Sheilding intro 101 Introduction Page 3   Attributes Passive Defeinsive Attributes Color - Color can be used to enhance the effectiveness of your shield. White - basic all purpose color. Also the color of light and universal truth Blue - extremely protective color, used in most circle castings Red - both defensive and offensive color, useful when calling upon the element of fire to increase your energy Black - color of protection and hiding. Black is not an evil or negative color, it is just a color. You can make your shield black thus preventing anyone from seeing inside. Purple - light of the spirit and higher self Others - any color can be used. Usually, the bright, more vibrant colors which are full of life and energy are used.   Invisible - this attribute basically turns you invisible. See your shield, see yourself in your shield and then see everything become transparent or invisible. Nothing can see you but you can see other things. Reflective surface - this shield uses the idea that any force which comes in contact with the shield is reflected. Be careful with attributes, you should examine the ethics of using this shield (Is it ok to return an attack to the attacker? What if the force reflects and hits an innocent target?). Some people will not use this attribute since we are bound by, "An it harm none do as you will". Is reflecting an attack harming someone? Are you simply acting as an agent of karma (everything you do will return three fold)? Has an attacker stepped over all boundaries of free will and no longer bound by this truth? These are questions which you must answer for yourself if you decide to use this attribute. Force Fields - for the techies and trekkies, visualize the shield as a force shield around the Enterprise. It works. "I am not here" - this technique adds the idea that you are not here, you are not worth noticing. Basically, it is the "These are not the droids you are looking for" technique from Star Wars. This technique has nothing to do with self esteem or self worth. Simply, you put out the idea that you are not worth looking at. People will look in your direction and not notice you. Layered mesh - Your shield is covered with a fine mesh through which things can not penetrate. Warning: The counter to this technique is to make the attack smaller than the mesh. Of course, you can always add more layers of mesh at different orientations. Brick wall - see your shield as a brick wall surrounding you. Brick is strong and protective. Note, this is not the brick wall shielding technique describe below. This just makes your shield appear as a brick wall. Absorbing - I am including this technique as a warning. A common thought would be, "Why can't I absorb the energy of an attack and use it in my shield?" You can but be warned, this is not a beginning technique. The capture and transmutation of an attack is possible but it takes practice. In short, DO NOT TRY THIS, if you don't know what you are doing - you can really hurt yourself or wind up killing yourself. Pass around - this technique basically makes the outer layer of the shield "slippery" so that an attack simple bounces off, slides off, splits and goes around, etc. This is a passive shield where energy does not really contact the shield itself but slips off. Active defensive attributes - these attributes are very defensive but can cause harm when something tries to pass through them. The use of these techniques require careful ethical consideration. Of course, if something does try to pass through these shields then they are acting of their own free will since they will see the shield. I would never combine these techniques with the invisible shield or a black shield. I include these because I feel that if I can figure them out then anyone can figure them out - you must consider the ethical and magickal ramifications of using these types of attributes before you implement them. Blade barrier - visualize yourself surrounded by swirling knives. Anything which attempts to pass through will be shredded. Sword barrier - same as with blade but only longer Fire - see your shield blazing with etheric fire. Anything which passes through will be consumed in flame. Cold - see your shield the blue of intense cold. Anything passing through is frozen. Razor blades and broken glass - can be used a shield. Anything attempting to pass will be cut.   These are only a few of the attributes which you can add to your shield. Anything that you can imagine you can add. As always, with all magick, consider the ethical ramifications of using any attribute to a shield.