This east shield is also part of the teaching that is needed for the backside of your shield. The backside of your shield is in a sense the most personal part of your shield, the hidden part. You have a personal altar in your life and you have a public altar in your life. The public altar is that part that is shown to people when you are doing ceremony, when you are doing healing. It could be seen as your outer personality. The private altar is for your own personal prayer. It’s for your own self-instruction and illumination. The backside of the shield is very much like the private altar, so the east shield helps you find the hidden and mysterious symbols for the backside. They are related.
From the 1991 JT The Teaching of the Shields MP3 PKG