The 9 Foundations of the Primordial Shamanic Path of Development: The Key to an Open Heart and a Joyful Life

To walk a shamanic path, a path that opens the heart and makes it possible to live a deeply meaningful life in which our true talents can blossom, we need something to orient ourselves by. The 9 Foundations for Finding the Primordial Shamanic Path of Development are such a guide: a practical and timeless recipe for finding our spiritual path as shamans.

Without a spiritual mentor, it is easy to lose your way. Then the ego continues to dominate as the soul’s ruler instead of being the soul’s adviser. When the ego takes control, our choices and actions are driven by the opposites of love: fear, anxiety, jealousy, envy, greed, and apathy. As long as that lasts, the soul cannot express its true nature, and that true nature is the very prerequisite for a happy and meaningful life.

There are many misunderstandings about shamanism, and that is why some basic guidelines are needed to understand what it really is. Shamanism has nothing to do with black magic, substance abuse, protection against evil spirits or dangerous energy, jealousy, rivalry, or greed.

Without a spiritual mentor, it is easy to lose your way. Then the ego continues to dominate as the soul’s ruler instead of being the soul’s adviser.

Pål-Esben Wanvig

The 9 Foundations for Finding the Primordial Shamanic Path

The nine principles describe an ancient basic structure for a true primordial shamanic path of development. Below is a short introduction to each of them.

1. Communication in a loving and respectful way with yourself and others

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world,” as the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein put it.

For a shaman, clear and constructive communication rooted in the heart is an essential virtue. The ability to express oneself clearly and lovingly, both toward people and toward the beings of the metaphysical world, determines what a shaman can achieve on their path.

Communicating in a loving and respectful way includes, among other things:

• Avoid speaking negatively about yourself and others.
• Distance yourself from bullying.
• Be constructive and positive in your communication with others.
• Do your best to stick to facts and reality.
• Avoid speculating about other people’s thoughts or feelings.

This way of communicating does not come by itself. These skills are rarely learned in childhood or through ordinary education. For anyone who wants to walk a primordial shamanic path of development, loving and respectful communication is a craft that has to be learned.

2. Understanding and respect for the beauty of creation

Everything that exists is a result of the universal creative force. Every single element in the universe is alive and ensouled. Beauty is the way the qualities of the creative force are expressed in our physical world, and it is always an expression of unconditional love.

Every person and every being in this world is the beauty of creation expressed in its own way. That is why it is essential to treat our physical body as a sacred temple for the soul and to accept it fully, with all its peculiarities and apparent imperfections. In nature, we find the beauty of creation expressed through the healthy natural rhythms, sacred geometry, and the golden ratio. The same principles inspire artists in their work.

As children of the creative force, we must learn to be authentic instead of hiding behind masks and 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 instead of running from them. The way goes through the 9 Pillars for Finding the Path of the Heart, both as in-depth study and as practice.

3. Discovering and cultivating your soul family

To find true happiness, we need a family that holds us close and loves us unconditionally. We need people who truly understand us, with whom we can share our innermost thoughts, and who do not judge us when we depart from the norm. Unfortunately, many people do not experience this acceptance in their biological family, which is often marked by society’s limiting norms and by prejudice against those who choose unconventional paths in life.

A shaman’s journey is about following the way of nature and of the creative force, not society’s expectations. That is why it is essential to find our spiritual family, our soul family, who both see us and accept us for who we are.

To be able to open ourselves to our spiritual family, we must first heal the wounds from growing up in our biological family. Pay attention to your heart’s signals when you meet new people. If it feels as if you have known them forever, they are probably part of your soul family.

For a shaman, it is important to express oneself openly and authentically and to work together with others who share the same approach. That becomes considerably easier when you are surrounded by your soul family.

4. Understanding your genuine needs and meeting them with love

You recognize your true needs when you do something that touches your heart so deeply that time and space cease to exist. This should be explored actively, because it does not come by itself. The body and the mind, the soul’s sacred temple, must be cared for with love and respect through nourishing food, clean water, and good habits.

