20 August, 2005
”From Flueli to Nidaros (via Virginia)”

Dear Friends,

As many of you have noticed, it has been quite a while since we last sent out an open letter. In part, this is because, for a while, we were travelling relatively little, and writing a book about our pilgrimage. A work covering the first four years of our travel is now done, and we are looking for a publisher. If you have any suggestions, please send us an e-mail.

This spring, we travelled with bikes and guitar to Flueli in Switzerland. It was a very deep experience for us. Nikolaus von Flue (affectionately known as Brueder Klaus) lived there first as a farmer, soldier and statesman, then as a hermit in the fifteenth century. He is known as the “father of the fatherland” to the Swiss, and the essential ideals--direct democracy, civil liberties, neutrality, confederation and the responsibility of man to God--upon which Switzerland is founded derive from him. These principles were being put to the test during the time we were there: there was a hot debate on a national referendum to allow (among other things) the government to give up some of Switzerland’s sovereignty by joining the Shenghin/Dublin convention, and to allow same-gender marriages. (Both eventually passed.)

In Flueli, we came across a group of people who were working to develop and receive the gift of constant prayer, using a tradition known in the Orthodox Christian world as the “prayer of the heart.” Although they were mostly on a silent retreat, we had one moving meeting with them where we shared our experiences as pilgrims on this earth with each other.

Soon afterward, we were flying across the Atlantic towards the USA. It was our first time there in over eight years. Aside from family visits, one of the highlights was a trip to Colonial Williamsburg. There, in the old capital of Virginia, we were able to feel the spirits of men like Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson, and to connect with their higher ideals in founding the United States. The defence of civil liberties, the respect of individual freedom, and the dependence of human rights on the Creator are among these ideals. It touched our hearts deeply to remember that America has a higher and nobler purpose than consumerism, greed and foreign aggression. Economic prosperity was never meant to be an end in itself, but rather the material foundation for a free cultural life and political life based on recognition of our God-given human dignity and equality before the law. It also touched us to see that many people in America still remember this purpose.

Upon returning to Europe, we headed for Trondheim. On the way, we met a very kind family who invited us to the Olav’s Play in Stiklestad. This is a dramatic presentation of the final days of the live of King Olav (d. 1030) who is the patron saint and spiritual king of Norway. During his lifetime, he brought three forms of Christian culture to Norway: the Celtic, from Ireland, the Roman from France and the eastern orthodox from Novgorod. We here experienced the deeply Christian nature of the true folk-spirit of Norway, and also its strong relation to the “arch strategist” of the heavenly hosts, Michael. In his life, Olav evolved from being a warrior on the physical plane to be a warrior for God, standing for the truth in the face of the representatives of the old religion and the old reliance on clans and blood-ties, both of which had become decadent. Later, in Trondheim, we experienced both the light and the shadow side of Norwegian culture, and we saw how intellectualism and sentimentality in the religious life have opened the door to great confusion and even abomination.

In spite of some painful experiences, we have been greatly blessed...especially to have met so many people who are sincerely seeking and striving to do good. And after nearly nine years of pilgrimage, we continue to be amazed by and deeply grateful for the kind hospitality we have received along the way from people of all walks of life. At the same time, it is becoming obvious that the world is in a very critical time. In a phone conversation with the American physician and founder of the Gesundheit Institute, Patch Adams, I asked him what is the biggest problem or challenge facing mankind today. He replied without hesitation, it is the question of whether the human race is going to survive. For us biological survival of the human race depends first and foremost on the spiritual survival of mankind. The forces opposing our evolution are hard at work. Will humanity be tyrannized, mechanized and manipulated to the point where a human soul can no longer thrive and express itself on the earth. Or will we grow out of the adversity that confronts us. Can we make tyranny a stepping-stone toward a society built on mutual love and respect? Can we make mechanization a stepping-stone toward a new understanding of life, of health and of the education of the human soul? Can we make manipulation into a stepping-stone toward an experience of our innate freedom and our God-given individual dignity? We believe that the answer to all the above questions is: yes, if truly will to do so. For if we say yes to the Good here on earth, no matter what the odds, heaven will come to our help.

We send all our friends our heartfelt greetings and love!

Alexandra & William
August 21, 2005