How to create a powerful shield and why you should

What you need to shield from

Life throws a lot of stuff at you on a daily basis. The person who hoots at you because you drive too fast/slow for their tastes. The child who says ‘I hate you! You’re the worst mummy/daddy/brother/sister/grandparent ever.’ The boss who is always grumpy/slimy/shouty. The colleague who gossips/stabs you in the back. The person who expects you to drop everything to focus on their priority!

It’s not possible to stop other people giving in to negative emotions at times. However, you can help protect yourself.

This makes these situations less likely to occur: if people get no feedback from you, they have less reason to continue with the behaviour. It also makes you more ‘bulletproof’ in yourself: letting such situations wash over you like water off a duck’s back…

And if you want to strengthen your ability to say ‘No!’ to others, this is definitely the way to go. You make space so you can decide what is right for you, rather than just taking on whatever others want to throw at you, emotionally or work-wise.

So, what is a shield and how to do you create one?

What is a shield?

A shield is basically a way to imagine yourself being protected. Setting this intention and creating a visualisation are all that are required.

You can imagine this shield in whatever way feels right to you. However, consider that you want to be flexible and open to possibility.

So, a brick wall may not be the best kind of shield to imagine. You want something that, like your own skin, can let helpful things in, and keep unhelpful things out. Your skin can absorb healing, soothing creams, but keep dust and dirt out.

You could imagine this as a light: pure white, or of whatever colour appeals to you in the moment. Or it could be a soft, cuddly blanket that wraps around you. It could be like an astronaut’s suit, or like Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak. It could be a wave of music. It really is up to you!

How to create your shield

The basic explanation is simply to imagine this shield around you. You set your intention about what it will be, and then picture that in your mind’s eye.

However, it may not be easy for you to really feel the shield is established with just a quick, three second flash of visualisation. Or at least not the first time…

My recommendation is to take some time building up the visualisation: seeing and ‘feeling’ it in detail. Breathing into it and strengthening it. Once you have done this, it becomes easier to establish the shield more quickly on future occasions.

In this video, I guide you through creating a strong, energetic centre, by balancing your chakras. Then, you use this energetic core to fuel three layers of shield around you: one next to your skin, one at elbow distance around you, and the last at full arm distance.

You can choose what colour you want each of these shields to be. This might be the same each time, or you might choose different colours depending on which aspects of self you want to strengthen, or what kind of day you are expecting to have.

For example, you could have a pure white light closest to your body, with maximum energy and purity. At elbow distance, you could choose a red colour, to help you stay grounded. And at arm’s length, you could have turquoise, to help you express yourself clearly.

If you want some guidance on possible colour associations, you can find that here.

How to strengthen your shield

As mentioned before, practising this kind of shielding exercise means that you can put the shield in place more quickly over time.

Another way to strengthen you shield is to anchor it in your body. So, for example, you could use tapping while you visualise your shield. Or you could use a Havening Touch: stroking from shoulders to elbows, for example, which is very calming and nurturing.

Another really nice way to connect body and visualisation is a technique created by Sue Beer, called the Heart Anchor. Here, you circle/rub or hold gently at your heart, while feeling positive emotions or visualising something positive (like this shield).