Finland, Theosophy in
The first impetus for theosophy in Finland happened when the newspaper Åbo Tidning (9/4/1889) dedicated its leading article to theosophy. In this sympathetic article it was stated that Finns should examine more carefully the aims of the Theosophical Society (TS) and that a Scandinavian Section was recently founded in Stockholm, Sweden. Another significant public mention occurred a few years later, when the newspaper Nya Pressen published a series of eight articles by A. Fullerton, the topics being a general outline of theosophy. Its main teachings were mentioned; reincarnation, karma, teachings on death, evolution of planets and the relationship of theosophy and the religions. This series reached and inspired people all over Finland and the first Finns joined the Scandinavian Section of the Theosophical Society in 1891.
The first unofficial lodge started its meetings in 1894 in Helsinki and was called Helsingin Teosofinen Yhdistys (The Theosophical Association in Helsinki), with architect A. Wendell acting as the chairman. The library named Teosofiska Biblioteket i Helsingfors (Theosophical Library in Helsinki) was inaugurated on January 10, 1897, and received substantial support from an accountant Herman Hellner.
The library became the center of theosophical activity. Secondary school graduates Messrs. Herbert Silander and Pekka Ervast began lecturing and gradually other lecturers joined the team. Regular discussion meetings were held in the library and many theosophical books were studied.
In the early years the language used in the activities was Swedish (which is the second official language in Finland). The first theosophical book in Finnish was Annie BESANT’s Introduction to Theosophy, published in 1889. This was a pioneering work in Finnish theosophical life. To support the publishing work, the Theosophical Bookshop and Publishing Company was founded, with the aim of making basic theosophical literature available to everyone in the Finnish language. A theosophical magazine Omatunto (The Conscience) also started to appear and had a thousand subscribers during its first year.
When national conditions became easier in 1905, the need for a theosophical section in Finland became apparent. The Section materialized, after many phases, in autumn 1907, when the required seven lodges (Vågen, Kalevala, Atra, Kalervo, Sampo, Etsijä and Sarastus) had been founded. The Finnish Section of the TS was officially founded on November 17, 1907. The number of members was then 155 and Pekka Ervast was elected as the General Secretary. Now there was much more activity; theosophy was studied, books and a magazine were published and public lectures were held. The first summer school of the Section was arranged in 1912 and since then it has been a permanent part of Finnish Section’s activities. In 1916 there were already 24 lodges and the number of members was over 600.
Finland became an independent country in 1917. Theosophical lecturers frequently traveled all over the country, visiting lodges and speaking about theosophy to various groups in many places. The number of lodges became stable (about 24). However, conflicts between people could not be avoided and eventually the Society in Finland was split up, when Pekka Ervast founded his own organization called Ruusu-Risti (The Rose-Cross) in 1920. After quickly recovering from the confusing situation the Society took a loan from a bank in 1922 to finance a building. In 1927 work was commenced on a headquarters building and the foundation stone was laid by Annie BESANT. The big stone building of five floors was located in the countryside near a lake about 150 km north-northwest of Helsinki.
The theosophical magazine Omatunto had changed its name into Tietäjä (The Seer) and, when the Section was split up, the official name of the magazine became Teosofi (The Theosophist) in 1920; since then it has been published without interruption.
After the First World War international communication was revived and correspondence between Adyar and different countries became active again. The series of international visits to Finland was started by Ernest Wood, who presented over 20 public theosophical lectures and also membership meetings in at least 11 different places. The next visitors were the international Vice-President C. JINARAJADASA, Swedish General Secretary Erik Cronvall, George ARUNDALE, J. A. Mazel from the Netherlands, Bishop James I. WEDGWOOD and the President Annie Besant.
During the years Finnish members worked in various groups, such as The Teachers Circle, The Children’s Circle, The Order of the Star in the East, The Lotus School, The International Round Table, theosophical choir, rhetoric club and English study group.
Committees, such as The Supporting Alliance of the Theosophical Society, Fraternal Bank and The Promotional Fund for Theosophical Literature and Education were also set up to raise money and take care of financial matters.
In the summer of 1933 the Finnish Section of the TS became bankrupt when the world financial depression took place; it lost all its property and was officially closed down. However, activity was almost immediately re-started and a petition was sent to Adyar for the founding of a new Section in Finland and there was much committee work aimed at creating the needed number of lodges. On November 11, 1933, the founding of the Section was confirmed in the international list, the name being The Finnish Theosophical Society. Eighteen of the lodges were re-activated and the number of members increased from 376 to 509 by the year 1936.
