The medicine wheel as a path through the many directions of life.

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Within the shamanic worldview, the medicine wheel is a symbol of life’s cycles, balance, and wholeness. It serves both as a map for personal development and as a way of understanding the rhythms of nature and the soul. In this sense, the medicine wheel becomes more than a symbol. It is a tool for self-awareness, personal responsibility, and a conscious way of living in relationship with all that is alive.

It is difficult to explain in only a few words what it means to walk a medicine wheel. From the outside, it can be described as a teaching structured around four directions, four archetypes, and a sequence of ceremonies and inner processes. Yet the outer structure reveals very little about what the journey actually comes to mean for the person who walks it.

A medicine wheel is also more than something we learn to understand. It is a path through which we gradually begin to see our lives. The directions become ways of approaching different dimensions of human experience: what we carry with us, the forces that shape us, our relationship with the body and the Earth, what we have not yet been able to see, and the direction that may already exist within us while still lacking a language of its own.

We all live with stories about who we are. They have grown out of our experiences, relationships, losses, and the ways we have learned to create safety. Some help us make sense of our lives, while others continue to confine us long after they have lost their relevance. When we return to the same reactions, conflicts, and patterns, life can appear to repeat itself even as the circumstances around us change.

The work of the medicine wheel brings us closer to these patterns. We work with the past, as well as with the ways in which the past continues to live within the present. It may remain in the body, in our choices, in our relationships, and in the beliefs we carry about what is possible for us.

Many people long for experiences of belonging, expansion, and inner peace.

That longing is human, yet a path concerned only with reaching higher may lack the foundation capable of carrying it. A tree does not reach towards the sky by leaving the Earth behind. Its crown can grow only as far as its roots are able to descend into what is dark, damp, and rich with nourishment. In the same way, the movement through the medicine wheel begins close to the most fundamental dimensions of human life. The body, safety, our instinctive reactions, our relationships, and the experiences we would prefer to leave untouched all belong to this ground.

The form of the medicine wheel I practise draws inspiration from Andean traditions, the four directions, and the archetypes associated with them.

The medicine wheel moves through these four directions, yet these directions should not be understood as stages we leave behind as we continue. We return to them throughout our lives. Each new experience may bring us back to a direction we believed we had already understood. A loss may reopen our work with trust. A relationship may reveal an aspect of our power that we have not yet learned to carry. A new dream may ask us once again to face the fear of leaving behind what is known.

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The South — The Medicine of the Serpent

Within the Andean tradition, the South represents the beginning of the medicine wheel and the conscious journey through life. Here, we encounter our inner child, our emotions, and our needs. We learn through experience rather than analysis, and we begin to understand emotions as guides rather than obstacles.

In the direction of the Serpent, the work begins where life is already taking place: in the body through which we live, the home to which we return, the work we carry out, and our relationship with the material world. The Serpent renews itself by shedding its skin, and this direction is therefore often associated with the past and with the identities we have outgrown while continuing to carry them with us. We respond to what is happening now through a consciousness that is still orienting itself around what happened then. The medicine of the Serpent brings us back to the body. Here, it becomes clear how much of our suffering is sustained by the stories to which we continually return. The past cannot be undone, but our relationship with it can change. When it no longer needs to repeat itself in order to be seen, some of the power once bound to it is released.

The Serpent symbolises life force, renewal, and the ability to release what no longer serves us. It shows us how fear can become a teacher when met with awareness rather than resistance. We learn to understand change as a natural part of life. What has grown old is returned to the Earth to be transformed, allowing new life to take form.

The South teaches us that spirituality means deepening our connection with the human experience and with the physical body. The Earth teaches patience, rhythm, and respect for natural processes. It reminds us that nothing grows more quickly than it is ready to, and that healing often takes place when we remain, feel, and listen instead of fleeing.

Together, the South and the medicine of the Serpent reveal how personal development begins with being fully present in the body and in feeling. Here, we learn to live in trust of life’s cycles, to release what has passed, and to allow change to unfold organically. The South therefore forms the foundation for the continued journey through the medicine wheel and for a life of greater authenticity and balance.

The West — The Medicine of the Jaguar

In the West, we encounter the Jaguar. Here, we come closer to our relationship with power, fear, death, and the shadows that influence us from the unconscious. The West represents the element of water and is associated with emotion, introspection, and the inner journey. Water cleanses and restores balance. It symbolises emotional intelligence and helps us understand how our feelings affect both ourselves and our relationships. Through the energy of water, we learn receptivity, empathy, and the ability to transform emotional blockages into insight and wisdom.

As we walk with the Jaguar, we learn to look inward, to meet our inner landscape with honesty and courage, and to understand that emotions are a language of life, as valuable as reason and action.

The Jaguar moves through darkness with a certainty that does not depend on the darkness disappearing. It can therefore become a guide in the work of meeting what we have not yet been willing to acknowledge within ourselves. Our projections, conflicts, and intense reactions often carry information about parts of ourselves for which we have struggled to take responsibility. This does not mean that everything occurring around us is merely a reflection of our inner world. Yet our experience of the world is always shaped by what we ourselves carry.

As we begin to see this, the power previously spent defending our stories can return to us. We gain a greater capacity to choose how we wish to meet what is happening. Every conflict no longer needs to become a struggle over who we are. We can allow an experience to show us something without becoming entirely defined by it.

