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.
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