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Sheilding For Empaths
By Silver Eagle Dreamer

Here's a bit I wrote for another forum I frequent. It's on shields for empaths.

Mirror shield - in a state of concentration/meditation and with purpose, envision yourself
surrounded by a one way (facing out) mirror ball. Will it to fend off any energy that comes
towards you that isn't for your higher good. Now.. A quick note, if it's not good for you, it's not
good period. The way I trained, 'benefit to all' includes you. No matter what the situation looks
like or feels like - it's best for all to grow from it.
Benefits: This shield is excellent for keeping out anyone who doesn't know anything about magic
or shielding - which is a lot of people.
Drawback - When they look at you - they'll see themselves as if looking in the mirror. This is
why I only use it with students who need that reflective quality and only for certain lessons. If
the person hates themselves - like 3/4 of the population does, they'll make many assumptions and
probably thin you hate them. Classic projection, psychologically speaking. You also may
develop a trapped feeling from being in a ball. It effectively keeps you from projecting your
emotional state as well.

'I'm rubber you're glue' shield - state of concentration...(as above) envision yourself surrounded
by rubber - bouncing things outwardly (otherwise you could be in for trouble as it rebounds on
you) You can 'program' it to rebound whatever is thrown at you with as much force as you want.
Benefit - If someone is feeding off your energy (as is common with empaths) this'll stop it
generally.
Drawback: You could do severe harm to another this way. People aren't often attacking, they are
looking for a light that empaths carry. It's where their ability and essence come from and it leads
directly to the Source. Whatever needs to be healed in someone is seeking that light which is
why everyone has to tell you their life story Only someone trained can use your empathy to harm
you (as far as I know) so it's not intentional on their part. To bounce back that injured part of
themselves - with force can be devastating. I only use this one in the event that someone who
does know how to harm an empath attacks.

Fire shield - second verse, same as the first... envision yourself surrounded by a wall of fire
directed outward but touching no one. That's important. Remember, shields can be used as
psychic weapons. I'd hate to think anyone here would use what I give as that but the fact remains
that knowledge and choice are power. I thought about not writing about this but the need far
outweighs the possible downside in my mind. So I'm trusting all who read this to use higher
intent when attempting any of these.
Benefit - would you mess with a wall of fire? Trust me, they'll know it's there. Directed like a
scalpel, you can sever ties and burn bridges that need to be burned.
Drawback: Fire can easily get out of control. As with any power, it's sweet at first. You develop
a taste for it and figure a little more won't hurt. You will find out quickly that it does.

Light shield - etc... envision yourself surrounded by white (or protective light) This is the most
common shield that empaths will use.
Benefits: Protection of the highest type.
Drawbacks: I feel isolated when I use this shield so I don't use it. Other empaths swear by it but I
have trouble 'hearing' when I need to. For me it's like wearing earplugs on the psychic
wavelengths and I don't feel like myself or like I'm connected to Creator. I did use this one a lot
when I first started though and it was effective up until a point in my training.

So those are a few. The only thing that works consistency for me is not to shield. I learned
something from shamanism called transparency - I envision myself see through with the
connection to my Creator. Whatever 'attacks' me, I send up that connection to Creator to be
healed. The drawback is, it's a lot of personal work. I'm used to it but others think I'm nuts to
accept 'attacks'. I like to think of it as bending with the wind.

Here's the thing - the very use of a shield sends a message that you have something to protect -
which means, in warrior circles, you have something to lose. It also sends up a red flag that you
know what you're doing and can make you more of a target. The transparency doesn't do that.
But.. to keep things flowing to Creator and not 'sticking' in you... you have to learn where your
own foibles are - you have to understand peoples pain and be willing to let them have it, you
have to be - well, not there... divested of ego.. So... now you know.
The Creator Connection
Spirit Lodge

Northernwolf:
Personally I think I have a lot of trouble shielding. When you build a shield when is it enough. I
tend to gravitate between the states of just willing it it's enough and always putting more energy
in it. I don’t think I have good shielding. Like I mentioned to Cinn once, I do believe I am
shielded though, by myself unconsciously but also by entities that watch over me. So that is very
good, but I do feel that my shields or shield aren't/isn’t accurate to my situation. Either blocking
too much or not enough. So I guess my question is, what is the secret to a good shield?

Cinnamon:
I think shielding varies from individual to individual and the needs we feel are required. Some
people feed their shields continuously and it becomes a focused effort. Others (like myself) set
them in place to be self-sustaining. As you know, I don't discuss my private methods publicly,
but I will take on the topic as a general one. Sometimes willing them into place is enough.
Sometimes (if the individual feels they are under a form of psychic attack) they require being fed
and maintained. As to how much is enough? Well, that's going to depend on you and your own
intuitive feel for the shield. Like any other form of spiritual work, you know when it's done. If it
feels inadequate you continue to add to it until you feel that the attack or negativity coming your
way has been halted.