In many shamanic traditions, the journey to the lower world is connected with this work. The lower world can be understood as a symbolic landscape where we encounter instinct, memory, ancestors, and the parts of the psyche that lie beyond our everyday awareness. The journey there is about reconnecting with what was lost, repressed, or left behind while we were trying to become the people we believed we needed to be.

The Jaguar sees through illusion and holds clear boundaries of its own without creating enemies, conflict, drama, or violence. When we understand that we create our own reality, we can no longer place responsibility for it entirely upon someone else. We learn to journey to the lower world to retrieve parts of ourselves from the unconscious. In this way, the West becomes a place of deep healing, emotional maturity, and a more profound connection with our own intuition.

Here, we learn how to walk through life with morality, ethics, and deep integrity, while also taking full responsibility for ensuring that we do not leave broken trails behind us for future generations. We learn to walk our talk.

The North — The Medicine of the Hummingbird and the Wolf

Within the Andean tradition, the northern direction of the medicine wheel carries the energy of wisdom, memory, and connection with what has come before. The North is where we turn towards the ancestors and towards knowledge that is not acquired through the intellect, but remembered through the body and the soul. Our intuition grows stronger in the North, where we learn to trust our inner knowing.

In the North, we encounter the Hummingbird, whose journey is often described as improbable in relation to its small body. The Hummingbird carries the medicine of lightness, endurance, and trust in the unseen. Its medicine teaches us about trust, joy, and the endurance of the heart. Despite its small size, the Hummingbird travels great distances, symbolising the soul’s ability to follow its calling even when the path appears impossible. It travels with an open heart and teaches us that nourishment can be found in what is small: in joy, beauty, and the sweetness of the present moment. Its medicine is about remembering why we first set out upon the journey of the soul.

We also encounter the Wolf in the North, reminding us of the path of the heart and leading us into a deeper understanding of relationship and responsibility. This understanding is shaped through experience, silence, and the courage to live in alignment with the soul. The medicine of the Wolf concerns how we walk through life: with loyalty to the soul, with the courage to stand in our truth, and with the capacity both to belong and to walk alone when necessary. The Wolf teaches us that the path of the heart is not always the easiest, yet it is the truest. When the past and the ego no longer govern our vision, we can learn to hear the voice and longing of the soul.

The North is a place of reflection, inner strength, and maturity. Together, the North, the element of fire, the Hummingbird, and the Wolf weave a teaching about carrying wisdom without heaviness, power without domination, and love without fear. It is a place where the heart becomes the compass and every step is taken in relationship with the whole.

The East — The Medicine of the Condor and the Eagle

Within the Andean tradition, the East represents the element of air and is associated with vision, clarity, and new beginnings. The East is where the sun rises, bringing light, inspiration, and the possibility of seeing from a higher perspective. Here, we are encouraged to open the mind, to observe our thoughts and ideas without becoming caught within them, and to plan our path forward with insight and awareness. The energy of air gives us the ability to create distance from limiting patterns, to think clearly, and to navigate life through perspective rather than impulse. Within air, we find inspiration, vision, and an understanding of how everything is connected on a larger scale.

In the East, we encounter the Condor and the Eagle, both symbols of perspective, vision, and spiritual elevation. They teach us that when the personal story no longer occupies our entire awareness, we can begin to see how our actions affect other people, the Earth, and the generations who will come after us. What we create is given a wider horizon. The Eagle teaches us to rise above the limitations of everyday life and to take responsibility for our actions from a higher perspective. The Condor reminds us to release old energy, to cleanse and elevate our frequency, and to carry the wisdom of the past while looking towards what lies ahead. Together, they show us how insight can be joined with action, vision with grounding, and freedom with responsibility.

As we fly upon the great wings of the Eagle, we begin to see the meaning within every step along the path and move beyond linear time. We awaken higher consciousness and become one with all that is. Life can then be seen from an entirely new height. Here, we understand how everything is connected and that we are all different expressions of the same force within the Universe.

A Circular Path

To walk a medicine wheel does not mean that we become finished with ourselves. The idea of completing our inner work may belong to the same linear way of thinking that leads us to believe life should move from a problem towards a permanent solution.

The medicine wheel offers another understanding: life moves in cycles. We return to the same questions, yet we meet them from new places within ourselves. What once concerned childhood may later reveal itself through our work, an intimate relationship, or our relationship with ageing and loss. Each new turning of the wheel holds the possibility of seeing something that once lay beyond our capacity to understand.

Within this context, ceremony becomes a way of entering into a more conscious relationship with what is taking place. Through ritual, experience is given form, and what is unfolding within us can be met with the time and presence that everyday life rarely allows.

The directions help us discern where we are, which part of life is seeking our attention, and what we have not yet been able to meet. They do not change the fact that life will contain loss, conflict, and uncertainty. They can, however, change the way we meet these experiences. Gradually, we may become less preoccupied with avoiding the movements of life and more capable of listening to what they are trying to show us.

🍃 You Are Medicine

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For Swedish Content, follow my publication @youaremedicineswe

This space is dedicated to the art of challenging inherited beliefs & clearing the path for who we are becoming. An exploration of the Shamanic path and wisdom that emerges when the soul is given space to grow. My intention is that something you find here may help you hear your own voice more clearly and recognise the wisdom already within you.

✺ Every post on You Are Medicine is free to read. View my various newsletters here. Under the “Subscribed to” section, you can easily customize which newsletters you want to receive via email when subscribing to new posts. That’s it — you’ll only receive the updates you actually want.

