Shamanic Magic – A Glimpse Behind the Mystical Veil of Magic
What is shamanic magic really – and what lies behind the mysteries that have fascinated people around the world for thousands of years?
In this article, I lift the veil and share insights about shamanic magic: How intention forms in the heart, how the light within us is our most powerful tool, and why true magic isn’t about protection, power or manipulation, but about clarity, responsibility and inner transformation.
Here you’ll get a brief introduction to what magic is, how it works – and why it can only be practiced in alignment with the heart’s truth.
Shamanic experiences reveal that your desires can manifest in the material world when surrendered through the rainbow bridge – the connection between physical and spiritual reality – with a pure heart and awareness of your own divine nature.
The same dynamic also works in reverse: Mother Earth and her helpers communicate with the shaman from their own dimension to convey insights, teachings, guidance, understanding, and healing powers. They do this to guide the shaman in understanding what best serves this world.
To practice shamanic magic, it is sufficient to follow the prerequisites mentioned above. However, there are many life situations where this is not so simple to implement, and where even experienced shamans cannot perform this spontaneously. In such cases, various shamanic tools and techniques become necessary. Many of these tools can be simple to use, yet can have profound effects.
When shamanic magic is performed correctly, it leads to a transformation in the structure of a life process – whether it’s a human being, a place, a flower, a family, an animal, or a home – through the use of shamanic energy work. White magic works exclusively in cooperation with various light beings such as power animals, angels, and the Norse gods. Through the power of these helpers, the practitioner of white magic can influence the healing of physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual challenges.
The Yggdrasil Shamanic School and most other shamanic traditions practice only white magic. Black magic is not really magic in the true sense of the word, as it does not operate in cooperation with light beings. In black magic, life energy is sent into strongly split-off and unwanted personality parts of a human or animal to stimulate increased activity. In practice, this can mean that suppressed and unwanted aspects of the person subjected to the attack are activated and surface, potentially resulting in fear, stress, and illness.
At Yggdrasil Shamanic School, we work with powerful tools that dissolve all forms of destructive energetic and psychic influences from those who wish harm to others. We accomplish this not by building walls or through protection, but by igniting the light within ourselves. For when light awakens, darkness dissipates — just as night must yield when the sun rises.
Ethics
Magic should be used exclusively for constructive purposes. It is ethically unacceptable to manipulate others covertly with the intention of causing harm. Everything you invest in your magical practice will return to you manifold through karmic and dharmic laws. Therefore, it is essential to abstain from all forms of destructive magic. Light beings will never support such negative actions. The energy required for such destructive acts must therefore be drawn from other, less favorable sources.
Disharmonious magic is challenging and energy-draining because it goes against life’s natural flow. Constructive magic, however, receives support from light beings and thus from life’s own power stream. Mastering shamanic tools and methods alone is not sufficient; several important criteria must also be met:
1. The objective of the magic/ritual must be clearly defined. The clearer the goal/desire, the better the result.
2. You must have a deep emotional commitment to achieving the goal. A purely intellectual approach is insufficient. Your emotional intention must be reinforced through rituals so that other thoughts and associations do not disturb the process. Your emotional intention must be so intense that it leads you into a focused trance state.
3. You must be in touch with primary emotions from your Divine core. Rituals will not be effective if intentions stem from ego-based emotions such as fear, anxiety, hatred, envy, jealousy, greed, or the need for control. A ritual can only succeed when you as a shaman are anchored in your heart and follow the heart’s path.
4. You must possess practical knowledge of shamanic tools and methods. This isn’t about finding “the ultimate truth,” but rather about mastering a functional system.
5. Your desires must align with Divine order and harmonize with your own or the recipient’s life path.
Possibilities and Limitations
Shamanic magic can enhance or create tendencies. Magic never makes decisions on your behalf or others’ and cannot influence free will. It remains necessary to engage both body, mind, intellect, and heart to manifest something positive from our intentions and desires. A broken relationship cannot be repaired if the parties themselves don’t wish it, and individuals lacking the will to heal cannot become well through magic alone.
When a person follows a destructive life path, magic cannot force them onto the right course. Those who actively resist happiness or success, or who fight against positive changes with their entire being, will experience intensified inner turmoil after receiving energy from the magical ritual.
This is one of the main reasons why at Yggdrasil Shamanic School, we place great emphasis on thorough preparatory work with ourselves or the client before implementing shamanic magic. This ensures that the client has a deep understanding of how shamanic magic works and the significance of taking personal responsibility for the concrete changes that must be implemented for the magic to have optimal effect.
The transformative forces of Yin and Yang and their interplay with universal rhythms remain constant, just like our fundamental personality. However, magic helps us cultivate the best potential within these elements.
