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Filters and Shields
by Zeus

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A psychic with empathic and telepathic ability is usually open to vulnerabilities especially in large crowds, or very emotional situations. Fear of crowds can easily set in when one is overwhelmed by broadcast empathy, but a psychic doesn't have to shy away from crowds. Instead of being open to all empathic broadcasts a psychic can filter, narrow, or stop receiving empathically. The most common ways to do this are through creating empathic filters, or by shielding. A less common method of creating a tolerable empathic environment is by actively creating unified thought through telepathic unity; however this technique uses a lot of energy and comes very close to breaching the rules of telepathy, so should only be used in extreme cases.
Empathic filters are used in both broadcast and connection situations to deaden what a psychic feels, or to only allow in thoughts of a certain kind. Filters are also used to help in receiving only information from a specified target. Psychics can set up one filter, or multiple filters each with a single layer, or nested layers. The filter may be created around the body similar to a shield, or just around the Psi Control Centre. As with all psi techniques filters are a very personal creation made for specific purposes. It is also up to the psychic to decide which type of filter works the best for them. The visualization of a filter is very similar to the neutralizing and intaking screen, but with an obviously different specific intent.
Shields are a psychic's primary form of defence. Shields aren't only to stop empathic overload, because they are also sometimes the only means of defence in a psychic attack.
The normal shield blankets, or surrounds the entire body, like a bubble, and prevents intermediate level broadcasts from being received. They also ensure the proper energy balance around the body as well as stopping any unconsented connections from intermediate psychics. Shields may be modified into many different shapes and to have different objectives. They may be used to stop all energy from reaching the body, filtering energy that reaches the body, or reflecting/reflecting energy away from the body. Visualization is the main creation technique for shields which must have constant energy fed into them with constant focus in order to keep them raised.
The next step in the shield evolution is a defensive shield. A defensive shield uses more energy and a stronger construction in order to offer magnitudes more protection. The only drawback to defensive shields is that they also require more time to construct and constant focus thereafter.
The bubble shield is simply a layer of energy that surrounds the body usually at a distance of about 15cm (6in.). Creation of this shield should be continuously practiced until a psychic can complete it in under a minute for unexpected times when a shield is needed. The visualization of the bubble shield begins with sending energy to the top layers of the skin and then visualizing that energy moving out a little way from the body. A bubble shield under normal circumstances should last a few hours until the energy that keeps it up is all consumed. Under strain a shield's energy is used much faster and can collapse the shield in minutes. Once created a bubble shield can not be recharged, or enhanced; however a psychic may draw the shield's energy back within their body to make it drop when they no longer need it. The shield itself works in a sacrificial way by charging and dissipating part of its own energy in order to neutralize, or repel any threat to the psychic.
For more robust protection and for longer lasting protection under strain a psychic must turn to a defensive shield. The make-up of a defensive shield requires a constant influx of energy and uninterrupted focus to stay in place. Energy for this shield flows out from the waist region (circling the body) and then splits with half travelling up while the other half travels down. The energy of the shield then reenters the body through the top of the head and the soles of the feet to be returned to the waist and reused. Once the objective of the visualization is reached the bulk of the body is protected, but there are still vulnerable areas around the waist, at the top of the head, and the soles of the feet. To remedy these vulnerabilities three smaller shields must be set up. The smaller shields, because they are the same energy as the shield, can seamlessly interconnect with the larger pieces. The visualization to create these smaller shields is a blossoming, or eruption of energy right where the energy enters and exits the body. Then the smaller shield should be flattened out and connected with the larger shield pieces. Through all these visualizations a psychic creates a constantly fed field around their body. A defensive shield will stay raised as long as the psychic is able to feed energy into it. A psychic must make sure that they intake prior to raising a defensive shield as they require so much energy and even more under strain. But the level of personal protection offered by defensive shields is extraordinary.
Telepathic unity is a means in which a psychic can harmonize the thoughts around them. In order to create unity a psychic must broadcast a strong thought that will be received by those within a respectable radius and incorporated into their surface thoughts that are broadcast. In this manner everyone will have the same surface thought instead of a hodge-podge of different thoughts and a psychic can more easily handle one thought than many especially if the thought originates from the psychic.
For protection a psychic can use a bubble shield, a defensive shield, or more active thought unity depending on the circumstances and the energy available at the time. The bottom line is that a psychic must ensure that they learn psychic defence to protect their mind and body from overwhelming thoughts, or psychic attack.