Again, I'm going to stress my focus on this topic altogether as being one of personal choice and
the necessity of the moment. In my own experience if you are grounded and centered on a
regular basis, shields are not necessary because with the energies you've attracted to yourself a
natural shielded field emerges on its own. You can't be walking in the presence of Spirit, attuned
to the higher energies, and have negatives seeping in. The negatives are on a much lower
vibratory level and they are converted instantly when you approach the higher vibrations.
Making sense?

Yes, our Guardian Spirits do shield us, or they will bring our attention to the necessity to shield if
we remain open to their messages. I think it's so important to center twice a day that I've done it
ritually for years. I center in the morning when I get up and walk through the day attuned to it. I
center again in the evening to walk the night. This is something my Teachers taught me to do
because of the energy shifts that take place. Awareness of the solar and lunar energy placements
helps you to recognize the times this shift takes place. It's at dusk and dawn, when the winds stop
blowing and there is a calm to the air. The birds stop singing, everything stills, and the solar
energy yields to the lunar (and vs./vs.). See if you can't sense it coming both indoors and out,
Northernwolf. Watch for the patterns!

If you feel your shields are blocking too much and that certain energies you want to receive are
not getting through, readdress your formations. Connect with each shield (or layer) and stipulate
clearly (the old be careful what you ask for) what you want them to filter for you. You may have
set them too densely and if you didn't stipulate what you want to come through all energy may
have a tough time of it. They are formed from energy, energy carries information and
information can be sent to it, so your "intent" at the time may not have been as clear as it should
be. You can take them down, undo them, and start over too if you want to. Read over Silver
Eagle's post again and see the cautions she put up. I know how you get into things and have a
feeling your layers may be just a bit thick for you now. When you put them up before you were
at the novice stage. It's time to rework them. Your senses are honed today, your attunements
sharper than they were back then, and a much lighter shield would work fine. You know the art
of self-defense well enough at this point to only need them to alert you to any threats. At that
point you can toss up a shield as needed very quickly.

Personally, I think the idea of shielding is something that people overdo sometimes. Yes we need
to be always aware of our environment and the energy around us, but attunement and growth
enhance that awareness. Pathwork itself elevates your own energy as you advance and in that
way a natural shield seems to manifest. Combined with our Guardians and Protectors, our level
of awareness shifts and we know when they are needed and when they aren't. So don't get too
caught up in this. If you're not messing around with the negative aspects, or associating with
those who walk the Dark Path, then there is generally little need for concern. It varies too with
the areas you are moving into, and common sense is a good point of reference there. I'm hoping
this will help a little, and it is MHO. Others may well disagree with me. I just know you well so
I'm addressing this to you with that understanding.

CoyoteMoon:
I have tried shielding myself in the past and tried "telling" my shields what to do and it didn't
work very well. Now when I say "telling" I mean with words. For me personally, I have found
that having the concept of what you want and then letting the energy "feel" that will work much
better. Reason being is that we often KNOW what we want but we can't put it firmly into words.
Now you do have to have the idea firmly in your mind and it helps to have it refined to JUST
what you want. Then let that permeate the energy... Can't promise this will work for others, but it
does for me. Well, just an idea off the top of me head. Hope it will help somebody.

Silver Eagle Dreamer:
Good points all. Cinn brings up several excellent points - grounding and centering and the
conversion of negative into positive energy. These are very important things to keep in mind
when working or considering shielding. I don't recommend that people shield but rather work on
their connection to Creator instead.

I'd also like to address for a moment, the psychology of using shields; a personal bee in my
bonnet. Shielding is pretty common in many forms of spiritual training but the very thought that
you need to have one can create the need FOR one if you approach the study with vulnerability
in your heart.

In studying martial arts, I learned you never approach an opponent with that feeling of
vulnerability. If you do, you've already lost.

Furthermore, if you set the shield to protect something within you that you feel is vulnerable
(why else would you have a shield) then you are as good as setting up a bullseye over a painful
spot. It's like saying to the universe 'Don't hit me here.' Better to just work that area within and
understand it then to cover it up with a shield. Learn from what you percieve as your
vulnerabilities and understand them. Then no one can take advantage of them in the first place.