Magic can make life’s journey easier, but it can never live life for you.
How a Shamanic Ritual Works
Here follows a general guide for conducting a simple shamanic ritual:
- Establish a clear intention for the shamanic magic, rooted in the heart’s genuine needs (primary emotions) rather than ego’s desires (secondary emotions). The intention must align with the heart’s path.
- Design and prepare an appropriate structure for the ritual process. This includes resources, timing, location, and relevant spiritual guides.
- Create a magical circle.
- Perform thorough cleansing of the ritual site, yourself, and all objects to be used in the ritual.
- Find your inner peace through meditation and centering.
- Invoke the relevant light beings and ask for their blessing, wisdom, and protection. Share the ritual’s purpose and intention with them.
- Perform the symbolic magical action process.
- Release and channel the energy to the recipient.
- Express gratitude to all light beings who have contributed to the ritual.
- Perform energetic cleansing of everything involved, including yourself.
- Dissolve and close the magical circle.
- Perform grounding exercises to earth the energy.
- Take time for rest and nourishment.
A shamanic magical ritual is effective because it is created through a symbolic process charged with power from the light beings. This generates new energy patterns that can alter the direction of specific life areas the shaman wishes to transform, be it health, prosperity, relationships, or other aspects.
Shaman-death
In shamanic literature, the concept of shaman-death is often misunderstood as a process requiring intense suffering, asceticism, and extreme experiences to achieve rebirth. In reality, shaman-death represents the transformation where the ego transitions from being the soul’s ruler (common in today’s society) to becoming the soul’s guide and advisor.
This transition enables the shaman to rediscover their spiritual essence and choose their own path, liberated from the ego’s fear, hatred, jealousy, greed, and anxiety. Many may find this process challenging, which is natural since the ego resists all change and fights intensely against losing control.
Attempting to force shaman-death through suffering, pain, and extreme experiences is counterproductive. The more pain and anxiety experienced, the more power the ego gains to maintain its dominant position over the soul. Thus, intense suffering and extreme experiences actually prevent the shaman from undergoing an authentic shaman-death.
By focusing on living in the present moment in accordance with The 9 Pillars for Finding the Path of the Heart, while working to transform and heal the challenging aspects of personality where ego dominates, the shaman gradually experiences their soul’s deepest desires manifesting in daily life. This results in the soul’s power filling the shaman’s existence with deeper meaning, authentic joy, and magical possibilities. This transformative journey often extends over several years and is most effectively achieved through participation in a comprehensive shamanic education program under the guidance of an experienced teacher.
Shamanic Education
In practice, anyone who works with natural forces, light beings, and healing can be considered a form of shaman. As in other professions, there are naturally significant differences between a beginner and someone who has undergone extensive training and gained long-term experience. For those who wish to develop their shamanic abilities and become skilled practitioners, it is strongly recommended to seek formal education from a qualified shamanic teacher.
Yggdrasil Shamanic School
The Yggdrasil Shamanic School offers a modern approach to shamanism specifically adapted for today’s busy individuals. Here, you learn practical and powerful shamanic techniques and ancient wisdom that can be easily integrated into daily life – whether you’re at home, in the office, or out in nature. We strongly emphasize achieving concrete, measurable results quickly. Even in the first course, you will learn a form of spontaneous healing that provides objective and visible results without physical contact with the person you’re treating!
At Yggdrasil Shamanic School, we distance ourselves from the use of drugs or hallucinogens in our work. Instead, our tradition teaches you effective techniques to alter consciousness naturally and safely in a short time. We practice an primordial earth-centered form of shamanism focused on living in harmony with nature and finding answers through this connection.
As a student at Yggdrasil Shamanic School, you receive energetic initiation into fundamental magical tools and methods from experienced shamanic teachers and light beings connected to our tradition. This forms the foundation for developing your unique form of magic. All our shamans develop their personal practice based on individual talents, grounded in the school’s core methods and philosophy built on The 9 Pillars for Finding the Path of the Heart.
What makes Yggdrasil Shamanic School unique is our systematic approach to shamanism. We emphasize that students achieve rapid, measurable results with the techniques they learn – regardless of their location.
At Yggdrasil Shamanic School, we offer a personally tailored journey into the world of Primordial Shamanism, where you determine the pace and depth of your spiritual exploration. Whether you wish to take your first steps through an introductory course or are ready for a deeper transformative journey toward genuine spiritual awakening – the path is yours to choose. Our tradition sets no boundaries but instead opens doors for unlimited personal development and growth. Read more about Yggdrasil School of Shamanism here.
