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SHIELDING AND PSYCHIC SELF DEFENSE
By LadyRoseRed

I've been thinking about this lately. We talk about shielding and protecting ourselves and
recommend it to those new to this path.

I realize that there are some people that do and some that don't. I'm a big advocate for it.
There was a thread on another forum I belong to that was discussing this. One of the posters said
that he absolutely does not shield. That by shielding you're creating a situation where you'll need
it and inviting attack by entities. That whatever you focus on you draw to you - if you focus on
self-protection then you'll end up needing to protect yourself.

I can understand where he was coming from with that, and of course it was a much longer
discussion that went into further detail but in my own experience I find that shielding is a good
thing.

There's as many ways to shield as there are people and everyone's shields are obviously different
although there seems to be several basic shielding techniques. Pretty basic ones include
visualizing a light bubble, mirrors, energy blockers, etc. Then you also have people who either
don't shield because their guides and/or totems protect them or those that shield in conjunction
with their guides/totems.

Without getting too personal (because I never I think it's a good idea to give too much
information about personal self-defense) I was wondering what you guys think on the topic.

Atriawolf:
I believe shielding is important... At least for me anyway. In some ways I can manipulate the
shield to help all the emotions I feel from others from hitting me directly. Instead I guide them
around me as you had said it is like standing in a river.

Though I can understand where his argument is valid where shielding yourself will attract those
who would do you harm. However I think both cases are correct. If you shield yourself too much
you're welcoming those who wish to do you harm but if you are already in harms way why not
put a shield up?

It's something I think can be a double edged sword at times so learning the balance between
when to and when not to use it is important.

WhiteCrow:
Hi R~R
I've never thought about shielding inviting attack, but the poster who mentioned it has a point. I
remember a policeman once commenting on how it was the houses with warnings about burglar
alarm systems that were most often burglarized, due to the fact the warning was a sign to any
potential thief that if it was that protected there had to be something in their worthy of that
protection!

Would it work the same with shielding? Would over-the-top protection merely make you seem
more worth attacking? It's not an idea I'd ever thought of before, just chucking it in to the pot to
see if anyone has ideas or thoughts on it.

Speaking for myself, I'm one not keen on shielding. I usually find it makes me feel numbed, like
I'm walking in a bubble wearing ear plugs. That in itself can make me feel LESS safe, since then
I can't detect things going on around me. That is merely my take on it, not necessarily fact. Sort
of a claustrophobia of being too surrounded and cut off from fully accessing what's around me.
The light bubble never worked for me. I've seen things go right through it - words, thoughts, etc.
The mirror... I don't like sending it back, since sending negativity back might merely make it
grow bigger, like throwing the snowball back UP the hill... doesn't seem useful.
So... I am one who relies on "others" to do the job for me. Fortunately I have a great team on the
job. Not exactly guides or totems. I work with (their word, not mine) elementals a lot, and two
angels. Between them and my guide I'm fairly well watched over.

The only time I ever had a serious attack problem was my own fault. I meddled - I scanned
someone and was seen by an entity attached to the person I was scanning. Here's the irony
though - I did put up protection once I realized I'd been seen... so the entity then connected to
another person and tried to attack me through them. In other words my shielding simply
deflected the attacker, it didn't get rid of it. Fortunately this person knew instantly that
something was wrong and we were able to sort it out, but it was a struggle.

What I learnt from that experience was that the emotions behind the energy were the key. The
more love I could send out, the more the negative/dark entity was repelled. Not so much a case
of inviting them in, but more... "like does feed like".
That's a very rough answer, I'm zooming by today!
and returned to edit awful typos. So much for zooming.

MonSnoLeeDra:
Shielding and psychic self-defense to me is a very overused notion. Especially so considering
that for the most part they only work against someone who is only trying to probe your defense
not actually break into them. Secondly, it also tends to be only useful against people who do
not study or know their target.

One aspect of the training I had was to purposely discover how to attack a target and gain
entry. In every single attempt entry was gained when one took the time to research their target
and discover things about them. It did not matter who or what was supposedly guarding you for
they were simply bypassed or out and out manipulated. So you discovered that perhaps one in a
thousand attempts where actually a focused and dedicated attack, the rest are simply that you’re
in the wrong spot at the wrong time and the bugs slam into your windshield as you drive through.

