cosmopolitan

Monthly Friday afternoon meetings 2026

Quest for Wisdom Intercultural Group Utrecht

Quest meetings 

for developing the QfWf programme 2026:

Inter-Cultural Rituals for World Citizenship

World Citizenship emerges in-between people ― in living encounters and sharing in each others lives…. 

Playing Materials Four Winds Dialogue table

Programme development in Arts Dialogues

    • Dates: startmeeting 19 December 2025; from 9 januari 2026 onwards
    • Time: Monthly Friday Afternoon meetings
      Starting from 12.00 – meeting Editorial team
      Group meeting from 14.00 till 16.30
      Closing 17.00 uur

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Soul Circle

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The QfWf-Worlddream

“It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us — onze diepste angst is dat we buitenmatig krachtig zijn. Het is ons licht niet onze duisternis die ons het meest bang maakt…”  — Marianne Williamson in: A Return to Love.

“Let freedom reign. The sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement!” — Nelson Mandela, 1994.

Leidschendammer Lounge Meeting

Each year the Quest for Wisdom organizes Circles to cocreate an intercultural programme on an annually changing theme of social relevance, to be presented bij the Soul Circle on the Annual Meeting Day. The wider QfWf-Circle is invited to contribute with blogs, essays and artistic materials to be published on the Golden Ratio website as well as in a Golden Ratio Yearbook, thus making on a small scale the QfWf-World Dream come true. In 2024 the theme “Global Citizenship” was documented in Amor Mundi and in 2025 Amor Fati, highlights the cocreative and playful way how the QfWf realizes its vision of the Wheel of the Intercultural Art of Living for an inclusive cosmopolitan culture, in which all people may feel at home and in harmony with all living beings:

“Global Citizenship is open communication between people, without being judgemental.
Respectful to each other, acknowledging that however different we are, we can stay connected, and are able to share!”

Angela Gilds reflection on the intercultural meetings for the project on Global Citizenship.

Global Citizenship meeting

A world dream emerges when we start dreaming together. By sowing seeds of love in our own circles — instead of going along with reflexes of indifference, aggression and fear — so that a smile elicits laughter, warmth is answered with embracing. How valuable are the differences between people to create a meaningful world and to make (working) life more colourful and fascinating — whith people developing an eye for (inner) beauty. How beneficial when people are opening up so that en open space between people creates an inclusive society.

World Citizenship – Nour Kayali

A world we dream of is created by dreaming. By not forgetting our ‘childishly naive’ way to be open and confident. And let us not forget that the most beautiful things are born from our hopes and dreams. The most beautiful dreams and positive emotions empower ourselves as communities, by an ethos that reaches to the stars and can change the world – these dreams begin with powerful dreamers like Harriet Tubman and Martin Luther King. Like John Lennon sings “I’m a dreamer and I’m not the only one…”. Let’s start dreaming together about a world where each can find shelter and people around to feel at home, by starting small actions in our own circles so that our world-dream-power comes alive. With small steps that are big and loving deeds that are contagious. Weaving threads of soft forces that connects us as global citizens and living beings on Mother Earth, flowing with the stream of life….

Update 2025-02

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The Golden Ratio

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Platform for the QfWf yearly theme — Global Citizenship

QfWf-event on Global Citizenship

The QfWf has launched the digital platform De Gulden Snede in 2024 in order to present the development of the — by the Cultural Participation Funding honoured — project “Global Citizenship of the streat”: through different creative media and channels the QfWf develops a yearly intercultural programme on a social relevant theme. In 2024 the QfWf-projectgroep created an artistic programme, to give voice to intercultural perspectives and an harmonizing view against the hardening migration policies by contrasting their own positive experiences of intercultural encounters. This was done in words, images and music, expressing the central idea and value of inclusion, embodied in a ceramic sculpture: the Rainbow Bird of Paradise with the Cosmic Egg. 

Quo vadis: Becoming who you are

Hey you, being on two feet, wandering around the world …
Dazedly dividing Mother Earth into mine and thine:
Is this commandment of possession mayby theft and the greatest venom
by which you have to prove with a document to be a human ‘citizen’
in order not to be treated as undocumented stranger and pariah?

Beyond the boundaries of the nation-state lies the cosmopolis:
there, all beings-with-a-heart-that-can-bleed are welcomed
and are asked for their names and stories, sitting around the fire
with connecting scents, transcultural spices and honey wine
in colourful company, where you as stranger and ‘other’ are welcomed.

World citizen where are you? As a fugitive from inner affairs
in danger of losing the most precious thing, that is covered by status and power
You split the world into friends and enemies, us and them, and your heart becomes hard –
yet you feel a nomadic yearning for paradise with melancholy and sorrow.

Angela Gilds draagt voor in OBA Reigersbos

The 2025-theme is “Practices of Global Citizenship“, in which artists, philosophers and professionals highlight their practices and visions as global citizens through artistic expressions, blogs, podcasts and videos. The launching of the programme took place on Saturday afternoon, the 25th of January 2025, at the Amsterdam Public Library Reigersbos. With the reopening of the Amor Mundi travelling exhibition of artistic expressions on Global Citizenship, as well as the book presentation of Amor Fati! The QfWf-Soul Circle celebrated global citizenship with many stakeholders from the circles around the Quest for Wisdom foundation, together with visitors of the library: in presenting the QfWf-book with Playing Wisdom for the Cosmopolis the quintessence was stressed of seeing each other as humans instead of state(less) and (un)documented persons. Angela Gilds from the intercultural project group and the QfWf Editorial Board:

The indigenous Surinamese cultural group Wehpokamanong

“World citizenship is open communication between people without judgment. Dignity toward each other, knowing that no matter how different we are, we are in connection with each other and can share this feeling together. Getting to know each other, transferring knowledge and experience, recognizing and acknowledging each other’s qualities. Beautiful journey to undertake together.

Last year was a wonderful year with several workshops aimed at connecting with each other through the art of living. Yodeling, modeling, painting, word art, dance, singing. A rich experience that we will continue and pass on this year. Let your light shine. You are unique!”

Practices of World Citizenship will be highlighted with visual and musical expressions, philosophical and professional perspectives. Contributions for The Golden Ratio in 2025 are forthcoming by Angela Gilds, Chiquita and Michel Odjo Seymonsen, Erik Hoogcarspel, Giovanni Rizzuto, Greg Suffanti, Harm Jaap Hartmans, Mitra Muijen, Nivedita Yohana, Tycho Muijen, Wim van de Laar and more wisdom seekers from the QfWf circles.

Update 2025-02

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