Basic Training as a Shaman
In our shamanic school, we employ some of the most powerful and effective shamanic tools and methods in existence, along with several unique healing techniques. The Basic Training includes instruction in the most essential shamanic tools and methods, as well as several exclusive techniques developed in our school. A beginner must first master ten fundamental elements:
- Master the technique of shifting consciousness levels from everyday awareness to the shamanic dream world, enabling you to conduct astral journeys to the upper and lower worlds using a unique method that takes only seconds to master.
- Acquire a deep understanding of the shamanic worldview and learn how shamanic magic, development, and healing work in practical applications.
- Learn how shamanic rituals function, and how to perform powerful, results-driven ceremonies with measurable effects.
- Develop a profound understanding of power animals and Norse Gods – their true nature, how to establish meaningful connections, and how to integrate their wisdom and healing powers into your daily shamanic practice.
- Acquire practical methods to access and harness the deep wisdom and healing energies of runes.
- Build solid practical competence in performing comprehensive structural magic using runes.
- Master the use and interpretation of shamanic oracles, with special focus on power animals and runes.
- Learn to create and work with a personal shamanic medicine bag, including developing conscious connections to runic forces, individual power animals, and spiritual guides.
- Discover and develop your unique shamanic power and magical abilities. Your shamanic essence extends far beyond the physical world’s limitations of time and space. You will experience your timeless existence and learn practical methods to apply this in daily life for wisdom, insight, magic, and healing.
- Early in the primordial shamanic developmental journey, students at Yggdrasil Shamanic School are energetically initiated into their personal shamanic astral temple – a deeply anchored energy field integrated with the soul’s inherent resources and diverse metaphysical forces. This temple, which we call the Personal Shamanic Othala, acts as a catalyst in the student’s spiritual growth, facilitating a faster and more profound developmental process. The Personal Shamanic Othala is unique to Yggdrasil Shamanic School – an extraordinary gift not found in any other shamanic direction, tradition, or school.
Naturally, there are many more aspects of shamanism to explore. At Yggdrasil Shamanic School, we consider these elements as the essential foundation a shaman needs to practice with concrete, measurable results.
Initiations Save Time
Traditionally, shamanic training requires many years of dedicated study before an apprentice can practice shamanic magic safely and effectively. Since modern society makes it challenging for most people to invest both time and financial resources in lengthy shamanic education, Yggdrasil Shamanic School has developed a system of energetic initiations that efficiently transfers shamanic powers, inspiration, and connection with powerful spiritual beings to the apprentice.
This approach significantly reduces the time needed for intensive training. The initiations provide immediate access to magical abilities that can be applied at full strength from the start. Combined with thorough theoretical and practical training, a shamanic apprentice in our tradition can perform tasks that would typically require many years of experience and practice.
Competency Levels
In our tradition, there are competency levels directly linked to the student’s personal development and practical magical abilities. These levels follow two distinct paths: the way of knowledge and the way of the heart. For a student to handle greater magical powers, both aspects must be in balance. In the basic training, students gain access to magical powers through systematic training, practical exercises, and special initiations.
To access more advanced magical powers at Yggdrasil Shamanic School, students must demonstrate competence in shamanic energy work. Additionally, they must show that they actively live according to The 9 Pillars for Finding the Path of the Heart in their daily practice.
The initial phase of training occurs under the guidance of an experienced Yggdrasil teacher-shaman, focusing on mastering fundamental shamanic tools. Once students achieve a solid understanding of basic methods and undergo necessary personal development, the teacher light-beings begin to emerge to continue the training in collaboration with the human teacher.
Through multiple initiation rituals, students gradually develop the ability to follow their unique shamanic path.
Heart-Based Shamanism – The Path of the Heart
Since beginning my teaching in Norway in 2004, I have placed great emphasis on fostering a healthy and warm-hearted environment among students. As a new student, you will experience our highly inclusive community, where experienced students are always ready to provide support and guidance, both on our online member portal and during live seminars.
Our unique environment is completely free from bullying, gossip, envy, and negativity, where everyone can be themselves without fear of judgment or rejection.
The Path of the Heart stands as a fundamental pillar in our shamanic tradition. The more a shaman works to transform the ego’s destructive patterns like hatred, jealousy, envy, and fear, the stronger their connection to the heart and thus their shamanic power becomes. The shamanic path toward spiritual enlightenment and self-realization is inseparably linked to actively practicing the path of the heart.
Many describe the experience as coming home and finding their true community here!
Everyone Can Learn Shamanism!
Based on my experience, every individual has the potential to develop into a shaman. Throughout the years, my students have demonstrated that one need not be born into specific ethnic groups or possess special innate abilities to become a shaman. Anyone can learn to help themselves and others create profound positive transformations in life through shamanic wisdom, insight, and power.
In the next article, I will explore rune magic – the hidden Norse magical heritage!
Here you can find an overview of all the articles I have published about shamanism.
