We believe it’s time to create a deeper understanding
of the forces shaping our world
Why we do this?
Over the years, many people have come to us looking for a deeper understanding of the perspectives Erik Fernholm speaks about. We’ve shared books, research, and ideas, but we’ve never felt that there was one book, theory, or perspective that fully captured it all.
That’s why we decided it was time to bring all the pieces together. To create a map that integrates what we’ve learned over the past fifteen years: insights from cognitive science, systems thinking, and behavioral research. A way to share new perspectives on humanity and open up a deeper understanding of the mind, the world, and the systems we’ve created.
We’ve learned that most of today’s crises are not separate problems but symptoms of something deeper. A pattern that has disconnected us from ourselves, from one another, and from the living world around us. We’re beginning to see that individualism has given us independence but taken away our sense of belonging, that we’ve treated nature as something to use rather than something to care for, and that the way we try to solve our problems often repeats the very patterns that caused them.
This understanding marks a shift in how we see, relate, and participate in the world. When more people have access to these perspectives, and when we find a shared language for what is happening, something changes. We begin to realize that we’re not as divided as we thought and that the future isn’t something to predict but something we are shaping together.
Maybe the problem isn’t that we’re failing within the system, but that the system itself no longer serves what is truly human.
What is Lodsten?
Lodsten is the Swedish word for lodestone. A magnetic stone once used to create the first compasses. More than two thousand years ago, sailors carried these stones across the seas. They became symbols of direction and orientation. An ancient companion in times of uncertainty.
We have decided to write a book that brings together the perspectives and insights behind our larger map of human behavior and societal change. As part of this work, we have created Lodsten as the place where these perspectives can grow and take shape.
Here, we will let the map develop openly. We will share parts of the process, test ideas, and explore the material together. We will also hold sessions, conversations, and lectures, and offer our existing courses and programs for those who want to go deeper.
Our work supports leaders and citizens who wish to see the larger patterns shaping our time and who want to act with purpose in creating healthier, more resilient communities.
Most of all, we are gathering hope for the future we share, for those willing to question, to learn, and to find renewed motivation for change.
Everything we do is grounded in science, but most importantly created with deep care and curiosity. We hope it helps people find a clearer sense of where we are, trust in what we can become, and the courage to help shape what comes next.
The map we are exploring:
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1: The intention
Moa Hartwig, one of Lodsten’s founders, shares why we need to rethink how we see the human being and the systems we have created. She offers insights into what makes us human, what limits us, and what enables real transformation. The aim is to build a shared understanding of the challenges we face and invite a more human way of leading and creating change.
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2: The paradox
Read about the deeper pattern beneath today’s many challenges. How our natural ways of coping with complexity can trap us in avoidance and short-term fixes, and why lasting progress requires a shift in behavior and perspective. By seeing the pattern clearly, we lay the foundation for more conscious and sustainable change.
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3: The hidden logic
Learn about Moloch, the hidden logic that drives us to sacrifice what matters most. Discover how we became a society that no longer honors the sacred, and how this force shapes both our personal choices and the larger systems we live within. Moloch names what many of us have long felt but couldn’t describe: a system that rewards short-term gain over long-term well-being, even among well-intentioned people.
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4: The inner shift
The most important work begins when we ask why we keep creating the same patterns again and again. Much of what drives our world lies beneath awareness. Our beliefs, fears, and desires shape choices that feel personal, yet are influenced by forces we rarely notice. If more of us began to question where our thoughts and motives come from and chose from a deeper place of understanding, we might begin to build a world shaped by wisdom rather than competition.
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5: The continuum
Erik Fernholm, one of Lodsten’s founders and the initiator of the Inner Development Goals, shares the story behind IDG — why it was created and how it has grown into a global movement. He explores how inner development can become a recognized and essential part of how we meet today’s global challenges, and how we can build the human capacities needed for real and lasting change.
Understanding ourselves and the world:
How our minds work and the systems we shape
ONLINE COURSE WITH ERIK FERNHOLM
Originally developed in collaboration with IKEA as part of their global leadership program, this course is now available to everyone. It offers the same science-based insights and practical tools that have helped leaders across one of the world’s most influential companies find direction and balance in times of change.
Together with Erik Fernholm, you’ll explore what’s happening in the world today, and why it can be so hard for us as humans to handle it. Grounded in cognitive neuroscience, the course explains how our minds work, why we sometimes get stuck in unhelpful patterns, and how a deeper understanding of ourselves can help us think, lead, and live in new ways.
The course is divided into three parts. Each part includes:
A video lecture with Erik Fernholm
A downloadable summary
Practical exercises and guided reflections to apply the insights in your daily life and work
By combining science, reflection, and practice, this course helps you make sense of change and gives you simple, powerful ways to grow as a person and as a leader.
Created in collaboration with
Upcoming events:
DIGITAL
IN ENGLISH
Mapping the future:
A digital talk with Erik Fernholm
Date: 26 November 2025 13.00 PM
What: Open session
Around the world, more and more people are searching for new ways to make sense of the time we live in. We see progress in technology and knowledge, yet many still feel disconnected from themselves, from others, and from the larger purpose behind it all.
Through his work with the Inner Development Goals and other global initiatives, Erik Fernholm has spent years exploring how inner growth can help us face outer challenges. Along the way, he has noticed something simple but profound: we often try to solve today’s problems with the same mindset that created them.
Mapping the Future is about shifting that perspective. It’s about seeing our world not as a collection of separate crises, but as one shared story still being written. Together, we will explore how a deeper understanding of human behavior and purpose can help us find direction, not just as individuals, but as a generation shaping what comes next.
DIGITAL
PÅ SVENSKA
Namn på föreläsningen:
En digital föreläsning med Erik Fernholm
Datum: 26 November 2025 13.00 PM
Vad: Öppen digital föreläsning
Varför gör vi ofta precis tvärtom mot vad vi vet är bra för oss? Varför fastnar organisationer i mönster som alla ser, men ingen lyckas ändra? Och vad krävs egentligen för att människor ska må bra, samarbeta och bidra över tid?
Bakom varje strategi, mål och beslut finns en gemensam variabel: människan. Vi pratar gärna om förändring, innovation och hållbarhet, men det mesta avgörs faktiskt i hur vi agerar. Individuellt eller i grupp.
I den här föreläsningen visar Erik Fernholm hur en djupare förståelse för mänskliga beteenden kan skapa fundamentala förändringar i både organisationer och samhällen. Han hämtar stöd i modern forskning som kommer att förändra sättet du ser på dig själv, ditt ledarskap och världen vi skapat.