Four Winds

World Games — Amor Fati — Four Winds — Adinkra — AW Crossing-Borders

Four Winds is a dialogic game centred around a colourful dialogue tablecloth full of symbolism, highlighting a specific issue with both mythical and intercultural perspectives. Suitable for groups of 2 to 8 people.

The art of listening, asking questions and answering authentically

In four rounds of dialogue ― visible as the four circles on the dialogue tablecloth ― participants move from the outside in, to the inner circle in which the Four Winds are depicted.

Images tell a story

The colours on the dialogue table refer to the four elements earth, water, air and fire. These are connected in the game with a basic symbol, which opens a space for encounter, such as the eye as a ‘mirror of the soul’.

The four rounds

  1. In the first round, the images (and rich objects) in the outer circle of the dialogue tablecloth invite participants to imagine the theme they want to investigate.
  2. In the second round you are given one of the eight symbols for philosophical tools with intercultural perspectives: these represent qualities for the art of living to be able to deal with the issue more wisely.
  3. In the third round, you roll the coloured dice and see which creature or animal you encounter in the mythical landscape on the dialogue tablecloth. How could the virtues and vices, as well as divine qualities that they embody, help you to realise the good life?
  4. For the fourth round, the wind rose in the four elementary colours on the dialogue tablecloth visualizes the four cardinal directions, from which the harvest of the game might help to get the issue in the right direction. Participants describe their harvest from the dialogue on the Game Fill-in form as a quatrain.
  • Intercultural encounters round the playful dialogue table.
  • Duration: one (half) day in a small group up to 8 players.

Playing material

  • ISBN: 9789492127150 Four Winds

Also in a Dutch version:

  • ISBN: 9789492127143 Vier Winden

Box with:

  • Dialogue Guide:
    explaining the game and the symbols
  • Playing Field:
    1 Dialogue table cloth
  • Game attributes:
    1 mirror;
    1 key;
    1 hourglass as rich object on the Dialogue table;
    Small weights;
    1 quintessence marble;
    1 small talking stick;
    1 hour glass
  • Playing Cards:
    8 Philosophical Tools with Western perspectives
    8 Philosophical Tools with intercultural perspectives
  • Fill-in forms:
    Double sided with instructions for writing a quatrain

Revised edition of the Beeldendialoogspel
Purchase: Vier Winden (NL)
Purchase: Four Winds (EN)
Inquire info@questforwisdom.org

Update 2022-09