how to read your Human Design chart
by Krystal Trammell of Holographic Human Design
One cool thing about Human Design is that it’s a transmission - meaning, it's a living, dynamic collaborative awareness, not an inert body of facts. Everyone who encounters and spends time immersed within the Human Design system starts to perceive and evolve it in unique ways.
Human Design has been called "the science of differentiation" - meaning, it is a tool that helps our conscious awareness recognize the subtle energies at play between our human body-elemental (design) and our light-body / soul (personality). We are NOT all the same, and that’s a beautiful thing!
This is my brief overview of Human Design and how it fits in with my high-frequency worldview. Full disclosure - I call it "simplified", but there's really nothing simple about this system of self-knowledge!
Like many things I've been drawn to over the course of my life, it's not something you can learn in a few weeks or months, or by reading a couple books. It takes years of contemplation AND lived experimentation to fully grok.
I’ve been fascinated with the self-exploration system called Human Design since around 2016. Several years ago, I started giving readings, teaching about it, and finally became certified as a Quantum Human Design Specialist.
One cool thing about Human Design is that it’s a transmission - meaning, it's a living, dynamic collaborative awareness, not an inert body of facts.
Everyone who encounters and spends time immersed within this system starts to evolve it in unique ways.
Human Design has been called "the science of differentiation" - meaning, it is a tool that helps our conscious awareness recognize and innerstand the subtle energies at play between our human body-elemental (design) and our light-body / soul (personality). We are NOT all the same, and that’s a beautiful thing!
So this article explores how *I* see and share Human Design - specifically.
Keep reading, so you can learn how to read your Human Design chart.
What IS a Human Design Chart? Where does it come from?
The Human Design system is a synthesis of many systems, including astrology, the I Ching, a version of the chakra system, the Kabbalah and more. It was channeled by a man named Alan Krakower in 1987, over the course of 8 days, where he had an encounter with a being he called The Voice. Over time, he perfected and catalogued the knowledge, and released it publicly in 2001.
Alan, aka Ra Uru Hu, has passed on from this life, but many of his direct students continue to evolve and expand his original materials with systems like the Gene Keys, Quantum Human Design, etc.
Our chart, or bodygraph, is generated by our exact time, location, and date of birth, AND a date exactly 88 days prior - called our design date.
Various websites will generate your Human Design chart using your birth date, location, and exact time of birth.
If you don’t know your exact time of birth, your chart may be slightly inaccurate, or it may be wildly inaccurate - depending on what kind of shifts and changes occurred over the course of that particular date and location! You can ask a savvy chart reader like me to look at the possibilities and generate a chart that “reconciles” your birth time.
Ancient Cognition
Ancestral shamans and medicine people from a wide variety of cultures have recognized the energy body as a collection of shapes and/or spheres, with streams of connected energy flowing thru them like water, or electricity.
In one of the many books by Carlos Casteneda, the Yaqui Sorcerer Don Juan talks about seeing a specific configuration of shapes in the aura when he first met Carlos, which is why he decided to take him on as an apprentice. His specific description matches how the Centers are configured in a Human Design chart!
Only in modern times did we abandon this knowledge as ‘esoteric’ - despite the fact that science acknowledges the electro-magnetic nature of our very cells and biological systems. We are electric (Yang), and we are magnetic (Yin).
What’s the deal with “no choice” in Human Design?
You may have heard the concept of "no choice" in Human Design - meaning, our charts contain our fate, and it’s inescapable.
The "Classic" or original version of Human Design teaches that everything is mechanics and we are like a passenger in the backseat of a car. Classic HD says we're being driven by our design and it's all down to circuitry and mechanics, so we have NO CHOICE.
It's important to remember that the original transmission of HD came through in 1987 - WAY before the current split in consciousness that's been taking place since 2011 or so.
That's where I diverge from classical Human Design.
I don't like using any kind of system as an excuse for avoiding growth or being averse to change.
Instead, I view Human Design as a guidance system, a tool of self-empowerment that highlights our default programming, our ‘starter deck’. While we're not all dealt the same hand, the way we CHOOSE to play the game of life makes a great deal of difference in our particular outcomes.
Conscious choice is everything!
I view the mechanics of our unique Human Design like a GPS system...not a railroad track we're beholden to.
The 9 Centers in Human Design
When you look at a Human Design chart, or bodygraph - you'll notice a bunch of geometric shapes, connected by lines. They're either coloured-in or white - with little numbers around the edges. Most likely, you've got a combination of white and coloured-in Centers - tho it's possible to have all the Centers defined, or none of them defined!
The particular Centers you have defined and undefined determine the core foundation of your Design: your Type, Strategy, Signature Theme, and your decision-making Authority.
The Centers in Human Design correspond to the Chakra system - but with 9 Centers instead of 7. We mutated from 7 to 9 centers in 1789 - when Uranus was discovered, and Projectors entered the scene. 2027 is to be the next big change!
The Centers are connected by Channels, and together, Channels and Gates function like electromagnetic circuitry - paths thru which energy flows. A Gate that's active (shown in red or black, typically) may be hanging, or it may connect to another Gate on the other end of it, to form a Channel.
