the easiest forms of shielding:

Put yourself into a comfortable position and begin by releasing all tension and anxiety.

Visualize a ball of white light floating above you. Focus on the energy of the ball -know that it is full of love and strength and peace. Try hard to FEEL these qualities in the energy of the ball.

Now let the energy from the ball of light begins to flow down into you. The energy is a beautiful, clear white light. No matter how much light comes into you, the ball will remain equally strong for its true origin is the Universe and it is a source of boundless spiritual energy.

Let the energy from the ball pour into you and flow throughout your body. Let it move out into your arms and legs, down into your fingers and toes.

Now let that light expand beyond your body. At first see the light expand just an inch out from your body. Now let it expand a little more -two inches, four inches... Let the light expand to form an oval around your whole body --an oval filled with clear, beautiful, loving white light from the Universe.

Now let that oval of white light expand to form a perfect circle of energy around you, expanding until it is about six feet across.

[~Elise~]

This one is one of my personal favorites and the one I teach first to my IRL students:

Breathe deeply. In through your nose and out through your mouth. Breathe in for the count of four, hold for four, out for four. Do this four times. It helps to ground us and aids in our concentration. (you can do this before any of these exercises)

Imagine that you are putting on a mirrored suit of armor. It is sleek, comfortable and form-fitting. Remember also to cover the bottoms of your feet and the top of your head.

This will reflect anything directed at you back to the person/thing in question.

Now -- when you first start this one...you won't have any 'filters' on it. All your stuff stays in and all the other stuff stays out...including people that you know and love. As you get better at the visualization, you'll be able to filter the suit--that is let in the good, (and out the good, as well) and stop the yucky stuff. This will take a bit of adjusting over a couple of weeks, but it will be easy as you get better at the visualization.

[~Elise~]

Light a candle, the colour you feel is best for working to rid yourself of bad feelings.Concentrate on the flame. Stare into the flame. Imagine the flame becoming a ball of light. When it *is* a ball of light, imagine the ball of light becoming a circle, a large and growing ball that you pour all your negativity into. The ball hovers, and when you feel you have poured all the negativity that has built up from other people into this ball, imagine the ball breaking away from the flame, hovering in the room. Then it begins to move. It moves away from you and the candle flame, the ball floats out the window, floats into the guttering, rolling, rolling, and down the drain the ball goes, to be washed away.

Stare into the candle flame again and imagine the flame becoming a circle again, and then a ball. This ball is fillling up, not from you, but from the Universe. As the ball shimmers, shining brightly, imagine it coming towards you, a bright, shining ball of Universal love and light, come to fill you with power, courage and self love. Allow the ball to diffuse into your body as you continue to stare into the candle flame.

[~Elise~]

Visualize a 'net' of energy around the area to be shielded. Remember to 'see' it in 3D, a sphere rather than a circle. Visualize negative energy being absorbed by the shields and flowing into the earth. Visualize it as porous, though, so that energy you send can pass through.

[~Elise~]

This is an article that I've used for a couple of years with my IRL students...don't remember the source:

Most people are taught to shield in a temporary way, only when they encounter a situation which makes them feel threatened or uncomfortable. Shields should be permanent, and never be 'turned off'. If you wait to launch a defense or build a shield in response to a given situation, it's already too late to be truly effective, often resulting in a headache or some other manifestation of what you've absorbed before the shields are solid and in place. If you are dealing with a magical attack, putting shields in place once you have noticed the attack is a bit like closing the barn door after the horses have escaped. Defenses which are left in place and properly maintained over time are also likely to be far stronger than ones tossed into place in response to an immediate threat.

There are those who feel they must not expend the energy needed to create or maintain a defense when they are ill. If you spend the time and energy on the design and creation of your shields at the start, the maintenance "energy cost" to you on an ongoing basis is next to nothing. Even when you are sick (which, after all, is a really good time to be shielded!) you need not lower your defenses. You should work on your shielding and protection daily until they are second nature to you. Each time you begin to work, scan your shields. In the beginning, you will see weaknesses, cracks, thin areas, etc. at the start of each session. Reinforce them every day, plug up the holes, patch the cracks, and strengthen the whole system. When you do this consistently, over time you will notice more and more of your repair work holding and not having "worn off" since the last scan. Once your shields are stable, and do not require constant reinforcement and repair, you may find you don't need to scan them daily. You should, however, continue to scan on a regular basis to maintain them.

Shields learn what you teach them to do, through daily visualization and programming. Many people are satisfied with shields built with simple visualization, such as surrounding themselves with white light, or an energy bubble or a crystal egg. These techniques are simple, easy to learn, easy to teach, and often relatively adequate for 'normal' situations. Most are taught to visualize their shields as something protective, but essentially non-intelligent and inanimate.

