Political Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: this session will exceptionally begin at 14h and end at 17h What comes to mind when we hear the word "dream"? 1) Experiences we undergo while sleeping? 2) Hopes, desires and goals we cherish for the future? 3) Daydreaming? 4) Imagining, thought-experimenting, inventing? 5) ...? How are all these various forms of dreaming connected to our waking, here-and-now lives? What life experiences have you had that noticeably influenced your dreams? What dreams have you had that especially affected, possibly changing or even transforming, your life? How can we maximize the value of our dreams? How can we maximize the value our waking/here-and-now experiences have on our dreams? What can dreams teach us about consciousness? [Jef, might you want to add Jung and Freud to the BINGO cards? 😉😅] How do dreaming and non-dreaming affect self-identity, and vice-versa? Should we categorically aim to avoid all nightmares (or not)? Does free will exist in dreams? Do all dreams carry messages? (What) can we learn (something) from the "logic" of dreams? Can dreams predict the future? (How) can we know whether we are dreaming or not dreaming? If our waking consciousness would turn out to be all a dream after all, how might "waking consciousness lucid dreaming" manifest itself to us? "Life, as I experience it, is an ongoing quest to search for, collect and process "dream material": scenes, sounds and events during waking life that will inevitably return later (sometimes much later) during dream sleep, (dis)guised in all various forms and permutations ... only to resurface, rematerialize and recur in new configurations and in new contexts during future waking life. Like the ongoing cycle of breathing, a continual exchange of "dream material" is constantly occurring, oscillating back and forth between waking and sleeping, between consciousness and the unconscious, between past and future." — Alnata Karuna This session will be an opportunity to talk about and to share our dreams - in whatever forms or contents - and to explore together their possible roles and significance in our lives. [https://www.sleepfoundation.org/dreams](https://www.sleepfoundation.org/dreams) [https://allaboutpsychology.substack.com/p/the-psychology-of-daydreaming](https://allaboutpsychology.substack.com/p/the-psychology-of-daydreaming) [https://youtu.be/oiAQlDBJ88U?is=XGS_yOiQ_quk9N4f](https://youtu.be/oiAQlDBJ88U?is=XGS_yOiQ_quk9N4f) [https://youtu.be/gemBa8L7jQo?is=DsTTxyu0vwddr76f](https://youtu.be/gemBa8L7jQo?is=DsTTxyu0vwddr76f) [https://youtu.be/5cCW2a8kT3Q?is=ERhHppMUhtwG0wdt](https://youtu.be/5cCW2a8kT3Q?is=ERhHppMUhtwG0wdt)

Brussels is Europe’s heart, and our meetup is its friendly beat. [[ Whatsapp groupchat link to join ]](https://chat.whatsapp.com/G3WOUobqXjW1KWB65McSJi) Join us Saturdays at 7:30 PM for a language and culture exchange like no other. With attendees in their 20s and 30s from across the globe, it’s where ideas and friendships flourish. Let’s connect over words and waffles.

Hi everyone, This coffee morning event is @ **Château Moderne**, on Saturday, is 18 April 2026, from 10:00 - 13:00. **Château Moderne will be changing its name to Radio Moderne!** 1. The **prime time** of the event is **10:30 - 12:30**. That's when most people will be there. 2. When you enter the place, you will see a long table that is set up for the event. 3. If you intend **to join past 12:00** (high noon), then there is no need to register. Just come and join! 4. **DON'T forget to cancel** if you can't join! 5. **Please, be respectful towards each other during the event. (And after ;))** **As always, feel free to follow us on INSTAGRAM!** https://instagram.com/weekendmorningcoffee?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA== *** **THE STRUCTURE of THE EVENT:** * I post the event on Saturday/Sunday for the following Saturday. * I send out a reminder as an email or a comment on the event page on Thursday/Friday. * There is sometimes a waiting list. * **For everyone on the waiting,** please check your status and messages on Friday evening the latest. I message everyone on the waiting list on Friday. * **Please, move to "not going" AS SOON AS you know that you can't come anymore, that includes everyone who is on the waiting list.** **IMPORTANT:** * When you register yourself, be careful not to register accidentally a +1 guest (unless you bring a guest). It happens very often. * If you have any questions then, message me. *** **A MESSAGE FOR NEWCOMERS:** *In the first three years of hosting this coffee group, I have met many people who struggle with anxieties when coming to an event for the first time. Sometimes, it took them more than one attempt before being able to join.* *Occasionally, people reach out to me before the event, and I have always been grateful for that as it offers the opportunity to communicate with each other and to find the best and most gentle way for that person to join the group.* *I would like to encourage everyone who struggles with this to contact me before. It would really be too bad if you can't join us, as it mostly gets better the second or third time you come.* *In addition to that, if you arrive and notice any signs of nervousness or fear, you can always let me know right then.* **THANK YOU AND SEE YOU ALL ON SATURDAY!** **LOCATION:** Château Moderne Mont des Arts 1 1000 Bruxelles