✺ As a thank-you, if you choose to support my work by upgrading to a paid subscription, you’ll receive complimentary access to Sacred collection — a growing collection of digital guides and resources. Explore through the link.

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There has always been a deep curiosity within me to explore the unseen aspects of life and the mysteries that exist beyond what the eyes can perceive. To ancestral wisdom, to indigenous traditions, and to the teachings of the spirit animals. The question of life’s deeper meaning has followed me for as long as I can remember. There has always been a deep curiosity within me to explore the unseen aspects of life and the mysteries that exist beyond what the eyes can perceive.

The relationship between man, spirit, nature and the cosmos.

We are all part of this network, not separate from it. A Shaman can be translated as ‘the one who knows’, the person who seeks knowledge through his own experience and journeys in altered states of consciousness. Existence is seen as multidimensional where time is not considered linear but circular, where the physical world coexists with other worlds where power animals, ancestors and guiding spirits operate. It is about listening deeply inward, living in harmony and remembering our place in the whole, where spirit and matter are not opposites, but the same reality in different expressions.

✺ Illness is often understood as an imbalance in the individual, relationships, or between man and nature. Shamanic work aims to reconnect, heal, and harmonize this imbalance.

✺ Each person carries their own medicine wheel, their own power and their own responsibility for how they relate to the world.

Shamanic wisdom activates the power and light we carry within us.

And through that, we can enter portals to a new level of possibilities & clarity. The Shamanic path is about getting in deeper contact with yourself and nature. To become a co-creator of your own life and take full responsibility for yourself. To live more in accordance with nature and to own your entire creation and see what life wants to teach you in every moment. We navigate through our shadows and the landscape of the subconscious to see what patterns and behaviors keep us stuck in old tracks.

My Story

For as long as I can remember, I have been drawn to the mysterious and the unseen. From an early age, I could sense energies, emotions and things beneath the surface that other people often seemed to miss. While many around me were interested in completely different things, I found myself fascinated by nature, ancient cultures, symbolism and spiritual traditions. It became almost an obsession to understand life beyond the visible world.

For a long time, I also felt different. As if part of me belonged to another time, while struggling to fully relate to the modern world around me. That feeling turned me into a seeker. I wanted answers to things I could not explain logically. I wanted to understand energy, consciousness, the human experience — and ultimately myself.

Life has not always been an easy journey. For many years I tried to fit into structures and expectations that never truly aligned with my inner world. While something inside of me constantly whispered about another path, I kept turning my attention outward instead. Toward achievement, performance and the intellectual world. It would take many years before I finally stopped resisting what had been trying to come through for so long.

Almost twelve years ago, during my first journey to Peru and the Madre Selva, something shifted deeply within me. During that time, I made a promise to myself: to begin walking the path my heart had been whispering about. To stop only speaking about truth and spirituality intellectually, and instead start living it fully.

My time in Peru and my encounter with the Andean traditions, the Incas, the Q’ero wisdom keepers and their deep reverence for Pachamama completely changed something in me. Everything felt clear there. Natural. Familiar. As if a forgotten part of myself had finally remembered the way home.

I began listening within.

And through that process, I came to understand that the more willing we are to face our own shadows, fears and wounds with honesty and compassion, the closer we come to the truth of who we really are. We all walk through initiations in this life. And perhaps it is through meeting those parts of ourselves with love that we begin returning to the frequency of the heart.

My foundation is rooted in my own lived experience and healing journey. It is through that journey that I found access to my own medicine. For me, life is a continual unfolding — an invitation to grow, learn, and become more fully who I am. My intention with You Are Medicine — is to inspire others to their inner power, awaken the body’s innate intelligence to healing through Shamanic elements, energy, frequency, darkness and light. All to be more of who we are created to be.

I do not believe that another person can heal you.

I believe healing begins the moment we choose to return to ourselves. The moment we become willing to listen inwardly and do the work of meeting what lives within us. I do not see myself as a healer. I see myself as someone who creates a safe and grounded space where others can meet themselves more honestly, reconnect with their own inner wisdom, and hear the answers that already exist within them.

Healing does not come from me. It comes through you.

I believe every person carries a unique vibration and that there is meaning woven into both our experiences and our challenges. Within fear, uncertainty, grief, and discomfort, there is often more than pain. There is information. There is wisdom. There is an invitation to return to ourselves. And perhaps that is what this path is really about: finding our way back to the heart, and becoming more fully who we came here to be.

With the lesson that true healing occurs when we stop running away and face reality as it is. And my own journey has taught me that life itself is the greatest teacher. I hope that my posts can give you inspiration and the opportunity to reach deeper into yourself, listen to your true voice and follow the path that whispers from your heart.

🍃 You Are Medicine

✺ You Are Medicine —

For Swedish Content, follow my publication @youaremedicineswe

This space is dedicated to the art of challenging inherited beliefs & clearing the path for who we are becoming. An exploration of the Shamanic path and wisdom that emerges when the soul is given space to grow. My intention is that something you find here may help you hear your own voice more clearly and recognise the wisdom already within you.

✺ Every post on You Are Medicine is free to read. View my various newsletters here. Under the “Subscribed to” section, you can easily customize which newsletters you want to receive via email when subscribing to new posts. That’s it — you’ll only receive the updates you actually want.

✺ As a thank-you, if you choose to support my work by upgrading to a paid subscription, you’ll receive complimentary access to Sacred collection — a growing collection of digital guides and resources. Explore through the link.

