The Pit Project
A CONDENSED HISTORY
Began on April 18, 2015 at Nurmijärvi, Southern Finland, on a secluded part of a cottage plot, as an impromptu makeshift fire pit. It was excavated at the site of a demolished cottage’s remains. This origin is the namesake of ’The Pit’. Over eight years, it transformed from a simple soil pit into an expansive area of 60-80 square meters.
Today, it comprises various sanctuaries, altars, and artifacts, created through extensive labor involving digging, moving, and splitting boulders using the primitive ’fire-setting’ technique. All materials—earth, stone, wood—were sourced from The Pit itself.
KEY SANCTUARIES AND ARTIFACTS
(in visiting order)
Devil’s Threshold:
A reclaimed sanctuary from the site of an old log shack and compost heap, still under development.
The Nekromanteion:
A cave-like sanctuary behind the Devil’s Threshold, still under development.
The Gate of The Pit:
A 2-meter-high wooden gate, later inspiring the Tuonen Portti collective’s naming.
Auroch Yard
Features an altar resembling a stone fence.
*Lovilehto
Comprises a prominent altar within a grove-like space, encircled by tree branches and a wall made of ’wooden spears’.
Heart of The Pit
The original Pit. Houses several fireplaces and a wooden shelter (lean-to).
Terminus Chapel
Originally an old root cellar, now transformed into a chthonic chapel with an overhead ritual space and a stone altar.
Seal Stone of the Gate of Tuoni
Rests atop a pyramid-like stone structure.
Interconnecting all sanctuaries is a pathway network, referred to as the initiation path, designed piece by piece following visionary principles of ’atavistic sacred geometry’.
OBSERVATIONS
In daylight, The Pit might not seem overly extraordinary against the rural landscape, except for the more prominent altars. However, by night, it transforms into an ’extreme liminal’ space, devoid of artificial lighting, especially dark during autumn months.- The Pit’s Core elements are: Earth, fire, stone, wood, and smoke
- Aesthetic and magical influences: Rooted in atavistic, animistic beliefs, echoing the Bronze Age UR-paganism.
ADDITIONAL INSIGHTS
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Rituals at the Pit are sometimes enhanced by the use of ambient soundscapes and elements like candles, torches, and fireplaces. - Journals detailing real-life events are being adapted into a novel, tentatively titled ’The Pit Chronicles’ spanning three distinct timelines.
- The site has attracted the attention of scholars in religious studies, including Matti Rautaniemi, who contributed a comprehensive article (Porvoon Kipinä magazine) about The Pit. Additionally, a select assembly of artists and occultists/esotericists has been invited to the site.
- * “Lovilehto” Explanation: “Lovilehto” is formed by the union of two distinct Finnish terms: “lovi” and “lehto.” “Lovi” carries a metaphorical significance beyond its literal meaning of a notch or groove; in shamanistic practices, it is understood as a symbolic portal or gateway, especially pertaining to entry points for spiritual journeys, often associated with transitions into otherworldly realms or the underworld.“Lehto,” straightforwardly translates to “grove” in English.