Psi Practice (Session 6)

For parts of this session you will need a partner to practice with.
Begin the session by neutralizing, centring, grounding and intaking. This leaves you in a state of psi readiness. Continue only when you have accomplished the listed objectives.
Filters are constructed to allow only a target bit of energy to pass through them. It is most usual only to surround your Psi Control Centre with them, or to place them inside a connection to filter out background noise, or harmful energy. Create a telepathic connection with your partner and send information back and forth. While you are receiving information visualize a screen in the connection with the intent to only allow a certain type of information through. Have your partner think of a colour and then create your filter to only allow information about their colour to reach you. With the filter properly in place you should only receive information about the colour they are thinking of and not about what they had for lunch. Now disconnect from your partner and create a filter around your entire PCC, or even your entire head with the same colour only intent. Next have your partner try to telepathically broadcast the colour to you. If you are around several people doing this the technique may not work, but through the use of filters you can easily make what you interpret in broadcast empathy much more specific (ie colour, or someone needs you).
Intake at this point to make sure you have enough energy.
Begin to create a bubble shield by manipulating energy from your aural energy pool to the top layer of your skin. The energy should cover your entire body from head to toe. Once this is done create a visualization where the energy lifts off the top of your skin and creates a bubble of energy around your body. When you have accomplished that a basic bubble shield surrounds you. The next step is to create shields with actual intent. Before doing this you must destroy the shield you have already created. To do this visualize the shield energy returning to the surface of your skin where it first started. A bubble shield can be used to filter out thoughts just like a filter and the visualized intent is exactly the same when you have the energy sitting on your skin. Create the intent that the shield will only allow information about the colour your partner is thinking of and have them telepathically broadcast a colour at you. When you have done that bring the shield energy back to your skin and create an intent to stop all energy, and thoughts from reaching your body and send the energy out into a bubble again. This shield modification isolates you from the rest of the world and creates empathic calm, but does strain a bubble shield and causes it to collapse in 30-45 minutes. Bring the shield energy back to your skin and create a strong intent that the outside of the shield is a mirror that will reflect all energy and thoughts that it encounters. When the bubble energy is put in place have your partner telepathically broadcast a colour to you again without them having a shield in place. Partners should actually empathically receive their own message bounced back off your shield. This modification strains a bubble shield and cuts down its life span too. Once you have both tried this modification lower your shields by bringing the energy back to your skin and then completely back within your body.
At this point take a moment to intake energy and don't forget to neutralize is with a screen as it comes into your body.
To create a fully defensive shield concentrate your energy around your waist. When the energy is in place visualize it going out from your body and when it reaches a distance of 15cm (6in.) visualize it splitting up with half moving up to the top of your head and the other half of the energy flowing down to your feet. When the energy reaches the top of your head visualize pulling it back within yourself and sending it back to your waist. The same visualization happens at your feet with the shield energy being pulled into your soles and then being sent back to your waist. In this manner you can constantly reuse shield energy instead of losing it to the Universal. At the top of your head you must create a small shield to cover the hole where the energy from your waist is reentering. To do this visualize almost an umbrella of energy that flows out from the top of your head and seamlessly connects in with the rest of the top shield to form constant protection over your head. At your feet create the same umbrella visualization to cover the holes produced there. Around your waist envision energy coming out from your waist and in umbrella fashion seamlessly connecting the top and bottom halves of your shield. When this is all accomplished a constantly fed defensive shield surrounds you. Modifications of a defensive shield do not require a you to bring it down and then put it back up, because the shield is constantly fed all you have to do is send the new intent out with the energy exiting from your waist and the goal is realized in the shield. Similar modifications that were done to the bubble shield may be done to the defensive shield. Take time now with your partner to try and send eachother a colour, or thought with different modifications through telepathic broadcast. It should not be possible for your partner to connect with your while you have a shield up, so test this out as well. To lower the defensive shield simply stop feeding energy out your waist, the top of your head and the soles of your feet. The shield will drop seconds after you do this.
Be sure to intake after dropping the defensive shield and ground again to finish the session.

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