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
Costs: You become a ‘QfWf-friend’ through a donation and get a welcoming gift of the book Amor Fati! If possible € 45,= a year on IBAN NL14TRIO0777827654 of the Quest for Wisdom foundation in Weesp.
The QfWf is happy with every donation given from a good heart!
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.
Workshops and Masterclasses around the themes of the QfWf-Archive dialogue and play forms are still to be requested, though not for sale anymore as board-game or Dialogue Table:
QfWf-Archive — Mythical-Philosophical Boardgames
Know yourself — the mythical-philosophical boardgame
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.
“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 Seasonal Meetings in Circles to cocreate inter-cultural perspectives on themes of social relevance. The materials will be presented bij the Soul Circle on the Annual Meeting Day and events, like the intercultural 2024 programme. The poems, essays, music and other artistic materials are published on the Golden Ratio website as explorations and expressions of the QfWf-World Dream. In 2024 the theme “Global Citizenship” was documented in Amor Mundi and in 2025 Amor Fati, as stepping stones to make the Wheel of the Intercultural Art of Living work 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, spontaneity is embraced with opening your heart. How valuable are the differences between people to create a meaningful world and to make (working) life more colourful and fascinating — with people developing an eye for (inner) beauty. How beneficial when people are opening up so that the lover 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 both as individuals and 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 singing “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 with 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 skills 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 project “Global Citizenship of the streat”. The Quest for Wisdom’s yearly search for themes through different creative media and channels will be elaborating on the QfWf-artistic programme, to give voice to cosmopolitan perspectives, answering the hardening migration policies with positive experiences of intercultural encounters. In words, images and by music, the central idea and value of inclusion is expressed and 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’ Spoken Word in the Amsterdam Library Reigersbos
For the 2025-theme, “Practices of Global Citizenship“, artists, philosophers and professionals highlighted their practices and visions as global citizens through artistic expressions, stories, podcasts and videos. The launching of the Amor Fati programme at the Amsterdam Public Library Reigersbos with the Amor Mundi exhibition including the Welcoming Migrant Series, as well as the book presentation, resulted in Arts Dialogues around Amor Fati themes by means of music, spoken word and dancing to welcome people as World Citizens, as we all are human from heart to heart:
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!”
The Golden Ratio 2026-theme around World Citizenship explores “Inter-Cultural Rituals” with visual and musical expressions, philosophical and professional perspectives. Please, see the contributions from the QfWf circles on our digital platform Multimedia – De Gulden Snede.
The QfWf board is playing a leadership role in facilitating, organizing and realizing the QfWf-programmes on the intercultural art of living. From 2019 organized as the three Quests:
Quest 1 — Wisdom Web on which we collect wisdoms from all corners of the world;
Quest 2 — Developing a transcultural Golden Ratio of Play, Dialogue and Animal Wisdom storytelling;
Quest 3 — Living encounters to present our programmes and to develop the QfWf-goals.
Since the QfWf-project on Global Citizenship in 2024 the yearly QfWf-programmes around this goal are published on the digital platform for Global Citizenship Golden Ratio, integrating these quests.
The QfWf-Vision
is expressed in intercultural forms and artistic programmes enriching social themes for connecting people and their cultural heritage in an open cosmopolitan culture. The programmes are presented in living encounters and meetings, as well as in collaboration with social organizations, publications, and through:
The QfWf websites:
The QfWf-website provides general information on the QfWf as a foundation with a Cultural ANBI status and how the QfWf circles are co-creating around the three Quests, resulting in the (e)books, dialogue- and game-forms. These might be purchased in the webshop. The website is bilingual: in Dutch and English.
Within QfWf-website is the digital gameQuest for Wisdom, launched in 2016, for which the Wheel for the Intercultural Art of Livingwas designed, ordering the 20 stories from the four corners of the world, including 80 transcultural symbols. This game gives consultation how to develop the art of living personally and as a community, family or team.
In 2017 the QfWf started the Wisdom Web, intended for the collecting (inter)cultural and artistic materials. The website is primarily Dutch language based, but also contains a substantial number of contributions in English.
The Animal Wisdom project has its own website that contains an intercultural storytelling programme — including a series of e-books: the Animal Wisdom Collection as well as decades of retold animal stories with an ethos from different cultures. This website is both in Dutch and English.
