Pekka Ervast is the most important Finnish theosophical writer. He lived 1875-1934 and wrote about 70 books and hold about 1 500 lectures. Between the years 1907-1917 Ervast worked as the ceneral secretery of Finnish Theosophical Society, but gave up Theosophical Society, lead by Mrs. Annie Besant and Mr. C. W. Leadbeater, because he could'nt accept their opinions concerning the World War and Jiddu Krishnamurti as new World Teacher.
Ervast started his own theosophical working in his early youth and hold his first theosophical lecture on January 24, 1897 in The Theosophical Library of Helsinki and in public pn April 4, 1898. The Theosophy of Ervast based on his own spiritual experience that he called Babtism of Jordan and which happend on October 13, 1898.
The rebirth showed him that man is basically a spiritual being, the son of God, and that The Sermon on the Mouth is (as good as the teachings of Buddha) the way of spiritual growht. After the rebirth Ervast was able to see about othet people too, which hindered them to get the same level of consciousness as himself. This made Ervast valid as spiritual teacher, who was able to guide other searching people. Between the years 1893-1898 Ervast studied at The University of Helsinki among other things The History of Indian Religions, Moral philosophy and sanskrit, but he liked more to work outside the academy and associated with working class.
The history of Finnish theosophical movement differs from others while in Finland the main group of theosophists came from s.c. lower classes. The first Finnish theosophist were Swedish speaken upper class and artists who also were often from Finnish original and their intress was to progress social circumstances and equality.
The history of Finnish theosophical movement in likely connected to the universal history of Finland. Finland was an autonomic part of Russian empire since 1809, but in the 90's the tsarist government started to unify the empire and repeal Finnish' autonomy. Among many others the socialists and theosophist supported passive resistance, not to agree unlegally actions of the Russian governement.
In 1900 Pekka Ervast had a vision that Finland will become a independ state and after that he worked for that in connection with his theosophical work. The freedom of the nation was him as clear than the freedom of every individual people and the found that every nation has the dharma of its own like the individuals and the task of Finnish, both Finnish and Swedish original, was to follow the guidance of the Finnish national deva Väinämöinen.
Ervast found that the influence of Väinämöinen was similar to the Sermon on the Mounth, and that Väinämöinen supported the spirit of the beatitudes so that the most important ideals of Finnish culture are non-violence and economical equality. His socialism strived toward the best all classes among many other early Finnish socialists, who, like Ervast were intrested in tolstoyism and the socialismy of Jesus. In spite of that the materialistic leadership was antagonistic to theosophy Ervast keept his first Finnish lectures to workers in the spring 1901 and Mr. K. V. Palomaa, reporter of the main Finnish worker newspaper TYÖMIES (The Worker), was allowed to lecture every Sunday-morning in the community hall named VUORELA of the worker's association of Sörnäinen.
From autumn 1901 to spring 1903 Palomaa lectured alone in the Vuorela, but since 1903 Ervast and Mrs. MARTTI HUMU (Maria Ramsted) started lecture in turns with Palomaa. The Workers association of Sörnäinen was one of the greatest workers association in Finland with about 600 members and the number of the public of lectures varied from 150 to 200. So it is clear that the first Finnish theosophist were members of the socialist party of Finland, because the lectures were allowed party-members only....
To will be continue..