art-of-living

Quest 2: The Golden Ratio

Wisdom from all over the world

Cultures from all over the world have symbols of natural wisdom and beauty, such as the Golden Ratio. This ancient wisdom is passed on through proverbs — for example, with a cultural expression of the Golden Rule: “What you would not want done to you, do not do so to another”, as well as in (animal) stories with a moral from the story: such as how to become as clever as the fox, the crow, the spider and the …. Also, in seasonal rituals for harvest and the solstices with light festivals in which the passage through the four seasons is celebrated in culturally diverse forms. The Quest for Wisdom seeks to gather ancient symbolic wisdom from cultural traditions from all corners of the world in order to cocreatively develop:

  • contemporary artistic forms as an intercultural language for the benefit of diversity and inclusion
  • transcultural practices for global citizenship 

The artistic educational materials

By focussing on uniting principles like the Golden Ratio and the Golden Rule in culturally diverse materials, the facilitation of personal growth and community building is highlighted and transformed from the collected ancient wisdom in intercultural and (post)modern ways (Quest 1) by developing and presenting these in artistic and educational forms on the Encounter Days, through workshops and on the QfWf video channel (Quest 3) — on a collaborative Quest for Wisdom in order to:

  • to give a platform for the wisdom from different cultures and traditions
  • to enhance intercultural communication and interaction
  • to develop unifying transcultural practices by means of the arts and philosophies

The Golden Ratio as Quest 2 consists of an artistically designed and culturally diverse palette of materials that are grouped around particular themes; such as the wisdom taught through play, proverbs, myths and animal stories. The QfWf has developed, thanks to the collected wisdom as Quest 1 and subsidies for projects, two series of (e)books: the Animal Wisdom Collection and the Wisdom Collection. Since 2024, the three Quests are flowing together on The Golden Ratio, a digital platform dedicated to the personal and collective art of living in the cosmopolis. The QfWf hopes to realize an Intercultural Meeting House as expression of Global Citizenship as a promising future project.

The Golden Ratio in different forms:

Golden Ratio Playfulness — Board Games and Dialogue Tables

Golden Ratio Collections — (E) Books of Wisdom

Purchase of Educative Materials

One hundred percent of the money raised by the sale of all of the products will be used in realising our upcoming QfWf educational projects, all of which are non-profit and run by volunteers.

Update 2025-02

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Gnosis game

Know yourself — Gnosis Game — Masquerade Game — Hero Game — Compassion Game — Dream Game — Vision game

Elementary wisdom to reflect on happiness through the philosophical art of living

The Gnosis game encourages players to explore their own views of life and happiness in life and to give them shape through words and images.

Gnosis game: a quest for wisdom!

The word gnosis is an ancient Greek word for wisdom associated with self-knowledge. With this game you develop your knowledge about the full life from within.

Against the background of classical concepts on the art of living and mythical themes, players conduct a dialogue about the meaning of a personal moment of happiness and reflect on their own life orientation. How could your view on happiness be enriched? This game offers classical perspectives on the art of living by being aware of the tragedy and shadow sides of life, to develop a vision of the full potential of the happiness of life!

ISBN: 978-90-822774-8-7 — Gnosisspel (NL) Quest for Wisdom!

  • The Gnosis Game offers the basic explanation of the game concept Know Yourself, specifically the Dream Game (Droomspel): Follow your Wish!
  • Duration: half a day, for 3 to 6 players.

ISBN: 978-94-92127-00-6 — Gnosis Game (EN) Quest for Wisdom

English version: Gnosis Game: a quest for wisdom

Dynamic game based on the philosophy of the art of living to facilitate dialogues on inclusive happiness to enrich your personal view on happiness in life

Playing Materials

Box contains:

  • Playing Fields:
    1 Elementary Directions to Happiness;
    1 Mythical Red Thread
  • Playing Attributes:
    1 hourglass (about 2 minutes);
    1 six colour dice;
    2*5 Elements of Happiness;
    1 CD Dream travelling and Heroic Dreams (Droomreizen en Heldendromen) with 22 songs
  • Playing Cards:
    2*5 Cards of Elementary Paths
  • Working Materials:
    1 Instruction Guide with
    8 Fill-in form for the exercises in the game ‘My Way to Happiness’
  • Overview:
    of the steps in the game on the bottom of the box.

info@questforwisdom.org

Update 2022-07

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Playful Dialogues

Playful Dialogues — Dialogue Table  — Playful Dialogue Table — Quintessence Play — Quest Play — Pythia Play — Existential Play

Pillar 1 What is your quest?! — the playful dialogue table

Dis-covering worlds around (your) life theme’s and professional issues

Meeting the other means really letting someone in!
Together you explore the questions and ideas that arise around the issues at stake and you examine each other’s ideas, associations and experiences around them.

The dialogue ‘tablecloth’ contains symbolism for tapping into the ancient wisdom from East and West, North and South.

The playful Dialogue Table What is your Quest?!

In groups of 2 to 8 people, you can explore a personal, professional or social issue with the help of the Dialogue Guide or under the guidance of a QFWF Game and Dialogue Facilitator.