Since the project “World Citizenship of the Street” in 2024, which was honored by the Cultural Participation Fund, the QfWf has been focussing on different aspects of this urgent theme every year. In the intercultural language of the arts, the QfWf Soul Circle develops each year an artistic programme to be presented on the rhythm of the four seasons as well as on the Annual Meeting Day. Hereby, the QfWf draws attention to the importance of Global Citizenship for an inclusive open cosmopolitan culture.
The Editorial Board, the QfWf-Council and Soul Circle
For the development of her programmes and the quality of her activities, as well as for the renewal and management of her websites, the QfWf has inaugurated an Editorial Board, a QfWf-Council and the Soul Circle.
QfWf-Editoral Board
The members of the QfWf-Board are:
Ali Nejat Kanıyaş
Heidi Muijen
Yassine El Azabi
Angela Gilds
Greg Suffanti
Mitra Muijen
Ebrahim Sohrabi
Heidi Muijen and Ali Nejat Kanıyaş are the Editors-in-Chief. They manage the seasonal publication of the Newsletter Spinnend Web, as well as posts on the socials and the co-creation of content for the QfWf-websites, together with Yassine El Azabi (Drawings and Cartoons),Angela Gilds (Spoken Word),Greg Suffanti (Artistic contributions),Mitra Muijen (Musical column) and Ebrahim Sohrabi (Editorial support and translation). In collaboration with the Soul Circle they develop contributions for the World Citizen programme on The Golden Ratio Platform — as well as for the Animal Wisdom programme and the development of the Intercultural Art of Living on the Wisdomweb.
Heidi Muijen together with Mitra Muijen and webdesigner Jimmy Dean developed the digital platform The Golden Ratio in 2024: on which the QfWf-Quests flow together around a yearly changing theme on World Citizenship — like “Practices” (in 2025) and “Inter-Cultural Rituals for World Citizens” (in 2026) — building upon the older QfWf-programmes like the Wisomweb and the intercultural storytelling programme Animal Wisdom as expressions of the intercultural art of living.
We welcome your contributions and ideas for the Quest for Wisdom! Please, contact us: redactie@questforwisdom.org
The Editorial Charter
The QfWf-Editorial Charter aims to guarantee the independence of the journalistic and artistic content of the Quest for Wisdom websites.
To this end, it regulates the position and tasks of all those involved in these websites as publisher and as digital platforms.
Cyclical development
The Quest for Wisdom takes shape as a cyclical development through the collaboration of the Soul Circle, the QfWf-board, the Editorial Team, and the QfWf-Council. This results in philosophical, narrative and artistic programmes, connecting the intercultural art of living to social themes, in order to strengthen an open cosmopolitan culture. The inter-cultural axis of World Citizenschip is enrolled through living encounters of the Soul Circle, in collaboration with social organizations, through publications and in Seasonal Meetings and the Annual Meeting Day.
Editoral tasks
Members of the Editorial team take care of editorial tasks:
develop text as well as illustrations in coordination with the QfWf Soul Circle and authors
check the suitability of the offered material for the development of the QfWf
acknowledge and check copyrights of the texts and illustrations[1]
take care of the content and the maintenance of the QfWf-websites
The QfWf-Council offers advice to enhance the quality of the QfWf-activities and her intercultural programmes. The members of QfWf-Council have a responsibility to keep an open eye on the QfWf-developments and will be consulted by the QfWf-Board and the Editors-in-Chiefs whenever necessary to assess the quality of the material offered by third parties for the QfWf-websites.
The members have a seat on the Council — because of their unique and diverse qualities.
They ensure quality by providing solicited and unsolicited advice and by contributing to the editorial pages of the Wisdomweb and the Animal-wisdomprogramme as well as the themes on Global Citizenship on the Golden Ratio platform.
with a keen eye and heart for the the Quest for Wisdom!
The QfWf strives to shape its activities in co-creation with the circles of the people involved.
The Soul Circle is initiated to be as group the intercultural community that the QfWf is propagating as its mission. As the ambassadors of the QfWf they also propagate the QfWf to the outside world in their own networks. And internally they form the hands, hearts, heads and voices of the Quest for Wisdom, connecting people and Quest initiatives to let the Quest for Wisdom grow into the future.
Honorary members are people who have earned this special recognition due to their inspiring ideas and/or their special contributions to the QfWf.
Since December 2016, the QfWf has selected two honorary members.
Since the year of her foundation in 2016 the QfWf has grown thanks to the help of friends, who contributed to the three Quests in their own authentic way. For their dedication the QfWf pays credit to
The first Circle of QfWf Friends shaping the three Quests:
[1] QfWf authors are writers, actors and other muses, such as 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 of the QfWf-websites have stated.
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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