✺ Find more resources through my Linktree: @youaremedicine
✺ Follow on Instagram: @youaremedicine

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When the energy is directed outward.

Reclaiming your own power is rarely about changing everything around you. It often starts with seeing where energy leaks, how the body signals stress, and what patterns repeatedly take us away from ourselves.

It’s easy to look outward when something in life doesn’t feel right. The workplace becomes the problem. The boss. The tasks. The partner or the life situation. And sometimes there’s truth in that. But often that’s not the whole picture. Power rarely disappears suddenly. It leaves us gradually. Every time we cross our own limits. Every time we ignore our body’s signals or compromise with something that deep down doesn’t feel true. Therefore, reclaiming your power doesn’t start with changing the world around us.

It starts with daring to ask the more uncomfortable question:

Where do I lose myself?

It’s not a question asked to judge. Not to beat yourself up. But to face the truth with maturity. Because there is often a pattern there. An old track. To stay even though something rubs . To say yes when the body says no . To perform to stay . To be kind to be loved .

Behind that pattern often resides fears. The fear of not being liked. The fear of being rejected. The fear of losing security, work, belonging. And so we continue.
A little more. A little more.

The patterns behind energy leakage.

Behind the experience of being drained are often recurring patterns. To stay put even though something is bothering you. To say yes when your body is really saying no. To perform in order to keep your place or to please in order to feel accepted.

At its core, it’s often about fear. Fear of being rejected, losing security or being left out. So we keep going a little longer. Adapting a little more. Pushing ourselves one more step. Until our bodies finally give in. And if we still don’t listen, our bodies show us what they want us to see.

Sometimes through fatigue.
Sometimes through stress.
Sometimes through illness.

As if something inside us is trying to say: Now something needs to change . Not as a punishment. But as information. As if the body is saying: “Hello. You have crossed your limits a thousand times. What needs to happen for you to stop?”

To start listening inwardly.

When we begin to understand the body’s signals, our perspective changes. We stop seeing the body as something that lets us down and start seeing it as an intelligent compass. Reclaiming our power is also about taking our needs seriously. As a stable foundation.

What gives me energy, not just results?
When can I recover?
When can I be without performing?

It is possible to have a life that looks inspiring on the outside and yet feel empty on the inside. The calendar may be filled with things that should feel meaningful, but without recovery we lose touch with ourselves. Silence, nature, unplanned time and space for creativity can be crucial to regaining strength.

That’s where creativity returns. That’s where intuition becomes audible again. That’s where power begins to gather. Setting boundaries of love doesn’t make us hard. It makes us true. And when the energy leakage stops, suddenly a space arises. For presence. For creation. To be able to give, without emptying oneself.

Loving boundaries and real change.

Setting boundaries doesn’t mean being harsh or dismissive. It’s about being true. Real change rarely starts outside of us. As long as we carry the same wounds, the same subconscious patterns, and the same strategies to protect ourselves, life will often reflect back similar situations. This could be in relationships, work, or other life choices.

Sometimes we try to protect ourselves by choosing the exact opposite of what we had before. A new partner who seems completely different. A new job that looks more secure. We think we are making a completely new choice. But after a while we may discover that the underlying energy still feels familiar. Therefore, it is not just about changing direction. It is about seeing through the illusions and understanding what is actually going on inside us. Only when we see clearly, can we choose differently.

Reclaiming your power is not a one-time event. It is a living practice. A daily choice to listen within and honor what is true. When we understand that, everything changes. Then we stop seeing our body as something that fails us and start seeing it as an intelligent guide. But it takes both action and your courage to listen to your needs.

What do you need to replenish your energy?
What gives you life, not just results?
When do you get to breathe freely?

In the breath of its questions, intuition is heard most clearly. That is where the power comes back.

🍃 You Are Medicine

✺ You Are Medicine —

For Swedish Content, follow my publication @youaremedicineswe

This space is dedicated to the art of challenging inherited beliefs & clearing the path for who we are becoming. An exploration of the Shamanic path and wisdom that emerges when the soul is given space to grow. My intention is that something you find here may help you hear your own voice more clearly and recognise the wisdom already within you.

✺ Every post on You Are Medicine is free to read. View my various newsletters here. Under the “Subscribed to” section, you can easily customize which newsletters you want to receive via email when subscribing to new posts. That’s it — you’ll only receive the updates you actually want.

✺ As a thank-you, if you choose to support my work by upgrading to a paid subscription, you’ll receive complimentary access to Sacred collection — a growing collection of digital guides and resources. Explore through the link.

✺ Find more resources through my Linktree: @youaremedicine
✺ Follow on Instagram: @youaremedicine

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Dreams have long been regarded as more than random images. In many spiritual and shamanic traditions, the dream is seen as a bridge between the conscious and the unconscious. A place where the soul can speak more freely, beyond the logic and demands of everyday life. Symbols offer a way for the inner world to reveal direction, process experience, and communicate insights that have not yet found words. Learning to listen to your dreams is therefore not an escape from reality. It is a way of deepening your relationship with it.

Why Do We Dream?

Dreams can serve many different purposes. They may reflect what we are experiencing in our lives, help us process emotions, or offer new perspectives. Sometimes they arrive as clear messages. Sometimes as fragments or moods that are difficult to understand at first.

From a spiritual perspective, dreaming can also be seen as an opening. A state in which our awareness moves more freely between different layers of reality. A place where intuition has more room to emerge. This does not mean that every dream needs to be interpreted. Yet there can be value in pausing and noticing what it awakens within you.

