I came across this video, Finnish Theosophist and Rosicrucian Antti Savinainen (who has Ph.D. in physics) is being interviewed by Quest Magazine editor Richard Smoley from American Theosophical Society. Topics include Pekka Ervast, his form of esoteric Christianity, and spiritual interpretation of Kalevala.
My link lists on the sidebar contain Pekka Ervast and Kalevala, for those who want to find out more. Also, I have personally translated many years ago some brief writings by Pekka Ervast for this blog:
I could conclude that the benefit of Theosophical movement was to bring Eastern philosophy for wider audience in the West. Yet its downside was to confuse the ideas of Buddhism and Hinduism, and claim that "these two mean the same." It is not true.
Just like my (esoteric) Christian friend - the one I wrote about in previous post - recently told me, he had heard a young Rosicrucian say that morals is the one thing uniting the world religions. However, it doesn't matter what someone said, everyone has their own perspective, and morals is precisely the one thing that separates me and my friend. It's never been the point for me. I don't think it's even necessary to find uniting factors in religions. It is simply humanity that unites us, and a religion in itself is very human thing.
Towards the Light - Tales of Finnish Occultism and Esotericism
A document focusing on interviews with Finnish Esoteric organisations. Featured are Gnostic Society, Rosy Cross, Esko Jalkanen – Nature’s Powers Trust, Star of Azazel, Theosophical Society and Christosophia Supporters’ Association. The document is divided to four parts with different themes: The Societies, The Teachings, The Human Being and The Future. The document is subtitled in English.
Realized by Antti Kaipainen and Marko Forsten. 41:49 min. June 30 2021.
Obviously, it's not very deep, only the very basics, and as such, nothing new to me. Frankly, I'm confused how come the Theosophical Society is included among these groups. They are international, not particularly Finnish. However, three out of five other organizations are directly involved with Theosophical world view, and they readily admit it; undoubtedly remaining two organizations are influenced by Theosophy as well, simply because it has had such a wide influence on Western Esoterism.
Pekka Ervast
On my link list on the sidebar, you can find Pekka Ervast, a man who is said to have brought Theosophy to Finland in Finnish language, and who later founded the Finnish Rosicrucian Order, Rosy Cross. He was my spiritual mentor for many years. His books were revelation to me, combining head and heart, solving contradictions in Church Dogma. It was through his work that I found the version of Christianity I could approve of.
Obviously, I also know Christosophy, a word Pekka Ervast first used in his books. It's a fact that without Pekka Ervast, Finnish Esoterism would miss a lot. However, I have never understood the point of this movement, started by Ervast's co-worker J.R. Hannula after his death. They seem to emphasize Ervast's role to the extreme, explaining how Buddha expressed Logos as Reason and the Holy Spirit; Jesus expressed Logos as Love and the Son; Pekka Ervast supposedly expressed Logos as Good Will and the Father, and he declared the new religion based on the Sermon on the Mount, which according to Ervast was the most essential teaching of Jesus.
I became familiar with the Star of Azazel on my Luciferian period - see my previous post. They are heavily based on Theosophy too. Since Blavatsky, Theosophy has always reinterpreted the symbolism of Lucifer/Satan, Star of Azazel just makes it their main doctrine.
Esko Jalkanen - Nature's Powers Trust (link to English pdf file) I don't know personally; I have a friend who has received spiritual help from them and was happy about it.
Gnostic Society (unfortunately, there seems to be no English pages) is interesting to me. Among other things, they conduct equal weddings for same-sex couples too. I would like to visit their Gnostic Mass, which is not Christian - a fact that I as non-Christian gladly welcome (since there are also many Gnostic Christian Churches around the world, you know), but they are held only in Helsinki (I live in Tampere, and go to Helsinki less than once a year).
This document missed two particularly Finnish organizations based on Theosophy:
Ihmisyyden Tunnustajat ("Confessors of Humanity"), a commune, where I visited in the 90's and bought my first books by Pekka Ervast. For a while I even dreamed of living there myself, but that was a passing phase and it soon became clear it was not for me. I read the founder (now deceased), who used to be involved in Christosophy until her claimed communications with the Masters of Wisdom were rejected, was considered a reincarnation of Helena Blavatsky, and that really bothered me; I met her, and she didn't impress me much. Yet the fact that this commune is really long-lasting, seems to prove there is something about it that is working. They are very strictly focused on one ideal - maybe it is their strength, but to me it seems too narrow.
Via-Akatemia ("Via Academy"; no English!): They say they teach Rajayoga, or "thought yoga", through their correspondence course, logical positive thinking, through which it is possible to attain inner peace and happiness, and expanding of the consciousness and connection to Higher Self by repeating positive phrases or mantras. I have read old magazines from the 70's, when this organization seemed to be a little controversial; nowadays they have renewed their image (since both of the original founders have passed away) and become quite presentable. One of the founders also said she was a reincarnation of Helena Blavatsky: how many are they? (Globally there have been many more.) Their background was on Theosophical Society, Rosy Cross and Christosophy, and initiative for their work allegedly came from the Adepts of White Brotherhood, of course.
Also worth a mention is a mystical artist, a rosicrucian and contemporary of Pekka Ervast, who didn't start her own movement, even though she supposedly was in contact with the Masters: Aleksandra Ionowa.
Rose is a symbol of life and joy, happiness and love, cross on the contrary represents death and suffering, pain and burden. Our view of life is one-sided if it is merely "worldly", care-free, if it only seeks for sensual pleasures and considers death with horror; but it's just as one-sided if it considers earthly life as a valley of sorrow and misery, hating its innocent pleasures, lurking for sin in its most beautiful feelings. In previous case it's asking for roses of life but not the thorns of life and in later case it is not willing to see nothing else than the cross of death everywhere. Rosicrucian world view seeks to connect the two extremes, to unite a rose to the cross, looking for the golden way in the middle, from the border of joy and sorrow rising over joy and sorrow to the peace that overcomes the world. Rosicrucianism is the renessance of the spirit. It does not support the monk-ascetism of the Catholic Church, but neither the materialism of the worldly people. It won't seek for joy nor run away from suffering but greets the both as natural gifts of life. Esotericly it interpretes the symbol of the Rosy Cross like this: When a man takes his cross (both his outer and inner destiny) to carry - and to carry without complaining, even with pleasure, then the rose will bloom upon the cross, a rose of love that brings forth the peace and bliss unto his life. Then the rose has been formed of his heartblood. And the blood is the blood of Christ that has bleeded from his heart when the cross as a sword has been striken in it.