For the shaman, it is essential to seek out nature’s power and wisdom regularly. If you open yourself to the rhythms of nature, even complex challenges can find clear answers through nature’s own book of wisdom.

You recognize your true needs when you do something that touches your heart so deeply that time and space cease to exist.

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Through creative expression and by tuning in to nature’s healthy rhythms, the shaman comes into resonance with both their own divine essence and that of others.

5. Cultivating your personal powers to strengthen your ability to help others

Our mission is bigger than ourselves. When we consciously develop and cultivate our inherent powers, our ability to support, uplift, and help others grows as well. When our own resources are strong and stable, we create a natural surplus that can be passed on. If, on the other hand, we do not nourish our own power but fall into self-sacrifice, the so-called helper syndrome, we risk gradual exhaustion, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Then we lose the ability to help both ourselves and others.

To be a reliable support for those who need us, we must first strengthen our own abilities. What do you master easily and naturally? Where can you learn the fastest? What is your path as a spiritual warrior? These are questions every shaman should explore with honesty and courage.

Developing your inner, spiritual warrior power is essential for walking the primordial shamanic path of development, where the heart shows the way. Without this power, we easily get trapped in the role of the victim and ruled by the ego’s nervous defense patterns: anxiety, fear, hatred, and jealousy. Such states are the opposite of love, and they lead us away from the soul’s path and from the open heart that is the very foundation of a true, meaningful, and joyful life.

6. Finding your personal spiritual vision and mission, and fulfilling it in a loving way

One of the greatest challenges for human beings is to discover their spiritual vision and life mission. For a shaman, this is absolutely essential. Understanding why we have incarnated in this life, and what desires and tasks the soul brought with it here, is the very key to opening the door to our spiritual magic and power.

The way to find out whether we are on the right track is actually simple. In every situation in life, we can ask ourselves a handful of questions that go deep:

“Do I love this? Am I looking forward to doing it again? Does it bring meaning and growth? Does my heart fill with joy, until I forget time and place?”

Then learn to turn your work into a calling. Take part in projects that contribute to a better world, and explore how you can do so in the most natural and most effective way. Our purpose in this life reaches far beyond our own personal sphere. When you have gathered experience, knowledge, and insight on your spiritual path, share it with others. In this way, you help others further along their path, and at the same time you gain a deeper understanding of why our souls chose to incarnate as a family.

For the shaman who follows a spiritual path of development, healing nature and Mother Earth is a central part of the mission. Your task is to be a counterweight to humanity’s overconsumption and destruction of the planet’s resources. For the earth to go on being a learning arena for the souls in our biosphere, it needs our active help.

The more shamans who commit themselves to supporting the earth and places struck by disaster, war, or imbalance, the greater the chance that we can once again create balance and harmony on this planet.

7. Collaborating with beings of light to restore balance and harmony on earth

To contribute to balance and harmony on earth, the shaman must also develop the ability to communicate with the beings of light around them. They always respect our free will and can only help when we invite them in. Angels, power animals, Norse gods, shamanic guides, and other beings of light are different names for the same kind of higher consciousness. They carry deep insight into the soul’s mission and vision, into our tasks and our possibilities. They also command forces that can support us in creating harmony, healing, and balance on earth, if that is our intention.

It all begins with the shaman learning to listen. Only when we open ourselves to their communication can a real collaboration arise. The connection can be developed through several practices: forest bathing, astral journeys to the Lower and Upper Worlds, magical rituals, a personal altar at home, and energy work carried out solely with loving, positive, and constructive intentions. The goal is always to help, never to harm or manipulate any living being.

8. Understanding the joy of life and joyfulness as a natural part of life and of shamanic magic

For anyone walking the primordial shamanic path toward an open heart and a fulfilled life, it is important to develop a deep understanding of the spiritual nature of the joy of life. The joy of life is a sacred force: a nourishing current that gives energy to joy, vitality, and inner magic.

To restore the connection to this inner, joyful source of life, we must dissolve the blockages in behavior patterns, body, mind, and emotions that hinder the free flow of energy connected to the 2nd chakra. This requires a conscious process in which neurotic emotional patterns such as fear, guilt, shame, disgust, and trauma are healed and changed. When these patterns let go, the soul’s sacred temple can once again be filled with the joy of life, joyfulness, creativity, and the deep, pulsing force that is the core of primordial shamanic magic.

