What is Reindeer Shamanism?

Reindeer Shamanism is a formerly extinct line of shamanism practiced by indigenous people thousands of years ago in what is now northern Scandinavia. These people knew themselves as the Reindeer Tribe or Reindeer People and followed the migrating herds of reindeer across the sub-arctic and arctic. They lived long before the domestication of reindeer, which began roughly 3,000 years ago. 

Reindeer, both the animal and his spirit, was (and is) central to Reindeer Shamanism because the reindeer their people followed kept them alive during the long, dark winters. A deep relationship with this animal developed, a mutual relationship of survival (nearby humans kept wolves away from reindeer herds), and a mystical relationship of spirit. 

Why Reindeer Shamanism?

In the summer of 2022, I was called to the path of Reindeer Shamanism by my deceased Norwegian grandfather. Through a series of strange events, I discovered that my grandfather was my guardian and shamanic teacher thousands of years ago when we both lived with the Reindeer Tribe. He told me I was meant to bring Reindeer Medicine back to the world.

I eventually learned that I died in my shamanic initiation, failing a test of strength at the age of thirteen. And that my work was to step back onto that shamanic path. I was fully initiated at the end of 2022, and I continue to work with and learn from my Grandfather and our lineage of Reindeer Shamans in the spirit realm.

The result has been the revival of this ancient tradition of shamanism, which I am learning and bringing forth so that others can learn and practice it as well.

Reindeer Shamanism Today

Even without the Christian persecution of shamans worldwide for over a thousand years, the practice of Reindeer Shamanism as I am learning it wouldn’t exist today in northern Scandinavia. The Reindeer People in that part of the globe are now called the Sami, and Sami shamanism would be what this practice evolved into, changing and growing with its people. But shamanism in Scandinavia – as in many other parts of the world – was oppressed to the point of extinction. Little remains of pre-Christian Sami shamanism, so it is hard to know how different those practices might have become. 

As a result, putting together a practice in this tradition required research into shamanism in general, adding and modifying rituals, ceremonies, and practices, feeling my way into my shamanic practice, and determining what feels in alignment with my shamanic heritage.

Reindeer Shaman Antler Headdress, created by Obo & Cynthia Menard.

Many of the ceremonies and practices I’m developing are either adaptations of what I’ve learned in the spirit realm or are based on other shamanic practices that fit (or are adapted to fit) this practice. Still others are informed by my Western esoteric training and practice.

Part of my outer Reindeer Shaman work is empowering others to self-heal. I offer shamanic body consciousness healing sessions, where I teach others how to journey and engage with their body consciousness for deeper healing.

Several times a year, I offer pubic Reindeer healing ceremonies for those looking for healing and interested in experiencing this tradition. If you would like to stay in the loop about healing ceremonies, classes, and other events, please join my mailing list, and check my Program Calendar for currently scheduled events.

If you’d like to learn more about the shamanic path I’m walking, you can find my story under the blog category of ‘My Shamanic Path‘.

Header image by Saad Chaudhry on Unsplash.