transcultural

The Wheel of Intercultural Art of Living

The Wheel of Intercultural Art of Living visualizes the philosophy and mission of the QFWF

The wheel was developed as a multidimensional and multifaceted approach to the intercultural art of living with the help of the following:

  • Colours/medium – representing the five natural elements (earth, water, air, fire and ether)
  • One focus — the circle with an edge and a centre that represents the dynamics of the wheel two-dimensionally with a centripetal direction from periphery to centre and vice versa as a centrifugal movement —
  • The wheel consists of sixteen spokes representing wisdom traditions

The sixteen spokes use the pictograms drawn by Louis Van Marissing to refer to wisdom traditions from East and West, North and South. The Wheel vizualizes these different approaches to wisdom, acknowledging its many different forms from various cultural traditions, from religious and spiritual roads, philosophical and mythological directions, arts and crafts, praxis and personal experience. This plurality is organized by means of the the Wheel with the sixteen spokes as well as with six dimensions, all of which are indicated with pictograms.

The QFWF facilitates intercultural exchange and development of transcultural forms of wisdom and the art of living. This is done in co-creation with people involved in these traditions. The (exploratory) gathering of wisdom from all corners of the world in its diverse forms – texts, images, stories, music – is further developed into ‘a golden section’ of educational material.

Symbolic bridges between cultures

The wheel visualises intercultural bridges through the symbolism of the five elements: these are depicted as five elementary fields with their own pictogram (eye, heart, spiral, hand, lemniscate) and, within them, the spokes of sixteen (inter)cultural paths to wisdom.

The QFWF dissociates itself from racial and ethnocentric provisions by presenting the language play of the five elements emphatically as a symbolic arrangement of the Wheel. Within this, sixteen wisdom paths are assigned in an associative way, without wanting to interpret the (folk) nature of cultures, tribes and peoples. The focus of the QFWF is to develop intercultural exchange and connections on the basis of a symbolism that occurs as a mythical language in almost all cultures. In this way, the QFWF remains outside philosophical, theological and political debates about the appreciation of cultures.

As can be heard in original and heroic stories from almost all cultures, the process of separating and reconnecting the elements symbolizes an alchemy as a process of creation. A natural order arises out of an original chaos, emptiness or by a divine creation. Also, in all wisdom traditions, paths to a good life have been developed – aimed at connection from within – which are called differently: ‘salvation’, ‘enlightenment’, ‘moksha’, ‘compassion’, ‘humanity’, ‘walhalla’, ‘the eternal hunting ground’, ‘The kingdom of God’, ‘Heaven’, …

Symbolism of the five elements

In almost all cultures, the natural elements in mythical, philosophical and religious stories play a basic role. That is why the five elements in the Wheel form pillars for building inter- and transcultural connections. Compared to the Western natural philosophical debate, these concepts are given a dynamic and symbolic meaning in the three Quests.

The archetypal form of the Wheel expresses this art of living as the mystery of squaring the circle::

  • The four elementary fields – earth, water, air and fire – symbolise a movement towards the periphery, the four corners of the world, where the value of diversity becomes visible. The movement towards the centre, through three groups of (inter)cultural paths on the elemental fields of earth, water, air and fire, focuses on the coherence between cultures and the development of transcultural connections.
  • The fifth elementary field – ether – symbolizes in the centre the place of connection from within (the place that is not a place, the unity of opposites, the philosophia perrenis). Visualized with four pictograms are encounters between cultures 3 through history and time, manifesting themselves as interfaces, intersections and rifts in history and between eras.