Join us for a fun and social **day trip to Parc Astérix**, one of France’s most famous theme parks, just outside Paris This is not just an amusement park visit — it’s also a dive into a **legendary part of French and Belgian culture**. -- ## 🏛️ What is Astérix & Obélix Astérix and Obélix are iconic comic book characters created in 1959 by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. 👉 The story: a small Gaulish village resisting the Roman Empire thanks to a magic potion 👉 Themes: humor, friendship, satire of European culture 👉 Status: one of the most famous comics in Europe (especially France & Belgium) For many locals, this is **childhood nostalgia + cultural reference + humor all in one** Visiting Parc Astérix is like stepping inside that world. -- ## 🎢 What to expect • Thrilling roller coasters (like OzIris & Toutatis 🎢 • Fun water rides) • Live shows & themed village • A mix of adrenaline + chill + social vibe We’ll go as a group but keep flexibility inside the park so everyone can enjoy at their own pace. -- ## 🚆 Logistic **Departure:** Brussels (exact meeting point shared in WhatsApp group) **Destination:** Parc Astérix **Travel:** Train + shuttle or carpool (to be confirmed depending on group) **Return:** Same day in the evening. 👉 A WhatsApp group will be created for coordination -- ## 💰 Cost • 🎟️ Park ticket: approx. €55–€65 (depending on availability / group rate) • 🚆 Transport: approx. €30–€80 (train or carpool share) • 🍔 Food & drinks inside park: optional (~€15–€25 • 👥 Sunday Vacations organizing fee: 5€ -- ## 👥 Who is this for • Expats curious about local culture • Theme park lovers • Social explorers who enjoy group trip • Anyone who wants a fun, easy day escape from Brussel -- ## ✅ Important • This is a **members-only event** 👉 Membership starts from €5/year: [https://www.sundayvacations.com/membership](https://www.sundayvacations.com/membership) • Please confirm your spot via the link (to be shared) • Ambassador & Voyager members can use their code to waive the organizing fee. -- ## ⚠️ Disclaimer Sunday Vacations / UJAMAA ASBL acts as a **community organizer only** Participants organize their transport and tickets individually -- ## ✨ Why join Because this is more than a theme park It’s a chance to • understand a key part of local culture • meet amazing people • and just have a fun day -- If you’ve been in Belgium or France for a while and never heard of Astérix, 👉 this is your moment.

WHERE: Carpe Diem WHAT WE PLAY. We play social interaction games : Dixit, Codenames, Werewolf, Secret Hitler, Exploding Kittens, Bang...They are fun to play with and easy to learn. We gather on Mondays for strategic games, but you are free to play strategic games on Thursdays and Saturdays as well. SCHEDULE. We will gather at 7 PM and have the introduction round at 7:15 PM. If you want to come later, don't hesitate. See the host, who will try to arrange it so you can find a table. You may have to wait for a game to finish to join the next game. WHAT TO BRING. As usual, a good vibe ! we will play the games that people bring. Don't hesitate to mention them in the comments. When the location is in the park, you can also bring snacks and drinks and something to put under your royal buttocks because the lawn is sometimes a bit wet. DRINK AT THE BAR. You are encouraged to order at least one drink during the event and pay for it yourself at the bar. The meetup is Free, but the venues like Us more when they have some business😇 EVENT REGISTRATION. Please register for adequate venue planning and security measures. Don't forget to add it to your calendar, So you don't miss an event you registered for. WHEN THERE IS A WAITING LIST. Please, out of respect for people on the waiting list, don't cancel later than 7 PM the day before so they can plan their evening correctly. If you are on the waiting list, please cancel your attendance if you can no longer come for the same reason. SUGGESTIONS. Don't hesitate to write with comments or suggestions! Take care and see you soon!

Spend time in the company of other writers putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard. Work on your current project or start something new. If you are fresh out of inspiration a member of the Wordcraft Collective will be ready with a prompt to get you going. You can use that to unlock your creative brain before moving back to your own project or run with it. Who knows where the story will take you? Arrive when you like, leave when you like, or join us for a drink in the bar downstairs afterwards. Location: Pianofabriek, Rue du Fort 35, 1060 Saint-Gilles.

