From: eddie@hermes.oit.unc.edu (Edward M. Averett)
Newsgroups: alt.magick
Subject: Re: Shields
Date: 4 Sep 92 02:53:55 GMT
Organization: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

In article <Bu14yI.Eyv@news.cso.uiuc.edu> ba@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu (B.A. Davis-Howe) writes:
>my standard handout on shielding.  But I still need the auditory one.  Maybe
>
Awright already -) -) !  

Auditory shields are quite easy and fun to do, and very powerful for a lot 
of people, often more powerful than visual ones, surprisingly.  Auditory
shields are strongly related to rhythm and music.  Neither has to be audible,
just like you don't have to "see" a visual image.  People who play musical 
instruments, sing, read music, or study music theory can quite quickly do 
some really neat music magic which is quite complex and useful.

Some easy shields: 

a) Pick a piece of music, a phrase of music, preferably not with lyrics, 
something basic that you can remember easily.  Listen to it over and over, 
just that phrase (drive your roomates and/or neighbors crazy), not the 
whole piece of music.  The more definite the beginning and end, the easier
to reimage later.  example:  Joni Mitchell, from the Court and Spark album, 
has an intro to a song which is the drums of Burundi. An exerpt and fairly
short, it has remained with me as a basis for a shield.

b)  Get a mantra ! -) "Oh!, How Money Makes Me Hum". .sure why not. .use
something which is meaningful to you.  Mantra's have many uses, shields 
are one.  The other examples are variants on mantras, basically.  

c)  There are several "middle pillar" exercises out there, and similar 
rituals which use the modulated tones from words as forces.  You can do 
shields with this quite easily. 

d)  Talk, slowly at first, while imagining your actual words as taking 
form and shielding you. You MUST remember that you are doing this when you
do it, otherwise you might start using talking as a means of cutting 
people off.  Later, when dealing with someone difficult, (start with 
someone easy, like a waiter you don't like), do this imaging while you 
converse with them.  This takes practice, but it can give you strength
just at the moment you need it, when talking to that highway patrolman, 
or the angry mother who thinks you are the fiend who scared her baby, or
. .....-)  It will teach you confidence for awkward social situations in 
general, but you have to be able to turn it on and off.  

e) Imagine frequencies of everything you hear, resonating to you, becoming
in tune with parts of you, filtering your whole universe through these 
frequencies, purifying them, clearing them, bringing them into precise
auditory focus, so that you can percieve the spark which is the essence of
beingness in everything you encounter.  An advanced shield that may not
even seem like one to you at first.  But you will find in this state, that
very little can or will ever bother you, and you will simultaneously be
more receptive, and relaxed, so you can hear what others are trying to 
communicate to you, and you will be less afraid to deal with them . ..better
for all.  

N.B.:  With all shields, it is necessary to remember that true sincerity 
and simple harmony with oneself is important in order not to appear that you
are cutting people off, or being condescending.  A pitfall of practicing 
these shields is that some folk develop an attitude that goes with them
which can be picked up by others, which may not communicate itself well. 
Experienced individuals may also be able to tell when you are using a 
shield, and for what purpose.  It can be gauche to do so around magically
experienced folk.  Good traditional manners are important in magick as much
as at the formal dinner table.  Sometimes you may find yourself using a 
sheild for an inappropriate purpose cause you're lazy and don't want to listen,
try to resist this. 

Ok, enough warnings and caveats.   Have fun. ..

		-eddie@legba.oit.unc.edu 
Newsgroups: alt.magick,alt.satanism