Magick/Energy Shielding Basics

[runewulf]

Ok, this is a bit off the cuff, so please forgive me if this doesn't seem to be well laid out.


The basics of shielding:

To start with, you need to be able to raise and direct energy, the better you are at this, the better the shielding.

Another small convention, if I say "see" something or another, don't freak or worry if you can't "see" it, some people are just not visual. If you can't "see" something, then build it up in your mind, start with a description and get more and more detailed, until you can "feel" it, until it becomes "real" in your mind and senses. This is a more kinesthetic way of "seeing".


Ok, what are shields? Well, as the name implies, they're a device/structure/creation/field to keep "things" out, at least at their simplest form. For those of you into sci-fi, think of shields as "force fields" from star wars/trek (or other favorite piece of sci-fi). For those of you more historically or fantasy inclined, think castle/fort walls/barricades, for everyone, think "something that keeps the stuff away that I don't want to touch/affect me", cause that's the core of it.

Now, the key to "building" a shield is to find an image/thought/construct that works for you, something that "feels" right or just "seems to click" for you, as an individual. For some folks, this is a force field, others a sphere of white light, I have known some who build the image of a tower around themselves, complete with huge, thick, iron bound door. The keys here are two things:
1) You feel a connection to the imagery
2) The imagery, in your mind, connection to a form of protection that surrounds you.

Ok, that said, now to the more active part, I'll be laying this out in a step-by-step, list style, for ease of understanding and to keep it from all seeming to run together. Now, on with the show, so to speak:

• Take a few moments to enter into at least a light trance/meditation/altered state of consciousness.
  
  Slowly build up the "image" of your shield in your mind
  
  Now, begin raising energy, feel it building up inside of you.
  
  Once you have as much energy build up as you feel you can hold or feel comfortable drawing at the moment, start feeding that energy into the "image" of your shield, slowly making it larger and more solid, letting it grow until it surrounds you. While pushing this energy into your shield, also push the commands/thoughts/programming into it that "nothing can pass through that will harm you" or "nothing can cross though my shield that I do not allow". Keep these thoughts flowing with the energy.
  
  Keep pushing the energy into your shield until it feels solid, real to you. At this point, become aware of it's reality, knowing that it is there, fully believing it.
  
  Reach out and feel it, get to know your shield.
  
  If you did not push all the energy into the shield that you raised, ground that energy out/release it back into the universe/etc.
  
  Relax and let yourself come back to normal awareness.

Congratulations, you now have a basic shield. Now, to keep it maintained, do this exercise regularly, or even better, do a shorter version of it a couple times a day. A couple minutes here and there every day feeding and reinforcing your shield will make it a lot stronger than dedicating an hour to it once a week, by far. It also builds the construct up in your subconscious, which will help keep it maintained and shaped.


Now, for a few adendums here:

You can have more than one shield. Some folks have several "Layers", each one "programmed" to do shield against different things. Some maybe to retaliate against folks who keep pushing against the outer shields, etc.

Next, you can set shields to do different things. You can "program" them to allow different things, disallow, make them slippery so things slide around them, hard so things bounce off, push back, etc. It's pretty much up to the caster. The one main thing to remember is "be consistent". Don't start a shield as hard, then tell it it's slippery tomorrow, then pushy the day after, etc. You need to be consistent.

Finally, if you feel the need to "Remove" your shield, just follow the process more or less backwards. Go into a trance, start drawing the power out of your shield, "seeing" it shrink until it's gone, release the energy into the earth.

Ok, in closing, shield construction is a great way to work on building constructs/enchantments with energy, and like all things, the more you do it, the better you get.

And, as always, be responsible when Working. Whatever form of karma you believe in or don't, there is still the basic axiom: "What goes around comes around".

Wassail und Wunjo

[maccumhal]

Thanks for this post, I found it helpful

[runewulf]

No problem at all

[Crazy Healer Lady]

Information everyone should know! Thank you for taking the time to put it together!!!!

