Games and Rituals

The Elephant Game – A Ceremony of Deep Listening

At the heart of Poly World lies a game that is not a game — a ritual of remembering, of connection, and of emergence. It is called the Elephant Game.

The name comes from the parable of the blind sages describing an elephant by touch. In Poly World, we each bring our partial truths and feel our way toward shared understanding.

How It Works

The Elephant Game unfolds in three rounds:

Round 1: Storytelling

Each participant responds to a shared question by telling a story — not an opinion, but a lived moment. This round reveals the personal texture of experience.

Round 2: Digging Deeper

Participants reflect on the stories that moved them. They speak directly to the teller, naming what resonated, asking what clarified. Elephants — symbolic tokens — are awarded to those who touched them deeply.

Round 3: Weaving the Whole

All voices join again. Each player offers a synthesis: what they now see about the original question, having heard every piece. More elephants are awarded, and the circle closes.

The player with the most elephants may receive the Éléphante d'Or — a gentle nod to the value of presence, not performance.

Why It Matters

The Elephant Game is not about right answers. It is about seeing differently. Listening differently.

It teaches the core skill of Poly World: the transformation of story into shared structure.