The newly founded Society started a new working method by distributing regular study and research material to lodges and unattached members. These included short presentations, lectures and information and news from the theosophical world. In Helsinki regular public lectures begun again in 1935. Among the lecturers were, for example, Wilho Angervo, Yrjö Kallinen, Atte Pohjanmaa, Armas Rankka, John Sonck, Signe Rosvall, Fredrik Kerttula, Jussi Snellman, Artturi Vesenterä and Fredrik Heliö.
International visits continued. The ex-international Vice-President C. Jinar€jad€sa came to Finland during his Scandinavian tour in the autumn of 1935. President George Arundale visited Finland with his wife Shrimati Rukmini Devi in the summer of 1936. Next year the English General Secretary, Adelaide Gardner, led the Summer School.
During the Second World War (1939-1944) the situation was difficult in the whole country due to bombings and long distances. Thus regular meetings were impossible. However, the lodge work continued persistently during this time.
John Sonck had bequeathed assets to the Society, and with the help of these assets an apartment was purchased from a block of flats in Vironkatu, Helsinki in 1942, which became the Headquarters. In 1948 the first Summer School after the war was held, the international lecturer being Sidney Ransom from England.
From the 1950’s onward theosophical activities have annually included celebrations, annual conventions and Summer Schools. The lodges have started functioning more independently, lecturers have toured the country and public lectures have been held in Helsinki every Sunday.
In 1954 the Society purchased an estate called Kreivilä for its summer place with the money received from the Finnish Government as compensation for the Summer Home, which the Society had lost to Russia. Kreivilä has expanded into a residential course center, which is also offered to other spiritual groups for their courses. Kreivilä is well known as a theosophical center and nearly every Summer School has had an international guest speaker. International Presidents such as N. SRI RAM (who inaugurated Kreivilä), John COATS, Radha Burnier as well as many other well known theosophists have visited the place.
The European Federation of the Theosophical Society has held its annual Council Meeting once in Finland (in 1963) preceding the Summer School, which made the event very international.
At the end of the 1980’s members of Blavatsky Lodge established contacts in Estonia and began lecturing there. In 1992 when Estonia became an independent state, HPB Lodge was founded in Tallinn, being a part of the Finnish Section. Regular visits from Finland to Estonia have continued through 1990’s and the early 21st century. International lecturers have also visited the country. These include the International President Radha Burnier (in 1995, 1997 and 2002), Joy Mills in 1998, Prof. Richard Brooks in 2001 and Tran-Thi-Kim-Diêu in 2000 and 2003.
The last decades from 1950 to 2003 have been filled with theosophical work. During the last few years study-letters have been sent to every member and a lot of new theosophical literature has been translated. Computerization is a part of everyday communication.
Many outstanding individuals have been members. These include the poet Eino Leino (pseudonym of Armas Eino Leopold Lönnbohm), whose poetry often reflected theosophical ideals and to the memory of whom the Finnish government has erected a statue in Helsinki. The well-known Finnish composers messrs. Oskar Merikanto and Leevi Madetoja were also members; Madetoja composed music for a song called The Command of the Master (with Alcyone’s words) which is sung at many special theosophical occasions. Yrjö Kallinen joined the TS at an early age and proved to be a brilliant lecturer; he was a member of the Executive Committee and Vice-President of the Section. In 1946 he became Minister of Defense for the Finnish Government, being a well-known pacifist. His published works include: Here and Now; Noise and Silence; Are We in Sleep? and Zen. After his death his home town erected a monument to him called The Stairs of the Light.
The number of members in Finland has been 738 (in 1953) at its highest and 376 (in 1962) at its lowest. During the past years it has stayed close to 500, being 477 in April 2004. The number of lodges has steadily been about 22 or 23 besides a few official study groups. In 2004 there were 23 active lodges and 3 study groups, including one lodge in Tallinn and a study group in Tartu, Estonia.
List of General Secretaries:
Pekka Ervast 1907-1917
Willie Angervo (Dr.) 1917-1918
Väinö Valvanne 1918-1919
John Sonck 1919-1931
Armas Rankka 1931-1949
Hugo Valvanne 1949
Atte Pohjanmaa 1949-1950
Signe Rosvall 1950-1959
Sylvi Horstio 1959-1968
Atte Pohjanmaa 1968-1971
Sirkka Kivilinna 1971-1983
Kyllikki Vuorinen 1983-1989
Kirsti Elo 1989-1998
Yrjö Kumila 1998-2004
Kalevi Dunder 2004-
K.K./M.A. (M.J. trans.)