Consider, however, creating your shields more dynamically. Intelligent, active, able to respond in a variety of ways to a given situation, self-cleaning and self maintaining shields are constantly alert, vigilant and dynamic. This can be accomplished with time and work; this effort will also assist you in developing consistent visualization skills.

Some people don't like to allow shields this much autonomy, and prefer to micromanage protection. It is true that one can occasionally have trouble accepting healing and energy in through one's shields if they are built this way. Since you are programming your shields to protect you, they should respond to anything sent your way with suspicion. You can always ask people to "drop the energy at the door" should this become an issue for you. Determining how strong you want your defensive system, and how much independence you will allow that system in responding to changing conditions is a very personal choice.

People are often afraid their empathic skills will be negatively impacted by the use of a permanent shield. This need not be the case. You can use your visualization techniques to create "filters" which allow empathic information through to you, while filtering out the attached emotional impact. This may actually make it easier for you to utilize your empathic skills, since you will find it considerably less draining without having to absorb and process the emotions along with the information. Filters are not the only way to accomplish this, but they are simple and effective if used correctly for this purpose.

Shields can be programmed to be self regulating; that is, they are able to monitor and repair their own health, and to strengthen automatically as situations change. In protective magic, some people choose to mirror back negative energy sent to them. I consider this wasteful. The energy is a gift to you, even if this was not the intent of the sender. Your shields can be taught to clean the energy, and then use it for their maintenance and strengthening. Of course, the irony of using such a "gift" for this purpose provides a bit of amusement as well!

Shields should be very personalized. Experiment with them, work with them until they meet your needs, and can provide customized responses to given stimuli. Do not get caught up in the appearance of your shields. I have run across far too many people whose shields were incredibly ornate visualizations (which take some energy to maintain), but had little functional value. Always let form follow function, and consider what the task is before you create the image. Your shields are not for show; they have a job to do, and the form should support that job, rather than having the function come out of, and be limited by, the form.

Shielding provides an incredibly flexible and efficient method of regulating the "energy weather" around you. It takes time and effort, good visualization, and repetition to create responsive and effective shielding. Once in place, solid shields help maintain your emotional and physical health and balance, in addition to providing more obvious psychic and magical benefits. Properly constructed and maintained, your shields are the most important magical tool you can have.

[moonbride]

I haven't tried any of these yet, but I fully intend to try all of them. But I have used shielding in the past for my home... a sort of protection for myself and my family every night before I go to bed. What I do is visualize a ball of white light in the center of my hope that grows bigger and bigger, pushing out all the negative/bad energy until the ball of light has pushed through the walls of my home and surrounds it with a big shield of protection.

This could be done personally, too, couldn't it? Like visualizing a ball of white light in your center that expands and pushes out all the negative/bad energy until it surrounds you. I have only done it personally like that once and it did seem effective.

[~Elise~]

by george, I think she's got it.

Elise

[moonbride]

by george, I think she's got it.

Elise


Wooohooo! :dancy:

[misfitroxy]

This could be done personally, too, couldn't it? Like visualizing a ball of white light in your center that expands and pushes out all the negative/bad energy until it surrounds you. I have only done it personally like that once and it did seem effective.

I really like the sound of this technique, moonbride. As I see it, this approach focuses on the universal energy within the self and its ability to repel the nasties, and makes sense to me as a daily practice. I can imagine myself using that more frequently while visualizing the outer white light orb in times where I feel the need to call on greater strength for advance protection.

Thank you both for the suggestions! I'll put them to work and see how that goes throughout the week.

[moonbride]

Well this lesson couldn't have come at a better time!
Without going into the gory details, I'll just say that I had a little run-in with a good friend, someone who has been in my life for almost 20 years. I really thought we were in a place in our relationship to be able to open up to him about my religious path finally... even though he's a die hard christian. I just really thought that he could be tolerant of my choice and we could just be accepting of each other's different choices. I told him just last week.

I could tell by the way he preached to me afterwards how "unhappy" I was going to be "in the end" when I find out the "ultimate truth" .. that I should have just kept my mouth shut.

Today, he used my choice of a path against me in another discussion we had about something totally different that we didn't really agree on. He was horribly ugly and blamed my opinion that he didn't agree with on my "lack of morals" because of my beliefs and basically was very condescending to me and acted superior.

