Sure, I get what you are saying but I do see a difference between someone sitting calmly and someone who has rooted into the earth and I think one can, or at least I can, detect when that happens. I just think it would help if I knew how people visualize it
I remember reading someone's post here- Mongo, perhaps?- about how they visualised their shield/ward to 'materialise' like something they saw in a movie/TV Show. That is to say, that's how they were most comfortable
seeing the energy manifest in their mind's eye.
So I dunno, maybe if someone adept at shielding ever found a movie or a TV show where a shield manifests or is woven in a way that's similar to how they go about setting stuff up; they can quote that as a visual reference. There's obviously much more to the actual process than that, but it might give you visual pointers.
Like, "OK, I visualise
my shield like how they erected those shields around Hogwarts in Deathly Hallows 2"
Am I making any sense?
Re: the original question, I think Vordan once told me on the old Wicca Forums website when I asked a question about warding- and I'm heavily paraphrasing- that most Neo Pagans have their own 'informal' ways of clearing out negativity and shielding around their homes. When you're saying daily devotionals, holding esbat circles or smudging- heck, firelight is also great for banishing negativity; you're clearing out negative energies- and over time, such things (I feel) accumulate into a shield all on their own.
That said, I do think there is something to be gained with a more deliberately constructed shield- I personally haven't done anything like that, though. So perhaps a deliberate shield initially, and then the other 'daily' things to reinforce and augment?
Keep in mind that my spellwork does tend to depend a lot of visceral reactions than structured rituals
![smile :)](https://www.paganjourneys.com/Smileys/funsmileys/smileguy.gif)
Congratulations for the new baby and new home- both such beautiful things.
![groovin :groovin:](https://www.paganjourneys.com/Smileys/funsmileys/groovin.gif)