We are always being told, “just be you” but what does that even mean? I don’t know about you, but I never had a class or was taught how to know myself, in order to “be myself”.
Enter the Harry Potter Sorting Hat, Buzzfeed quizzes, Enneagram, Myers-Briggs/16 Personalities, The 4 Tendencies…. What do they all have in common? They are tools for helping us see how we are unique yet similar. They help us see where we “fit” in the world; because this is ingrained in us to help us survive.
Before I found Human Design, I was obsessed with these various tests because each one told me a little bit about myself and helped me grow. I even told a business coach that I was planning on taking the results from all the tests for my clients to help facilitate the growth because no one test was enough (more on that later...) That was until Human Design covertly entered my world. For the first time I felt truly seen in a way that gave me permission to start the shedding process of everything that wasn't truly me. I began to have tools that worked surprisingly well once I got the hang of them. For the first time ever, I began to truly understand how my energy works within me and in my interactions with others. My mind was blown!
And then one day I woke up and just KNEW that I could no longer keep Human Design as a random mention in my IG stories or as a secret weapon in my own personal tool bag. Let's get this party started!
What is Human Design?
To answer that question is twofold. The basis of Human Design (HD) is in science; both the ancient observational systems such as Astrology, I’Ching, and Chakras, and the more modern, empirical sciences such as Quantum Mechanics, Astronomy, and Biochemistry. Because it’s based in science, it doesn’t ask you to ‘believe’ in anything. It merely offers you the opportunity to explore and experiment (with expert guidance) in order to find out what works for you. Let’s take a look at the parts that make up HD.
The four ancient systems that Human Design is based on have since been proven by the modern sciences mentioned above. This synergy of the whole is what makes it greater than the sum of its parts. This is not just some coach throwing shit at you to see if it’ll work….
Western Astrology & The Chinese I’Ching:
The Astrology piece works with the I’Ching by aligning the planetary positions for when you were born with the Hexagrams of the I’Ching. The power of the information comes from them working together. This is the part you’re familiar with from Natal Charts, Sun/Moon/Rising signs, etc.
The 64 Gates correlate to the sixty-four hexagrams from the I’Ching. In the I’Ching system, each hexagram is composed of six stacked horizontal lines. Each line is either Yin or Yang. If you were to sit down and read the I’Ching, it would read like a “dictionary of archetypal wisdom on the seasons of life” yet it’s not based in philosophy; it’s based in mathematical structures. Those mathematical structures have been discovered to correlate to our DNA
sequencing. When we are born we are imprinted with the qualities of a specific hexagram for each specific planet or node of the moon in our chart and provides our “definition” or blueprint. Therefore, this piece of your chart gives you practical information about your DNA system (modern biochemistry) without a medical test or doctor involved!
Brahmin Chakras & Kabbalist Tree of Life:
The nine energy centers are similar to the seven chakras. Main difference being that we’ve evolved since the system was created. We’ve basically evolved into a more complex 9 centered being and our energy flow has re-routed. This doesn’t mean that studying and using the typical chakra system is obsolete, it just slightly different when we are using it as part of HD.
The Tree of Life works energetically connects the energy centers via the gates from the I’Ching. These pathways or channels literally create the energetic, living circuitry that dictates how our energy works internally.
What Can Human Design Tell Me?
Now that we’ve looked at the science (which thankfully we don’t have to fully understand), we can look at the second part, which is the function of what HD is. Your Human Design Chart is a user guide or map to remembering your cosmic blueprint and an understanding of how our own personal inner guidance system operates.
With its 5 types, 9 energy centers, 64 gates, 36 channels your personal chart reveals anything and everything you’d want to know about yourself including information about:
Who you really are (not who your parents and society want you to be)
Insight on how to “be yourself” and tools to help figure out what exactly that is
How you most naturally navigate the world that’s constantly shifting/changing
Your personal strategy and authority which help you to “make moment-to-moment decisions that are correct for you so that your unique life purpose can unfold naturally.”
How your energy and aura work for you and how you energetically interact with the world.
Basically, HD gives us a deep look into how we were designed, to be and operate, before the conditioning of the world got programmed into us as a child, and a wide set of tools to help us understand how to explore “just being yourself”! And since we aren’t an island unto ourselves, it also helps us understand those around us and how we all fit together.
What is this Conditioning thing you speak of?
Our most authentic self or our most natural inclination in any scenario is was determined when we were born. As we grew up, we learned the rules of society, how to act, and how we “should” be. When “how you were taught” conflicts with your natural way of doing/being, then as children we learn to conform or mask (if you’re neuro-spicy it’ll be even more intense). Most of our learning of these rules and conditioning of responses happens by the time we are 7 years old.
This conditioning affects every part of you.
For example, You probably didn’t choose to speak your primary language, the spiritual/religious beliefs you were taught as a child, or even your own name. These were given to you. Thankfully though that doesn’t mean we don’t EVER get a choice or can’t change our beliefs and identity.
While Human Design doesn’t tell you specifically how to live every day or how to react in every situation, it will give you the permission and guidance for choosing and creating the life you dream of! It helps you build a level of self acceptance, compassion, and leadership that most only dream of! By consistently experimenting and increasing your self-knowledge, you steadily move closer to your most authentic self.