I suppose one could equate it to the windshield in a car. It will stop most non-direct encounters
or things that come at you. Most often simply by deflecting it based upon the slightly curved
aspect of the form which tends to push off to the side and dissipate the energy away from the
point of encounter. Yet let it hit at the right angle regardless of speed or weight and it will break
through the windshield. Yet very seldom is it that one encounters something being directly aimed
and hurdled at the windshield, most often it is random encounters because of where one is at.
It's like the shielding about a home, the best laid shields have holes if you know where to
look. Want to truly gain entrance follow a power line, phone line, water line or even a sewage
line into the home. Once projected those are never shielded and are always open for the control
and purpose of them is not within the purview of the person protecting as their energy belongs to
an outside force. That not even considering the psychic ties that bind one to their friends, family
or physical objects that are located outside of those supposed shields and many times act like
hidden doorways or back-doors. It always amazed me the number of people who brag about
their first sexual encounter but never consider that it is an entryway into ones psychic barriers
that most often was revealed in passing without though or consideration of that fact.

To use an example based upon info at this site. Atriawolf could easily be gotten to because of the
dream info that was provided and the landscape that was laid out as an opening that already
exists within his mental process. It's wide open and assessable to any who might be so inclined
to try that venue simply because it was made public and we know the fear and unease that is
associated with it which becomes the opening to be exploited. If one has any capability as a
dream walker it's an open invitation should one attempt it. Especially so given that it will fade
from the forefront of the mind yet forever be recorded in the depths of the mind and
accessible. But that also falls under the concept of researching and discovering your target
which is seldom done as most attempts are simply passing probes or half-arsed attempts without
a true desire backing them.

Not to say shields as a whole are worthless for they do serve their purpose. Like the walls of a
medieval castle they keep most at bay until someone dedicates an assault upon them then they
are breached. But as a norm that dedicated assault is unlikely to occur unless you challenge
people or try to pass yourself off as something more powerful which begs for things to rise to
that challenge. Things which do not have to have a physical origin upon the earth plain seem to
take those challenges quite frequently then like worms leave their entries behind
them. Sometimes without ever revealing they penetrated your defenses, other times playing
stump a chump with you to show just how easy it was.

LadyRoseRed:
Shields can be as intricate or simple as we make them. I think that there are many different
things that can be incorporated into shields that aren't necessarily 'shielding' per say. To use the
medieval castle example - yes, the walls are there and they keep things in and other things out.
Part of that defense system are the sentries that walk the top of the walls looking out to see if a
threat is coming and give warning.

It's not very different than having a motion sensor. My driveway is almost a 1/4 mile long. We
have a motion sensor posted so that we know when someone is coming down the drive well
before they get here. Is it a shield? No, but it is part of and incorporated into our home defenses
right along with locks on the doors and the 'beware of dog' sign.
WC - I wouldn't be comfortable using shields that left me feeling claustrophobic or 'deaf' to what
is out there either.

The example you gave is perfect, though. You said that you scanned someone. Am I correct in
assuming that you did not have the persons permission to do so? I've found that that happens on
a regular basis when one hangs out on occult forums. Most of us have some ability towards
scanning others and finding them astrally or ethereally by the emotion added to their posts. We
put a lot of ourselves out there.

When I had first started with forums I knew nothing about any this. I had put way too much of
myself into my posts and anyone who came along and read them could easily find me and did.
Some people don't like what you said and attacked, others just want to practice their skills and
see if they can do it. Then you have everything in between.

Just as an example - how many of us here can read the energy in a post? I would bet most of us.
How many of us here can follow that energy signature back to the person? Most likely - quite a
few. How many of us shield our posts and our words against this? That I don't know. I know that
I have read shielded posts here. Not a lot but some. Some people do it consciously while others
do it without even knowing that they are. I think just about anyone that's been online for a while
can do it without even realizing that they are.

It's also been mentioned about shielding from people and entities. I don't think that the same
shields that work with humans work with entities. People and entities/spirits are so different in
their make-up that I don't really think that the same shields work on both. Think of a chain link
fence. Dogs are too big to go through it while a small bird can go right through. At the same
time, though, a dog can dig under or jump over (if it has the ability to) it.
What is casting a circle? It's creating a shield to either keep something in or out. If it's only cast
in a circle instead of an orb then, just like the fence, it only protects a specific area.
MonSno has a good point about home defense and electric lines and sewer pipes.

