cosmopolitan

Space to play — Board Games and Dialogue Tables

Playfulness creates space for establishing meaningful connections between people, which fosters encounters that both entertain, educate and stimulate the participants: by letting go of our compulsion of norms, codes and traditionally learned frameworks and allowing a new interplay to arise in the in-between space…. Feeling free to explore different perspectives together and to agree on appropriate rules for what is at stake.

The Quest for Wisdom foundation has created the Wheel of the Intercultural Art of Living, on which the game Amor Fati elaborates, enhancing Global Citizenship. The book with the same title explains the board game as well as the philosophy of the Wheel as the intercultural art of living. Lecturer Michiel de Ronde says about this book:

“I see your work as a great reassessment, also revaluation, of the pre-modern world orientation. All those profound insights and life-creating practices that were often worshipped or cursed through hierarchical dominance, you present within a depth perspective of an endless horizontal mythic-human field, through which the world can become a home for all beings and people can meet on the basis of dialogue and appreciation.”

With the Quest for Wisdom Soul Circle the Amor Fati game and book have been performed by means of Arts Dialogues in nine gatherings from the summer 2025 till the summer 2026: Read the red thread through these gatherings as Playing Wisdom with Amor Fati Arts Dialogues for the Cosmopolis!

NL/EN, 2024, ISBN 978 90 441 3970 9

Also the bilingual Dialogue Tables Four Winds (De Vier Winden) is developed to enhance an open cosmopolitan culture as global citizens. The Adinkra-game consists of a set of cards with Akan symbols and proverbs, ordered according to the wisdom of the five elements earth, water, air, fire and ether — in a way that the Ghanaian elemental wisdom might be compared to European visions on the natural elements.

There are more World Games and teaching modules (to be) developed, in which intercultural perspectives are playfully and dialogically incorporated.

World Games — for the Cosmopolis

QfWf-Archive — Mythical-Philosophical Boardgames

Playful Dialogues — the Dis-covering Dialogue Table

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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Soul Circle

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

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

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

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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Golden Ratio Collections

Golden Ratio Collections — Animal Wisdom Collection — Wisdom Collection

Books of Wisdom for the Cosmopolis

Images of good and evil, The Wulf and the Crane – Annelie van Steenbergen

With the Golden Ratio Collections, the QfWf aims to give voice to the intercultural art of living, given the hardening social debate. With a cosmopolitan ethos, transcultural values and practices to unite people and make connection between cultures. Harsh voices and destructive forces on the geopolitical stage are threatening both humanity and the entire planet, with all its winged, scaly, hairy and arthropod inhabitants. As a response(-ability), the QfWf-authors with Wild Hair of the (Animal) Wisdom Collections provide answers of humanization and ecological awareness. In doing so, the QfWf aims to contribute to the good life in the cosmopolis – with values of inclusion, cultural diversity and global responsibility. 

Drawing and other forms of cocreation

By cocreation, the QfWf wants to propagate this mission as an intercultural community through artistic forms: by drawing, musical expressions, dancing and … By disseminating the developed artistic materials as inspiring examples of global citizenship in wider circles of concern. With this in mind, the Quest for Wisdom foundation has launched the Golden Ratio Collections that stimulate cosmopolitan and ecological awareness, reciprocity and respect for other beings within the cyclical processes of our Mother Earth. 

Animal Wisdom Storytelling

The mythical significance of animals as bearers of wisdom and natural power links cultures, however different they may be. This transcultural phenomenon of Animal Wisdom storytelling forms the basis on which the QfWf-authors have collected narratives on Animal Wisdom, enhancing ecological and cosmopolitan values. Examples of stories are presented on the Animal Wisdom website and explained in more detail in the Animal Wisdom (e-)book Collection:

  1. Dieren Wijsheid ― uit Noord, Zuid, Oost en West
  2. Wisdom of Animals ― North, South, East and West
  3. Buddha as an Animal ― Boeddha wijsheid  met vertellingen uit de boeddhistische Jatakatamala.
  4. Caught in the Cosmic Web — Ghanaian Folk Tales in the Twenty-First Century
  5. Gevangen in het Kosmische Web — Ghanese Volksverhalen in de 21e Eeuw
  6. Jewels of Indian Folklore ― Blurring and Blending of Cultures
  7. Madagaskar, Land van Orale Cultuur, Lemuren en Kameleons

Golden Ratio Collections — Authors with Wild Hair

QfWf-event on Global Citizenship -Presentation Amor Mundi

Two series of the Wisdom Book Collection are aiming at passing on old treasures to new generations in appealing, contemporary forms. The QfWf-Circle of authors with Wild Hair have collected these as (e)books in the (Animal) Wisdom Collection — since 2024 around a yearly theme of social importance in artistic and musical forms that is collected on the QfWF-platform The Golden Ratio.

Worldwide, cultures have developed wisdom traditions containing artistic, philosophical and spiritual forms expressing the art of living with different perspectives. The QfWf aims to unveil these precious treasures in a unique and artistic way to make the cosmopolitan future happen.

Boekpresentation Amor Fati in the OBA Reigersbos 25 jan 2025

Amor Fati, containing “playing wisdom for the cosmopolis” opens the Wisdom Collection. This first as well as the third book from the Series, Amor Mundi documenting the development of the World Citizenship Project, were presented in 2024-2025 at the Amsterdam Public Library, locations Weesp and Reigersbos, with a colourful intercultural programme, thanks to many involved hands and hearts of the project-group and the QfWf Soul Circle.
Amor Fati describes the QfWf background philosophy of the eponymous board-game as well as of the Wheel of intercultural life art of living. Greg Suffanti’s English-language intercultural reflections on his watercolour series give the reader — together with the visual work of Agnes Roothaan, Louis van Marissing, Annelie van Steenbergen, Caroline Young, Nour Kayali, Klaske Rehorst, Josee Tesser, Elin Maljaars, Maya Plas & Mitra Muijen around the mythic-philosophical themes of Amor Fati — a surprising route of the imagination through the book.

Wisdom (e-book) Collection:

  1. Amor Fati: exploring the Quest For Wisdom vision;
  2. Koloniale wa(a)r(d)en: enlightening the historical colonial context of the Caribean intercultural identities, poetry and music. 
  3. Amor Mundi: documenting the QfWf-project on “Global Citizenship”;
  4. Walking Two Roads, Accord and Separation in Chinese and Western Thought;
  5. Russische Zigeunerromances: presenting the Gypsy romances with its rich cross-cultural and historical sources;
  6. Middeleeuwse Chirurgie in Woord en Beeld: with drawings by Şerefeddin Sabuncuoğlu (1385-1468) with the text of “The Method of Medicine” by Albucasis (936-1013).
  7. Ik ben iemand die intens leefde … — Bloemlezing: gedichten en illustraties: een grote collectie gedichten en gedigitaliseerde mandala’s die uiting geven aan een intens doorvoelde kosmische verbondenheid.
  8. Knipoogjes: Korte en luchtige tijdreisjes in gezelschap van Henry Bergson, bestaat uit columns waarin wezenlijke kwesties lichtvoetig worden aangekaart;
  9. Het duurde maar even … – Gedichten die mij raakten: gedichten met vertalingen en bewerkingen van zo’n 40-tal dichters in Creools, Duits, Frans, Galicisch, Papiaments, Portugees, Spaans en Russisch …;
  10. Eye of the Tiger – Colorful Heritage of the Far East bevat een unieke verzameling Chinese penseeltekeningen met historische en mythische verhalen uit het verre oosten.

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

Golden Ratio Collections Read More »