Shields Up!
Shields Up!
If you are a long-time Trekker like me, the phrase “Shields Up” has a specific meaning. The starship Enterprise (or one its later counterparts) is in danger of attack and needs to be protected by an energy force field in order to prevent its destruction. One of the reasons that the “Star Trek “series ( https://www.startrek.com ) has been around in some form since 1966 is its ability to accurately portray the human experience within the context of alien worlds. Hmmm…doesn’t that sound eerily like the situation we have been facing since the pandemic began?
Like “Star Trek” cadets, most adults and too many children nowadays had some training and practice around what to do when encountering danger. But nothing can prepare a person for their first alien encounter. It’s something we have to face moment -by -moment. So here we are- shields up personally, nationally, and globally- dealing with forces we cannot see that have unpredictable consequences with no end in sight. Fifty- four years after my first encounter with “Star Trek”, I feel like I’m exploring an alien world, needing to put all I have learned into use.
If you are not a Trekker, you need to know that starship shields don’t always hold up. Isn’t that the way it goes? You think you have your shields up and everything is ok. Then suddenly something or someone comes along and knocks them out of commission! What happens next?
Well, in “Star Trek” world, the captain or an officer comes up with a daring, creative (and often seemingly insane) strategy or maneuver that saves the day. In our personal stories, we each get to be the hero. Let’s take a look at how our shields are holding up as we simultaneously face current community, national, and global conditions on planet Earth.
Consider for a moment an idea that now can be confirmed by science. Everything consists of energy. Events, interactions, and reactions reflect energy flow and energy exchange- from work/money matters and relationships exchanges to awareness of the Divine. Our personal energy can be oriented for building and creating or for guarding and remaining stagnant, so it’s good to know when and how to use shields and when to let them go.
We need inner shields to protect us against storms of negativity and attacking forces. “Shields up” is a wise alert when we are in situations in which we are being pushed to either surrender our power or react in an overly aggressive way to maintain it. Putting up shields can give us time to decide what to do next. On the other hand, we can use up needless energy maintaining unnecessary shields based on past hurts. Rigid shields keep us from making close connections.
To know when to use your shields, it’s wise to check your overall energy status. Positive energy may be experienced as:
1-physical sensations like warmth, ease of heart rate and breathing, lightness
2-emotions like calm, joy, contentment, love, hope, anticipation, trust
3-mental states like clarity, focus, insight, peace of mind, understanding, acceptance
Negative energy may be experienced as:
1-physical sensations like heaviness, difficulty breathing, erratic heart rate, fatigue
2-emotions like worry, sadness, anger, panic, unhappiness, hopelessness, mistrust
3-mental distress like confusion, racing thoughts, distraction, spaciness, forgetfulness
Stop for a moment right now and take a survey of your energy status. What percentage of the time, on average, would you say your energy feels positive, as described above? What percentage of the time does it feel negative?
When shields are being used in an optimum manner, you will feel safe and protected from negative influences and still able to lower them at will to be interactive, passionate, and intimate. If your shields are too strong or they are up all the time, you may feel alienated, cut off, isolated or “stuck” in old patterns of reacting and your energy will feel depleted. If your shields are absent or not strong enough, you may be tossed by the storms of negativity around you or drawn into relationships and situations that hurt you. Here’s a way to help your shields function well and keep your energy system stable:
TRY THIS:
1-Use the checklists above to check your energy system functioning at least once a week.If you are on the positive end of the energy scale most of the time, it’s likely that your shields are working well. You are in a good place to move forward, even in these turbulent times. Ask yourself: What do I really want to do right now? What do I have to offer the world that could enhance my happiness and create a better world?
2-If your energy scale veers more toward the negative, your shields may need some work. Ask yourself: Are my shields absent or inadequate? If so, what do I need to say or do in order to feel safer and less reactive to negative influences? Are rigid shields preventing me from connecting? What action can I take right now to let my shields down a bit?
3-Start your day with this exercise: Imagine a light but strong bubble of protective love extending three feet around you on all sides. Give it a color that has meaning for you. Ask your inner Self to show you how and when to offer your love, assistance, and wisdom as well as how and when to receive the same from the world around you.
Be safe, happy, and well. Contact me if you want support as you work with your shields to create more balanced, positive energy. I’m here for you.
