A pilgrim's being has two sides, like the two sides of a coin: either he is on the road to some unspecified destination, the outside road... or if for some reason he isn't out there - for instance when bound by the practicalities of life requiring him to stay at home - he is still on a road but on a kind of inner road. The two sides are complementary, that which is not to be found on the outside road is to be found at home, and vice versa.
They are also temporary, each in their own respect, following natural cycles of coming and going, at times leading and at times following, like day and night, inhaling and exhaling, inseparably wrapping themselves around each other like a twin in the womb, or like the symbol of yin and yang.
Each one also carries inside of its being a significant dot of the counterpart.
Thus the pilgrim on the outside road is carrying the essence of his home with him at all times, finding nest warmth wherever along the road he puts his head to rest for the night. The road has more or less become his home, that's why he never really feels himself lost.
On the other hand the pilgrim on his inner road at home, he is carrying the experiences of the outside road with him, the uncertainties and unpredictabilities of it, the eternal change and never ending bends in the road, all of which he has learned to welcome and accept without his inner peace being disturbed by them, and which help him to deal gracefully with everyday life.
And as for the Pilgrims' Nest, when living the pilgrim-at-home side of the duality, this pilgrim also brings the ones from the outside road right into his home, which makes the two seemingly opposite sides of the duality even more intertwined and integrated...
Over the first 10 years of the Pilgrims' Nest's existence it was mainly the pilgrim-at-home part who had the upper hand. Most of my time was spent at the Nest, welcoming everyone who came to stay for longer or shorter periods, also welcoming and organizing workshops, gatherings, concerts and retreats, and interrupted only every now and then with relatively short breaks on my travel bike.
2018 had already marked a shift in this permanently-open-door attitude and that trend has been confirmed in 2019: less visitor-time, less time for organizing events at the Nest, and more travel-time...
So yes, it looks like from 2020 onwards this pilgrim is going to be found more and for longer periods on the road again. The coin has been flipped. This is the dawn of a new period of travels...
This being said, of course the Nest will continue to be a true nest for those who feel attracted to its nourishing energy. The numbers may become smaller, but the quality will remain the same, if not grow even better. To emphasize this, 2019 has brought some truly amazing visitors here and established beautiful heart connections.
Also, in order to make space for Christel's permanent painting workshop, the visitor's indoor space in the barn got resized and remodeled, and got cozier in the process according to several visitors.
So the story continues, following the heart's lead. The road ahead will thus always be the right one... :-)
Blessings for the new year.
Eddy
the Pilgrims' Nest
Labit
11580 Villardebelle
France
gps: N 43.004953 - E 2.424280
email: pilgrimsnest@gmx.com
mobile: +33 681250002