Rotating around the core, the Rad visualizes the development of
intercultural art of living from the three layers:

  • Layer 1: the five elementary fields of wisdom
  • Layer 2: the sixteen (inter)cultural paths to wisdom
  • Layer 3: the six dimensions

From the perspective of the Wheel, religious, scientific, literary, artisanal, philosophical and artistic expressions appear equally as symbolic forms and building blocks for intercultural connections. The diversity of cultural expressions and visions on the good life are symbolically arranged as an intercultural art of living by means of the Wheel:
* by symbolically characterizing the five ‘elementary’ fields as (earth, water, air, fire and ether) fields of wisdom
* by linking expressions of wisdom and (inter)cultural wisdom paths to these five fields
* by visualizing an ‘in-between’ a space for dialogue and exchange based on cultural forms of wisdom.

Exchange, development and cross-fertilization take place along five elementary fields by rearranging wisdom from religious and cultural traditions according to their cultural- historical origins on the one hand, and, on the other hand, according to intercultural and transcultural forms of wisdom as seen from the elementary symbolism of the Wheel. For example, the Tree of life is a transcultural symbol that expresses both a kinship between cultures as well as a concrete form of a particular expression of a Tree of life as recognized within a specific culture.

The five elementary fields of wisdom

The wheel with the five elementary fields

The symbolism of the five elements generates a bridge language between cultures with the aim of further developing an intercultural art of living.

  • The green quadrant with the eye is associatively connected to the earth and unlocks a symbolism around eye power, the seeing of the (strange) other, earthly and grounded;
  • The blue quadrant with the heart is associated with water and opens up a symbolism around heart power, spontaneous expression including flowing and counter-flowing movements;
  • The yellow quadrant with the spiral is associated with the air and opens up a symbolism around light and darkness and the rhythm of breathing;
  • The red quadrant with the hand is associated with the fire and opens up a symbolism around fire (offerings) and the power of transformation;
  • The white circle around the centre with the lemniscate is associated with ether and opens up a symbolism around an eternal movement of cultural-historical appearances and links ether as the fleeting cosmic element.

The five fields have been characterized as forms of the art of living with the help of symbolic icons:

  • Earth – the eye – a meaningful field of natural connection and physical, grounded presence;
  • Water – the heart – a symbolic field giving meaning to lovingly meandering together with the natural currents and counter currents;
  • Air – the head (spiral) – a meaningful field of breathing, coordination inside and outside, insight and being attentive;
  • Fire – the hand – a meaningful field of sacrifice, transformation and acting change;
  • Ether – the quintessence (lemniscate) – a meaningful field of the interplay of the four elements, of alchemy and encounters, connections and fault lines.

Wisdom traditions and wisdom are given a place on the elementary fields of wisdom and the sixteen (inter)cultural wisdom paths appear as the spokes of the Wheel.

Wisdom traditions – from Buddhism to Nordic mythology, from Christian rituals to Indian myths – can be organized according to their cultural-historical origins as well as a source for developing an intercultural art of living in the context of globalizing society.

The intercultural art of living is growing from its cultural-historical roots and will be nourished from (inter)cultural studies by which wisdom traditions can be kept alive in a global context.

Both personal expressions and stories handed down as contextually embedded wisdoms, as well as practical and art-based forms of the art of living, are given a symbolic rearrangement by means of the Wheel: as inspirational examples of ‘elementary’ – earthly, meandering, airy, fiery, ethereal – expressions and forms on how to live life well.

The symbols in the Wheel (namely the eye, the heart, the spiral, the hand and the lemniscate) therefore represent, both on a collective and personal level, the elementary existential qualities for the development of a basic attitude of openness and interest, around a pivot of love and wisdom, the quintessence, the loving willingness to connect, meet and open up for intercultural dialogue.

The development of intercultural art of living through the Wheel

In the philosophy of the Wheel, these elementary existential qualities – of the open heart, the embodied eye, the hand of co-creation, the attentive path spiraling in and out, and the lemniscate of living encounters and the infinite creation of meaning – form the indispensable pivotal points for the development of an intercultural art of living and transcultural forms of living the good life. The QFWF stimulates this development with educational material based on ‘a Golden Section’ of the divers expressions of wisdoms collected on the QFWF-Wisdom Web from the global society.

