Pekka Ervast’s talk at an esoteric meeting on April 6, 1931
[Compiled by Antti Savinainen]
Dear friends!
Madame Blavatsky founded the Esoteric Section, later renamed the Esoteric School, in 1888, after the Theosophical Society had generally lost its faith in the Masters. When the Society for Psychical Research published its report in 1885 claiming that Madame Blavatsky fabricated the Masters, theosophists began to doubt the existence of the Masters. This meant that the Masters had to withdraw from the Theosophical Society. When they discussed with Madame Blavatsky what could be done, it was decided to establish an inner circle within the Theosophical Society, where attempts would be made to contact the Master. The phrase “make contact with the Master” does not only mean making contact with a specific Master, but generally means that a person would come into contact with the cosmos itself and spiritual forces. The Masters are only one aspect of the spiritual forces of the cosmos; they represent the highest knowledge and wisdom here on earth. But the universe is full of all kinds of beings, not just a few dozen Masters, but countless multitudes of spiritual beings, some of whom are lower in development and have not yet reached the level of humans. In contrast, others are remarkable divine beings whose powers play a part in this universe, and with whom humans must come into contact.
Suppose we limit ourselves to living only with Mother Earth. In that case, we become aware of nothing but the physical body and its gross powers, and ultimately, we become materialists who do not believe in the invisible world. However, if we believe in the invisible world and accept that all these spirit beings exist in the universe, then we would not be limited to the world of the earth but become children of the cosmos. And there is no other way to connect with all these cosmic forces than through meditation. But we must also know what meditation is.
For actual meditation in the true sense of the word, the mind must be in balance. That is why all occult schools have always required concentration exercises and moral self-discipline as a prerequisite. Only by educating oneself morally and practicing concentration of thought can a person achieve inner balance. Unless there is complete peace in their mind, soul, and spirit, we cannot meditate. We cannot meditate in the true sense of the word if there is any desire or aspiration in our soul in relation to worldly matters, if there is restlessness, which is indeed part of visible life, but which does not belong to a person who wants to become a cosmic human being. One is a child of the earth, but at the same time, one is a child of the macrocosm through one’s etheric body, and one lives only half a life if one lives only on the bread of the earth. Then one forgets the etheric body, for it does not live on bread alone, but on every living word that comes from the mouth of God. This means that our inner being, our etheric body, and our soul and spirit live only when we have attained such peace that the mind is balanced and can begin to meditate, reaching out as if with antennae into the space of the world.
Pekka Ervast, 1875 -1934
The first requirement is that a person achieves mental balance. One must overcome oneself, learn to know one's own personality, its weaknesses and shortcomings, and overcome them. One must overcome it by being its master. However, we should not understand mental balance in a way that denies rest, food, or other bodily needs. We need everything that maintains balance in our bodies. When we discuss mental balance, we don't mean extreme asceticism. Everything must happen within the limits of reason. The main thing is that we have control over our bodies, that we are not entirely dependent on food and drink, and that we can control ourselves even if we do not get food at a specific time. Everyone can learn this easily, and it can be learned through practice. A person must be entirely at peace, whether they have eaten or not. And the same applies to all physical needs. A person must be able to be entirely at peace in their mind and be able to control all the needs and demands of their body.
But the body is by no means the only thing we have; we also have our lower soul, our personal consciousness, which is proud, vain, vengeful, etc. These must be purified away, because nothing personal or selfish is acceptable to a genuine human being. One must not be proud, malicious, or selfish; these traits are part of our earthly nature, our past. To become human, one must overcome all these things.
Therefore, in this esoteric school of the Rosy Cross, we learn right from the start to set ourselves certain virtues to strive for. These virtues are not chosen at random; they are given by Jesus Christ, and we must strive to develop them within ourselves and use them to educate ourselves. Then, little by little, we will achieve a balance of mind. And following these commandments [do not get angry in your heart; be pure in your thoughts; be truthful and trustworthy; do not resist evil but win evil with goodness; love all people, even your enemies] is not possible unless a person practices a small ceremony every day, that is, practices concentration. Of course, the purpose is not to play a role before God, but to help one follow these commandments, to pursue virtues.
