Lately, I’ve really been exploring the nuances of my Human Design chart, through the perspective that we are two-part beings.
Leaving out Human Design for a moment, it’s clear to me that we have a mind/consciousness, also known as a soul, that our body resides in…and we also have the grounded, embodied presence that is our physical body-elemental. The concept of our bodies not as dead-meat, but a vibrant, animated elemental-of-the-Earth, with multiple subtle layers of energy-bodies, is something that deeply resonated with me when I first heard my teacher, Inelia Benz, speak of it.
I have a visceral resistance to the idea that our bodies are simply electrical suits of flesh with no animating spirit or consciousness of their own.
So much of traditional spirituality wants us to focus on the soul and view the body as inherently bad, “sinful”, or a flesh prison - and the Earth as just a wet bumpy rock (and not a sentient being that we call Gaia)…but I subscribe to none of that, nor do I subscribe to the prison-planet narrative that says our very existence is some kind of punishment.

Embodiment is becoming a buzzword in many holistic health circles, and it’s high time for it. Practices like tapping, breathwork, guided meditations, and somatic therapy can all really benefit our mental, spiritual, and physical health.
We are reaching the 100th-monkey effect, with awareness of things like the torus-field formed by our heart’s electrical flow, the mind-body connection via heart-brain coherence techniques, and the incredible quantum-consciousness expressed through water…these are all becoming more well-known to the collective human consciousness.
’Dropping in’ to the body, instead of living only from our mind, is finally gaining traction as a healthier, more integrated way to be fully ourSelves.
For many decades, so much of modern life has been centered on the mind, thoughts, and logic, but we weren’t meant to live from the neck up.
Okay, so - how does this fit in with Human Design??
Well, for starters, a big-deal topic in Human Design is about how we’re wired to make clear (read: embodied) decisions. This is called our Strategy and Authority, and it’s pretty foundational.
And yes, you read that right - embodied decisions. Decisions made with the guidance of our body. Not our mind.
There are a total of 7 different Authorities in Human Design and none of them is the mind!
Our human design chart is made up of both red and black Gates and Channels - these make up the circuitry that connect and ‘light up’ our Centers, whether they are actively defined in our chart, or only activated intermittently via passing planetary transits, or engaging with another person’s aura.
If your HD type doesn’t seem to resonate - and you’re already certain that your birth time is correct - you might get a lot of insights into viewing your Design and Personality charts separately.
I believe that some of us are more or less integrated as a whole being, and so we may resonate more with either our Design Type or your Personality Type - or we might even be “less grounded” in our physical body, like, maybe if we have a deep connection to our physical or subtle energy bodies - or, conversely, if we’ve spent a lot of time engaging with our conscious mind…but I digress.
Where do the conscious and unconscious elements of our chart come from, anyway?
Human Design is a unique system, because unlike astrology - which only calculates the moment of our birth time, date, and location - Human Design looks at the unique imprint of neutrinos that are coming in from deep space, penetrating and influencing us on a quantum level at TWO distinct time-and-date imprints:
One happens on the exact time, date, and place of our birth (our conscious gate activations - shown in black), and another that’s calculated 88 days prior to our birth, when we are still in our mother’s womb…when our physical body’s energetic blueprint is first coming online (these are the unconscious, or red gate activations).
For the astrology nerds -
Each Gate in Human Design (or Key in the Gene Keys) represents degrees of a particular zodiac sign, and the activation can come from any of the planets (or even asteroids, like Chiron or Black Moon Lilith) that are currently transiting that degree, or gate…
But let’s not get too wild, yet ;)
In the chart above, you can see that this person is a Generator (middle design, with red and black gates). However, when you look at the two imprints separately, you see a conscious Reflector Type on the right, and an unconscious Generator Type on the left.
When we view the body-elemental’s design and the mind’s consciousness separately, we get a more subtle expression of the energies that make up this person’s totality.
For example, someone with a Reflector-type as their design body-elemental might relate more to the Reflector type than their whole, integrated chart type when it comes to matters that pertain primarily to the physical body:
Physical intimacy, primal attraction, impulsive urges, and physical expression - these might all follow the Reflector’s signature of delight and surprise, or the not-self expressions of disappointment and apathy…even in someone whose whole chart is another Type.
If you’re curious as to how to trace the energetic signature of these elements in your own chart, first, you’ll want to look separately at the red and black activations in your Human Design chart.
Any centers that are connected by Gates of the same color on both ends - either completely red or completely black Channels - that means those Centers will remain defined in the respective body-elemental or mind-consciousness chart.