Cultural diversity is visible on the periphery of the Wheel. Towards the centre the elementary fields and intercultural bars (spokes) touch the hub (pivotal point). The hub symbolizes a transcultural dimension that transcends cultural determinants. Through the colourful differences there is an elementary focus on what connects people: by moving beyond the opposites on the surface level of (collective) opinions and interests to the deep dimension of humanity and loving wisdom (the pivot) in the centre; where the opposites coincide, the quintessence.

By means of ‘bricolage’ (the way an engineer (bricoleur) uses just the available tools and materials to make structures) with insights and forms of praxis of multiple cultures one can develop a global society for the purpose of becoming human (becoming who you are) and developing local communities with a cosmopolitan spirit.

For example, with regard to a focus on ‘the right middle’ (Aristotle) according to the practical wisdom (‘phronèsis’) of the community, there is a relationship between Greek classical virtue ethics with insights from Ubuntu and from Confucianism and values of ‘communitas’.

A Golden Section of Wisdom

The wheel with the five elementary fields and sixteen spokes, depicting intercultural roads

In the Wheel, the wisdom traditions are both contextually embedded according to their cultural-historical origins, as well as sixteen paths or sources for intercultural wisdom. This ambiguous positioning arises from the symbolical bridges, the language game of the five elements, providing a twofold orientation: both towards philosophical unity and transcultural forms of life as well as towards cultural diversity at the corners of the elementary fields. The inter- and transcultural dynamics is symbolically characterized with pictograms.

There are two levels of developing wisdom:
At the collective level of wisdom traditions:

  • earthly paths of wisdoms give expression to a grounded quality and embodied see,
  • meandering roads of wisdom are expressive of a heart-quality: coagulating and liquefying the status quo,
  • wisdom of the air and breathing that expresses the rhythmically inwards and outwards spiralling connection of natural being with the macrocosm,
  • fiery ways with wisdoms that give expression to community ethos and co-creating (hands on) qualities,
  • ethereal pathways expressing an eternal lemniscate movement of finding meaning: volatilizing and deconstructing and then materializing and socially
    constructing again;

on the individual level of the personal art of living:

In a globalising society, people can draw on various wisdom traditions without the need to join as an adept of a particular tradition. Wisdom paths give direction to personal growth and interpersonal relationships. The Wheel is meant as a compass to be able to orientate oneself in the diversity of directions. The five elementary fields open up intercultural fields of finding meaning through exploring various cultural wisdom traditions and transcultural values.

The Wheel provides symbolic signposts for personal growth through the development of elementary existential qualities:

  • eye-power through the embodied seeing and from imagination (mythos)
  • the open heart, depicting compassion and enthusiasm (compassion and pathos)
  • the spiral, depicting resonance and tuning in to the rhythm of breathing, connecting inside with outside (logos)
  • the hand, depicting action and starting a change with movement from within and hands-on (ethos and cocreation)
  • the lemniscates, depicting the space between ‘frames’ and the infinite process of giving meaning and meeting ‘the other’ (quintessence).
The sixteen (inter)cultural paths to wisdom are grouped per elementary field.
They are represented with their own icon.

The elementary field earth and the (inter)cultural earth roads

Earth roads in the Wheel

In the elementary field of ‘earth’ three icons have been placed that characterize wisdom paths of tribes and peoples living traditionally from natural contexts. In prehistoric times this ‘pre- modern’ way of life was spread all over the earth. As a result of modernization and colonization, this way of life has been reduced, but can still be found mainly within: African; Indian; and Aboriginal peoples, Maori and other indigenous peoples of Oceania.

