Guide to Shielding – Part 1

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Have you ever felt super low on energy without any seemingly logical cause? Maybe you need to tune your shields! No, I’m not talking about something out of Star Trek. I’m talking about some basic energy work that you should put into practice on a daily basis.

Giant disclaimer…

Wait, wait, wait. You know what? I feel like I have to write an entire disclaimer paragraph before we really get started here. Yes, energetic ailments often manifest themselves physically, but tiredness or feeling drained can be the result of an underlying condition that requires medical treatment. I am not a doctor. I did not go to medical school. You will not ever find the letters “MD” after my name. The material discussed here should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition and is not intended as a replacement for genuine medical advice.

If you’d like to skip all of my valuable preamble, go ahead and scroll right on down the page to the big letters that say “HOW DO WE SHIELD,” where you’ll find four different categories of energetic shields.

Still reading? Good. Just thought it’d be fair to give you the option. Now that we’ve got all that out of the way, let me throw a few scenarios at you.

• You return home from a short day spent running errands — grocery shopping, perhaps. It doesn’t seem like you physically exerted yourself very much, but for some reason you’re left feeling absolutely drained.
• You go to a doctors office for a routine checkup, otherwise feeling healthy. There are some seriously sick and upset-looking folks in the waiting room with you. By the time you’re finished, you feel a certain unexplainable heaviness.
• You’re at work having an otherwise normal day. Bob Vamps from accounting comes over to your desk to talk about expense reports. After he leaves, you feel like you need a nap — and no, it’s not just because you find Bob and numbers boring.

Those are some common situations that can result from a lack of shielding. There are also other, more serious encounters, such as funerals or being inside institutions such as mental health care facilities or prisons.

Is all this sounding pretty bleak? Yeah, but don’t worry. We’ve got tools for that! And those tools are shields. The right shield will prevent any of this from happening.

What Is Shielding?

Shielding, itself, is a pretty big term.

These aren’t the shields you’re looking for…

The Vikings used shielding when they built shield walls in battle. Computer data cables use shielding to block out intererence. The U.S.S. Enterprise uses shielding to deflect particles as it treks across the galaxy. And magickal practitioners use shielding to keep away unwanted energy. Whether we’re dealing with fact or fiction, the very term of “shielding” implies an act of protection.

In metaphysics (and for our purposes here), shielding is the act of using energy to protect something, usually one’s own self.

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Why Do We Shield?

Before we start talking about how to shield, I think it’s important to understand why it is such a necessary practice.

First, let me tell you a silly story that will inevitably be used as a clever allegory. When I had COVID, as did many others, I lost my sense of taste and smell. Although this was an overall unpleasant experience, I did notice that taking out the trash and cleaning the cat litter bothered me much less.

Verily, verily I say unto thee: the putrid smell offends not a broken nose.

As magickal practitioners, we often spend a significant amount of time increasing our sensitivity to subtle, invisible energies that are essentially undetectable to others. That’s really cool and everything, sure, but it can also make us extra vulnerable to other people’s bad energy. It’s like honing your sense of smell and then standing around garbage — it just hits that much more keenly.

All the more reason why, as people who regularly work with energy, we need to set up a basic level of defense. And even if you’re unaware of it on a conscious level, those “bad smelling” vibes might still be effecting you.

It’s easy to go out and unwittingly bring back some funky energy. Basically any public place is a potential location where this can happen. Think about all the different attitudes and states of mind that might be sampled in a crowded bar, at a shopping mall, or even at a concert. We can’t necessarily blame those around us for the bad energy we pick up from them — it isn’t always intentional. Plus, we’re supposed to have tools to deal with it!

If you’re energetically sensitive and you aren’t using good shielding techniques, life is probably a lot harder for you than it needs to be. You probably feel tired, upset, sluggish, drained, overwhelmed, or even depressed more often than you usually would.

In less common cases, you might encounter a particular person who is an “energy vampire.” These types of people can take the energy right out of you in minutes, but I find it’s usually not on purpose and they’re often completely unaware of their effect on others. Maybe Bob Vamps from one of my previous hypothetical situations is one of these people. And maybe that’s why you feel so drained after having a quick work-related discussion with him.

Back in the day, I was a part of the H&I program of Alcoholics Anonymous. For those unfamiliar with the term, H&I stands for “Hospitals and Institutions.” It’s basically the wing of AA that brings meetings to people who can’t get out to one themselves, either for medical reasons or because they are committed (voluntarily or involuntarily). My particular group had a weekly meeting inside of a local detox facility. This is a great way to be of service, but also exposes you to large groups of people who are at their worst due to alcoholism and addiction. They are sick, depressed, and hurting. On our ride back home, we’d often chat about how down we were feeling afterwards — how some of those people’s vibes just seemed to stick to us. I didn’t know any better at the time, but we were basically talking about a need for shields!

Alright, enough talk. Let’s get into how we can prevent things like this from happening.

How Do We Shield?

