Shielding Poll

Mirror/Deflective shields
Ok I'll start. I like deflective shields for helping keep down background "noise" in particular. They're relatively simple at their basic level so can be thrown up rapidly if needed especially with practice.
.
Potential disadvantages- Watch where you're deflecting to! Setting it to deflect and ground is nice for your neighbours :) Not great by itself if you're dealing with anything with any degree of intellegence as it can come back. If using reflective rather than deflective, stuff will actually strike the shield before being moved away. (Which could cause a problem under certain circumstances). Don't put this shield under another one.

Bubble shields
Advantages: Nice simple shield. Things with simple programming are easier to get the hang of so may be more stable- Great for learing purposes. Can give an edge to your field for every day/minor help.

Disadvanges: Not the strongest of shields. Simple programming can make it of limited use.

Mashmellow:
Advantages: Can absorb energy rather than relying on reflection.
Disadvantages: Ick! Clostrophobia (Actually maybe that's just me). Can be prone to breakdown with some types of constructs.

Hedge/cloak shield:
Multiple types from the "I'm not here/I'm a tree" suggestion types, through to scan re-routing, scan "shredding" (For want of a better term- basically messing up the scan) etc.
Advantages- Hide when you want to. Can be used to draw attention away from you if you want at times.
Disadvantages: More advanced shielding type. Is only as good as your skills are. Some require resonable skill in other areas such as telepathy. Shield type must be the outer layer.

Ok there's a start. Agree/ Disagree Anyone want to add anything? Custom shield types you want to share?

Really all I use is the bubble shield and _occasionally_ the cloaking.

Cloaking really for just one thing..Sneaking out of the house. *sigh* I'm having my 19th birthday soon, and still have to sneak out of the house. My father is really big on making sure I'm not out at night and stuff..So I pretty much just walk right by him and out the door when I got this thing going. Its really not even a shield for me, its just some heavy TPS. I imagine myself kinda dissappearing, and a ripple effect where I diffuse into the environment..Then I sort of broadcast "nothing to see here.." and I just walk by. My father was in the kitchen, and I walk right by him, open the back door, walk out, and go. It wasnt until about 2 minutes later (I was all the way down the street) when he called me and asked "did you just walk out the door?"

The bubble shield I never really starting using until now. For a long time now, empathy has been a pain in my ass..And I've just been sitting there taking it. Not doing anything about it (Laughter in the backround..) The usual testimony on how empathy is..Its got its useful perks, but crowded places are HORRIBLE. Its completely unbearable most of the time. Sitting there in a crowded room. Now, most of the time I turn out okay because I'm not stuck in the situations for long.. But this time, I was stuck there for 5 HOURS. And let me tell you, after the second hour, I was about to crack. I was seriously just about to leave and not even come back, I couldnt handle it. But then I remembered..Ahh! Shielding! So I excused myself, and made my way to the bathroom downstairs down a long hallway (I walked away shaking..) I get to the bathroom, and completely ground and center myself, clear my mind, and just relax for a bit..Wich is usually how I deal with empathy. Basically just have to get away and clear myself up and relax. So I did that, and then I made a shield..I slowly walk back to the room, and I go sit back down in my seat..

AHHHHH. RELIEF. It was seriously mind blowing, and I couldnt believe it. I could actually walk back in the room..and feel nothing. Seriously, I cant describe how amazing it was. It was such a relief, and I was so relaxed, just sitting there..I had a huge smile on my face, and I was just like..ahhhhhhhhhh yess..

End of story. lol.

Hehe brings me back to high school when people used to talk in front of me on a regular basis when I was doing my "I'm not here" broadcast routine. (I wasn't listening in on purpose it's just people didn't always register I was there lol. They're lucky I disliked starting rumors :P). Don't do it much these days, but anyway. Not a shield as such, probably comes in more under a broadcast/suggestion, sounds like you're doing something similar.

Yeah empathy has it's good and bad points. Crowds can be a pain in the backside sometimes. Shields can be your friend there. Also recommend taking up some meditation techs. Being able to differentiate between "your's" and "their's" effectively can also really help. Grounding and centering are also great.

Yeah. I pretty much learned to ground and center on my own without really knowing what it was..Its what I learned to do because of empathy. But it doesnt work when your still around the people :P I also find the shielding doesnt work until you get away from them first too, and then come back shielded.

I use an adaptive polyphasic layered shield that is fed by a wide net of energy taps. While I have never invited anyone to test it, I have not had any intrusions. The individual layers are each on a shifting frequency and pattern.

[code]
|X x X|0^0|vOV| Me |VOv|0^0|X x X|
[/code]

Personally I never use shields. I do sometimes use bubble programs, but not for shielding purposes.

Hey ArcAvenger,
Just curious (you don't need to answer if you don't want to). Do you not use shielding because you don't feel the need, or are you more a fan of other techniques such as using focal medication etc to create the effect you need?

I don't use shields because I don't need them. I have good enough control over my mind not to have my energy drained from me. Also if someone chooses to bombard me with an energy based attack the best thing to do in the long run is to breathe it in. Energy can only hurt you if you let it. Plus people usually give up if they feel their attacks aren't hitting anything. It will feel kind of funny at first, but if you take in the whole sum of the attack, you can transmute it within yourself to serve you.

I wouldn't really condone breathing in "bad" energy until you have complete trust in yourself. That and you should get out of the mindset that there even is "bad" energy. Energy is just energy, you can take it in, and release it when it feels natural.

I've always been a big advocate of shielding, screening, and masking.

Shielding and screening can have a huge impact on an empath's life where constant noise gives way to quiet. They're also extremely important in emotionally charged situations where a sensitive may otherwise be overwhelmed. It has been my experience that learning to understand the need for shielding can improve the enjoyment of life for extremely sensitive people.

Shielding can also help out in situations where energy imbalance in an area is creating waves, or even imbalance in a person's personal energies. Negating the waves and tides of energy helps to keep a consistency of personal energy, which in turn leads to better personal balance and response.

In very unlikely situations shields may be used to negate or reduce unwanted energy interactions during "attacks" or even "assaults" by unskilled persons.

Learning basic shielding and defensive shielding should be one of the underlying skills in a psychics arsenal of techniques.