Our residency program (in collaboration with House of the Beloved) is a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in practices that invite you to fully choose and embody your own way of being human. The usual pressures of time, money, beauty, happiness, health and normalcy are laid aside, so the craziness of your authentic presence can break through. We practice being different together and being-with-differences without the need to make anything happen or prevent anything from happening. Located at an urban mountain top, surrounded by the city of Brussels, this program is not an escape from “real life” but rather an immersion into everything that is human. This deep, transformative path comes with only one rule: make it possible for the others too.
“The House of the beloved is a space in the middle of, and yet just outside, everyday reality. It is a light, warm place, where a home is created in meditation, devotion, research, music, conscious eating and exercise, good conversations and friendly togetherness. Stijn and the people around him form a community where you are met in your individuality. Here we think about the challenges of living in our society and breathe life into the alternatives.
But it’s not Kumbaja.
In the House you get what you need to awaken, not what you think you need. The Beloved whispers an invitation to something deep within you, call it your soul, your higher self, your greater consciousness, herself in reflection? She invites you to explore what it is to be completely ‘you’, intimate with yourself and with everyone around you. There is no room for social convenience, keeping the peace, unconscious projections and avoiding responsibility. It is not a continuation of what you knew and did, but a curious investigation into it.
Waking up from the dream, being truly free, is the goal. Everything in the house – the two altars, the quotes on the matchbox (and the toilet, and the kitchen cupboard and..), the shared texts in the ceremonies, the coffin, Juul the judo man – is there to help remember. Everything invites me to unlearn, integrate, live through.(…)”Testimony of Jordi, resident in November 2023
PRACTICAL
A residency starts on Tuesday at 4pm and can last for one or two days, ending either Wednesday or Thursday at 11am.
We have created a tentative daily rhythm including meditation, study, work, experimentation, cooking, eating, karma yoga, body practices, music and dance (see below). Practices and schedules tend to work for some people some of the times for some things. You can choose what is needed for you, though we propose to minimally join the morning and evening ceremony, so you stay in tune with the community. If you don’t join the practices, we expect you not to interfere with others that do, and just be in your room in silence.
- 0640 waking up guests
- 0700 silent sit
- 0730 body practice (yoga, dance, martial arts)
- 0800 breath work (pranayama) & uccara practice
- 0830 morning ceremony & dance
- 0900 BREAKFAST
- 0930 karma yoga
- 1000 study/teaching/experimenting
- 1300 meditation
- 1330 LUNCH
- 1400 work/ritual
- 1800 music meditation
- 1830 SIMPLE DINNER
- 1900 evening workshop (authentic presence – meditation – shadow work – existential research)
- 2200 evening ceremony
- 2230 silence till after breakfast
The schedule is an invitation to propose and follow what you need. You can participate in a way that fits your path.
CONTRIBUTION
We prioritise to establish a community of existential journeyers who support each other in the House of the Beloved. For practical reasons, however, we currently still have to discuss exchange. As a contribution, we suggest €200 per day (all included) to be paid to account number IBAN BE54 7370 7190 1897 in the name of House of the Beloved vzw). Please contact us if this amount doesn’t work for you, then we talk about an appropriate exchange.
TESTIMONIES
“Being-with-what-is sounds pretty simple. The reality is that it is quite challenging. However effortless this practice can be, and essentially is, quite a lot of conditionings lead me astray. House of the Beloved is, to me, a space where I can really, deeply, and honestly see and feel through what is going on, emotionally and existentially. It hasn’t been an easy exploration, quite confrontational at times, but I am deeply grateful for it. It has brought me in connection with vital parts of being-me and supports a process of emotional and spiritual transformation. Also, the communal setting revitalizes a sense of belonging and connection for me thwarted in our individual oriented societies. The practice of authentic presence provides a bed rock for relational wellbeing and is at times healing. Finally, the beauty and rootedness of the rituals and the experimental character of the practices, inspire me to be mindful, creative, expressive, and explorative with depth without centralizing capitalistic goals. This is freeing and nourishes compassion and critical thinking. House of the Beloved is a sacred space to practice authenticity and connection. “Lotte, frequent resident since 2022
“The House of the beloved, a place where I feel loved and bring love. Not by doing more, but by doing less. A place where I feel the space to be fully human, with all the complexity and simplicity I bring. Joy, anger, sadness, sensuality, insecurity, laziness, warmth. These are all states flowing through me, at different moments while being in The House. They are received with a warm connection that flourishes because everybody is practising with ‘being with what there is’. Inspired by the honest embodiment of the intuitions of the House of the Beloved by Stijn.”Jolanda, regular resident since 2022
“Het leren kennen en beleven van The House of the Beloved heeft mijn hele leven veranderd. Eens ik aan mezelf toegaf nieuwsgierig te zijn en me ertoe aangetrokken te voelen (en dit ook durfde te verwoorden), merkte in dat deze plek heel snel steeds meer voor mij ging betekenen. Van een toevluchtsoord, een warme cocon, waar ik alle dagdagelijkse beslommeringen van me af kon schudden en aan de voordeur kon achterlaten, tot een plek die me telkens weer confronteerde met mezelf en me verplichtte écht in de spiegel te kijken. Een plek waar ik voor het eerst oprechte verbinding voelde met mensen die ik amper kende en die totaal anders leken dan ik. Een plek waar “being different together” tot leven kwam en ik besefte dat deze uitspraak me niet zomaar zó geraakt had toen ik ze voor het eerst hoorde. Een plek waar ik in contact kwam met rituelen, verhalen en ervaringen die totaal nieuw voor mij waren en waar ik stap voor stap ervoer dat de angst en de aarzeling die ik hierbij aanvankelijk voelde helemaal overbodig waren. Een plek waar ik elke keer opnieuw word uitgedaagd om mezelf beter te leren kennen en te durven tonen en waar ik me steeds veiliger voel om dit ook toe te laten. Een plek waar ik me voor het eerst niet alleen voel in een groep, waar ik ontzettend geniet van het samen zijn. Een plek waar ik leer om minder te zorgen en er tegelijkertijd voor mij gezorgd wordt. Een plek waar ik me gedragen voel, waar ik niets hoef te zijn of te kunnen, en waar elke emotie welkom is. Een plek waar ik oude idealen stilaan durf loslaten en nieuwe dromen vorm krijgen. Een plek waar ik God ontmoet op een heel intense en persoonlijke manier. Een plek waar ik (af en toe) durf te getuigen van Zijn rol in mijn leven. Een plek van diepe stilte en overgave, van muziek, extase, en wilde ideeën. Een plek waar ik me intens gelukkig kan en durf voelen. Een plek die ik langzaam en stiekem thuis durf te noemen.” Danielle, daily resident