Programme: Amor Fati play and rituals through Music, art, dancing and stories from all corners of the world to connect people and their cultures
What: *Introducing The Art of Living Together as the start of the QfWf-yearly theme 2026: Inter-Cultural Rituals for Global Citizenship!
*Festive gathering with Amor Fati Ritual Play around the theme How to cope well with the changing winds in life, in Prosperity and Adversity?
Who: Quest for Wisdom Soul Circle in collaboration with stg Culturele Droomwevers, presentating the first copy of the publication of the book ABC der Wijsheid:
Arts Dialogues for finding your right course in life:
*Singing together with Henry Muldrow around the Amor Fati theme *Listen to his Amsterdamse Wereldburgers Rap
Date: Saturday 24th January 2026
Time: from 13.00 doors open – programme starts 13.30 till 16.30 celebrating and closing at 17.00 uur
Costs: please donate for the Quest for Wisdom foundation and become a ‘QfWf-friend’ with your yearly contribution by means of a bank transfer to IBAN NL14TRIO0777827654 of the Quest for Wisdom foundation in Weesp.
Yearly donations from € 45,= or more give free entrance for QfWf-meetings!
Inspirational Poem on the QfWf- World Dream:
The world might be a symphony
of atoms in a sea of Aum ॐ 唵
in which we dance to an ancient melody.
Our wildest dreams in scarlet rage
taste bitterweet and sour.
The heavenly Mead uplifts our spirits,
yearning in this hour
for the One — an aching feeling,
heartbreaking chords of splendour…
The QfWf-Circle is welcome on the Seasonal Meetings:
Fall: 18 October 2025 Winter: 24 January 2026 Winter: 24 januari 2026: Festive gathering in collaboration with Cultural Dreamweavers and the presentation of the first copy of the ABC of Wisdom!
Theme Amor Fati play: How to handle the changing winds in life of Prosperity and Adversity?
Spring: 21 March 2026 Summer: 20 June 2026
Time: from 13.00 doors open – programme 13.30 till 16.30 hours, doors close at 17.00.
Costs: please, become a ‘QfWf-friend’ by means of a donation and you will get the book Amor Fati as a welcome gift! If possible a € 45,= yearly donation on IBAN NL14TRIO0777827654 of the Quest for Wisdom foundation in Weesp.
The QfWf appreciates every donation from the heart!
Dates: Friday meetings 29 august, 1 november 2025
13 december 2025: Roads towards Happiness;
23 januari 2026: Inter-Cultural Philosophical Instruments;
13 maart 2026: Narrative Wisdom on life’s Ups & Downs;
10 april 2026: How to deal with Hardships in Life?;
29 mei 2026: Meeting the Strange Other;
19 juni 2029: Quintessence of Finding your Destiny.
Free for: the QfWf-Soul Circle en QfWf-friends, who have experience with the Amor Fati board-game
Kosten: please donate to the Quest for wisdom foundation to become a ‘friend’ for € 45,= per year on bank account IBAN NL14TRIO0777827654 of the Quest for wisdom foundation in Weesp.
Info: Playful Wisdom for the Cosmopolis…: in seven playing rounds/ life themes Authenticity – Intercultural Bildung, Happiness and Tragedy, Crises and the Strange Other, Finding your Destination.
Soul Circle on Global Citizenship
Meetings in 2026: 24 jan – 21 maart – 25 april – 20 juni
Programma: Arts Dialogues around on the Amor Fati Life Themes:
Introduction of the play round and chapter of the book Amor Fati by Heidi Muijen
A creative interplay with the Soul Circle towards an artistic expression of the Amor Fati-life theme
Arts Dialogues on how this theme provides a foundation for world citizenship
Who: QfWf-Soul-Circle
Practical: Bi-monthly meetings starting from
Date: Saturday 21 june 2025 around the theme:
How are you in your element? <> interplay with an elemental dance by Juanita Ho: Which elemental qualities ground practices of world citizenship?