Side Note: “Conditioning” isn’t necessarily a “negative” thing. We can’t move through life without conditioning of some sort. It’s only a negative when it conflicts with how you naturally operate and you don’t feel you’re allowed to do it your way.
Wait, but why?
Now wait, how does HD differ from say Enneagram or Myers-Brings/16 Personalities?
The other tools are not based in quantifiable science, are based on conditioning you’ve received, and are extremely general when compared to the fact each of us is one of one. They are decent tools for what they are and I’m not bashing them. I’m just saying there are better, more comprehensive tools out there for knowing ourselves and how we operate. Let’s take a look at a couple of these other tools and their basis.
Keep in mind that the earth’s population is currently sitting around 7.9 Billion so these other tools have a tooooon of generalizations built in. Don’t forget you’re one of one!
The Four Tendencies - This was a system based on the author Gretchen Rubin’s observations of how people handle internal and external expectations. On the website it states that it helps you understand “How I get people, including myself, to do what I want”.
Problem: While this is extremely helpful to understand how you handle expectations, it’s only a part of the human experience. The tool/quiz is solely based on how your conditioning presents and doesn't taken into account things like trauma, grooming/brainwashing, or neurodivergence.
My personal tendency switched from Obliger (circa 2018) to Questioner (2022) according to the quizzes. This shouldn't be possible except “Unless we go through some catastrophic, character-reshaping experience—such as a near-death experience, a grave illness, or a serious bout with addiction—our Tendencies don’t change.” Thats another blog post though so back to the matter at hand ;)
Enneagram - Each person is one of 9 types with 2 sub types. These types are defined by a core belief about how the world works which then in turn drives your motivations and fears. In other words, it’s supposed to help you see the “why” behind what you do in this life.
Problem: Your core belief was formed before 7 years old and usually wasn’t something you actively chose. This is why your type can and will change as you go through life. Also, because there only a total of like 11 types, thats not very specific across a population so there will always be aspects of your type that don’t resonate with you personally. So even within a system telling you about yourself, you still have to figure out if thats really true for you.
Myers-Briggs/16 Personalities - This system is based on four limiting binaries with the goal of describing WHO you are and WHY you do the things you do. How you answer these questions is solely based on conditioning and your environment.
Problem: It has been found to be fairly inconsistent in the test results and as such the system is also not well regarded in modern day. I for one have been three different types over the last 20+ years.
The four binaries:
Inward or Outward Focus (ie. Introvert vs Extravert)
Take in Information (ie. Using your senses vs Intuition)
Making decisions (ie. Thinking vs Feeling)
Live your outer life (ie. Judging vs Perceiving)
As you read through that list, you probably thought to yourself that you’re not generally one or the other, all the time. Everything is a spectrum. In some situations you be more one way than the other but in a different situation it could be totally different.
For example, when I first took this test, it was for work in a work setting. I hadn’t done an in-depth test like this before so I was fully in my head. I got the result of INFJ based mostly on how I worked in corporate. A few years later I took the test again and got ENFP because I’d really been working on less judging and more perceiving and because I’d learned how to “turn on” my “extravertedness”. I don’t even remember the result from the last time I took it because I decided right then the tool had nothing left to help me with…
You may have also thought that there are many other areas of life outside those four. Well known people in personal development usually divide life into at least 6-7 slices of pie to better describe life in general. That's again another conversation for another blog post though!
Before I send you off to get your chart and get this journey started, lets remind ourselves what Human Design is NOT!
Human Design Is Not...
“Comparing ourselves to others creates an impression deep inside of us that it is not okay to be who we are. When we add that to the conditioning of our early years, we find ourselves trying to change or adapt how we act to suit others, which further distances us from the person we were born to be.” ~Lynda Bunnell
The longer we are in this cycle of adapting for others, the further we get from who we were designed to be in the world and the harder/unhappier our lives become. The good news is that now that we are aware of the cycle, we can decide to pause and reverse it. Reversing the cycle of becoming more distant from ourselves is one of the biggest benefits of using the Human Design system to decondition ourselves. To recap, HD is not:
It is not a personality test that only looks at a certain portion of how you operate
Nor does it worry about the conditioning you’ve received that affect your “personality”; which is one reason why it wont “change” as you grow and heal
It is not a tool meant to be used for shame/guilt or for anyone else to tell you how you need to be/think. HD is a tool that will affirm and support you, not anything else. Think expansion instead of contraction.
So what’s next?
Are you ready to reverse the cycle of self-abuse? To decondition from the crap that doesn’t serve you? To step into who you were meant to be and create that dream life?
Fuck yeah! Woohoo!
Next step is to generate your chart (free) at MyBodyGraph.com/free-bodygraph. This will generate for you the chart that will be your map for this journey. Make sure to save it as you’ll be looking back at it a lot.
Note: You will need your time of birth. If you have no clue, try to get as close as possible. Most parents can tell you if you were born in the AM or PM at the very least.
Once you’ve generated your chart, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. Breathe, I got you! We will break it down a piece at a time and then put it all back together for you in a way that makes sense. For now, save your chart and in the next blog we’ll discuss the five types and their strategy for taking aligned action.
If you’re thinking “just tell me everything I personally need to know!”, then an in-depth reading is just what you need! Click here to purchase a reading. Your life is about to change in the most magical of ways!