Fight for influence across the solar system as rival factions struggle for power. Move fleets, trigger events, and forge shifting alliances. A card-driven strategy game full of political tension. [How to Play](https://youtu.be/olW3IH0HZog?si=PR8NzC-j3oQD4m9n) [BGG](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/220792/the-expanse-board-https://tesera.ru/images/items/2362130/TheExpanse-Rules.pdf) Everyone is welcome! No previous experience or game knowledge needed — I’ll explain all the rules before we start. **IMPORTANT:** This game will be held at my place in Ixelles near the Roffiaen tram station. I will message the participants the exact address on the day.

Welcome to our weekly event in the upstairs room of The Sister Café, rue Chair et Pain 3, one block from the Grand Place. Please get there early enough to order your drink at the bar first. Thank you! After introductions we will collect questions from the group participants, choose one by voting then discuss it for an hour. Then most of us stay for drinks and bizarre conversations. Past questions have been wide and not confined to academic philosophy: What is a genuine friend? Is social media turning us into emotional zombies? Do we lose some of the experience of things by defining them? Are we driven by sex? Is loneliness a personal failure? Is morality relative? **Crucially, be kind and respectful and generous** in your disagreements; remember how much you personally enjoy someone else proving you wrong before celebrating your cutting counterexamples.

Glad to organise a film meetup for this tender astonishing heart breaking yet at peace documentary by the Belgian director Caroline Guimbal. An extract from her description: « My mother Nathalie will die in two years. My son will be born in nine months. From the past remains a spiral of violence and precarity we still have to decipher. But also the strength of my mother, and the poetry in her way of being in the world. By filming her, I learn to see through her eyes. » This is in French with English subtitles. Let’s meet in front of the ticket office, inside though I recommend you buy the tickets online. Afterwards, let’s go for a drink to recover from the film :)

What's up Friends! 👋 Let’s catch up over a cup of ☕️ (or whatever drink 🍵 or bite 🍪🍰🥐 inspires you in the moment). Where: Leopold PDN. This café may be a bit of a challenge to find on rainy days 🌧️☔️, but that's how adventures begin, right? 😂 Well, don't wait until you get hopelessly lost - text me here before you start cursing google maps 🗺️. The idea: Join the table once you've grabbed your order - mandatory! We'll kick-off with a light intro and move over to topics like activities, travel, music... At some point, if we are feeling it, we may also play some games. We will speak mostly English and French. Any other language is a bonus: 🌍🎭💃🎶🎷🤹🏻🤖 🎲 Games: No giant boards that end up in coffee spills please. Only light, short and fun games (generally card games like uno or exploding kittens💥🐱 will fit). I will bring a game or two myself, however feel free to bring along any of your own favorites. ⏱Timing: We start at 15:00, and you’re welcome to join at any time and for as long as you want. Joining later? Just let me know in advance in the chat so we keep a seat available for you 😊 🚦If you find yourself on the waiting list but you absolutely want to join or if you have any other question - feel free to contact me directly via the chat. 📢 Further details may be shared via the group chat or via DM 💬. Make sure to check your messages 👀 at least on the day before the event to avoid missing critical 🙄 announcements. 🐈‍⬛ The Friends Code:
👉No formalities - just chill 😎
👉Respect and positive vibes, if not 💥🥊 👉Can’t make it? Cancel so someone on the waitlist can grab your spot 🙏 👉 Don't show up (or show up at your own risk:) if you are on the waiting list. There may be no space for extra players and you risk to get disappointed. See you folks 😉

Quiet Forest Walk – The Clear Space This is a quiet, low-stimulation activity. It may suit people who feel overwhelmed in typical social settings or who prefer a calmer way of being together. Hi everyone, On Sunday 19 April, I’m organising a quiet forest walk for The Clear Space. We’ll walk together in silence for about an hour, in a calm and gentle way. This is not about performance, conversation, or doing anything special. It’s simply a chance to be outdoors together in a quieter way — with space to breathe, notice, settle, and just be. Sometimes silence can feel more natural than talking, and walking side by side can feel easier than a usual social setting. That is very much the spirit of this walk. When: Sunday 19 April Where: Herrmann-Debroux metro, straight ahead after leaving the platform Time: We start walking at 14:05 sharp, so please come a little earlier if possible. Please wear good shoes, especially if the weather has been rainy, as the forest can be muddy. Afterwards, if people feel like it, we can have a drink at Rouge Cloître. You’re welcome to join, but there is absolutely no pressure. If you’d like to come, or if you have any questions, you can message me at 0474 60 83 70. You are very welcome.

