The Power of Words: The Finnish Tietäjä Tradition

Have you ever noticed how certain words, when spoken with intention, seem to carry weight? How a whispered blessing can calm a crying child, or how the right phrase at the right moment can shift an entire day? The old Finnish shamans – the tietäjät – knew this intimately. They were called “the knowing ones” not because they possessed secret knowledge, but because they understood something profound: words, when combined with rhythm and intention, become medicine.

The Tietäjä: Healer, Seer, Keeper of Balance

Unlike the ecstatic shamans of Siberia, Finnish tietäjät worked their magic differently. They didn’t journey to other worlds through wild drumming and trance. Instead, they used something quieter but no less powerful: loitsut – incantations spoken or sung with rhythmic precision.

These weren’t random spells. They were carefully crafted formulas that acknowledged the origin of illness or misfortune, negotiated with it, and offered it a path elsewhere. A tietäjä treating a burn might recite the origin story of fire itself, reminding the flame of where it truly belonged – not in human flesh, but in the hearth, in the forest, in the sky with the sun.

The drum’s role? It created the threshold. The steady rhythm opened the space between ordinary reality and the realm where words could reshape what was happening in the body, the land, or the community.

Healing Through Story and Sound

What fascinates me most about Finnish shamanic healing is its practicality. The tietäjät weren’t mystical hermits – they were community members who helped with everyday problems. Toothaches. Lost cattle. Difficult births. Snake bites. Fear.

Their method combined three elements:

Words of Power: Incantations that told the story of where the problem came from and where it needed to go

Rhythmic Delivery: The incantation was sung or chanted, often with a rocking motion or drumbeat, creating a trance-like state in both healer and patient

Physical Action: Touch, breath, saliva, or symbolic gestures that sealed the healing

Modern psychology recognizes what the tietäjät knew: rhythm and repetition calm the nervous system, storytelling helps the mind make sense of chaos, and intention shapes outcome.

A Modern Practice: The Releasing Rhythm

You don’t need to memorize ancient Finnish incantations to work with this wisdom. Here’s a simple practice inspired by the tietäjä tradition that you can try at home:

What you need: Your drum (or even just your hands for clapping), a quiet space, and something you’d like to release – stress, worry, old hurt, or simply the accumulated tension of modern life.

The Practice:

Name It: Speak aloud what you’re releasing. Be specific. “I release the worry about…” or “I let go of the tension from…” This is your incantation’s beginning.

Find Its Origin: Where did this come from? Not psychoanalyzing – just acknowledging. “This worry came from uncertainty” or “This tension came from too much sitting.”

Begin the Rhythm: Start drumming – slowly, steadily. Let the rhythm be simple, like a heartbeat. As you drum, rock gently or sway.

Offer It Passage: As you drum, speak or whisper: “This [worry/tension/hurt] came from [origin]. It served me once, but now I release it. I send it back to [the wind/the earth/the flowing water]. It no longer lives in my body.”

Repeat this several times, letting the rhythm and words merge. You’re not fighting the feeling – you’re giving it permission and a path to leave.

Seal It: When you feel complete, place your hand on your heart, take three deep breaths, and say simply: “It is done.”

The power isn’t in the exact words – it’s in the combination of rhythm, intention, and the act of consciously moving something out of your body and back into the world.

Why This Ancient Wisdom Still Works

The tietäjät understood what neuroscience now confirms: our bodies hold stories, and rhythmic practices can help us release them. The drum’s steady beat regulates the nervous system. Speaking aloud what we’re releasing engages the conscious mind. The ritual of “sending away” gives the unconscious mind a clear signal: this chapter is closing.

This isn’t about believing in magic. It’s about using ancient tools that work with how humans are actually built – creatures of rhythm, story, and ritual who need ways to process what we carry.