The Meaning of Symbols

Symbols in dreams are rarely literal. More often, they carry several layers of meaning.
A house may represent your inner world. Water may reflect emotions or change. Roads may point to choices or direction. Some symbols appear across cultures and throughout human experience, yet your own relationship to the symbol is always the most important.

How did you feel in the dream?
What associations arise?
What does the symbol remind you of in your life right now?

Dream interpretation is less about finding definitive answers and more about developing a deeper sensitivity to your own inner language.

Animals in Dreams – Power and Medicine

Animals are among the most common and powerful symbols that appear in dreams. From a Shamanic perspective, animals may represent qualities, instincts, or energies asking for your attention. At times they may also be experienced as spirit animals or spiritual guides seeking connection. How the animal behaves is often just as important as the animal itself.

Is it calm or threatening?
Does it approach you or keep its distance?
Does it follow you, or is it showing you the way?

Paying attention to these details can offer valuable clues to what the dream is trying to reveal. Within your spirit animal practice, each animal can be explored more deeply in its own right. The broader theme, however, is our relationship with symbolism and the invitation to reconnect with the language of nature within us.

Remembering and Working with Your Dreams.

Dreams often fade quickly after we wake. Writing them down as soon as possible can therefore be helpful. Not only what happened, but also the feeling. The atmosphere. The small details that otherwise disappear. Over time, you may begin to notice patterns. Symbols that return. Themes that evolve alongside your own life. You can also continue working with a dream through meditation, creative expression, or quiet reflection on what it may be showing you in this moment.

It is not about performance.
It is about relationship.

Dreams as Guidance.

At certain times in life, dreams can become especially vivid or intense. This often coincides with periods of change, inner transformation, or important decisions. Remaining open to the symbolism within your dreams can offer a deeper understanding of what is unfolding beneath the surface. Not as an exact map of the future, but as a compass for self-discovery.

As we begin to listen more closely to this inner language, our intuition often grows stronger. We become more attentive to what is subtle. And perhaps we discover that the answers we have been searching for have been quietly whispering to us throughout the night.

Would you like to explore the symbolism of different spirit animals and the language they carry?

» Read the individual articles for each animal here.

🍃 You Are Medicine

✺ You Are Medicine —

For Swedish Content, follow my publication @youaremedicineswe

This space is dedicated to the art of challenging inherited beliefs & clearing the path for who we are becoming. An exploration of the Shamanic path and wisdom that emerges when the soul is given space to grow. My intention is that something you find here may help you hear your own voice more clearly and recognise the wisdom already within you.

✺ Every post on You Are Medicine is free to read. View my various newsletters here. Under the “Subscribed to” section, you can easily customize which newsletters you want to receive via email when subscribing to new posts. That’s it — you’ll only receive the updates you actually want.

✺ As a thank-you, if you choose to support my work by upgrading to a paid subscription, you’ll receive complimentary access to Sacred collection — a growing collection of digital guides and resources. Explore through the link.

✺ Find more resources through my Linktree: @youaremedicine
✺ Follow on Instagram: @youaremedicine

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To remember, a path back to power.

We are nature. We are creation. We are spirit in human form. Everything carries a spirit. The trees. The mountains. The water. The animals. You. And somewhere before we came here we knew it. It is said that we all make an agreement before we are born. A mission. A direction. Maybe karma. Maybe an opportunity for development. Maybe a will to contribute. But when we pass through birth we forget.

We forget who we are.
We forget that we are part of the whole.
We forget that we are already interconnected with everything.
We forget what we agreed to.

That’s where the spiritual path begins, in memory. And perhaps this whole life is a journey back to that memory. To remember.

When we lose ourselves

When we reconnect with nature and the forces of nature, it’s as if something inside us awakens. It’s easy to feel connected when we stand by the sea. When we walk in the forest. When we see a starry sky. There, in the stillness, there is something that reminds us. But in the noise of society, it’s easier to forget.

Our ancestors who lived close to the earth and nature, close to the great forces, knew that they were part of something bigger. While we live in a world that constantly directs our attention outward.

What should I buy?
Who should I become?
What am I missing?

The ego gets more space. We start to believe that everything is about the individual, instead of the relationship and the whole. We start to look for solutions outside ourselves. As long as we give away our power, to society, to relationships, to gurus, to ideals, we will continue to live in an illusion where we believe that someone or something outside of us will save us. If it is not a pill, then it is a teacher or spiritual Guru. If it is not a teacher, then it is a lifestyle on Instagram. We chase something outside of ourselves and feel inadequate when we do not have “that”. But the power has never been out there.

It’s an illusion.
And maybe that’s exactly what we came here to remember.

That the power lies in reversing perspective. In taking back responsibility. In stopping giving away our energy.

Shamanism as a map

There are thousands of forms of shamanism. Each indigenous people has its own language, its own symbols, its own way of understanding energy. The tradition I have learned has its roots in the Andes of Peru. A wisdom that travels through me, my body, and therefore also becomes my interpretation. That is how living wisdom is passed on.

Basically, it is about energy medicine. Different cultures have different symbols to describe the same thing. In the Andean tradition, they talk about the snake, the jaguar, the hummingbird, the eagle and the condor, different archetypes that reflect different levels of consciousness. In other traditions, other images and symbols are used. The language is different, but the essence is often the same.