Ok I went into slightly more detail than I had planned... but anyway... We've had these little differences in the past and I never handled them well. I would get very nervous and upset and feel the need to explain myself and this time it just wasn't so. I had grounded, centered and shielded myself this morning and felt really good starting out my day. When this happened this afternoon it just didn't phase me like it had in the past. I kept this very strong sense of calm about me and handled the situation with tact and what I think to be courage.

Needless to say, as sad as it is, I have probaby outgrown this person and because I don't think anything could ever be the same between us again, we'll just have to go in our seperate directions.

But anyway, thank you for having put this lesson up this morning I can't imagine having needed it at a better time than this.

[CelticMoon11]

I usually do the one similar to the ball coming down inside you but imagine it as a sparkling white whaterfall washing away all the crap inside and out and swirling around and "icing over" to form a shield :) just thought Id share lol

[~Elise~]

But anyway, thank you for having put this lesson up this morning I can't imagine having needed it at a better time than this.




funny how things happen like that, huh? I REALLY wanted to go to bed last night, but HAD to stay up and put this lesson up. ya know, there is no such thing as coincidence, don'tcha?

Elise

[Sobeq]

I used the simplest one up there for starters, well, I sort of mixed it up a little -- I visualized a bright ball of energy expanding until it was big enough for me, and then getting reinforced with webs of energy... I hope it worked, we'll find out later today!

[atropa]

I often visualize a ball of light around me, my family, house, car. If I get a sense of danger or uneasiness up it goes, but I hadn't thought about leaving it up. It hadn't occurred to me that I could do that. I like the idea of the suit of armor and will try working on it. Do you put it on a piece at a time or does it work like an instant armor, kind of like the Batmobile in the newer movies? Or does it matter? Maybe it could be like an impenetrable liquid metal.

[~Elise~]

limited only by your imagination.

Elise

[atropa]

I think I may have watched too many movies... :lol:

[~Elise~]

I think I may have watched too many movies... :lol:

BUT--if it helps you visualize better--then it's all good, IMO anyway

Elise

[Sage WindMoon]

I did the "ball of light" exercise. This is actually a really effective exercise for me. I like to start by letting the energy flow in through the top of my head and out through my feet, to kind of flush everything out. It's funny how warm and tingly my feet get during this. Then I let the energy fill me and push outward to form a big protective sphere around me.

I plan on trying a couple of the others as well - it never hurts to have a few more tools in your arsenal.

[Wytchie]

I tried the ball of light too, I think it worked quite well only it ended up being a ball of light which kind of expanded then surrounded me...the best way I can think of to describe it is on the old ready-brek adverts, where they used to say 'central heating for kids' and all the kids had a fuzzy orangey glow all on them..if anyone knows what I'm on about!

I will keep practising:)

[Kmartin60]

:wave: Hi all, when I first started looking into just different "things" one of the first I came across on shielding was to make sure to not only cover around but over the top and underneath...so I had been doing the little tupperware onion holder with the snap lid? 8O I would picture a rose colored one over me and the flat lid part under the ground below me, with me snapped inside it!

Now, I have been using a clear with gold flecked pyramid (Cone shape) coming over me, but also again with a snap lid under me so covered all around! Have started trying the ball of light growing and going out...still new with this one....

Also recently used picturing glass mirrors? Snapping into a formation like a chain fence all around my property......
(Still using the 1 shield over me, but this one also!) dont know why or where I got that but, here lately just have been doing it for no apparant reason! I havent felt any bad negative impressions or anything, just seemed to think it was a good thing!
hmmm...maybe to much meds! :spaceman: sigh....8O how nutty am I? ....Brightest Blessings,

[Amythyst]

So far, what's worked best for me is the bright ball of light. As I've kept doing this all week, the visualization becomes more detailed even though I wasn't intentionally trying to do so.

Is there any sure fire way to be absolutely positive that you're doing this right?

[Sobeq]

I would just like to say that I definitely noticed the one day this week that I ran out of time in the morning to ground and shield. I was all sorts of disoriented and out of whack. I ran into the bathroom at work for about 5 minutes and grounded and shielded in there and felt much better not too long after.

I'm definitely noticing a difference in how I react to situations. I've been using both the ball of light and suit of armour, sort of combined.

[Brightshores]

I've been using the suit of armor visualization in conjunction with the first grounding exercise (the one that starts with the lotus on your head, for lack of a better description :)). I picture it as a pool of bright liquid metallic light, coming from the light from the grounding, that starts below my feet and slowly forms into a flexible suit of armor from the ground up. If that makes any sense.

The shield, during the day, seems to make me feel more secure in various situations and I find that just by thinking about the shield, it can make me feel stronger. I haven't noticed anyone reacting to me differently yet, but I haven't been in the kind of situation where I'd really notice that.