Fall meetings and themes:
20 September: drawing your attitude in life with Robin Stemerding
18 October: experimenting with your Frame of Reference with Tim Laboyrie
22 November: Musical workshop by Mitra Muijen & Madalina Hristache: How to deal with inter-cultural differences within and without ourselves? – the Annual Meeting Day!
The ‘Four Winds’ take you on a journey of discovery in four rounds, around the colourful dialogue tablecloth, full of symbolism. These symbols enrich your conversation with mythological wisdom and intercultural perspectives.
The playful materials help to visualise what is at stake on a quest: “What does your issue look like as a journey? What mythical creatures and animals will you meet along the way? What other questions become relevant when you look at the issue from others perspectives?” A multidimensional approach is enhanced by means of philosophical and intercultural sayings on the playing cards. In the fourth and final circle, the four basic colours green, blue, yellow, and red in the
creative excersise in-between the dialogue
four quadrants, symbolise the reaping of concluding visions from the conversations in the four rounds. With a Quintessence drop, you unroll the dialogue as a journey across the dialogue tablecloth: this symbolic act helps to imagine the essence of the exploration of the issue at stake and to express this in a poetic form
Dialogue as an art: listening, asking questions and answering authentically
Playing Guide Four Winds
Through a dialogue guide, you explore a challenging issue as group of friends, family or team, or, each individual can investigate their own question with the group.
Depending on the size of the group (2 to 8 players), the game will be completed in two hours, half a day or a full day.
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
Butterfly, Scorpion, Fenix
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’.
“I dreamed I was a butterfly… or am I a butterfly dreaming of being a human?”
Zhuang Zi (369-286 BCE)
The four rounds
Symbolic objects to enricht the dialogue
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.
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.
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? Playing materials for a dialogue workshop
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.
Cards with intercultural perspectives, rich objects around the playful dialogue table.
Duration: 2 hours to one (half) day in a small group up to 8 players.
Plyaing Cards Four WindsDialogue 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
Dialogue Tablecloth with symbolic objectsPlaying Cards:
8 Philosophical Tools with Western perspectives
8 Philosophical Tools with intercultural perspectives
Fill-in forms:
Double sided with instructions for writing a quatrain
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.”
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.
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.
In 2026 we have cancelled the expensive Mollie-service. As a consequence the Donation button does not work anymore. So please, donate via a bank transfer:
bankrekening IBAN: NL14TRIO0777827654
The reason for cancellation is that the monthly costs of this service are too high for our limited budget.
Help realize the goals of the Quest for wisdom foundation (QfWf)!
You become a QfWf-friend by donating yearly
We hope for a donation of € 45,= per year – though we are happy with the amount you are able to give!
In addition in helping to realize the intercultural QfWf-programmes, contributing to our aim of Global Citizenship, by donating € 45,= per year as a QfWf friend you get:
the (e)book about the annual QfWf-programme, such as Amor Fati in 2025 and Amor Mundi in 2024;
The Wisdom Web is dedicated to the intercultural art of living.
At its core are values of inclusion of different cultures and the beauty of being different.
At the Wisdom Web, wisdom from all over the world is collected and presented in a special symbolic way.
In this sense, collecting, arranging, developing and presenting — via the Wheel of the Intercultural Art of Living — takes place in a very unique way, emphatically distinguished and handled differently than, for example, Wikipedia and other (open source) encyclopedias do.
In doing so, the QfWf wants to contribute to intercultural connections based on the realization that these:
grow through awareness of the historical roots of cultures,
thrive on interest in other cultures and wisdom traditions and
bear fruit through encounters and cross-cultural perspectives.
The Wisdom Web continues to grow organically, with a rich palette of philosophical, artistic and spiritual expression and reflections, which concretize the Wheel of the Intercultural Art of Living.
This is accomplished thanks to the input of various QfWf-authors[1]
update 2022-07
[1] QfWf authors are authors, actors, artists, designers, drafters, photographers, illustrators, video and film makers and other producers of text, images, sound, and stakeholders who make the texts and other materials available to a QfWf-site have made.
“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!”
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….
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.
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.
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.
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