There are many different ways to shield. Some might work better for you than others. Some might not really work for you at all. There’s nothing wrong with that – it just shows the importance of experimentation for finding the best thing for you. My personal recommendation would be to choose one you like and then a second as a backup method. Certain techniques will work differently depending on the circumstances. Trial and error is the real science here.

Words of Affirmation

Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

Hey, when all else fails, right?

If you really need a place to start, how about trying out some verbal shields? On a serious note, you could try phrases like “I am safe. I am protected. I am shielded from all that can harm me.” Aside from the fact that words energetically contribute to the manifestation of our realities, they have a profound effect on your mental state when said out loud.

The Auric Shield

Your aura, those inconspicuous layers of subtle energy fields around your body, can be focused and turned into a shield. The benefits of the following methods are that they are quick, always accessible, and no one can tell you’re doing it.

Selene calls this first one the “Bubble Visualization.” It’s where you see yourself on the inside of a protective bubble — nothing can get in or out. For me, this becomes similar to the conditions inside of the womb. Sounds become elongated and frequencies shift to lower, muted tones, as if you’re underwater. I also focus on my heartbeat growing louder and louder. I find I’m able to do this most effectively when I’m stationary.

Personally, I’m a fan of the “Mirror Technique.” This is where you visualize an outer layer of your aura becoming hard and reflective, knowing that anything sent to you will bounce back just like light from a mirror. I find this one works well for moving around. It feels lighter to me.

There are, of course, plenty of other ways to see things. You could take an elemental approach, envisioning a fiery aura that burns unwanted energy before it reaches you. You could think of crystallization, a chrysalis or cocoon, or even a medieval battle shield hanging in the air in front of you. You’ll find that a lot of aura-based methods employ the use of visualization. This is, again, why we strongly stress meditation being the backbone of magickal practices. The stronger your visualization skills, the more effective your shields will be.

But, like many things, I like to take it a step further. I don’t just see my auric shields, I hear them.

I mentioned earlier how sounds shift for me while employing the bubble visualization. I also hear particular noises when using the mirror technique. When my mirror shield activates, it makes a sound similar to the unsheathing of a sword. While it’s up, it hums and resonates, kind of like you would expect a crystal wineglass to sing.

Does all that make sense? I’m doing my best to describe imaginary noises inside my head. I find that they add depth and strength to my auric shields.

Crystals

Back when I was first starting to get into crystals, I frequently used them as shields, although I might not have called it that at the time. I was attracted to black stones in particular for this purpose, wearing hematite, obsidian, or tourmaline to reflect unwanted energy.

The truth is, you can use just about any crystal for the purpose of shielding, provided that it has been charged with your intention to do so. I’ve lined the perimeter of rooms with double-terminated points, I’ve built large crystal grids on the tops of tables, and I’ve also carried single crystals in my pocket or backpack — all for the purpose of shielding. Large or small, in numbers or alone, it all works. Just make sure you add that important “intention” ingredient.

If you’re feeling a bit stuck on the word “charging” or the act of “adding intention,” just try this out. Hold the crystal and concentrate on its task. You could even try speaking about it or to it directly. For a more relaxed approach, you might say something like “this crystal will protect me against unwanted energy.” If you prefer something more formal and commanding, you might say “oh crystal, thou wilt protect me against all unwanted energies.”

Herbs

While I’ve never expressly used herbs for this purpose, there’s no rule that says you can’t. Just as you might carry a crystal on your person to act as a shield, you could also carry a bundle of herbs.

Many herbs are thought to have inherent protective properties and are readily available at most retailers. You could try rosemary, sage, rose, or mint.

I typically use herbs as enhancers or extra ingredients rather than something that functions solely on its own. While I haven’t used bundles of herbs for shielding, I have made protective sachets that include herbs and a variety of other ingredients. I think this falls within another category, however, which we will discuss in part 2.

Actually, I have four more shielding techniques to share with you, but this article has grown surprisingly long already.

When to Shield?

You can shield any time you feel like you might be in a situation where you’re around excessive, unwanted, or harmful energy. In fact, I think it’s a pretty good idea to make it a daily practice to ground, center, and shield before leaving the house.

Just remember it with the following handy graphic…

Or I guess you could say “GCS” if you want a short acronym.

Ground to release excess energy. Center to bring your attention inward and balance yourself. Shield to prevent unwanted energy from getting to you.

When you no longer need your shields up, follow the steps in reserve. Center to bring your attention inward, then ground to release the shield.

Conclusions… for now…

Does you feel like this sometimes?

Can we shield too much? Are there times when we should not shield? What if a shield feels like it won’t turn off? These and other questions are topics we’ll explore in part 2.

I’ve actually got four more types of shields to discuss. Maybe we’ll even talk about creating stationary shields and wards around things other than ourselves! I don’t know, I mean, I haven’t written it yet. So the sky is the limit.

If that sounds interesting, stay tuned for part 2! But until then, I’d like to hear from you!

What type of shields work best for you? What’s your “go to” method and your backup? Have you ever been in a situation where you forgot to shield and paid the price?

Drop me a comment with your answers. And even if you aren’t feeling particularly chatty, at least take some time and consider the answers for yourself.