9. Protection of animals, plants, children, and all vulnerable beings from disrespectful treatment

For a shaman on the primordial shamanic path of development, it is fundamental to care for and protect the vulnerable, those who are unable to defend themselves. This can be expressed through involvement in the work for animal rights and environmental protection, and through support for children and families, both in your own community and in parts of the world where people lack the resources to meet their basic needs.

The shamanic path also carries a responsibility to protect nature through concrete and conscious actions. Living sustainably is part of this practice: choosing a greener life, cutting down on unnecessary consumption, and avoiding actions that harm the earth. In this way, our lives become an active contribution to balance, harmony, and respect for all living things.

Find the right teacher for you

Today anyone can call themselves a shaman. The title is unprotected and comes with no formal requirements. Yet there is an enormous difference between someone who attends a few weekend courses and learns some techniques, and an authentic shaman who has devoted themselves to the primordial shamanic path of development through many years of genuine commitment, practice, and inner development. The true shaman builds their path on the 9 Foundations for Finding the Primordial Shamanic Path, the foundations that open the heart and create 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 line with the foundations knows no fear of competition. She or he sees all living beings as siblings and never acts out of neurotic fear, egoism, or a need for power. A true shaman never spreads fear to control others, but lifts people up through love, clarity, and wisdom.

Anyone who follows the primordial shamanic path will, despite human faults and limitations, always seek to stand in their heart, the source of all true shamanic power and magic. It is exactly this kind of teacher shaman you need if you want to study shamanism in depth and walk an authentic spiritual path.

A true shaman never spreads fear to control others, but lifts people up through love, clarity, and wisdom.

Pål-Esben Wanvig

Today’s teacher shamans rarely live in remote tents, dressed in feathers and wolf skins. You find true shamans in the middle of society: people who actively live the life they came here to live. In our time, an urban shaman is just as strong and valuable as a “nature shaman.”

You can recognize the authentic teacher shamans when you open your heart and your eyes and measure them against the nine foundations. That is how you tell truth from illusion, and how you make sure your spiritual path is guided by a shaman who lives in deep harmony with the ancient shamanic tradition: a tradition that leads to an open heart, healing, and true joy of life.

The 9 Pillars for Finding the Path of the Heart

The 9 Foundations of the Primordial Shamanic Path of Development are the basis of what we at the Yggdrasil Shamanic School call the Path of the Heart.

Understanding the Path of the Heart and living it out in my daily life has probably been the single most important factor in turning my life around, from frustration, emptiness, depression, stress, and burnout to a happy and fulfilled life.

The pillars are described in the article “The 9 Pillars for Finding the Path of the Heart: The Way to Happiness, Meaning, and Shamanic Magic.”

Do you want to go deeper? On my blog and in the podcast The Journey to Self-Realization, we explore the topics in this text in more depth.

If you want to walk the path yourself, it begins at the Yggdrasil Shamanic School with our free online course on primordial shamanism: Nature’s Path to Freedom and Self-Realization – Shamanism, Rituals, and Rune Magic – Twilight Between Two Worlds. No path could begin more simply. How far it reaches is up to you.

Free online course: Nature’s Path to Freedom and Self-Realization

Shamanism, Rituals, and Rune Magic – Twilight Between Two Worlds

Are you curious about what real shamanism actually is, behind the mystique, the ceremonies, and the preconceived notions? Then this free online course is for you!

In this introductory course, I share my personal journey from skeptic to deep insight into ancient shamanic principles, rituals, and rune magic. You will discover how these powerful techniques can give you:

• Inner freedom
• More meaning in life
• Deep healing and personal growth

Among other things, you will learn:

• What shamanism and primordial shamanism really are (and are not)
• Common misconceptions and challenges in shamanism
• How shamanic magic and runes work in practice
• Why our inner longing for growth is the key to a fulfilled life
• Methods for achieving years of inner development in just a few months