The 9 Foundations of the Primordial Shamanic Path – The Key to an Open Heart and a Joyful Life
To walk a shamanic path – a journey that opens the heart and enables us to live a deeply meaningful life where our authentic talents can flourish – we need guiding principles. The 9 foundations for discovering the primordial shamanic path serve as a spiritual compass, offering a practical and timeless recipe for finding our spiritual journey as shamans.
Without a spiritual guide, we can easily lose direction on our path, allowing the ego to continue dominating as the soul’s ruler instead of being the soul’s guide. When the ego takes control, our choices and actions become driven by the opposites of love: fear, anxiety, jealousy, envy, greed, and apathy. In this way, it becomes impossible for the soul to manifest its true nature, which is essential for achieving a genuinely happy and meaningful life.
Since there are many misconceptions and confusion surrounding shamanism, it is important to establish some basic guidelines for understanding shamanism’s true nature – which has nothing to do with black magic, substance abuse, protection against evil spirits or dangerous energies, jealousy, rivalry, or greed.
The 9 Fundamentals for Finding the Primordial Shamanic Path
These nine fundamental principles describe an ancient foundational structure for an authentic primordial shamanic path of development. Below you will find a brief introduction to each of the nine fundamentals.
1. Communication in a Loving and Respectful Way with Yourself and Others
“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world and my mind. All that I know is what I have words for,” expressed the German philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein.
For a shaman, clear and constructive communication anchored in the heart is an essential virtue. The ability to express oneself clearly and lovingly to both humans and beings in the spirit world defines the possibilities and limitations of what a shaman can achieve on their path.
Communicating in a loving and respectful way includes:
- Avoid negative talk about yourself and others
- Take a stand against bullying
- Be constructive and positive in your communication with others
- Do your best to stick to facts and reality
- Avoid speculating about others’ thoughts or feelings
Such a form of communication doesn’t develop naturally. These are skills rarely learned in childhood or through conventional education. For those who wish to follow a primordial shamanic path of development, mastering the art of loving and respectful communication is essential.
2. Understanding and Respect for the Beauty of Creation
Everything that exists is a manifestation of the universal creative force. Every element in the universe is alive and ensouled. Beauty manifests as the unique way in which the qualities of this creative force are expressed in our physical world. This beauty is always a manifestation of unconditional love.
Every human being and every creature in this world is a unique manifestation of creation’s beauty. It is therefore crucial to treat our physical body as a sacred temple for the soul and accept it completely, with all its peculiarities and apparent imperfections. In nature, we find the beauty of creation expressed through healthy natural rhythms, sacred geometry, and the golden ratio – principles that also inspire artists in their creative expressions of beauty.
As children of the creative force, we must learn to be authentic, rather than hiding behind masks or pretending to be something other than our true nature. For a shaman on the Path of the Heart, it is essential to meet fear and anxiety with courage, rather than fleeing from them. This is achieved through deepening and practicing the The 9 Pillars for Finding the Path of the Heart.
3. Discovering and Cultivating Your Soul Family
To achieve true happiness, we need a family that embraces and loves us unconditionally. We need people who truly understand us, with whom we can share our deepest thoughts, and who don’t judge us when we deviate from societal norms. Unfortunately, many don’t experience this acceptance in their biological family, which is often influenced by society’s limiting norms and prejudices against those who choose unconventional life paths.
A shaman’s journey is about following the path of creative force, not society’s expectations. Therefore, it’s essential to find and connect with your spiritual family – your soul family – who both see and accept us for our true nature.
To open ourselves to our spiritual family, we must first heal the wounds from our upbringing with our biological family. Pay attention to your heart’s signals when meeting new people. If it feels like you’ve known them for eternities, they’re likely part of your soul family.
For a shaman, expressing oneself openly and authentically, and collaborating with others who share the same approach is crucial. This becomes significantly easier when surrounded by your soul family.
4. Understanding Your Genuine Needs and Meeting Them with Love
You recognize your true needs when doing something that touches your heart so deeply that time and space cease to exist. This must be actively explored – it doesn’t come automatically. The body and mind, the sacred temple of the soul, must be nurtured with love and respect through nourishing food, pure water, and healthy habits.
For the shaman, seeking nature’s power and wisdom regularly is crucial. By opening oneself to nature’s rhythms and interactions, even complex challenges can find clear answers through nature’s own book of wisdom.
Through creative expression and tuning into the universe’s rhythms, the shaman enters into resonance with both their own and others’ divine essence.
5. Cultivating Personal Power to Enhance Your Ability to Help Others
Our mission extends beyond ourselves. When we consciously develop and cultivate our inherent powers, we simultaneously enhance our capacity to support, uplift, and assist others in meaningful ways. When our own resources are strong and stable, we naturally create an abundance that can be shared. However, if we neglect to nurture our own power and instead fall into self-sacrifice – the so-called helper’s syndrome – we risk gradual exhaustion on physical, mental, and spiritual levels. This diminishes our ability to help both ourselves and others.
To be a reliable support for those who need us, we must first strengthen our own capabilities. What comes easily and naturally to you? Where can you learn most rapidly? What is your path as a spiritual warrior? These are questions every shaman should explore with honesty and courage.
Developing one’s inner, spiritual warrior power is crucial for walking the primordial shamanic path where the heart shows the way. Without this power, we easily become trapped in victimhood and controlled by the ego’s nervous defense patterns such as anxiety, fear, hatred, and jealousy. Such states are the antithesis of love and lead us away from the soul’s path – and from the heart’s openness, which is the very foundation of a true, meaningful, and joyful life.