Cinnamon Moon:
Claps her hands and says: "Yep...yep...yep!" Thank you Silver Eagle. It is important for people
to understand that shielding is not something they "have" to do on a continual basis. So many
sites, books, and teachers instill fears in the novices that are unnecessary in my eyes too. Then
they teach shielding and the student tries to figure out why they can't make a breakthrough when
they are building walls around themselves. Sure seems like a backwards approach to me.
Anyway, hopefully we've made a strong point here about the need itself. Unless you are under
some form of psychic attack from others, or dabbling in areas of powerlust and greed, (unless
you are walking down a path you shouldn't be on!) you just don't need to focus on this as a rule,
and if you do you'll know it...IMHO

Mouse:
Hmmmm, I'm not sure whether this actually contributes to the thread, but I'm going to share my
experiences anyway.

I shield. I've tried walls, doesn't work for me cuz it also holds everything inside once it's in. Tried
the bouncing off/rubber thing... doesn't work for me, I start bouncing. Sometimes I feel called to
use a wall of white roses... Cinder suggested a spider web, which I find appealing, yet haven't
tried yet. Basically, when I am in town with the kids, I don't feel constantly connected with
myself, which allows for stuff to sneak in unseen... and that's what drains me. As long as I am
centered, I can let it go, it gets sticky when I am not centered. And the kids' well-being can cause
me to get scattered, as can just "hanging" out in town, without focus... too many options, too
many distractions... I am not talking here about constantly needing to visualize a shield... I'm
talking about learning how to be constantly centered within myself, LOL.

When I go into town or anyplace where there's lots of people... I don't tend to pick up their
negative moods or anything. I just say "heh, what a load of anger/sadness/hurt" and let it pass. I
guess that's a part of the transparency thing. It's not mine, I don't need to keep it, I'm not the
cause of it and thus don't need to do anything with it.

What I pick up, are physical things, such as menstrual cramps, sore throats, arthritic complaints,
etc. Mostly I pass a person by and get a short burst of their pain. I can let it pass, cuz it isn't mine,
but it is still draining when there's the whole array of busy town. I am usually with two little
ones, who are both, each in their own ways, sensitive... and I feel more protective of their space
than of mine. I can handle the fatigue or headache when I come home... I can't handle their pain
or sadness or clinginess very well when I come home. Sort of like setting priorities. On top of
that, they don't have the tools yet to protect themselves, so I'm still helping them while they need it.

I also get overwhelmed by the sounds (music, cars, voices) coming from everywhere, the
individual stores each having their own music, machines, door bells, etc.). There is no quiet
space... the sounds tend to drown out the quiet voices of my children, which I find annoying too.
Then there's the smells. Every store has its own specific smell (new carpets, second hand clothes,
perfumes, etc... and I can smell them just by walking past, I don't have to enter the store to smell
them), then the people walking past with their own specific scents (perfumes and aftershaves,
pheromones, or plain ol' sweat)... the exhaust fumes from the cars, the faint smell of sea water
through it all... I pick up whether there's rain approaching or snow, or the scents that the wind
brings... Then there's the physical sensations of people's complaints... in general, my senses get overloaded.

Also, while I don't particularly mind the individual feelings that a person has (cuz I register it as
not mine and let it go), I do feel immersed in the shared feelings: feeling rushed. Feeling greedy
(the consumerism thing... specially around holiday times). Feeling grumpy because it's too hot,
too cold, too wet... That sort of general feeling doesn't affect me in and of itself... but it's like
sitting in a tub full of laundry water. I literally feel the need to wash that off when I come home.
Grounding is an essential part of going out into town (or group) for me. I take a moment to
refocus, re-center, re-group. Whether it is just turning my face into the wind, or feeling the rain,
or feeling the sun... We have the luxury of having a harbor right in the middle of town, and I will
often just go sit on the water side to do some grounding and cleansing. The kids really appreciate
this part too... and they've started to imitate my behavior when they are feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Now recently, I made an amulet. I got a small scrap of leather, and put in some crystals, some
herbs, and some other bits and bobs that I was guided to use. It's a little thingy that hangs on my
coat, and for some reason, it has helped me tremendously in holding together and not being so
overwhelmed while out. I don't feel so drained that I need a bath/shower/alone time to
regenerate... I don't feel all tight in the shoulders, I don't feel the pressure building up inside...
awaiting its release...All I need to do, is just hold on to the amulet, and instantly I feel grounded
and protected again. I have no idea how it works or why it works... I was inspired to make the
amulet, and boy, does it work. The amulet has helped me in ways unknown to me, how to remain
centered. I unconsciously reach for the amulet and just by doing that, I am centered again.
So that's where I feel the need to shield. The physical overstimulation of my senses. I'm going to
give the spider web a try, not particularly in town, but in general... knowing how Spider registers
activity acutely and knows precisely *where* that activity is... I feel that this might be a useful
learning tool for me.

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