There's no such thing as a chart with only one Center defined - because the Channels in red and black that connect the Centers are what create definition. So in order to have a Center defined, there has to be an active Channel connecting it to a second Center.
Think of the Channels like electrical circuits, and the Centers like light bulbs that "turn on" when the Channels are activated.
Our Centers may be defined, undefined, or open. Some folks use 'open' and 'undefined' interchangeably, to mean a white Center. I tend to say 'undefined' to mean a white Center with active or "hanging" Gates - and 'open' to mean a white Center with no Gate activations.
Defined Centers are always coloured-in. Many Human Design folks do take liberties with the particular colours used, so that's not always important - but I do explain what the classic Human Design chart colours mean in my program, Holographic Self.
Motor Centers in Human Design
Four of the 9 Centers are considered "motors" - which give energy to our sense of vital life-force, our emotions, our drive, and our willpower. These Centers provide consistent access to their "flavor" of energy if they are defined - and variable access if they are undefined. If you don't have these Centers defined, it doesn't mean you lack energy! It just means the way you use energy is more changeable than someone who has one or more of these Centers defined.
The Sacral Center is our main motor - which governs physical life-force energy, creativity, work, and sexuality. It operates in cycles, like the Sun.
The Emotional Solar Plexus Center governs our emotional awareness, and is our "newest" center to come online in the human body.
The Root Center governs our sense of groundedness, provides drive and adrenaline, security, stability, and the pressure to get things done.
The Ego or Will Center is about willpower and commitment, self-worth, family, and self-preservation in the material world.
Human Design Types
Type determines the sort of signature frequency we’re meant to express, and gives us a clue about the “not-self” habits we’re likely to fall into, when we aren't living true to our Design.
No Type is better or worse than another - we each have our unique gifts and challenges. When Human Design was still very new, Type wasn't discussed at all, as Centers and Definition were deemed more relevant. A Generator with only 2 Centers defined will be very different than a tripie-split Projector with 6 or 7 Centers defined -but I digress!
The five Types in Human Design are:
Manifestors - roughly 8.5% of the population
Generators - 37% of the population
Manifesting Generators (ManiGens) - sometimes referred to as a subtype of Generator, around 33% of the population
Projectors - 20% of the population
Reflectors - 1.5% of the population
Generators and ManiGens will always have a defined Sacral center - while ManiGens ALSO have one or more of the Motor Centers that are connected to the Throat Center via Channels.
ManiGens are a combo-type, and can relate to the traits of both Generators and Manifestors. ManiGens are particularly adaptable. They can be both soft and strong, and they have the charisma and drive to accomplish much.
Generators has the gift of being able to perfect their talents over time, and to live in surrender to the moment. They have consistent energy to do work that they believe in and find worthwhile. Their defined Sacral energy works in cycles, and in response to their environment and opportunities.
Manifestors have one or more of the "lesser motors" connected to their defined Throat Center - and they will never have a defined Sacral Center. They have a gift for planning, strategy, and efficiency, and don't need to wait for help or input from others. They crave freedom to do what they want.
Projectors may have any variety of Centers defined, but never a defined Sacral, and never a motor Center connected to their Throat. They have a gift for mastering and improving systems, and can see deeply into people and things.
Reflectors have no Defined Centers in their charts - but instead of this making them vulnerable, they have a gift for being resilient. Reflectors are changeable beings, and don't like to be rushed. Like Projectors, they need to be in the right environment and relationships.
Strategy and Signature Theme
MANIFESTORS are meant to wait for inner alignment, then inform, take initiative, and make an impact
GENERATORS are meant to wait and respond to what inspires you
MANI-GENS are meant to wait for inspiration, to respond and impact
PROJECTORS are meant to wait for their wisdom to be recognized and invited
REFLECTORS are meant to wait, sample the environment, and follow their delight
Notice that “wait” is part of the Strategy for everyone!
When we follow our STRATEGY, each Type experiences its own unique Signature Theme:
Manifestors will experience PEACE instead of anger (or else, people being angry with them!).
ManiGens and Generators experience SATISFACTION instead of frustration.
Projectors experience SUCCESS instead of bitterness.
Reflectors will experience SURPRISE and JOY instead of disappointment.
To express our true frequency, or signature - we must overcome the tendency to get caught up in Not-Self behaviours, habits, and patterns…
The Not-Self in Human Design
The classic Human Design teachings, back in 1987, were worded for a world full of unaware, "Not-Self" beings.
Today, many of us are still living out patterns and habits of our Not-Self - mainly due to conditioning from others, our childhoods, and our belief that we must conform to the expectations of the wider world...
However, we are also in the midst of a collective awakening. Many of us are starting to become aware of the unconscious patterns and habits we've picked up...and are actively working on our Self-growth, embodiment, and inner alignment.
We are letting go of old "have-tos" as a collective...and this is another reason why I don't fully vibe with classical Human Design. ;)
Quantum Human Design acknowledges how we are already in a state of becoming.
Classical Human Design can be pedantic, rigid, and even shocking at times - and that may be because in 1987, many folks were living entirely from their conditioned, logical minds - and needed to be spoken to differently for the information to have an impact.