Wynsong:
Before I read anything here, and because I'm truly racing out the door to go to an appointment...
Here is a synopsis of what I learned and believe.
The best shield is to do your own work to keep the healthiest version of your own personal
energetic bubble....
So we all have our own field, and as we grow it can be "rewired" by well and not so well
meaning people in our life, allowing entry points that people and energy can easily plug into, as
it were...

So do your work around those places in your own field that allow others to energetically access
you and and your field, and heal the places that have been wounded.
I liken it to a room....There are walls and a floor and ceiling, and within those structures that
contain me, there are wires and plumbing conduits...There are also windows and doors....
I can easily plug into the electrical wires at the outlets...
I can easily leave through a door or with slightly more effort a window...
I get water by going to a tap.

As we grow, the people who raise us...and I don't just mean our parents, but the village, they are
the ones who install the doors, windows, outlets and taps in our field...so that they can easily
reach us.
As we grow we need to decide who will have access and who shouldn't.
So we do our work...
We may be put up baby doors across the doors, so not everyone can get in, but only those we let
in through the gate.

We put covers over the outlets.
Maybe we turn off the water at its source to the tap...
When first we do our work, it is like doing all that to the gaps and wounds and openings in our
energetic field...the space that is maybe sacred to us....
And it is easier to move without the protective gates and covers etc, so maybe we go back to our
old patterns...and they get removed...
And we do the work again...and again and again, until finally we have an energetic field that if
not completely impervious to energetic incursion, gives us a better awareness of said incursion if
someone comes in...like a closed door gives us more awareness of a visitor than one that is left open.

So the first thing, I do, is work on my own field...
The second thing will have to wait till I get back...
But it has to do with how we engage others...
And primarily how we do it, when we are attacked or attacking....
Because even in energy work, it takes two to tango.
It may only take one to hip hop, but to tango, you need a partner...and the tango is for those who
don't know it a dance of power. Much like the Paso Doble. A dance of advance and retreat,
attack and defense....
**I had a chance to read the posts here, and I think I'm kind in a similar place as
MonSnoLeeDra2...
Funny we both used house analogies too.
So the second thing that people are often unaware of is the way that they actually open
themselves to others energetically.

So scanning is covered, and when you scan someone unconsciously or consciously, if they are
aware, they will feel your touch. In that moment that you touch them, they can likewise touch
you. You tell as much as you learn...often. Many people aren't sensitive enough or aware enough
to feel the scan, so often when we are young we do it with impunity, and as a result, it becomes a
habit...and to be truthful, a habit I think we should all be much more cognizant of.
My eldest son, who claims no sensitivity, was the first to tell me without lingo as he hadn't got it,
that I needed to stay out of his field. He was aware of the 'touch' of me scanning to see if all was well.

Even though I wouldn't have done anything to hurt him, or actually even to manipulate him in
anyway, he was aware of the touch and it made him feel crowded and less than independent.
I am careful not to unconsciously scan my sons, or their friends, or my friends, or anyone....
UNLESS, I feel an alarm in my own field, and then if it is friends and family I ask for permission,
or let them know if what they are feeling or whatever is acting on them, is slamming into my field
asking for attention.
Occasionally, I'll experience a complete breach...when something in a person's energy will be
through to my awareness before I can stop it...

It happens occasionally with clients, probably, because they come in open to me, and I am
generally open to them, given the nature of my work...If it happens I let them know something is
up, and ask if they want me to do more than a massage. Most come to me because I can do more
than a massage, so generally they say yes...but some don't like what is affectionately known in
my office as the "Wooey stuff", so for them, I back my awareness into my own space, and shore
up my focus on just being a Massage Therapist, and leaving the more open aspects of my
abilities off.
Most of us are likely aware of our energy when it arises in Attack mode...

We are angry, We feel a need to defend, whatever...
And our outright energetic attack mode is likely something we at least have some awareness of.
What blew me away, and always blows away my clients, is what I call their secondary attack
mode, and most of us are completely unaware of it...

Because it is how we attack, when we feel we have no attack....when we are being overwhelmed
by someone else's attack (energetic or otherwise)...
If you get above and outside those incidents, and look at yourself energetically, you will see that
even while you appear to be in complete defense mode just trying to survive the onslaught, there
will be some aspect of your energy that is working to undermine or un-foot or take away the high
ground from your attacker.

