Pekka Ervast : The Way of Initiation: Ancient and Modern

In this book, Ervast offers unique perspectives on spiritual evolution, which is called the way of initiation in the theosophical circles. He begins by discussing the required conditions for a true spiritual path. Ervast emphasises that one cannot advance on any occult way unless one has first gone through the initiation of compassion.

The aim of esoteric teaching has always remained the same, but the methods have changed as human consciousness has evolved. Ervast talks about the initiation ceremonies in ancient Egypt as an example of the Old Covenant method. He goes on to describe how Jesus Christ opened a new way of initiation, the New Covenant, and how this changed our relationship with our higher self, the Mystical Christ, and the invisible world.

Pekka Ervast (b. 1875, d. 1934) was a pioneer of the Finnish Theosophical movement and the founder of the Finnish Rosy Cross. For over thirty years, he gave public lectures based on his spiritual experiences and wrote books on Rosicrucian Theosophy. Ervast left behind a large body of work, much of it compiled from his lecture series. His main themes included the ethics of the Sermon on the Mount, esoteric Christianity, and the human being as an evolving spiritual and eternal being in the school of karma and reincarnation.