One does not remember Jesus' commandments throughout the day, does not follow them, and grow, unless one has first learned in daily meditation to keep the commandments in mind. Every morning, one meditates on some virtue and impresses upon oneself that one must not forget that commandment that day, and when one trains in this way month after month and year after year, one achieves balance. And one no longer needs to do this once one has attained such peace and balance of mind that one never forgets Jesus' commandments, the virtues that are essential to one’s soul. Then one will not need to focus one’s thoughts at a specific moment, because one will constantly focus on the commandments and virtues that Jesus has given. And then the human mind will be in balance. One will have achieved a peace that nothing can disturb, and without it, a person cannot become a cosmic being. There must be silence within, a silence of desires and will, before one can strive to be a cosmic being. Then we can strive outward from ourselves to the spiritual powers, Christ, and the Great White Brotherhood.
When silence and stillness are in our souls, then wings grow for us, as it were, and one day light will surround us, and we will rise and fly toward the light. We will then become cosmic beings, and this will happen through meditation. And then our true meditation will begin. It is no longer a matter of controlling our thoughts, for our thoughts are silent, but meditation is something that cannot be described in words to someone who has not experienced it. Meditation then involves immersing oneself in an idea, an ideal, or a being. Meditation is then union with Christ. It is based on our ability to control our thoughts. Still, meditation itself is simply ascending into that invisible world, stepping into that state of consciousness that is our higher self. Our higher self and our etheric body are closely connected. And when our consciousness rises to our higher self in meditation, it simultaneously awakens the activity of the etheric body. Just as if along the rays, the whirls, and the rays of light of our own etheric body, we then ascend into the invisible world and come into contact with cosmic forces.
Meditation is therefore something infinitely high and great, something utterly sacred. And that is why we should never think that meditation is just the concentration of thought or self-control. Meditation in its true sense comes to us only after we have attained complete peace of mind. Then comes our own teacher, who shows us what meditation is. This method of meditation may vary for different individuals. The Master comes to us when we learn to meditate or are ready to learn it. The Master shows how it is done.
This is, of course, a completely occult matter, but I want to say that none of us is in any way a lonely or abandoned being. We are all safe and secure, and we are all being helped. As much as we want to help ourselves, so much will the gods help us, as the ancient Greeks said. As much as we strive for balance of mind, so much do we help the world. To the extent that we strive for truth, peace, and love, to that extent we help the world and prepare ourselves for the day when our initiator will come to us and show us how we should meditate.
Jesus Christ has promised to be with us every day until the end of the world and has promised to give us His peace. And when we try to walk before His eyes, then we walk on a safe path. We approach that group of angels, that Great White Brotherhood, which is always ready to act according to Christ's will and whose task is to protect this humanity from the excessive power of evil. The wonderful mystery of life requires that evil accompanies good, that there are beings, people and former people, spirit beings, who are filled with either a different philosophy understanding of life, so that they believe only in suffering and pain, or else are filled with malice, wanting to destroy everything, even wipe humanity from among the living, if it could increase their own power and glory. That is why the Great White Brotherhood is essential for us humans, who do not know how to ward off the terrible dangers that those evil beings want to bring upon us. But when we remember that we are following in the footsteps of the Master, then we are safe. When we remember that Christ is with us, then we can live in peace and joy from year to year, from century to century, and from millennium to millennium. Our goal is to participate in the eternal work of liberating humanity and all of nature, a work that did not begin yesterday and will not end tomorrow, but which lasts from eternity to eternity. Therefore, we too will one day participate in conscious immortality, and wearing white robes, will always walk through the centuries, helping, lifting, and fighting evil.
May the peace and blessing of Christ's White Brotherhood be with us all.
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The original Finnish version of the talk is available here: https://media.pekkaervast.net/presentations_files/1931_04_06_Pekka_Ervastin_puhe_Esoteerisessa_kokouksessa.pdf.