bring it more in line with our design goals for the spec as a whole

We want Power Word: Shield, Power Word: Barrier, and Divine Aegis to continue to be an important part of a Discipline priest's rotation. We want you to use those spells frequently. The changes we've made through hotfixes and those that we currently have planned for 4.1. aren't intended to remove that element of gameplay at all, but simply refine it and bring it more in line with our design goals for the spec as a whole.

As we've stated in the past (http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/2089271114?page=25#485), wow po we don't want Discipline priests to use their shields to exclusion of everything else -- including, potentially, a more efficient heal. While damage mitigation is what Discipline priests are known for and something that you do very well, we also want you to cast important spells like Penance, Greater Heal, Prayer of Healing, and Flash Heal. Casting those heals doesn't make you a Holy priest, especially if you're using them to leverage other key talents in the Discipline arsenal (like Renewed Hope, Strength of Soul, and Train of Thought).

Even so, we know that a lot of players want a class specialization that does nothing but shield, and that's fair -- but that's not the direction we want to take with Discipline priests right now. We want you to use the spell that's most appropriate for the situation, be that a heal, a shield, or an offensive ability like Smite. Your shields will still have their time and place, of course, and we'll make sure that you have good reason to cast them, but they just won't be the only thing you use to keep an ally alive.