I notice that the grounding at this point is taking very little time, so I wonder if it is actually working or if it's just me telling myself it's working...

[~Elise~]

grounding will take less and less time as you get further into your practice. take me less than 5 seconds, on a bad day.


Elise

[moonbride]

grounding will take less and less time as you get further into your practice. take me less than 5 seconds, on a bad day.


Elise

That's good to know because I wondered the same thing. It's different though, depending on the day. Some days I just can't seem to get myself there and others it happens so fast... almost effortless.

[Hermgirl]

I've been working with both the ball of light and the mirrorized armor exercises. Unfortunately, I seem to be finding shielding a little harder than grounding. For some reason, I just don't feel "done" when I'm finished.

Perhaps for some reason I have a mental block or something against shielding, maybe the idea scares me subconsciously or something. Whatever the case, I see this as being important enough that I'm never going to not do it. Perhaps this is a valuable opportunity for me to do some thinking/scrying on why I would have issues with this sort of thing.

I'm sure though, that after a couple more weeks, and doing the "patching up the cracks" you talked about, I should have a much better handle on things.

[~Elise~]

you guys are doing great--keep up the work and report. There are still some who haven't reported in--

I'm not your mother and I'm not gonna track you down-but you committed to the class. You're not going to graduate if you don't get all the homework in.

Lesson 5 is also up now.

Elise

[innocent]

visualizing a ball of white light in your center that expands and pushes out all the negative/bad energy until it surrounds you. I have only done it personally like that once and it did seem effective.

This is how I was taught to sheild, for the most part. Works extermely well for me, and I can do all sorts of filters. The sheild I visualize the shield I use mostly as a thin bubble, keeps things out, but if you need to get some of the bad energy out just do a water clensing (either in reality or the visuilization) and the nasties can flow out of the bubble like water. If I feel I'm really in danger I visualize either being inside a sphere of Ice or Iron, with a filter to allow me to release energy but not absorb it.I also like using colors to filter or change my sheild.

[misfitroxy]

I don't have too much to report, but I'll still chime in. I've been working on keeping the rhythm with grounding and shielding each morning (and sometime evening, if I'm doing a grounding visualization in the shower). I don't know that I feel all that different, per se, but I like the routine of thinking it through before I start my day. I'm still having to remind myself to do it at this point, but I know it will become a regular habit soon enough.

I've kind of developed my own visualization based on what moonbride posted on the first page. I imagine a ball of white light in my core center that starts to grow larger and stretch to all parts of my body. As it grows, I think of it pressing out all the black negative energy stored inside me, which wisps around the perimeter of the white energy ball like dark smoke. Once the white light grows large enough to reach beyond my skin and turns into a kind of aura, I see the dark smoke disperse and turn grey until it eventually disappears. I then take a moment to reflect on this newly created shield of energy that fills and surrounds me before I move on with my daily regimine.

I like innocent's idea of using different colors and might have to give that a go once I feel confident with what I described above. Thanks to everyone for their wonderful suggestions!

[Jenne]

Visualize a 'net' of energy around the area to be shielded. Remember to 'see' it in 3D, a sphere rather than a circle. Visualize negative energy being absorbed by the shields and flowing into the earth. Visualize it as porous, though, so that energy you send can pass through.

This is the one I've been doing for about 8 years or so. I do it when I try to send energy out to people/shield my family as well. I do it for my car, my house...even my kids' school. I visualize this invisible bubble/net thingie. It seems to have this "ok, done" effect on my psyche when I'm done, because my worry for whatever I'm putting the bubble around seems to disappear afterward.

[Amythyst]

This is the one I've been doing for about 8 years or so. I do it when I try to send energy out to people/shield my family as well. I do it for my car, my house...even my kids' school. I visualize this invisible bubble/net thingie. It seems to have this "ok, done" effect on my psyche when I'm done, because my worry for whatever I'm putting the bubble around seems to disappear afterward.

I know what you mean!! You've been doing it a lot longer than I have. And I agree-- it does have an effect on your psyche, giving you a sense of security. That's what it's all about, I suppose.

[moonbride]

This is the one I've been doing for about 8 years or so. I do it when I try to send energy out to people/shield my family as well. I do it for my car, my house...even my kids' school. I visualize this invisible bubble/net thingie. It seems to have this "ok, done" effect on my psyche when I'm done, because my worry for whatever I'm putting the bubble around seems to disappear afterward.

