Wards and Shields
Simply put, wards and shields are selective energy barriers. They can be made of physical substances or they can be forms of thought, like visualizations, or prayers. Whatever their form, they all serve as a wall behind which the investigator can take shelter to ward off physical or psychic attack.
The process of going through a ritual in order to protect oneself or one's home from harm is extremely ancient. Today's investigators draw from many traditions to design rituals that feel right to them and provide the psychic and spiritual strength they need in times of crisis.
Warding and shielding a home can provide protection from negative energies, and many sensitives and paranormal investigators firmly believe that it is essential to protect their own energy fields and homes from the intrusion of negative forces before going out on an investigation. Even Christians often invoke the protection of a divine light, which they visualize as a barrier between them and whatever they may encounter in the course of an investigation. The entities and energies they encounter on investigations may not be inherently evil, but frightened and confused spirits can still cause problems. Like confused people, they can lash out and cause harm to innocent bystanders. After a house has been cleared of whatever entities haunted it, a blessing of the house, which acts as a natural ward, should always take place.
A photo taken by paranormal investigator Kym Black during an investigation at the Sprague Mansion in Cranston, Rhode Island.
Photo copyright Kym Black, 2006.
Protecting the Home
Some investigators and sensitives feel it is necessary and prudent to protect their own homes as well as their persons. They develop their own unique systems for this, usually involving the establishment of protective shields and wards. These are highly individualistic and should be crafted to fill the needs of the practitioner.
WARDING RULES
Warding allows positive energy to be retained; it keeps good energy from escaping but also allows it in.
Warding blocks negative energy and keeps harmful and disruptive energy at bay.
Selective wards may block certain energies while permitting others to pass; some energy is even transmuted, according to the needs of the occupants.
This sort of warding requires quite a bit of research and a high degree of sophistication to carry out. Some people are able to fine-tune the porosity of their wards to let only the energy they want into their home environment, almost like a strainer. They keep out unwanted energy, and of course, different people will want to keep out different types of energy.
Visualization
After meditation, visualizing shields around the outside or home can prove very effective. An image of armor plates is a very effective protective visualization; people employ it for protection of their bodies as well as their houses. Mirrors, force fields, and thick stone walls are also effective images. These shields should be recharged periodically to maintain their effectiveness. A bubble of white light around the entire body, rather like the one surrounding Glinda in the Wizard of Oz, is one of the most common visualizations.
Charms and amulets many thousands of years old have been found in tombs in ancient Egypt. They were routinely interred with the dead, hidden in mummy wrappings. It is also believed that the living used them both as protection against evil and as a way of attracting good fortune.
Sigils and Charms
In the field of paranormal investigating, it is not unusual to find people carrying lucky charms and other protective items such as sigils that they feel form an energy barrier and protective shield. Sigils can be etched or engraved on a small object and placed in a central location or etched on some part of the house to be protected. Sigils are encoded with intentions and used primarily for defense and protection. They are drawn on the outer walls of the house or inscribed on four pieces of metal and then placed at the four corners of the site.
Simple charms placed around the house, especially at key points like doors, windows, and corners, can be very effective. Little mirrors placed above doors and windows to deflect incoming negative energy work well, too. Wind chimes and other angelic, dangling, or sparkly items can be hung around the home to keep the energy fresh and positive. This is something akin to the principle of breaking up stagnant chi in Feng Shui. Additionally, plants can act like canaries in a coal mine. They absorb negative energy, so placing them around your home can be an effective way of detecting an influx of negative energy. If they seem ill for no apparent reason, you may take it as a warning that something negative is affecting the house.