Earth roads

The elementary field of water and the (inter)cultural water roads

Water roads in the Wheel

In the elementary field ‘water’ three icons have been placed that characterize wisdom roads as the natural movement and cosmic laws following ways of life.
These meandering wisdom roads can, for example, be recognized within: Confucian; Dao; and Sufi currents.

water wegen

The elementary field air and the (inter)cultural air roads

Air roads in the Wheel

In the elementary field ‘air’ three icons have been placed that characterize wisdom roads as pathways of insight and breath based on wisdom traditions. This orientation can often be recognized in connection with the symbolism of light and darkness in the following perspectives: 
Buddhist, advaita vedanta; gnosis, mystical and hermetic philosophy; Germanic, Celtic and Nordic mythology.

Air roads

The elementary field of fire and the (inter)cultural fire roads

Fire roads in the Wheel

In the elementary field of ‘fire’ three icons have been placed that characterize religious and spiritual traditions, in which, especially, the meaning of fire and the struggle between good and evil, sacrifices and transformation play an important role. This orientation can be recognized within:
animist-shamanist; Hindu; and monotheistic – zoroastrian, jewish, christian and islamic – directions.

Fire roads

The ether field and the (inter)cultural ether roads

Ether roads in the Wheel

The ‘ether field’ symbolically refers to the fact that the longing for connection and the search for wisdom – although culturally different and colourfully designed – occur in all cultures and is nourished by:
encounters between cultures, and profile gets through interfaces, intersections and fractures in history and
between eras.

ether roads

The six dimensions

The six dimensions of the Wheel characterize wisdom in many forms on the continuum between theory and practice; multi-layered by means of different medial forms – verbal, musical, visual, ritual, narrative, dancing, … – in which the quest for wisdom is expressed.

By giving space to the diversity of medial expression, the various wisdom traditions can be highlighted in a multifaceted way, showing inter- and subcultural forms, dominant and minority voices.

For example, the elementary field of air (insight) show different paths, such as a variety of forms of ‘Buddhism’ from Zen Buddhism to mindfulness. The diverse wisdom traditions include both visions as well as forms of praxis, a mythology and other narratives and stories, cultural customs and rituals, musical and other artistic expressions of wisdom. The six dimensions of the Wheel are:

  • visions, philosophy
  • stories, myths,
  • rituals, rituality
  • symbols, symbolism
  • praxis, arts and crafts
  • social actuality and/or a personal vision or survival.

With these six dimensions, the Wheel expresses (inter)cultural diversity from the historical roots as well as current practices and expressions of the art of living, shown on the continuum between theory and practice.

The six dimensions

The complete wheel

  • the five elementary fields,
  • the sixteen (inter)cultural avenues
  • the six dimensions

The three layers form the complete Wheel of intercultural art of living.

 

The complete wheel of intercultural art of living

The Wheel makes visible how the periphery shows cultural diversity and the corepresents connections from within, such as the transcultural value of ‘compassion’. The in- between space (between the periphery and the inner core) evokes intercultural dialogues and a cosmopolitan art of living through a Golden Section (Ratio) of wisdom traditions, like the budding of a flower which is always through nourishment from cultural roots.

update 2022-08

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Quest 1: Wisdom Web

The Wisdom Web is a forum dedicated to the intercultural art of living.

At its core are values of inclusion of different cultures and the beauty of being different.

Quest 1 Wisdomweb

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.

Quest 1: Wisdom Web Read More »

Quest 2: Golden Ratio

Wisdom gathered from all over the world for the benefit of diversity and inclusion are offered as educational materials:

  • to get to know other cultures and wisdom traditions
  • to promote intercultural communication, art forms and philosophies
  • to develop unifying cultural practices.

Through these materials, functioning as a Golden Ratio — partly published on the Wisdom Web (Quest 1) and also shared on the Encounter Days, through Workshops and Masterclasses as well as being documented on the QFWF video channel (Quest 3) — personal growth and community building are facilitated.
The Golden Ratio consists of an artistically designed and culturally diverse palette of materials that are grouped around particular themes of the intercultural art of living; such as the wisdom taught through play, proverbs, myths and animal stories.

The QFWF sees the realization of an Intercultural Meeting House for the promotion of the Golden Ratio as a promising future project.