So what is the Not-Self?
Our Not-Self is essentially made up of the behaviours that arise when we try to force ourSelves to function in ways that we're not designed, or when we try to live our lives and make decisions from logic, alone.
Our NOT-SELF behaviours are what we've developed as a means of protection - yet they create resistance in our lives.
The NOT-SELF interferes with living our design, and embodying our STRATEGY & AUTHORITY.
Human Design Authority
Our Authority has to do with how we are uniquely wired to make wise and clear decisions - using the wisdom of our physical bodies. It's one of the best takeaways from Human Design!
It’s important to note that nobody has the mind as an authority! The mind alone is not meant to make clear decisions for conscious humans, period.
We discuss each of these in great depth in my Holographic Self program. It's worth noting that about 50% of the population has Emotional authority, regardless of their Type. These Authorities may have slightly different names or descriptions, depending on what book or website you're reading - but the grand majority of people (about 80%) will have either Emotional, Sacral, or Splenic Authority.
The 5 INNER authorities are...
EMOTIONAL authority - wait out the emotional wave, sleep on it - “no truth in the now”
SACRAL authority - trust your gut, respond in the moment
SPLENIC authority - instant, physical knowing, body awareness - “the future/past do not exist”
SELF or G authority - talk it over to “hear” your voice/words
EGO authority - follow your will/passion
The 2 OUTER authorities are...
ENVIRONMENTAL / Mental - need a sounding board, in the correct environment, with the right people
LUNAR / None - wait a lunar cycle, observe and reflect, no pressure
Human Design Profile Lines - the I Ching connection
The 64 gates in Human Design are connected to the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching - an ancient divination text, which uses six stacked lines, each either halved (Yin) or whole (Yang).
The 64 gates also correspond to the 64 Gene Keys, the 64 Obi used in Ifá divination practices, and even the 64 codons of the human genome.
The Six Lines carry archetypal energy:
Line 1 - the investigator | explorer
Line 2 - the hermit | natural
Line 3 - the experimenter | martyr
Line 4 - the opportunist | networker
Line 5 - the heretic | hero
Line 6 - the role model | teacher
Lines are present in ALL the gates and planets throughout your chart, as shown by the numbers 1 thru 6 to the right of the decimal point attached to each gate. Their archetypal energies make up what I call the hologram of our chart.
About the Profile Lines in Human Design
Some Human Design readers view Profile as foundational, while others ignore it or minimize it. There are 12 profile expressions in all.
The first number of our profile is conscious, while the second is unconscious.
The lines of our Sun and Earth gates make up our primary line expression, our Profile.
Think of your profile like your character or 'avatar' in the video game of life!
I’ve made memes of each of the 12 profiles, using characters from the Harry Potter and Avatar the Last Airbender series - as well as a double-series that features the profiles of many famous folks. You can find them on my Instagram.
Here is the lexicon I use in Holographic Self, my Human Design reader training course:
1 - I capitalize the word Self, because I recognize the innate spark of divine consciousness inside each of us. If you notice that quirk in my writing, please know that I intend it as an offering meant to uplift and inspire you.
2 - I am an animist - meaning - I acknowledge that we are made of stardust, and I view everything in our physical world as conscious and capable of communicating with us...just, sometimes it's on very subtle levels.
3 - It makes sense to me to view the human body as an elemental, like the elemental of fire or water, or the living essence of a tree or herb. Our physical body is part of the human collective, and the fascinating part about that is, we're also an individual consciousness, spirit, or soul, experiencing our particular, precious life. We are two-part beings, and I love that Human Design so neatly acknowledges this.
4 - I do not ascribe to the belief that our human being is just an electrical meat-suit - which is why embodiment is such an important practice. Our bones carry the wisdom of the human collective, as well as epigenetic coding from 14+ generations of our ancestral line, and that’s just what science has proven thus far. To invalidate our precious body, instead of embracing her wisdom as a wise-and-loving co-creator on this wild Earth-journey with us, seems foolish to me.
5 -When I mention ascension and empowerment - I do not mean belief or religion. Instead, I am talking about each of us as conscious beings with free will, deciding to expand our awareness of what's possible, and expressing our true frequency as joy, light, and love.
6 - I have come to view our time incarnated on planet Earth as a grand experiment in playing with the illusion of separateness - and in co-creating experiences for the sake of experiencing them.
7 - Human Design is a fantastic tool {not a belief system!} to help us learn to...
recognize our innate harmonics,
notice when and where we're 'out of alignment', and
clear away our deep-rooted, unhelpful ‘programming’
This allows us the freedom to express our most true, sovereign, and beautiful Self.
Human Design is an amazing tool - especially within families, romantic connections, close friendships, and collaborative groups.
For me, it really fits in so well with my focus on awakening consciousness, self-responsibility, and even the way I view pregnancy and birth; parenting and education.
We’re co-creating a new paradigm of living for conscious, sovereign souls - and Human Design is a dynamic, holographic toolkit that allows us to examine both micro and macro facets of our being, explore connections among ourSelves, and even notice the influence of the cosmos via the transits.
Hopefully, this gives you some insight into your Human Design!
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