In Peru, one would simply say that a shaman is a natural doctor. Someone who helps people with everyday challenges, relationships, physical ailments and life crises by working with energy and consciousness. By recognizing that everything is intertwined. That nothing happens in isolation. That everything happens through the soul, through something higher than ourselves. And above all, it is about remembering how we live in the right relationship, to ourselves, to each other and to nature.

A map of consciousness.

Many people talk about ascension as something mysterious and distant. But it’s really about maturity in consciousness. We start with the most basic. Survival, security and basic needs. What within the chakra system is often connected to the root, our base. Here, life is about getting by. Then we move through emotions, relationships and desires. This is where identity is formed. This is where drama, longing, attachment arise. It’s deeply human, but ascension is about not getting stuck there.

I see it as a map of consciousness. As an inner movement through life. If we don’t get stuck there, and instead dare to look beyond our fears and needs to be chosen and seen, then we begin to sense something greater. That we have a soul. A purpose. That we are here for a reason. When we raise consciousness further, we can begin to live in partnership with something greater than our ego. With the source. With Spirit. There we do not become victims of life or ourselves, but we become co-creators.

To master the basic levels without denying them.
To feel without being controlled.
To have needs without being a slave to them.

Learning to stay in the body and master life in it, not escape from it. It is about embodying higher consciousness. The higher wisdom we sought was never outside of us. It has always lived within us. We are already divine. We just need to remember that we know it.

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The inner work where everything changes.

Shamanism is not an escape from reality. It is a way of taking responsibility in it.

How do we take care of the body we’ve been given?
How do we face what’s happening in our lives?
How do we stop projecting our feelings onto others?

When we give away our power to circumstances, relationships, and social structures, we end up in victimhood. And as long as we are there, we cannot create. The power comes back the moment we start taking responsibility.

Not through guilt. But through awareness. When each of us does our inner work, the whole changes. It is not a cliché, it is a true law of energy. It means stopping pointing fingers at others. Stop blaming circumstances for our well-being. Stop waiting for rescue. Stop getting stuck in victimhood. And instead ask:

What in me needs to be healed?
What in me needs to be taken home?
Where am I giving away my power?

That’s where the path begins. We didn’t come here to be perfect. We came here to remember who we are. And when we do, life doesn’t become something that happens to us. It becomes something we create together with Source. And that’s where true freedom lies.

The original teachings and wisdom are naturally within us. It is about bringing it to life and seeing how we live with it, even when we do not live as close to nature every day as our ancestors did. Their wisdom leaves a star map of our entire human life and experience and how we should relate to this physical world while remembering our spiritual nature.

The wisdom is already within us.

It does not need to be created, it needs to be awakened. The greater wisdom in shamanism is there to be lived and awakened within oneself in order to be able to upgrade oneself. The question is how that wisdom is lived here and now, even if we do not live in the middle of nature as our ancestors did. My way of living with this wisdom and honoring life, I have had to translate to fit into my life and the environment I live and stay in. When each of us does our inner work, it affects the whole.

As above so below.


🍃 You are medicine.

✺ You Are Medicine —

For Swedish Content, follow my publication @youaremedicineswe

This space is dedicated to the art of challenging inherited beliefs & clearing the path for who we are becoming. An exploration of the Shamanic path and wisdom that emerges when the soul is given space to grow. My intention is that something you find here may help you hear your own voice more clearly and recognise the wisdom already within you.

✺ Every post on You Are Medicine is free to read. View my various newsletters here. Under the “Subscribed to” section, you can easily customize which newsletters you want to receive via email when subscribing to new posts. That’s it — you’ll only receive the updates you actually want.

✺ As a thank-you, if you choose to support my work by upgrading to a paid subscription, you’ll receive complimentary access to Sacred collection — a growing collection of digital guides and resources. Explore through the link.

✺ Find more resources through my Linktree: @youaremedicine
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The transition, not the end.

In the shamanic worldview, death is not seen as an end, but as a transition. A movement from one form of existence to another. Life and death are not opposites, they are parts of the same cycle. The same breath. The same flow. Just as nature is born, flourishes, withers and is resurrected, so too the human soul moves through different states of being. Death therefore does not become something unnatural or frightening in itself, but a portal. A shift in frequency.

The soul’s journey continues.

In shamanic traditions, there is an understanding that the soul does not cease when the body dies. The body returns to earth, but the consciousness, the essence, continues its journey. There is talk of different worlds or planes where the soul can move on. Sometimes it needs guidance. Sometimes it needs time. Sometimes it needs to let go of the earthly.

The role of the shaman has historically been to assist in these transitions. To help the dying to walk without fear. To help the living to understand that separation is not absolute. Death is seen as a step in a greater evolution of consciousness.

To die while living.

From a shamanic perspective, there is also another form of death — the symbolic one.

To die from old identities.
From roles that are no longer true.
From patterns that have held us back.

This “little death” is often necessary for life to expand. For the soul to have more space to express itself. Many shamanic initiations are based on this: that something within us needs to fall away so that something more authentic can be born.

It’s not always comfortable.
But it’s often healing.

The relationship with ancestors and the spirit world.

Death does not mean the end of relationships. In many traditions, ties to ancestors and spirit helpers continue to be alive. The dead are seen not simply as memories, but as present forces that can provide support, guidance, and protection.

It’s not about getting stuck in the past, but about recognizing that we are part of a larger web of life. That we carry traces of those who have gone before us. When death is no longer seen as an absolute end, our relationship to life also changes. We become more mindful. More present. More willing to live truly.

Fear and trust.