Co-creatively engaging on a quest!

  • The images on the dialogue table stimulate the imagination of the participants and they contain different symbolic, mythological, and philosophical wisdoms.
  • Two card sets, one with European and one with intercultural perspectives, facilitate a multi-perspective view of the issue being discussed.
  • With a small group on a Quest in four game rounds, the QFWF guide or a game supervisor helps you to discover rich meanings around sensitive issues.

There are several dialogue forms:

The Dialogue Tables of What is your Quest? is suitable for playing in a small group: Either to play it by yourself with the help of the extensive Play Guide. Or you may do so under the guidance of a QFWF game supervisor.

Purchase: Wisdom Shop
Inquire and purchase: info@questforwisdom.org

Purchase of Educative Materials

One hundred percent of the money raised by the sale of all of all these games will be used in realising our upcoming QFWF educational projects, all of which are non-profit and run by volunteers.

Update 2022-07

Playful Dialogues Read More »

Game for Wisdom

Golden Ratio — Game for Wisdom — Animal Wisdom — Projects — Soul Circle

Turn the Wheel of the Intercultural Art of Living!

Free as a Bird – Annelie van Steenbergen

The Game for Wisdom is based on mythical narratives, proverbs and intercultural symbols that encompass visions of happiness to explore your own art of living.

Twenty stories and eighty symbols from all corners of the world are categorized according to the Wheel of the Intercultural Art of Living. Through reflecting on questions and visualizations of elemental wisdom, players arrive at one of the 20 stories and are assigned to a personal path, that is mirrored in the narrative assigned by the Wheel of the Intercultural Art of Living. They then choose one of four symbols from that story as an intercultural symbolic signpost. In total, the game consists of 80 different symbols from wisdom traditions from the East, West, North and South.

How to play the Game for Wisdom

Animals from the woods ― symbol for natural wisdom

The Game for Wisdom invites players to reflect on (their own and others’) views on happiness in life through means of seven questions.

These revolve around themes of the art of living:

  • To which natural element do you feel connected most (earth, water, air, fire, ether)?
  • Is your attitude to life more towards being proactive or go-with-the-flow?
  • Which elemental motto gives direction on your life’s path?
  • Which strong quality encourages you for further development and which weaker quality do you want to develop more?
  • In which direction are you heading as your path to happiness?
  • See how a narrative envisions your path in this direction, according to the Wheel of the intercultural art of living;
  • Which intercultural symbol from this story, assigned by the Wheel of the intercultural art of living, would you choose as a signpost for your personal art of living?
  • Would you like to receive the full story and the symbol by mail in order to tap into the meaning of the symbolic signpost – possibly in a conversation with a Quest for Wisdom foundation counsellor?
    Please contact us for free: info@questforwisdom.org
Heart, symbol of being open and listening to your own heart

The aim of the Game for Wisdom is to review the particular course you’ve taken in your life (and career) as seen from the perspective of (inter)cultural mythological and philosophical wisdom.

The symbolism of the game forms a valuable mirror, which can be further explored through dialogue for the development of the intercultural art of living individually, as well as of a peer group or family, or as a work or sports team.

Professional use of the Game for Wisdom

Are you interested in using the game in a professional environment yourself? Inquire about possibilities: info@questforwisdom.org

Purchase: Wisdom Shop

Update 2025-02

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World Games — for the Cosmopolis 

World Games — Amor Fati — Four Winds — Adinkra — Quintessence-game

World Games — playful wisdom for the cosmopolis

Een teamdag rond het dialoogtafelkleed Vier Winden over het thema interculturele communicatie
A team event on intercultural communication around the dialogue tablecloth Four Winds

The World Games series is derived from (inter)cultural wisdom traditions and they are developed with intercultural perspectives and transcultural means for the good life in the cosmopolis. By funding in 2023-2024 the Quest for Wisdom foundation initiated the project “Global Citizenship of the Street” which has resulted in the publication of “Amor Fati“, the book explaining the vision of the Quest for Wisdom as well as of the boardgame Amor Fati.

The Quest for Wisdom foundation develops intercultural play and dialogue tables for celebrating life as humans in the cosmopolis. These forms can be used also for both individual and group counselling.

With the QfWf-educational and artistic materials, the foundation aims to contribute to the intercultural art of living and enhance developmental processes as well as a sense of community!

World Cafe dialogues with wisdom cards

The German philosopher Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805) wrote in his Aesthetic Letters that when people play they are human in the full sense of the word, and they are fully human if and only if they play. The Dutch philosopher Huizinga (1872-1945) regarded the ambivalent social and competitive nature of play as culture-building for societal domains such as justice, education and warfare.

Game forms also reflect specific cultural contexts and social characteristics ― such as the game Monopoly, which reflects Western market ideology; the originally Persian game of chess, which is an exercise in strategic insight and martial arts ― whereas oracle games, such as the Chinese Yijing and the Ghanaian Ifa oracle, exist in all cultures. Both gaming and playing are a powerful means, together with dialogue, for establishing connections between cultures.

