The Silver Lake Of Personality

Don't forget to read the Introduction and Part I before this chapter of the Journey. 

You wake up near the shore of a lake. Smells like wetland, and some dark orange leaves are falling from the trees surrounding the lake. You look around and try to find out more about your situation:

  • There is a huge lake in front of you.
  • Apparently, there is no one around. The tribe is missing. It is only you and the lake.
  • There is no water in the lake but a thick gel that looks like molten silver.
  • You can see a small dock with a wooden sign at the front: "Say who you are and cross."
  • There is no boat. 

You shout your name. Nothing. You try to give the best description of yourself. You repeat what your parents have told you, what your friends have told you. You shout your values, your interests. You even explain who you are and reveal secrets you never told anyone. Nothing.

Hopelessly, you approach the shore to see if there could be a possibility to find the answers in the lake. You look down. And there you are. You see yourself in the molten silver—a perfect mirror, but you freeze as if the question "who am I?" was the hardest question you have ever had to confront. Then, you hear a voice that comes from the bottom of the lake while you keep staring at your image.

Do not worry, my friend. It isn't easy to get to know yourself. Probably the biggest journey of your life will be accepting and understanding who you really are. We can start here, looking at this mirror. If you want to cross the lake you will need to understand yourself a little more because understanding the structure of personality takes a long time and some tests.

Look again at the silver lake. What do you see? Close your eyes and open your mind. Is your mind racing with thousands of questions? Good. That means your journey has officially begun.

When you open your eyes, the molten silver becomes clear water. You now see the blue grandiosity in front of you. Silence. Something shines at the bottom of the lake. All at once, you see six perfectly shaped stones coming out of the water and floating in front of you. And you hear the voice again:

Here, you can see six stones that represent six traits that may be inside of you with more or less intensity. They have an engraved letter, like a rune. If you want to cross the lake, you need to give each stone a number. From 1 to 10, say how much these stones match your personality. How much of these traits represent your true self:

  • H Stone: represents Honesty and Humility. Within it, you see sincerity, fairness, greed avoidance, and modesty. The difficulty of deceiving to get advantage of people. The dignity of standing for true values. Integrity and courage to do what is right.
  • E Stone: represents Emotionality. Inside you will find sentimentality, fears, and anxiety. All those hard nights thinking about adversity. The broken heart when seeing a friend devastated. The search for a comforting hug during sadness.
  • X Stone: represents Extraversion. Within it lies social self-esteem, social boldness, sociability, and liveliness. How hard or easy it is speaking to others. The high level of activity and adventure-seeking. The pleasure of teamwork. Being outspoken. 
  • A Stone: represents Agreeableness. This one stands for forgiveness, gentleness, flexibility, and patience. Believing in the fundamental goodness of others and being receptive and inclusive. Accepting others as they truly are.
  • C Stone: represents Conscientiousness. Here you see organization, diligence, perfectionism, and prudence. Never compromising on quality and working hard. Implementing methods and plans to do a better job. Never leaving a task unfinished and being a person of your word.
  • O Stone: represents Openness to Experience. Through it, you see aesthetic appreciation, inquisitiveness, creativity, and unconventionality. The love of watching trees moving with the breeze. Appreciating the beauty of the smallest flower in the meadow and the indescribable feeling when music overruns a human soul.

"Did you speak your truth, my warrior?"

Now choose one. The one you think may help you with the rest of the journey. If you wish to share your answers, please say which number you gave to the rune-stones and explain why at the Tavern (THU social media channels) or directly to [email protected]. Then, say which powerful stone you would take as a superpower to continue the adventure.

A boat approaches the old dock. You have the second item. The Elf-Guide smiles while rowing towards you. The tribe is behind you. You smile back. You had to do this alone, but now you recognize your brothers and sisters again. You get on the boat together. The Elf-Guide points to the horizon and rows gracefully towards the next stop of the adventure: The Long Cave of Culture.

You hold the stone and take a deep breath. This is your journey.