The story of the blind men and the elephant
“Six blind men were asked to determine what an elephant looked like by feeling different parts of the elephant’s body. The blind man who feels a leg says the elephant is like a pillar; the one who feels the tail says the elephant is like a rope; the one who feels the trunk says the elephant is like a tree branch; the one who feels the ear says the elephant is like a hand fan; the one who feels the belly says the elephant is like a wall; and the one who feels the tusk says the elephant is ke a solid pipe.
The Blind Men and the Elephant
A king explains to them:
‘All of you are right. The reason every one of you is telling it differently is because each one of you touched the different part of the elephant. So, actually the elephant has all the features you mentioned.’” Image and quote source
I’ve completed my master’s degree course in transpersonal studies: “Prisms of the Soul: Holistic Self-Assessment Tools”. After studying the Enneagram of Personality, The Human Design System, and The Seven Rays (from the writings of Alice Bailey), it’s time for my final analysis and synthesis of what I’ve learned so far. This version of the ancient story seems to best express my thoughts and feelings about self-assessment. Just as each blind man perceived only one part of the whole elephant, it may be that each tool or method we use for self-assessment gives us only one facet of the entire picture. The Jainist viewpoint from this story suggests that that truth and reality are perceived differently from diverse points of view, and that no single point of view is the complete truth.
So, what is this “elephant” we call self and how can we come to know it?
By viewing the self through various lenses or perspectives, these are some of the aspects of self that I’ve found to be most important to my current understanding. We are:
- A composite of various “subtle energy bodies” that extend beyond our physical bodies and personalities
- Eternal and we reincarnate into different bodies
- Connected to God and each other on some energy/consciousness level
- Born with free will to make our own life choices
Given that we are such complex, multi-faceted and transpersonal beings, it is quite a challenge to find a comprehensive self-assessment tool. The ones we studied in class—the Enneagram of Personality, the Human Design System, and the Seven Rays—are helpful in getting glimpses of the non-ordinary, more complete nature of self. Each one seems to me to give a slightly different perspective of the whole self (as in the story of the blind men and the elephant). The Enneagram seems to be useful for me to understand where I am in a particular process of life. Human Design System seems to be helpful for me to understand the subtle energy bodies in a new way. The Seven Rays seem to be a way to incorporate the larger system of All That Is into my understanding of myself.
The value of self-assessment tools
There is great value in self-understanding and self-awareness, and its application in one’s life. Ancient wisdom such as the Delphic Oracle has encouraged each person to “Know Thyself.” Shakespeare’s famous lines from “Hamlet” implored us: “This above all—To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.” Edgar Cayce’s mystical readings stated: “For, know, the Lord thy God is One. And all that ye may know of God must be manifested through thyself. To hear of Him is not to know. To apply and live and be IS to know!” [reading 2936-2] I believe we can make better decisions when we know ourselves better, we are empowered to ignore external criticism and pressure and trust our own inner guidance, and we can be happier and more content with ourselves when we understand more of our true nature. These are just some of the benefits of self-assessment.
Questions about self-assessment tools remain
While I found these insights to be helpful, they also brought more questions to mind. I wonder about the validity of self-assessments from self-reported information. I’m aware that studies have shown that people tend to be very inaccurate at describing their own talents and abilities. For example, in an abstract of one study (“Flawed Self-Assessment, Implications for Health, Education, and the Workplace” from Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2004): “Research from numerous corners of psychological inquiry suggests that self-assessment of skill and character are often flawed in substantive and systematic ways…In general, people’s self-views hold only a tenuous to modest relationship with their actual behavior and performance. … The act of self-assessment is an intrinsically difficult task…” So my logical mind tends to favor the systems, such as astrology, numerology and Human Design, which use objective facts as their basis. However, the interpretation of the data in these systems is certainly highly subjective. My intuitive mind appreciates the Enneagram, Seven Rays and other subjective forms of assessment I’ve used (psychic life readings, Tarot readings, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, for the feelings that they bring up that help me recognize some sort of correspondence with my inner being. Again, this may highlight the need for a “committee” approach to understanding the “elephant” of self.
Another question I have is about the use of self-assessment tools by people who are not emotionally strong or balanced. I consider myself to be fairly well-balanced and strong and yet the Enneagram and Human Design System information seemed to bring out some long-standing emotional issues and a sort of emotional crisis. I feel they should be used gently and perhaps best used with some form of support or supervision from an experienced mentor like our instructor. One tangentially-related study I came across demonstrated that the effects of cognitive strategies on emotions are moderated by neuroticism. While the use of positive thinking reduced feelings of negative emotions in individuals low in neuroticism, this cognitive strategy did not affect individuals high in neuroticism. (Source: Feeling bad? The ‘Power’ of positive thinking may not apply to everyone” from Journal of Research in Personality, Volum 43, Issue 3, June 2009)
Rainbow body - Sapta Chakra image
So, in conclusion, while I am enriched with many insights about myself from this course and the assessment tools I’ve used over the years, I’ve also come to see more clearly that there is much more to know. It seems that is why “Know Thyself” is such important counsel from our wise elders. I humbly and excitedly look forward to continuing the study of this multi-faceted rainbow being called Me.
If you’d like to study along with me, here are some related books to learn about holistic self-assessment tools:
Please leave me a comment or a question so we can continue the conversation. I look forward to hearing from you!