Four Winds

Playful dialogues

Four Winds is a dialogic game around a colourful dialogue tablecloth, full of symbolism from the four corners of the world, with which you address a life theme or a social issue, using one set of cards with European philosophies and one set of cards with intercultural perspectives.

The playing time is at least half a day and it is suitable for a group of 2 to 8 people. Using a Dialogue Guide, you may explore as a group of friends, family or (sports or working) team the issue at stake in four rounds. It is also possible to be guided by a game and dialogue facilitator from the Quest for Wisdom foundation.

Adinkra

Adinkra is a contemplative and educative game

With this game for intercultural communication people get acquainted with a high context culture, especially the Ghanaian wisdom tradition.

With the Play Guide it is possible to play the game as family, group of friends or team. If you prefer an expert who can introduce the Ghanaian wisdom tradition, ask for a Quest for Wisdom-counsellor.

Quintessence

introduces Amor Fati for the good life in the cosmopolis:

The Quintessence game is a card game with wisdom from all corners of the world for practicing the art of living as a global citizen. The name refers to the intercultural symbolism of the natural elements and literally means the fifth element or the ‘quinta essencia’.

The goal is to have meaningful conversations in a small group on the basis of three described game forms and card readings with the 20 playing cards.
Duration is one hour to half a day per game form.

Amor Fati

Workshop Know thyself!

The board game Man, know thyself! has been enriched with intercultural perspectives and mythical symbolism in a series of try outs 2022-2024.

Amor Fati is a board game for 2 to 8 people, in which you embark on a journey through a colourful landscape full of symbolism, picking up intercultural visions and mythical wisdom about the journey of life along the way. How the picked wisdoms enrich your vision on life, you always share with your travel group, so that you deepen each other’s insights.

Animal Wisdom Crossing-Boarders

The game Animal Wisdom Crossing-Borders is under construction: Mythical symbolism which plays with wisdom and pranks of animals from the four directions of the world, in order to find the good life!

Purchase of Educative Materials

One hundred percent of the money raised by the sale of all of the games will be used in realising our upcoming QfWf educational projects, all of which are non-profit and run by volunteers.

Update 2025-02

World Games — for the Cosmopolis  Read More »

Know yourself

Know yourself — Gnosis Game — Masquerade Game — Hero Game — Compassion Game — Dream Game — Vision game

Pillar 1 Know Yourself — the Mythical-philosophical Board Game

The game board of Know yourself!

Know thyself is a mythical-philosophical game concept.

The game board consists of five circles, corresponding to themes and game rounds. In total there are seven game rounds, with an intake round and a finishing round. Each round is dedicated to a particular theme of the art of living ― such as authenticity, ups and downs in life, how to deal with crises, meaningful encounters and finding your destiny ― helping the participants to find a good course in their (working) life.

A journey through a landscape full of images of happiness and tragedy

With a small group ― family or friends, work or sports team ― you make a journey through the landscape of images on the game board, which is full of symbolism and philosophical perspectives on the art of living, and the tragedies and happinesses of life!

Although each participant makes the journey across the game board individually, with their own choices determining their path in the game ― just as everyone undertakes the life journey alone ― you still travel together as a group. The dialogues with each other and surprising perspectives on the Playing Cards and Playing Fields stimulate thinking outside the box and help the players to find a good course in their own (working) life.

Variants of the Board Game Know Yourself

Playful exercises for the art of living

Around the board game there is space for meeting and fun, wonder and discovery.

There is space for the playful exercises in the philosophical and practical art of living: the art of giving meaning to life!

The art of living is the art of ‘becoming who you truly are’, through encounters and dialogues as crucial ingredients! These you will cocreate in a small group around the board game on your mythical-philosophical journey, by finding your way through the labyrinthine landscape.

Given the complexity of Knowing Yourself, the game concept has been thematically developed into five smaller game forms; There is also a philosophical variant, in which the mythical and philosophical backgrounds are elaborated upon in the Instruction book and on the Playing Cards.

Thematic mythical-philosophical games:

  • Elementary wisdom and the pursuit of happiness — Gnosisspel: both in Dutch and English: Gnosis Game: Quest for Wisdom!
  • Masks in living encounters — Masquerade Game: Meeting Strange Others!
  • Follow an inspiring role model on your ‘path of a hero’ — Hero Game: play yourself! (also as outdoors activity; and as an activity for kids)
  • Passion as wisdom on elementary paths of research — Compassion Game: the Good Life!
  • Follow your wish through a mythical-philosophical landscape of the art of living — Dream Game: Follow your Wish!
  • Imagine your vision on life in the mirror of philosophical perspectives — Vision Game: Visualize your Inner Compass!

The different forms of the board game Know Yourself are suitable to play in a small group, guiding you with the help of the extensive Game Instructions or under the guidance of a QFWF counsellor.

Purchase: Wisdom Shop
Inquire and purchase: info@questforwisdom.org.

Purchase of Educative Materials

One hundred percent of the money raised by the sale of all of the products will be used in realising our upcoming QFWF educational projects, all of which are non-profit and run by volunteers.

Update 2022-07

Know yourself Read More »