Next, you’ll need to determine if your design body type is that of a Reflector, Manifestor, Projector, ManiGen, or Generator - so you can trace that signature energy in your life.
If you feel like I just told you a bunch of brain-bendy stuff, I invite you to book a reading or series of 1-1 consults with me!
At the moment I’ve been particularly inspired by looking at the unconscious elements of my family’s charts - really exploring the deeper activations of our physical body elementals and how we are meant to move through the world at a primal, embodied level.
Let’s look at the energies that make up all the Types - and why the Reflector is way more important than most folks realize…
As an aside - I think Reflectors get short shrift in the Human Design world.
They are only one percent of the population, with no Centers, Channels, or Definition, only Gates, and “Lunar Authority”….so most informations about them sounds like this:
“Wow, so open! So unique! Wait a lunar cycle to make decisions!”
(What’s that mean?)
“Oh we have no idea, but WOW, you’re so rare and unique!”
I have a Reflector child. He’s 12, and I’ve been studying Human Design - and particularly Reflectors - since he was 4. Essentially, Reflectors are all the Types - and none of the Types - but I digress.
The thing is, when we look at our body elemental design, and our conscious mind separately, we will encounter many more people with Reflector-type charts as either their design body-elemental, or their conscious-mind!
Viewed thru this lens - the charts within our chart - Reflectors are way less “rare” and way more relevant to EVERYONE’s Human Design than most of us realize (in my opinion, of course).
Okay - let’s discuss all the Types’ energy-signatures…

Maybe you can relate to all of these descriptions a little bit?
For an in-depth overview of the Types in Human Design, check out this 1 hour video from my Holographic Self program:
A Reflector is a unique sort of being- with a bubble-matrix aura that is both gentle yet resilient - their journey through life involves curiosity, sampling a variety of things, people, and experiences - taking it all in with interest, and minimal judgment.
Reflectors are historically the oldest Type, and thus, most attuned with the raw physicality and embodiment of life on Earth, as creatures of nature. As such, they are on a different wavelength when it comes to energy. Think about how time passes for a giant Redwood, or a mountain stream. There is no need to rush, no need to fear, no need to force - it’s all unfolding in the eternal flow, as intended.
A Reflector’s signature energy is found in the feelings of delight and surprise they encounter as they trust the flow of life and welcome a wide variety of experiences.
A Projector has at least two centers defined, and maybe as many as 7, but no defined Sacral Center and no connected channels from the Throat to the Ego or Emotional (Solar Plexus) Center.
Projector energy has to do with guidance, and while they can be incredibly insightful, their energy may not be well-received if they’re not recognized and called upon by those who invite them to share their gifts. Intensely interested in others, a Projector’s penetrating energy can feel like an X-ray beam - yet, they have trouble seeing or understanding their own talents. Their signature frequency feels like success, depth, and mastery.
Manifestors have an undefined Sacral Center, and a defined Throat Center, WITH an active channel connection to either the Ego or Emotional Centers.
A Manifestor’s energy is about creative expression through the Throat (our manifestation center). Manifestors tend to want to do things first and/or in their own way, don’t always seek permission, and tend to value freedom highly. Manifestor energy can be direct, intense, driven—with cycles of boredom followed by expansive initiations that feel like bursts of energy and creative flow.
When a Manifestor’s urge to speak and be seen isn’t silenced or minimized, and they feel free to be themSelves, they will experience the frequency of inner peace.
Generators always have a defined Sacral center (the center of nourishing self-boundaries) but they do NOT have any Motor-Center-to-Throat connections that a ManiGen does.
Generator energy is warm, consistent, enveloping, and steady. It responds to the environment and people around them, intuiting the flow of the moment, and sharing their beautiful life-force energy in accordance with what they value. The defining feature of a Generator’s aura is their defined sacral, and the sacral has to do with creative energy to respond to life - and most of all, an intuitive awareness of natural cycles: when to stop, when to rest, and when to push through - all by honoring the cyclical flow of their energy.
A Generator who can relax, trust and respond in the moment will experience the frequency of satisfaction.
ManiGens - or Manifesting Generators - have a defined Sacral Center, AND a defined Throat Center THAT is connected to either the Ego, Solar Plexus, Sacral, and/or the Root Center.
ManiGen energy has properties of the generator as well as the Manifestor - a hybrid of these two types, ManiGens are bold and innovative, with a motor-to-Throat connection that allows them to “create as they speak”, and the consistent Sacral life-force energy to express themselves and make things happen. Like the Generators, they are world-builders, and they’re also multipassionate, and value efficiency.