You know what... now that you mention it, I've been doing this for quite a few years as well. My crazy husband will always insist on going to work even when the weather is so bad and they are calling for different levels of snow emergencies and such. Even when they close the place down, he'll want to go and I've always felt like I had to do a kind of protection shield on his car as he'd leave for work on those days. He's never had any trouble getting to work and I know that it makes me feel a bit better when I do that as well.

[Wolf_love]

Light a candle, the colour you feel is best for working to rid yourself of bad feelings.Concentrate on the flame. Stare into the flame. Imagine the flame becoming a ball of light. When it *is* a ball of light, imagine the ball of light becoming a circle, a large and growing ball that you pour all your negativity into. The ball hovers, and when you feel you have poured all the negativity that has built up from other people into this ball, imagine the ball breaking away from the flame, hovering in the room. Then it begins to move. It moves away from you and the candle flame, the ball floats out the window, floats into the guttering, rolling, rolling, and down the drain the ball goes, to be washed away.

Stare into the candle flame again and imagine the flame becoming a circle again, and then a ball. This ball is fillling up, not from you, but from the Universe. As the ball shimmers, shining brightly, imagine it coming towards you, a bright, shining ball of Universal love and light, come to fill you with power, courage and self love. Allow the ball to diffuse into your body as you continue to stare into the candle flame.

This is the one I used. I tried others but i liked this the best mainly because I have been using something similar to this so far (5 years or so). Its not the same but it is similar, so i chose this one. I also like staring into candle flames. I chose the color blue for my candles.
:fpraise::fpraise:

Candles have always been my favorites.

[Rowan Darkmoon]

I've been doing the ball of light shielding, and the armor visualization. I actually have been doing the armor visualization for a long time, but I like the light one better because it's much faster for me to visualize. When I do the armored one, I spend more time thinking about the armor, and the chinks in the armor, and the plating. :lol:

I like doing the ball of light expanding outward because it feels more secure to me?? I feel it close in front of me and below me, and I feel like I'm in a warm comfortable room that's very safe. :) It instantly turns off my anxiety and gets me in a present state of mind.

So, I've been practicing the grounding where you imagine the lotus on top of your head, and then mostly the shielding with the ball of energy forming outward. It's come a lot faster and easier now, and it seems like I can call up the energy a lot more quickly. :hahugh:

[Pandy Fackler]

The one that has worked best and easiest for me so far is imagining that I have a coat of armour covering every part of my body. I can scan it for weaknesses and holes and cover them up. I never imagined that this would be the one that works best for me ^_^

[~Elise~]

A good visual for that one is the guy from Terminator 3...ya know the liquid metal guy....

Or the shielding going around the Batmobile....

X-Men-- the new one with the hedgehog-type guy.... combine that and the liquid metal

Okay--way too many movies for me obviously. But my point is--anything that helps you visualize that shield will work.

Flame On!

Elise

[Skylah]

I have always used a net of energy around me, but because I'm here to learn something new, I've decided to use the ball of white light.

"Visualize a ball of white light floating above you. Focus on the energy of the ball -know that it is full of love and strength and peace..."

I really like this technique, and I hope that practice will enable me to use it as easily as my energy net.

[slntmom]

i really like the ball of light i use it all the time while driving and just leaving the house i have aslo added metal armor for my protection.

[Philosophia]

Easiest forms of shielding
This is similar to the shielding I do everyday I go outside except I usually visualize a clear bubble. I tried this version and found it slightly difficult at the start because I couldn’t keep the consistency of the ball. I tried for several days until I finally caught it and kept it going with steadiness that I felt comfortable with. I couldn’t feel the energy the first time but after awhile I felt intensely serene and peaceful. I decided to not have it at six feet but rather at three feet because it may me feel a bit safer to have it closer. While it felt good, I don’t think I’ll be using it on a daily basis but I probably apply it when I need another shielding exercise.
Favorite shielding technique
I’ve heard of this shielding technique but I’ve never done it before. It was a bit heavy to begin with and I felt a little clunky like I was wearing armor. It was good that it blocked out everything but I soon felt drained and heavy from wearing it. So I decided to change it and made a fluid suit that covered everything. It was a heavy visualization but I’m actually happy with it because it does filter out a lot. The filtering has changed a lot because I’m using energy from the universe and it creates a sieve that occurs naturally.
Ball of light
I choose a simple white candle because I felt it was best for the situation and it was a practical use for it. This shielding technique was something I felt was best used at night time and is a good purifying method before sleep, especially if I’m feeling rather bad. When I first used this technique, I felt like a weight has been lifted from my body and I was conscious that something has changed within me. Since this night, I’ve been doing it regularly and I’ve felt a lot lighter. Its a good method and rather easy and effective than previous efforts (I used to do the LBRP but I prefer this method at night).