[runewulf]

Again, no prob and you're very welcome. I'll try and take time to put more together as I can spare time here and there between the two companies I'm working for (read running, ugh). I know that I need to rewrite the basics of meditation and energy gathering/manipulation... probably do something on servitors and something on enchantments too, when I get the time.

wassail

[Raven]

so basically its an introductory Servitor right? Master this and you can start moving on to some really useful things. I love servitors, but I'm not so proficient with them yet. I've always been a good sheilder/warder though.

Thanks for the info Rune, I'm sure a lot of people will find more things like this very very useful (including myself)

[runewulf]

Yes and no, Raven... similar process, in a way, but not exactly the same...

On the no side:
In the case of a shield, you are aiming specifically for protection in the form of some kind of wall, whereas with a servitor (read created elemental/spirit/fetch/etc) you give it actions/tasks in the "programming" and/or a form of limited "sentience".

On the yes side:
Many forms of magick, including servitors, enchantments and several other forms of magick are handled the same way. Building the core, feeding it energy & intent & "programming" until it becomes a "real" and "solid" construct, then reinforcing it regulary to keep it real and make it stronger. So, in that way, it's very similar.

There are some folks who would tell you it's identical and that shields are a form of servitor, others who would tell you it's totally different... honestly, there are core similarities, but also differences. You can actually build a lot of magick in this kind of way though. Magick is really just focus, intent, energy tied together with some kind of instructions. There are a lot of ways to do it, but I've always preferred the "empty-handed" approach to general magick, so I tend to sway this way. Don't get me wrong, I love working with herbs, stones, nature and natures objects in general, but for most acts, I prefer the empty hands and items at hand as opposed to a lot of heavy ceremony and outward ritual/psycho-drama.

Hope that clears it up a little and I will try and take some time to do a few more write ups on basic techniques in easy to follow instructions that can be built on.

Wassail

[davisherm]

Don't I keep saying something about that book you need to write?

Another excellent example of energy manipulation. I have shamelessly stolen your descriptions when trying to explain these sort of things as you're a better teacher than I am.

[runewulf]

thanks, and I'll get around to it, some day, lol....

actually, as far as teaching goes, thank my sifu and years of writing and teaching IT classes for IBM, but still, my sifu first and foremost as part of my martial training in internal systems involved also teaching students, so it helped me learn to teach and made me learn to find ways to explain things in a form that could be understood and that students could apply.


Seriously, I'll end up writing at some point in the future, but I have so little time these days and I'm still learning too, just like everyone else. But I'll get around to it................
.......
.......
.......
some day

Wassail

[Crazy Healer Lady]

Everyone is still learning ^_^

It's wonderful when you are at the teacher/student part finally, which just goes on. You don't ever go to "Teacher" only.
Good for those crazy people who can't seem to part from schooling O_O Don't know what they want to be, and spend millions learning every course every university in the country has to offer

[Raven]

Thanks for the correction Rune, I see what your saying now.

And yeah, I tend to practice open-handed as well, although I've never managed to come up with a good label for it, thanks !

The big elaborate rituals and things have just never done it for me.. thats fine if thats what works for you, rituals are really cool.. idk I just like things my way.

And I like Burger King too ! <(^^)>

[runewulf]

No prob Raven, yeah, I agree with you on the ceremony thing.

C_H_L, yep, you never stop learning, if you think that you have, you've moved off into a delusion, which isn't a good place to be, heh heh

wassail

[Unknown]

hmm seems to make a lot of sense i used to have nightmares when i was a child but i would image a giant wall with me on one side and the bad dreams on the other is that a kind of shield or something else totally diff. i mean i'm new to all of this and i really want to leanr but where i am these belifs are frowned on so i have to learn all of this my self

[Crazy Healer Lady]

Our ways are frowned on by a lot of people. The fact is, you are searching for the Divine your own way. No one can say what is right or wrong. This is why online communities are so helpful, especially ones (such as this one) that don't fall into power traps, anarchy and mutiny.

Just know we're at all levels here And all of us are students for a lifetime. You're welcome to ask questions and have a look around for previous posts.

[Kitsune]

Actually, that is how I was first taught to sheild... Envisioning the wall keeping the bad stuff out. So, you've got yourself a basic shield it sounds like.

The impossible next step from there for me, was making it semi-permanent, so it stays up even when you're not concentrating on it. The first steps always seem to take longer than the steps further down the road.