While many of these processes are known and understood in Theosophical thought, the way that the Kalevala illustrates specific lessons and pitfalls is fascinating, and Ervast has a sharp eye for the Kalevala's esoteric content. The final discussion in Part III involves the Sampo, which symbolizes the completed spiritual body. The journey undertaken by the three heroes to Pohjola, where the Sampo is kept hidden away, represents the final step in their growth to wholeness. Thus, the three evolutionary forces within humanity work together harmoniously to accomplish the final goal, that of retrieving the magical Sampo that had been appropriated by the forces of darkness led by Louhi. Ultimately, a plot twist that occurs during the final sea fight for the Sampo reveals a deeper spiritual meaning that Ervast does not avoid explaining.
Finnish culture is rooted in shamanism.
This section contains material from K. S. Lencqvist's classic dissertation on Finnish and Lappish magic, never before available in English. Ervast discusses the role of the Finnish people in bringing about global evolution, and the obligation of each nation to manifest its own special contribution. Here we sense some amount of nationalistic pride that was prevalent when Ervast was writing, which is a strong characteristic of the Finnish people. This section also contains some strikingly prophetic remarks about what was likely to happen in Europe in the coming years. Given that Ervast's book was originally published in Finland in 1916, on the eve of Finland's graduation to statehood, we might suspect that it therefore embodies something of the spirit of progressive, forward-moving thought that accompanied that era of cultural transformation.