What exactly is Shielding?

Shielding is the process of creating an energetic force field around you that protects you from any kind of unwanted influences that may be infringing upon you. Empathic individuals are especially susceptible to absorbing intrusive energies, emotions, and even physical feelings that do not belong to them. The act of shielding is a way to deflect these unwanted rogue energies so they don’t impact you.

Shielding is a skill that you can develop that largely revolves around visualization processes.

If you’re brand new to shielding, try this:

• Sit comfortably

• Spend a moment taking some meditative breaths with your eyes closed.

• Take a moment to connect to the Earth below you and pull Earth’s energy up through you and into your body. Let this energy ground you while also filling your energy body up.
  If you happen to be in a high rise building or you just happen to have airbender vibes, you can trade Earth energy for air/wind energy.

• Continue to pull this Earth energy up through you until you’re satisfied that you’re full up then begin to let it project outward beyond your body and into your aura.

• Continue to pull this energy through you and push it out of your pores so it pools around the outside of your body and fills up your aura.

• Continue to pool that energy around you until it forms a globe all around you made of a warm bright glowing ball of light. Do this until this warm globe of light radiates brilliantly all around you.

• With this alone, the radiating Earth energy creates a shield. 

Once you’re comfortable with that process, move onto how you’d like to “code” your shield. This is where you can get creative. What type of armor do you want your shield to have?

Elemental shields are a popular way to code shields. People use different types of elements to construct their shields. In the beginning exercise, you’re pulling Earth energy into your shield, so an easy next step could be to build the outer crust of your shield into Earth (dirt and rock) to absorb, ground, and neutralize whatever negativity may be around. Plus it can take hits and absorb “shock damage” in the off chance that something is actually attacking you. You can bring any kind of element into your shield. One of my base shield processes uses fire. (shocking, right?) But rather than having a full shield of fire, It’s like having fire poi swirling around me that reacts to what is happening around me.

Shielding with Aphantasia Notes

Those with aphantasia have to get creative with what “visualization” means to them. Rather than seeing your shield with your mind’s eye, you will want to try to rely on other senses to conceptualize your shield. Perhaps you can imagine hearing the crackling or buzz of your shield’s electric charge, or hear fire around you, or feel the warmth of the energy, or feel the wind of circulating energy wash over you. It can be more bodily feeling like tingles washing over you or getting goosebumps or energy jolts through your arms and legs.  Visualization can be traded for conceptualizing through any of the senses in a way that has an impact for you.

Shielding as a Vampyre, what the witches don’t tell you…

The process of shielding is a little different for vampyres, especially those who believe they are energetically deficient.

If you notice in the steps I gave above for the beginning exercise, I instruct for your shield’s energy to be cultivated from the Earth first. This is done purposely. Most witches will tell you that your own energy is fine to use, and it is! However, if you’re someone with energetic abnormalities, depleting your own energy for shields may not be optimal. A lot of Vampyric Witchcraft has extra emphasis on how you’re acquiring the energy you’re fueling your magick with because of the relationship vampyres have with energy.

What you’re often taught as a witch when it comes to shielding is to project your own energy outwards and visualize it becoming a protective barrier around you. You’re still doing that, you’re just adding the extra step of pulling source energy from the Earth, pulling it up and through you to fill your energy systems then project outwardly. This will not only create your shield but also help ground you at the same time.

Shielding for extended periods of time can be draining no matter who you are, vampyre or otherwise. So it can be extra arduous on a vampyre’s energy system to try to maintain shielding all of the time. It’s just not practical. 

Not only can shielding be very energetically depleting for vampyres, but shielding can also produce unwanted results when you’re in a vampyre or occultist dense area. When you’re shielding, you’re concentrating a whole lot of energy around you that could be a tasty snack or fun plaything to vampyres and/or predatory occultists. It’s like you’ve wrapped yourself in a psi-vamp capri-sun waiting for a tendril to pop in for a lil drinky poo. It’s either that or people start trying to break through your shield for sport or they end up attracted to your shield energy like moths to the flame. 

In my opinion, it’s always best to be strategic about when you use your shield and when to employ another tactic to get away from problematic people or feelings. Never underestimate the power of walking away and leaving. If you don’t feel good in a room, leave. If you’re not liking the vibe of a conversation, exit stage left. Go outside and ground for a moment. You can always employ the technique of pulling Earth energy up into you as a grounding technique without having to shield. Take a breather somewhere and chill away from the source of the ick. These are perfectly valid and rather valuable tactics to employ as well.

Regardless, shielding is a practice everyone should learn how to do. It is an indispensable tool in every practitioners toolbox.

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