>>A holey stone is a self-working example. There are also medallions, pendants, etc. that can do shielding but they often need a magical imprint to do it. A few seem to be self-working. Look for a rune or other symbol that means protection, a convex medallion -- really, a miniature shield.<<

I'll have to see if I can find one of those. Sounds like it could be very helpful.

>> Once the base talent is established, how much skill a person develops is largely based on how much time and energy they devote to honing those skills.<<

That makes sense.

>>If you can already do the energy ball in your palms, try the same thing but with a pea to marble sized ball between two fingers, or thumb and finger.<<

I can't quite manage a ball, but I can do a cushion-like energy field between my palms. I can push on it a little bit, like if you playing with soap suds between your palms, and once I have the field there, if I tilt one hand, I can feel the energy move in response on the other palm.

>>YouTube is generally a good place to check for videos on how to "do" things -- just about anything, by now.<<

Yes, there are a lot of things that can be found on YouTube, it's quite useful.