The fear of death is deeply human. It is often about control, about the unknown, about leaving what we love. Shamanism does not try to remove this fear through denial. It meets it through understanding.

Through ritual.
Through stories.
Through direct experience that consciousness can move beyond the physical.

As trust grows, in life, in the cycles of nature, in the soul’s continued journey, death can also begin to be experienced with less resistance. As something we no longer need to run from.

Living with death as a teacher.

Carrying the awareness of death can, paradoxically, make life richer. In shamanic wisdom, there is often a simple but powerful insight:

When we remember that life is changeable, each moment becomes more sacred.

We prioritize differently.
We listen more deeply.
We waste less time on what doesn’t feel true.

Death then becomes not just the end of a story. It becomes a reminder to truly live it.

🍃 You Are Medicine

✺ You Are Medicine —

For Swedish Content, follow my publication @youaremedicineswe

This space is dedicated to the art of challenging inherited beliefs & clearing the path for who we are becoming. An exploration of the Shamanic path and wisdom that emerges when the soul is given space to grow. My intention is that something you find here may help you hear your own voice more clearly and recognise the wisdom already within you.

✺ Every post on You Are Medicine is free to read. View my various newsletters here. Under the “Subscribed to” section, you can easily customize which newsletters you want to receive via email when subscribing to new posts. That’s it — you’ll only receive the updates you actually want.

✺ As a thank-you, if you choose to support my work by upgrading to a paid subscription, you’ll receive complimentary access to Sacred collection — a growing collection of digital guides and resources. Explore through the link.

✺ Find more resources through my Linktree: @youaremedicine
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The Andean tradition and Peru.

In Peru, various power animals represent archetypes in the medicine wheel. Likewise, other power animals are used in other medicine wheels from other cultures within shamanism. When it comes to energy and energy theory in practical work, it has been translated into the characteristics of the animal, in order to be able to translate the energy into physical form. In the Peruvian foundation, we have the four archetypes that we work primarily with, which are the snake, the jaguar, the hummingbird and the eagle / condor. In the same way that in Swedish traditions one might talk about wolf, eagle, bear or raven.

The medicine wheel is the foundation for our development, where each element and power animal symbolizes the different directions.

The medicine wheel is a kind of map of how we handle our challenges in life. The shamanic tradition divides the medicine wheel into a circle, which consists of four different directions according to our four cardinal directions. earth, fire, water and wind. In each direction we also place one of the power animals. These together with the elements symbolize different qualities and themes for the parts of the medicine wheel. Walking the Shamanic path is to walk annually through the Medicine Wheel and with the power from the four directions. The Medicine Wheel is a lifelong journey, with the opportunity for lifelong personal development.

An approach to come to terms with your past, your previous lives, all suffering, identifications and stories. To no longer identify with what you have been without stepping into your full power and transforming your deepest wounds into power and strength. We all carry a backpack with us, of our history, wounds, traumas and failures. As long as we carry it around, having difficulty letting go of what has already served its purpose, we limit our view forward. It may sound simple to ‘just drop the backpack’ and walk on, but sometimes it is a journey with oneself that requires much more than that. To dare to face the darkness, to see what is hidden in the unconscious, in our shadows and in what we have not been able to face before. It is in the medicine wheel that we learn to see the whole world as energy, how we interact with energy and how we can control energy.

The Directions: The Power Animals & The Elements.

The first two directions, south and west, have as an overall theme to heal personal baggage, that which lies in the past that still affects us, for example karma and various traumas. The last two, north and east, are instead about raising our spiritual development forward.

The medicine wheel is a lifelong journey, something we never “finish” on our journey through life.

Living with the medicine wheel means inviting ceremony and ritual into everyday life. To say no to drama, conflict and victim mentality. Life happens, absolutely, but to learn to listen to the wisdom of the body, take responsibility for becoming whole, see through illusions and stand in your truth and full power. Through the elements we learn the flow and how to develop a relationship with the universal forces. To direct the power and manifest your own life. Through dream time, Mother Earth, ancestors, foremothers and the spirit world communicate.

Everyone chooses their own way to work with their personal medicine wheel.

Different practical exercises, rituals and meditations are connected to the different elements and power animals. You can include what suits you in your rituals. Different traditions may have chosen other animals than the ones I describe, for example wolf, hummingbird, hare. Some traditions place fire in the south, earth in the west or in other ways. There are a number of different examples of how a Shamanic medicine wheel is structured. There is really no right or wrong. If you have learned in some other way, or feel that you want to place it in some other way, then do so. Start from your teaching. As always, choose what suits you.

Read More About The Four Directions

🍃 You Are Medicine

✺ You Are Medicine —

For Swedish Content, follow my publication @youaremedicineswe

This space is dedicated to the art of challenging inherited beliefs & clearing the path for who we are becoming. An exploration of the Shamanic path and wisdom that emerges when the soul is given space to grow. My intention is that something you find here may help you hear your own voice more clearly and recognise the wisdom already within you.

✺ Every post on You Are Medicine is free to read. View my various newsletters here. Under the “Subscribed to” section, you can easily customize which newsletters you want to receive via email when subscribing to new posts. That’s it — you’ll only receive the updates you actually want.

✺ As a thank-you, if you choose to support my work by upgrading to a paid subscription, you’ll receive complimentary access to Sacred collection — a growing collection of digital guides and resources. Explore through the link.

