On certain dates, Meillon welcomes up to four people who may not know one another, but who share the same question.
The themes are inspired by Jean-Pierre Hermans’s books.
For example:
Who is really directing my life?
What now?
My life works, but is it still a life that feels like me?
What am I becoming?
The books are not studied as they would be in a class.
They simply serve, when useful, to open up a question or enrich a conversation.
Each participant has their own room.
Shared time deliberately alternates with time alone.
Day 1 — Meeting one another
Welcome and settling into individual rooms.
Discovering the property.
An initial time together gives the four participants an opportunity to get to know one another and open up the theme of the stay.
Each person may say why this question resonates in their own life today.
No one is expected to share more than they wish.
After this first conversation, everyone returns to their own space.
A walk, some reading or simply a few hours alone allow the first words to settle.
The group may come together for a meal at the end of the day.
Day 2 — Seeing through one another’s eyes
The second day is the heart of the stay.
A shared conversation provides an opportunity to explore the chosen question more deeply.
Jean-Pierre guides the conversation, asks questions and sometimes suggests another way of looking at things.
One person’s words may shed light for another.
A different experience may shift a certainty.
But the aim is neither to convince nor to arrive at a shared answer.
After this conversation, the group deliberately goes its separate ways.
Everyone returns to the grounds, the paths, their room, a book or simply the silence.
There may also be time for one-to-one conversations with Jean-Pierre.
Later, the group may come together for a walk, coffee or a meal.
The schedule remains intentionally flexible.
Day 3 — Returning to yourself
Having listened to the others, each person returns to their own question.
A final shared conversation offers an opportunity to talk about what may have changed during the stay.
What have I heard?
What surprised me?
What am I seeing differently?
What do I want to leave here?
And what do I want to take with me?
Each person leaves with their own experience.
There is no collective conclusion to adopt.
Four people may arrive with the same question and leave with four different answers.
And that is precisely the purpose of these encounters.
A framework, not a timetable
Whether alone or shared with others, a stay at Meillon is not planned hour by hour.
The times set aside for conversation provide reference points.
All around them are silence, nature, books, meals, walks and, above all, time to spare.
Because here, what matters does not necessarily happen when we planned for it.
Sometimes all you need to do is leave enough room for something to emerge.
