Magic Users, could I have just seen my shield?

I'm not an expert, by any means. But I do believe that the eyes are the mirrors to the soul, and it seems natural to me that you were seeing the new shield reflecting there, letting you know you were now protected. My guess is that you won't see it again unless you will it to show itself. Shields are meant to be invisible, but you should be able to "see" it at will. If I had a concern, it would be the power source that you are accessing - both for the shield and the dreams. Did you intentionally set one, or are you operating off your own internal battery? If it's internal, that could be bad, because you're using some major energy. Your friend is right to be cautious - when you are new to something is when you are most likely to overstep. I don't want to dissuade you in any way - just go slowly until you know what you can handle. And if you haven't got a mentor to keep an eye on you, you might think about "asking" for one. It helps to have someone to talk to.