Shielding oneself

 "He who is the Brahman of the Vedantins, Ishvara of the Naiyayikas, Purusha of the Sankhyas, cause  of the Mimamsakas, law  of the Buddhists, absolute zero  of the Atheists, and love infinite unto those that love, may [He] take us all under His merciful protection": Udayanacharya -- a great philosopher of the Nyaya or Dualistic school. And this is the Benediction pronounced at the very beginning of his wonderful book Kusumanjali  (A handful of flowers).

As a sapling tries to grow , a hedge is created around it so that it may be protected against animals. We are all saplings trying to grow unto God. For a warrior on the battlefield his uniform is also a shield. What is the shield that we have against the onslaught of crass comercialisation on one side and falling ethics on the other. In between these two enemies that halt spiritual development do we find wanting an armour. 

Since both the adversaries are fighting the battle within us how does one vanquish the enemy ?  Luckily we are all provided with a sword of wisdom which if used alongwith a kavach (protective covering ) of  yoga ( not to be confused with asanas) can counteract any attack. 

Spiritual energy cannot be obtained by talisman, amulets, charms, spells, rituals or any person. Spiritual energy comes from recognising that we are a spirit endowed with a body and our nature is spiritual not physical.

An after-thought.

Sensitive people should avoid large groups and gatherings. There is a theory which I subscribe to and that is the more the number of people gathered in a place the more likely their group consciouness acts in a wierd way. If you see the paranoia at rock concerts you will realise that all individuals involved are sane people but their collective gathering tends to bring out a delusional frenzy. Marriages, Birthday Parties, Dinners where a large number of people are present are potential places where our magnetic impulses tend to loose their properties and the aftermath is a feeling of fatigue and burnout. This is a very important method of shielding oneself.