About this Retreat
Nathalie Dewalhens aka Muse was born in Belgium in the swinging sixties. She has a university degree in Communication Sciences at the university of Brussels and used to work in the music and video industry for many years. The love for the arts never faded and after working in Belgium and France, Muse became a tourist guide in Berlin and the Madame of the Poetry Brothel of Berlin. She’s a performer poet, a writer and a facilitator.
As a facilitator, she is trauma informed and integrity, transparency and vulnerability are the words she loves to keep close to her soul. Her specialities are conscious kink and sexuality, awareness of touch and embodiment, and heart connection. She’s also neuro diverse, and strongly believes that although it is far from being a superpower, it is indeed a great teacher.
Nathalie possesses a restless spirit, always in search of knowledge and beauty. Wanderlust and vicissitudes of life make her biography a travelogue. She currently lives in Spain, between the mountains and the sea. What remains forever after all the travelling are her two now grown-up children, the persistent lust for life and the eternal wonder. She’s a big fan of vulnerability and kindness.
Nathalie has been travelling in the neo tantra world since 2014 and has seen all its shadows: the dark ones and the golden ones. She’s a Vermilion Morning Social Host, organised online and in real life Sensual Salons along with Writer's Salons (with Alison Pilling) and Neo Tantric Talks and last but not least: she’s a licensed Jamie Catto Bring It Insanely Gifted teacher .
https://www.jamiecatto.com
She truly believes the world would be a better place if there was more sensuality in the world.
Highly influenced by Trungpa Rinpoche, Henry Miller, Pema Chodron, Nietzsche, Esther Perel, Darwin, Frans de Waal a.o. which partly explains her no nonsense approach and the elements of crazy wisdom. She likes flamenco, tango and tequila, mango and Pablo Neruda. She hasn’t eaten animals since the age of 13 and wants to keep it that way.
Nathalie, also known under her nom de plume Machig de Valence or Muse, published two books and her poems are published in different (maga)zines around the world.
Details of this retreat
Space to write; 28 days, 28000 words, 28 euros or £28 (or 20 if you're a returning "Space to Writer")
Writers, muses and other creative souls: this is for you. Would you like to go on a writers’ journey and would you like to write 28,000 words in 28 days? Or 28 poems or pieces of content?
Madame and Muse, aka Alison and Nathalie want to write, and we wondered if you would like to join us too.
We hosted the Sensual Salon together and we’re both writers by desire. It doesn’t matter what you’re writing as no one is going to be critiquing it, but if it’s something you’ve had in mind for a while and fancy a bit of self-discipline and experimental time, join us.
Write in your own language in your own time though we’ll hold a daily 2 x 28-minute Zoom to join in and see your fingers fly as the muse of creativity descends. Feel supported by the group energy & have fun while doing it. On Sunday, we rest.
We start 15th of November with our intentions and preparation. 7-8 pm UK, 8-9 pm Spain, 9-10 Greece. We will be holding two spaces a day. You can join one or two or even none if you're not vibing letters that day.
Then 28 days later let’s share the fruits of our endeavours. With a satisfying word count we’ll share reflections on our 28 days of practice.
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What it includes:
✍️ YOU WRITING!
✍️ Daily 2 x 28 min Zoom to write together. You can choose to join 1, 2, or none! You're the captain.
✍️ Muse aka Nath offers a ‘broom’ and feedback on three pieces of writing per person. She’s good at “write the bloody post” encouragement.
✍️ A daily prompt to keep the creative juices flowing.
✍️ And general inspiration when the muse strikes.
At one euro (or pound) a day, what’s not to love, to find your writing self-discipline and voice and not feel alone?
The Madame and Muse await your presence.
Next steps - Let Ali know you want to join (sexypolymath@icloud.com) and pay £28 or 28 euro (20 for people who've already attended one of the "Space to Write" and she'll send you her UK or Euro bank details. Or Paypal alisonpilling@hotmail.com and please use friends and family.
We'll add you to our friendly WhatsApp group, progress spreadsheet and send you a PDF to explain our modus operandi.
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Our backstories:
Ali - Years ago a clairvoyant told me I was a mentor, teacher & writer and told me I’d publish two books. This was tempting news and I went to Bali to hide, and try writing 50,000 words in 2 months. I made myself a spreadsheet. I enjoyed getting up at dawn, making lemongrass tea and writing for 3 x 25 mins each morning. I wrote on random topics from headings I’d thought of earlier and it was incredibly satisfying watching the word count grow. And the muse came and the words and ideas got faster. That time of my life was so special, and not a day goes by where I haven’t wished to go back to the peace, focus and slight obsession.
Nath - I was born in Belgium in the 1960s. My grandfather, Paul Dewalhens, a celebrated poet and collage artist, influenced my early years with his impressive library. At 11, I penned my first short story, ‘The Demise of the Giant’, a venture into science fiction. Today, I am a published writer, a poet-performer, and a facilitator. My works predominantly explore themes of Eros and Thanatos - love and death in various forms. My writing, unafraid of shadows, employs vivid imagery, resulting in a style that is raw yet accessible. My debut novel "Berlin Bar Stories" saw the light in September 2025.
Nathaliedewalhens.com
We both have a more than a decade of neo tantric experience.