Please [register yourself on the website ](https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/booking/7QLiiTnqLMxNg6Bdm5Bm)to receive the details of how to join. This powerful healing technique removes the negative energies and blockages to then nbe replaced by life energy or prana. Organized by Juliana Cruz, a Pranic Healing practitioner for over 10 years. These donation-based sessions are in a group session, done by different practitioners who have learned Pranic Healing. The sessions take from 20 to 30 minutes. * **Sunday** **From 11:30 to 12:50** 20 - 30 min session per person First-come, first-served. This practice comes after a meditation (from 10:30 to 11:30) to receive and share energies of loving-kindness to the entire Earth. You can join by [registering yourself here](https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/booking/j5YTbU6YaGLgGOXyvMNn). With love, Juliana

Let's meet to write ! Schedule : 11:00 - 11:30 am : Presentation tour. Share briefly with the group about your project and your "goal of the day". 11:30 - 13:30 : Let's write ! 13:30 : Conclusion tour. Did you achieve your goal of the day ? See you soon !

This month's prompt concerns the idea of the “warrior philosopher” (seemed appropriate in these times)--that is someone whose understanding of violence, power, and justice is forged through direct experience of war. We are looking at Major General Smedley D. Butler, a highly decorated U.S. Marine raised in a Quaker (pacifist) tradition who later became a prominent critic of American militarism (there is a wonderful biography of Gen. Butler called "Gangsters of Capitalism") Butler's argument in *War Is a Racket* (1935): that many U.S. interventions were driven less by national defense than by corporate and financial interests, with Butler portraying himself as an enforcer for business and Wall Street. We can consider the moral ambiguity of his insider critique—whether complicity strengthens or undermines credibility and also consider some of the concrete reforms he proposed (e.g., “conscript” capital before soldiers, restrict the military to coastal defense, and have only those who fight decide on war). Butler’s life arc clearly changed from pacifist upbringing to warrior to antiwar crusader—and asks whether true understanding of peace requires firsthand knowledge of war, and what that implies about the cost of suffering. So do we need to suffer to understand suffering? Do we have to experience war to appreciate peace? As one more question: in the movie "A Few Good Men" Jack Nicholson's character says that "you have the luxury of not knowing what I know" so do most of us go through life oblivious to real violence and suffering? See you at Drunken Philosophy!

We may pick a specific topic and post in advance or may discuss current events and various ad hoc topics . We would love to spend time hanging out and getting to know one another. Atheist, agnostics, other non-theists, and atheist-friendly people are welcome to join us. Note: COUNT operates a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/groups/COUNT.discussions (http://www.facebook.com/groups/COUNT.discussions/) to promote discussions among members and visitors.

AI is changing how art is made. But when does it stop being your work and start being the machine’s? This month we're going to be doing a panel with with digital image, music, and written word artists, talking about at what point, while using AI in the creation process, does the work become not the artist creation? We encourage audience participation during this event that will be moderated by Chris Slee. Whether you’re deep in the field or just getting curious, come connect with others building and exploring AI in Columbus. Sponsored by [Transform Labs](https://www.transformlabs.com/services) Sign up also accessible via [Transform Labs Luma](https://luma.com/55umjqta)

Join us for our April Book Club gathering where we will come together to discuss *[Stop Me if You've Heard This One](https://www.kristenarnettwriter.com/stopmeifyouveheardthisone)* by [Kristen Arnett](https://www.kristenarnettwriter.com/about) in a safe and welcoming environment. Make new friends who share your passion for books and connect with fellow LGBTQ book enthusiasts.

**Let’s catch up and take an afternoon break.** **Grab a coffee or snack and let’s chit chat! Gayle and I will bring adult coloring books and/or a simple craft if you’d like to unwind and relax.😊**

Our next much-awaited **COLUMBUS** meetup is **Tuesday April 21 from 7-10 pm EST at ACE OF CUPS**. Meet patients, cultivators, processors, dispensary managers/staff, physicians, home growers, educators, activists, nonprofits, artists, attorneys, business owners, writers, students, and supporters to network, share our knowledge, collaborate, support each other and make new ones! Hope you will be there too! Save the date and pass the word. **Please RSVP** so we know who is coming and how many to expect. Find us to say hi and we will introduce you to others. We should be easy to spot. (The happy-looking group wearing cool nametags! See photos from our past events.) Sign in, grab a name tag, start your own bar/food tab, meet old friends and make new ones! Everyone is welcome. SEE YOU THERE!