This is at the heart of the Shamanic association (SF). It is not simply a theory or a cultural interest pursued on the side, but a faith practiced by real people within a registered religious community in Norway.
Our Statement of Faith
Like every registered religious community in Norway, SF has its own statement of faith:
“That the Creative Force expresses itself through the unfolding of life, and that human beings are spiritually interconnected with all living things. Mother Earth is seen as a living, ensouled being, and all living things express the Creative Force.”
This statement of faith is shared by all our members. What varies from person to person is not the statement itself, but how each individual interprets and lives it out – through their own tradition, their own language, and their own experience.
We often describe ourselves as an “umbrella”, but not because we are empty of faith at our centre. We make room for several different traditions – Sámi, Norse, Kven, Forest Finnish, Inuit, Mongolian, Wicca, and others – but what connects them is not a detailed, shared theology of gods. It is the belief in the sacredness of nature: the very heart of the statement of faith above.
We are one religion, with one statement of faith, and room for many paths into it.
Three Paths into the Faith
No two members of SF practice in exactly the same way, and we believe that is both right and natural. Broadly speaking, there are three different paths.
The first is personal, place-based tradition
Many members belong to and practice living, transmitted traditions of which they themselves are a part – Sámi noaidevuohta, Kven and Forest Finnish tietäjä traditions, Norse traditions, and traditions originating outside the Nordic region, such as Inuit and Mongolian shamanism, as well as members who orient themselves towards Wicca and other witchcraft traditions.
These traditions were not created by SF. We provide them with a legal and organizational home.
SF's founder, Kyrre Gram Franck, himself belongs to the Sámi noaidevuohta tradition, as an unbroken lineage that he carries and practices.
The second is individually developed practice
Here, individuals build their own path around elements found across shamanistic traditions around the world – drum rhythms, meditation, ceremony, healing, and spiritual care.
The third is SF's own tradition
This is a shared Nordic ceremonial cycle that the federation itself has developed over time, drawing on symbolism from Norse and Sámi customs and seasonal celebrations.
What all three paths share is a belief in the sacredness of nature, the use of ceremony to seek contact with the natural and spiritual worlds, and a community where members can meet without having to explain the reason every time.
Our Ceremonies
SF has developed its own ceremonial structure in two layers: milestone ceremonies, which mark transitions in an individual's life, and a ceremonial year wheel, which marks the cyclical turning points of nature.
Milestone ceremonies are normally performed outdoors, in nature. We offer shamanistic weddings, naming ceremonies, confirmation ceremonies, and funeral ceremonies.
In addition, our religious leaders and ceremonial leaders regularly hold ceremonies at the four annual turning points of the year and at the full moon, rooted in Norse and Sámi cosmology.
A concrete example of how our traditions are woven together can be found in the ceremonial fire itself. It is built in four layers, with each layer carrying symbolism from several Nordic traditions at the same time – the directions and seasons, centres of power, the three worlds, and finally birth, life, and death.
This is precisely what we mean when we say “shared Nordic”: not that all these traditions were historically one and the same, but that SF itself has developed a ceremonial practice that brings them together within one shared structure.
Who Keeps It All Going?
SF is run by volunteer religious leaders and ceremonial leaders throughout Norway. None of them are paid for holding their office.
Becoming a religious leader or ceremonial leader requires at least five years of experience in shamanistic practice, a minimum age of 23, a clean criminal record, and completion of the basic course and SF's internal ceremonial-leader training. Above all, however, personal suitability is given the greatest weight.
Religious leaders are appointed by the assembly of religious leaders and are ultimately approved by the County Governor in the relevant county. They are responsible for weddings, funerals, naming ceremonies, confirmations, ceremonies connected to the ceremonial year wheel, and spiritual care for members.
When a religious leader or ceremonial leader conducts a course or milestone ceremony, they may receive a fee – but it is symbolic. A course consisting of 18–20 hours of teaching is typically compensated with around NOK 2,500, with no additional payment for preparation or travel time.
The fee does not come from the government support received by the religious community, but from the course fees themselves. These are deliberately kept low: a typical introductory course costs members NOK 1,600, compared with a market average for similar courses that often ranges between NOK 2,900 and 4,250.
Behind every course and every ceremony lies work that does not appear on any receipt – planning, preparation, travel, and a constant stream of enquiries from people who are new to the tradition or simply curious.
This is the work of making shamanism a living culture in Norway today.
A heartfelt thank you to all our religious leaders, ceremonial leaders, and volunteers who keep these wheels turning.
