The Importance of Protection

When starting out on a spiritual or magickal path, it is believed that you automatically send a beacon of light up into the astral. As astral beings, both malevolent and benign, could be attracted to this light, it is important, therefore, to perform some form of psychic protection. Another reason why this form of protection is important is as your own psychic sensibilities start to become more developed, making you more susceptible to picking up negative energies, which are around us all the time.

Mankind has always felt the presence of negativity. Frightening dreams, mental illness, fatigue and just plain old bad luck are all caused by the presence of negativity in our lives. In ancient times, negativity was believed to have been caused by demons and evil spirits. Today we know that the causes of negativity are many, and that perspective plays a large part in its existence. Sometimes "bad luck" is actually a karmic process of cleansing, but because such a process is generally misunderstood, such a cleansing process is seen as negativity. Any form of anger or violence will generate negative energies that can be felt long after the actual act has passed.

Other people can be sources of negativity to us, even though they may mean no harm. They drain us of our vitality, leaving us with little energy. These people are known as "psychic vampires", and most of them are unaware of what they are doing.

Heavy paranoia and extreme pessimism will also create tangible negative energies, either from others or our own selves. But no matter how enlightened we are, we must not dismiss the existence of negative or harmful entities. As long as there are those who practice unethical or negative magick, there will exist negative energy forms who are nourished by it.

Regardless of the possible causes of negativity, the acknowledgment of its existence is what is important to the magickal practitioner. Simply examining the sources of negativity will not make it go away - denying it access to your personal power will. Psychic protection will help you to do this, on the spiritual, mental and physical levels.

In the second part, I will share the effect of psychic attacks on one's aura as well as a number of simple yet effective ways you can help protect yourself psychically by strengthening your aura.