6. Finding Your Personal Spiritual Vision and Mission, and Fulfilling It with Love
One of humanity’s greatest challenges is discovering our spiritual vision and life mission. For a shaman, this is absolutely essential. Understanding why we have incarnated in this life – what desires and tasks the soul brought here – is the key to unlocking the door to our spiritual magic and power.
The path to determining if we’re heading in the right direction is remarkably simple. In every life situation, we can ask ourselves a few profound questions:
“Do I love this? Do I look forward to doing it again? Does it provide meaning and growth? Does my heart fill with such joy that I lose track of time and place?”
Then, learn to transform your work into a calling. Engage in projects that contribute to a better world, and explore how you can accomplish this in the most natural and effective way. Our purpose in this life extends far beyond our personal sphere. Once you’ve gathered experience, knowledge, and insight on your spiritual journey, share it with others. This not only helps others on their path but also deepens your understanding of why our souls chose to incarnate as a family.
For the shaman following a spiritual development path, healing nature and Mother Earth is a central part of the mission. Your task is to counterbalance humanity’s overconsumption and destruction of the planet’s resources. For Mother Earth to continue serving as a learning arena for souls in our biosphere, she needs our active assistance.
The more shamans who engage in supporting the Earth and places affected by catastrophes, war, or imbalance, the greater the possibility of restoring balance and harmony on this planet.
7. Working with Light Beings to Restore Balance and Harmony on Earth
To help create balance and harmony on Earth, shamans must develop the ability to communicate with the light beings around us. These beings always respect our free will and can only assist when we invite them in. Angels, power animals, gods, and other light beings – different terms for the same type of higher consciousness – carry deep insights about our soul’s mission and vision, our tasks, and our possibilities. They possess extraordinary powers that can support us in manifesting harmony, healing, and balance on Earth when that aligns with our intention.
Everything begins with the shaman learning to listen. Only when we open ourselves to their communication can a genuine collaboration emerge. This connection can be developed through various practices: astral journeys to the shamanic dream worlds, magical rituals, maintaining a personal altar at home, and energy work performed exclusively with loving, positive, and constructive intentions. The goal is always to help – never to harm or manipulate any living being.
8. Understanding Joyfulness as Natural Elements of Life and Shamanic Magic
For those walking the primordial shamanic path toward an open heart and fulfilled life, developing a deep understanding of joy’s spiritual nature is crucial. Joyfulness is a sacred force – a nurturing current that energizes happiness, vitality, and inner magic.
To reconnect with this inner source of life, we must dissolve blockages in behavioral patterns, body, mind, and emotions that impede the free flow of energy associated with the second chakra. This involves a conscious process where neurotic emotional patterns like fear, guilt, shame, disgust, and trauma are transformed and healed. When these patterns release their grip, the sacred temple of the soul can once again be filled with joyfulness, creativity, and the deep, pulsating force that forms the core of primordial shamanic magic.
9. Protection of Animals, Plants, Children, and All Vulnerable Beings from Disrespectful and Unloving Treatment
For a shaman on the primordial shamanic path of development, it is fundamental to show care for and protect the vulnerable – those who cannot defend themselves. This can be expressed through engagement in animal rights work, environmental protection, and support for children and families both in local communities and in parts of the world where people lack resources to meet their basic needs.
The shamanic path also entails a responsibility to protect nature through concrete and conscious actions. Living sustainably is part of this practice – choosing a greener life, reducing unnecessary consumption, and avoiding actions that harm the earth. Thus, our lives become an active contribution to balance, harmony, and respect for all living things.
Find Your Right Teacher!
Today, anyone can call themselves a shaman – the title is unprotected and without formal requirements. However, there is an immense difference between someone who attends a few weekend courses learning basic techniques, and an authentic shaman who has dedicated themselves to the primordial shamanic path of development through years of devotion, practice, and inner growth. The genuine shaman builds their path on the 9 fundamentals of finding the primordial shamanic way that opens the heart and creates a deeply meaningful life. These principles are timeless – as true today as they were tens of thousands of years ago.
A shaman who lives in alignment with these fundamentals knows no fear of competition. He or she sees all living beings as their siblings and never acts from neurotic fear, ego, or the need for power. A genuine shaman never spreads fear to control others but elevates people through love, clarity, and wisdom.
Those who follow the primordial shamanic path will, despite human flaws and limitations, continuously seek to remain anchored in their heart – the source of all authentic shamanic power and magic. It is precisely such a teacher-shaman you need if you wish to deepen your understanding of shamanism and walk an authentic spiritual path.
It’s also worth noting that today’s teacher-shamans rarely live in remote tents, dressed in feathers and wolf skins. Authentic shamans can be found in the midst of society – people actively living the life they came here to live. In our time, an “urban shaman” is just as powerful and valuable as a “nature shaman.”
These authentic teacher-shamans can be recognized when you open your heart and eyes, evaluating them through the lens of the nine fundamentals. This way, you can easily distinguish truth from illusion – ensuring your spiritual journey is guided by a shaman who lives in deep harmony with the ancient shamanic tradition, a path that leads to heart opening, healing, and genuine joy in life. I also recommend that you read the article ABC Guide to Finding Your Spiritual Teacher
The 9 Pillars for Finding the Path of the Heart
The 9 Foundations of the Primordial Shamanic Path form the foundation of what we at Yggdrasil Shamanic School call the the Path of the Heart
Understanding and actively living the path of the heart in my daily life has likely been the most crucial factor in transforming my life from frustration, emptiness, depression, stress, and burnout to experiencing a happy, meaningful, and fulfilled existence.
In this article, you can read more about The 9 Pillars for Finding the Path of the Heart – The Way to Happiness, Meaning, and Shamanic Magic! (coming soon…)
Here you’ll find an overview of all my published articles about shamanism.
