Spiritual Shields

Because of what we are, we have little need for shields ourselves. Shields are, by definition, antithetical to our nature. We are constantly taking energy into ourselves. To close ourselves off from this would be to close ourselves off from what sustains us. Selective shields, or filters, which allow only certain things through, are more useful to us by far. Our best defense against energy intended to do us harm is simply to fall back upon our essential nature. It is our nature to devour, and so we merely take it all in, good energy, bad energy, tendrils, missiles, all of it. While we rarely gain any actual benefit from taking such energies in, neither are we harmed by them. If you are attacked by something, grab onto it on the subtle level and pull it into yourself. Break it down into neutral energy as you would process anything else. Though in general the assimilation of energy is an unconscious process, in cases of attack, you may actually have to concentrate on the process. Just will the energy to break down. Purge it of any specific charges or intents and make it a part of you. You may also purge it, process it, then throw it back in the direction it came as a response to whoever attacked you. If such an attack is clearly being directed by another, trace the attack to its source as you would travel down one of your own tendrils. Then reverse the attack and drain through your enemy's connection to you. The attacker will usually be so surprised by this response as to cut the attack off immediately. Most of the awakened consciously or unconsciously set up shields in order to guard against a myriad of psychic attacks. Shields, as they are constructed of energy, can be drained into non-existence by those of our kind. The energy may not be something which we can process or make use of, but it is energy nonetheless and therefore not proof against our manipulations.

Creating Filters

We are constantly pulling energy into ourselves. This function is unconscious and often undiscerning. When you are among a group of people, you will draw upon the ambient energy that is generated by that group. Occasionally, there is a quality to the energy of a group that you may not wish to take into yourself. This is especially true if many of the individuals in the group are tainted in some way, as with illness, intoxication, or drug-use. Rather than shielding yourself and thus blocking yourself off from all the energy in the room, you may set up a filter. Less rigid and opaque than a true shield, a filter allows you to sort through all that you take in and block certain elements of that energy out. A filter may target certain emotions which you do not wish to vicariously experience or they may filter out the taint of alcohol, drugs, or disease so you do not draw these things into yourself during a general crowd feed. Target the specific energy that you do not wish to take in. Visualize a filter, like a porous shield, that will allow everything to pass through except this particular energy. If you are actively drawing from the crowd around you, simply be selective in what you pull into yourself through nets or tendrils. Isolate the unwanted energy from everything else and discard it before you actively pull the rest through. All this requires is an awareness of yourself and your surroundings on the subtle level. A filter can also be used to take only a specific sort of energy in. Simply isolate that element among the ambient energy, focus on it, then draw upon it to the exclusion of all else. As the subtle and the physical are intricately interwoven, this can work on chemicals present in your target's system. Though physical contact facilitates this technique, it can be done with effort from a distance. In this way, you can focus on the drugs in someone's system and pull them away, thus robbing them of their high. Treat the drugs as you would any intrusion on the subtle level, grabbing onto them with your subtle body but not pulling them into yourself. If you grab onto the drugs or alcohol present in another's system in this way and pull them into yourself, you will experience the effects of the drugs vicariously. Sometimes this is desirable. Simply focus on someone who is suitably intoxicated, focus on the element present in their systems that is responsible for the intoxication, and draw it into yourself. Once again, this is most efficiently done with person to person physical contact, but can be effected in a group or long-distance draw. Because you have the ability to manipulate energy on such a level, you can also consciously burn the resulting intoxication out of your system whenever you choose. Simply extend your awareness within yourself, focus on the intoxicant, gather it up and cast it away. This works to a certain degree even it you have physically imbibed the intoxicant.

Author: Razor The Tormented