In both scenarios...when we attack outright or through our secondary mode, like
MonSnoLeeDra2 said, a skilled attacker will be able to get through the moment we allow our
energy to touch theirs. Unconscious people, not so much....but someone with a true agenda, will
follow your energy back to you.
So again, I try to keep my energy to myself.
I try not to advertise that I'm around, keep a low profile...
Moths are attracted to the light.
Hungry people go to the aroma of food.
Rather than shoring up shields etc., I'm more interested in not looking like a good place for
energetic entities to feed, no matter what form they come in.
Munay
Freedom

LadyRoseRed:
Moths are attracted to the light.
Hungry people go to the aroma of food.
“Rather than shoring up shields etc., I'm more interested in not looking like a good place for
energetic entities to feed, no matter what form they come in.”
Not serving yourself up for lunch is always a good idea. I love the analogy.

Going back to the moths are attracted to light thing - I don't think we can always hide that
light. Especially when doing a working or working in other planes - we glow light a spotlight
and it draws the attention of things. I think the best way I can describe it is a 'radiance of
spirit'. We don't try light up but it's just something that happens. Usually, it's just lower level,
annoying things that can easily be held away by simple shields. On occasion you can draw the
attention of something bigger.

For the purpose of this part of the conversation I'm talking about the former. For those of us that
know how to work with our energy and shields - it's not really a problem. For those that are new
to this or have no conscious defenses - it can be. What could be compared to an astral mosquito
for someone who knows what they're doing could be truly frightening for someone who's never
encountered anything before.

One way to not appear as the flame and light up the astral is to use your shields as a darkening
field almost like a pair of sunglasses or tossing a blanket over a lamp. Even if some of the light
shows through it's not as bright as it would otherwise be and can draw less attention to yourself.
I think one of the good things about including warnings into your shields is that it gives you time
to evaluate a situation. If a person knows that something or someone is at the edges of their
shields they don't always have to jump right into attack mode. A lot of times it's not necessary to
attack every single thing that comes to your door uninvited.

There's been a lot of times that I've been 'scanned' by people that I talk to online. I already know
their energy signature from interacting with them. Most of the time I just sit back and
watch. How far are they willing to go? How deep are they willing to try to look? Will they
respect the privacy that having shields in place infers? I have no desire to harm or fight with the
simply curious. It's one of the ways that we can use to get to know each other. It's an ability that
most of us have some control of. Most of the time these inquiries aren't made in an attack.
Like you, I respect others privacy. I certainly wouldn't walk into someone's home uninvited
either. To me - it's a matter of respect, privacy and boundaries. There's been times that I've told
people that trying to dig that deep into my shields was rude. The reply is usually 'sorry, I was
just checking you out.' And then life goes on. It doesn't always have to turn into a battle or a
'witch war'. A lot of times a simple conversation is all that it takes.

Shields don't always have to be for protection. Sometimes they're for privacy. Just like some
people put up a solid fence instead of a chain link fence so that the neighbors don't have a clear
view into your backyard. Privacy is something that we're all entitled to. I think a lot of times
this aspect of shielding gets left out of the conversation because so much focus in on attack.

CinnamonMoon:
Atria, (and anyone else interested) ~There is an article in the library written by SEDD on
shielding for empaths. It is often critical they learn to shield to protect themselves from everyday
energies emitted by the public at large. For them it is like a bombardment of mixed energies and
way too much to handle without the assistance of shields. We have other articles as well so
please do look into those.

You will find pro and con on the subject just about anywhere it comes up. IMHO it's going to
vary from individual to individual. What I have personally found working as a spiritual coach
over the years is that those new to spirituality tend to use them at first until they get better at
utilizing their own abilities and sensory perceptions. Once they understand how to work with
energies, entities, and personal boundaries they are not needed as much. I've also found that
staying centered and grounded with our boundaries defined, alongside working with our Guides,
Totems, and Spirit Helpers is shield enough. People have tried to probe me and been met at the
boundaries of my sacred space by my spiritual guardians. They are turned away quickly. Our
Helpers (in whatever form they take), once we've established communication with them and that
channel is open, will definitely watch over us. It also depends on the type of work one is involved
with as to whether or not shielding is critically important. Here I’m talking about those who
channel spirits or work in the paranormal investigative fields.

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