The Three Pillars of Quest 2: Golden Ratio

Golden Ratio Playfulness — Board Games and Dialogue Tables

Golden Ratio Digital — Digital Games, Animations, etc.

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 2022-07

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Animal Wisdom Educational

GR digitalDigital game Quest for WisdomAW siteAW educationalAW game

Teaching Modules

In order to draw attention to the intercultural roots of wisdom traditions, the QFWF taps into Animal Wisdom from all corners of the world as a symbolic mirror for the good life in the cosmopolis. With the aim of promoting cross-cultural values from all corners of the world in today’s cosmopolis. To this end, the material is presented in appealing and artistic educational forms.

Focussing on:

  • The introduction to other cultures and their wisdom traditions
  • The promotion of intercultural communication, art forms and philosophies
  • The development of connecting cultural practices together
  • Stimulating love and respect for the natural environment and ecological awareness

Honorary member Dirk De Wachter

Fresh off my liver, the feeling is bubbling that these initiatives are essential to a society, bottom-up encounters, where humanity appears in difference.

Heartily,

Dirk, 4 April 2019


Grant awarded

by the neighborhood fund of Amsterdam South-East!

The South East Fund — in collaboration with the Prince Bernard Cultuurfonds — has awarded a subsidy to the QFWF to help further develop the storytelling program!

“The Southeast Fund is unanimously enthusiastic about your project. Although they consider the project ambitious, they consider it a worthy initiative. They like how you use this project to introduce children to the multi-coloured nature of the multicultural society.

In the eyes of the neighbourhood committee, you make an important intercultural contribution that can be used in many schools.

There is confidence in the organization and in the teaching material that has already been developed.

They therefore applaud the fact that you are going to digitize and wish you every success.”

An Intercultural Teaching Module

The wisdom of the purple octopus is the symbol of Animal Wisdom — drawing by Chrisje Ronde

The completion of the project will provide a basis for developing more intercultural teaching modules, also for secondary education. The presentation of the materials through diverse media appeals to the imagination and shows how animal symbolism transcends cultural boundaries. The artistic design of animal wisdom shows the colourful unity in the diversity of cultures.

The project has provided educational material for schools in Amsterdam South-East. During two workshops, the material was developed for a (digital) intercultural lesson and for an in-depth curriculum:

Workshop 1: When Animals Narrate Cultures…

Workshop 2: Animals as Wisdom Seekers

The elaboration of this material into an introductory and in-depth teaching program “Citizenship education, diversity and inclusion” for primary school is described in the (NL) QFWF-storytelling-Project-Eindrapportage.

Update 2022-07

Animal Wisdom Educational Read More »

Game Quest for wisdom

GR digitalDigital game Quest for WisdomAW siteAW educationalAW game

Turn the Digital Wheel of the Intercultural Art of Living!

The Digital game Quest for Wisdom is based on mythical narratives, proverbs and intercultural symbols that encompass visions of happiness and the 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 a path mirrored in that narrative through the use of 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 Quest for Wisdom

Animals from the woods ― symbol for natural wisdom

The digital game Quest 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 alert following?
  • Which elemental motto gives direction on your life path?
  • Which strong quality gives you courage for further development and which quality do you want to develop further?
  • In which direction are you heading on your path?
  • See how your path in this direction looks like in terms of the art of living, according to the Wheel of the intercultural art of living?
  • Which intercultural symbol from the story assigned by the Wheel of the intercultural art of living would you choose as a signpost?
  • 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 counsellor from the Quest for wisdom foundation?
Heart, symbol of being open and listening to your own heart

The aim 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 wisdoms.

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 a peer group or family, or as a work or sports team.

The further development of the game Quest for Wisdom

The digital game Quest for Wisdom is ‘under construction’. The intention is to add an English version and to improve and expand the functionality.

Using the game in a professional environment? Inquire about possibilities!

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

Update 2022-07

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