Wetiko: The Mind Virus of Our Time

Wetiko (also spelled Witiko or Wendigo) is a powerful and complex concept that originates from Indigenous North American spiritual traditions, particularly among the Cree, Algonquin, and Ojibwe peoples.

What Is Wetiko?

Wetiko is often described as a spiritual disease of the soul—a psychic virus that causes selfishness, greed, consumption, and disconnection from life.

It’s not just a personal problem; it’s collective—a mindset that sees life as something to dominate, others as resources to exploit, and the Earth as a dead object, not a living being.

In modern terms, Wetiko can be seen as the root of colonization, ecological destruction, materialism, and systems of extraction and control.

Paul Levy's Interpretation

Contemporary writer Paul Levy has done deep work on the Wetiko concept. He describes it as a “mind-virus” that operates through the unconscious, distorting perception so that we become agents of the very system that is harming us—all while believing we’re doing the right thing.

According to Levy, Wetiko:

• Feeds on fear, trauma, and disconnection

• Causes individuals and societies to act against their own well-being

• Thrives in systems of power without empathy

• Can only be healed through self-awareness, connection, and conscious community

  
  

How to Heal or Counter Wetiko

• Awareness is the first medicine—naming it breaks its spell.

• Community, empathy, and grounded action are essential.

• Returning to the Earth, reweaving connection to the land, spirit, and each other helps dissolve its grip.

• Reclaiming imagination and remembering we are creators—not victims—is key.

  
  

Living in a Time of Collective Trauma

Yes, all of this makes sense—because we are living in a time of collective psychosis. And at the heart of it all is trauma.

There is the trauma of witnessing our beloved animals disappearing from the Earth.The trauma of realizing that, as humanity, we are failing to protect our children.The trauma of ongoing wars, displacement, and unimaginable suffering across the world.

In truth, we might say:To not feel trauma today, would be the real abnormality.

So the real question is: How do we live with this? How do we respond?

Not through programs. Not by fighting for peace. Not by arguing or convincing.

But through healing, through compassion, and by nurturing hope—together.

And here a great article from Thomas Klaffke about Wetiko, who says: "To change a system you must first correctly understand and identify the problem. What some call the Iceberg Model and others Causal Layered Analysis or First Principles Thinking is a systems thinking tool that can help us go to the roots of systems to transform them from the bottom up. I use it very often." Here the link: https://www.creativedestruction.club/p/wetiko?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Here the link to the book of Levyhttps://www.amazon.de/-/en/Wetiko-Healing-Mind-Virus-Plagues-World/dp/1644114100