✺ Find more resources through my Linktree: @youaremedicine
✺ Follow on Instagram: @youaremedicine

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1

Soul Journey / Vision Quest

Vision Quest, is a traditional ritual primarily associated with North American Native cultures. It is also called a ‘rite of passage’, a passage for self-transformation. Supports those who want to look within themselves, let go of fears and let an old identity or phase in one’s life die, for a new vision to be born. It is a solitary stay in nature where one fasts on water

You are deprived of everyday comforts as you empty yourself of all attachments in order to receive insight. It is a solitary stay in nature where you fast on water. The ceremony is led by a shaman who leads the ceremony and prepares the site, supervises the ceremony, and ensures the safety of the participant. A vision quest is almost always preceded and followed by deep cleansing rituals, such as a sweat lodge, and a structured retreat where the shaman helps interpret the visions.

A traditional vision quest usually lasts four days and four nights, during which time the participant fasts completely from food and sometimes even water.

It is important to have a clear intention for your vision quest, what it is you want to ask for or let go of. The location is often a sacred or secluded spot chosen by the elders or shaman. The participant stays within a limited area (sometimes marked as a circle) to maximize introspection and minimize external distractions.

To prepare for this type of ceremony with nature, many people do a ‘medicine walk’, a ceremony where they walk in nature and contemplate from sunrise to sunset and fast on water.

A Vision Quest often begins at sunrise and ends after the end of the fourth night, when the sun rises on the fifth day. In most cases, the shaman or guide will come and pick up the participant when the time is right. It is rare for a person to leave the place on their own initiative before being “released” from the ceremony. Sometimes the quest is considered complete when a clear vision or sign has been received, but the set time is still completed to integrate the experience.

It is said that a Vision Quest takes seven years to fully grow into a person’s life.

Not because the process is slow, but because it is deep. Many insights, images and twists from the ceremony itself in the wilderness do not reach the surface until much later. They sink down through layers of everyday life, body and old self, like roots finding their way into new soil. Just like a snake after molting, you are thinly protected, newborn and open. Your skin is sensitive to wind, light and touch. Everything feels raw and naked. It is in the silent integration that the Quest really begins to live through you.

Before undertaking a Vision Quest

🍃 Ask for guidance in your dreams
🍃 Pray to go beyond self and fear
🍃 Set a clear but open intention, a question rather than a demand for an answer.
🍃 Prepare your body in advance: eat a simpler diet and less stimuli the days before.
🍃 Read up on the context and tradition if it is a guided Vision Quest.
🍃 Let nature be a co-creator, be responsive rather than searching.
🍃 Note impulses, dreams, bodily sensations and emotional shifts.
🍃 Avoid analyzing too much on site, the experience should be raw.
🍃 If strong emotions come: breathe, stop, feel, don’t force anything.
🍃 Sitting with hunger, fear, discomfort, fatigue, etc. - is part of the process, but pushing the body beyond its limits is not.

After: Important to remember: A Vision Quest is not an achievement. You cannot fail, you can only be with what is. Silence, emptiness and confusion are also part of the process. Give yourself time for integration , insights mature slowly. Write, draw or express the experience without trying to understand everything right away. Share with someone who can listen without interpreting for you. Be patient: sometimes the “vision” only appears much later.

Outdoor seating

There is something ancient and universal about being in nature in silence, where nature meets us with its wisdom, power and healing. I can really recommend a deeper meeting with yourself and with nature and the strong inner experiences that come with this initiating ceremony

As an option to a ‘Vision Quest’, however, you may start with, or just try an outdoor seating of two days in the forest, of which one or both nights in solitude for contemplation. You can also do a single day in solitude, from sunrise to the end of the night with a subsequent sunrise. Bring only water / herbal tea to drink and nothing to eat.

Practical tips

🍃 Tell at least one person where you are and when you plan to be back.
🍃 Choose a place where you can be undisturbed but still be reachable if needed.
🍃 Test the equipment beforehand (clothing, backpack, rain cover).
🍃 Have enough water (more than you think) and a plan in case it runs out.
🍃 Bring a rain jacket / rain cover, even in nice weather.
🍃 Warm layers, cold often comes when you are sitting still and if you are fasting.
🍃 Mosquito repellent and/or mosquito nets, especially in forests and near water.
🍃 Seating mat or sleeping mat / or tarp - ground cold is quickly noticeable.
🍃 Simple first aid
🍃 Flashlight or headlamp + extra battery.
🍃 Knife or multi-tool for simple needs.
🍃 Toilet paper/wet wipes + bag to take trash home.
🍃 Map / local knowledge of the area
🍃 Cancel if weather, body or circumstances change significantly.

🍃 You Are Medicine

✺ You Are Medicine —

For Swedish Content, follow my publication @youaremedicineswe

This space is dedicated to the art of challenging inherited beliefs & clearing the path for who we are becoming. An exploration of the Shamanic path and wisdom that emerges when the soul is given space to grow. My intention is that something you find here may help you hear your own voice more clearly and recognise the wisdom already within you.

✺ Every post on You Are Medicine is free to read. View my various newsletters here. Under the “Subscribed to” section, you can easily customize which newsletters you want to receive via email when subscribing to new posts. That’s it — you’ll only receive the updates you actually want.

✺ As a thank-you, if you choose to support my work by upgrading to a paid subscription, you’ll receive complimentary access to Sacred collection — a growing collection of digital guides and resources. Explore through the link.

✺ Find more resources through my Linktree: @youaremedicine
✺ Follow on Instagram: @youaremedicine

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