ManiGens also have cycles of boredom followed by creative initiations, and they also need to be able to respond to life and honor their own boundaries and cycles.
A ManiGen’s signature frequency is a synergy of the Generator’s and Manifestor’s - that of satisfaction and inner peace.
Here’s me - a double Reflector, hidden within my Projector chart.
When I realized that the two Centers I have defined in my Self-Projected Projector chart only come online when we combine the mind and the body—it really made a big impact on me!
I have a Reflector’s body-elemental, as well as a Reflector’s conscious-mind - and honestly, that tracks.
The gifts and expression of my whole, integrated self with a defined G (aka Identity Center) and a defined Throat Center really rely on the integration of my mind and body together in order to come online and express fully..
That’s been a central challenge of my life, to quit being so cerebral and pedantic (heyyy gate 62 in my conscious Earth), and to acknowledge the vast mystery inherent in this life (heyyy, gate 61 in my conscious Sun).
It’s also been fascinating to realize that my husband’s Generator chart breaks up into a Projector body with a Projector mind:
Incidentally, your birth time is highly significant in Human Design, because the activation of just one or two Gates (or lack thereof), can activate new Centers and therefore change your core Type, depending on the circuitry present in the rest of your chart.
My husband does not know his birth time, but through research and reconciliation we know that his type is most definitely that of a Generator - because certain activations in his chart are present over the entire 24 hours of his birthday.
However, from the moment I learned about Human Design, I always had a feeling that he resonated with various elements of being a Projector.
He is uncannily talented at many things, yet his genius goes largely unnoticed unless he is called out and recognized by the right people. Sounds like #Projectorlife
The two Centers I am certain he has are a defined Spleen and a defined Ego, which are connected via unconscious activation of the Channel 26-44.
A defined Ego is by itself an uncommon placement, as only about 35% of the population has a defined Ego Center - and the consistent sense of willpower, followthrough, and drive that comes with it.
The Splenic center Is arguably our most intuitive center, deeply anchoring our body’s innate wisdom in navigating primal fears and desires, and an incredible sensitivity to energy, ‘vibes’, and subtle changes in the environment, both inner and outer.
The 26-44 Channel in Human Design is called the Channel of Surrender - it’s tribal in nature, and deeply entrepreneurial.
This energy says, I know how to improve things for the tribe, listen to me, I’ll prove it!
But the irony is, it’s a Projected Channel - which means those who have it must rely on the recognition of others in order to feel into its full expression.
A final note:
Our unconscious body-elemental design has to do with our subtle bodies - our emotional body, our aura, and any pain-bodies we may be unconsciously carrying with us.
Any ideas we have about ourSelves as damaged, broken, wounded, or in need of healing…a desire to grow, learn, and expand?
These are all pursuits of our subtle, emotional, etheric, energetic bodies - not the soul - because the soul is eternal and complete.
So here’s my new theory:
I think the growth, clarity, and enlightenment we most yearn to experience in this life, and how others perceive us, is most clearly expressed in the red, embodied, unconscious aspects of our chart - those bits that signify our body-elemental’s journey. Ideally, we are able to integrate this with our conscious mind (AKA, how we see ourSelves), to express via our “double” or quantum Human Design chart.
There are many opportunities for growth and expansion of love, light, wisdom, and joy in the loving, symbiotic, wholeness between our body-elemental and our conscious-mind-soul, since this is frequently a space where challenges arise.
We forget we are Earthen; we forget we are Etheric…
Remember, the black elements in our charts are the conscious, soul-level attributes of who we are (or more specifically, who we decided to become in this lifetime). Our soul is already complete and whole, throughout all of existence, time-space, and the multiverse!
That’s not to say that there’s no growth opportunities within the conscious or black aspects of our chart - but rather, we are more likely to encounter challenges with integration, self-expression, and self-trust in these areas.
The concept of ‘awakening’ really has more to do with recognizing and becoming aware of our true nature, than it does with shaming, labeling, censoring or editing who we are.
We didn’t design ourSelves dysfunctionally - no matter what we’re experiencing that may speak to the contrary.
It’s less about alchemy or ‘fixing yourSelf’, and more about removing the veil of forgetfulness (as Inelia Benz would say - and yes, she has a sigil for that!).
If all this is as fascinating to you as it is to me, you’ll definitely want to grab the replay of my Human Design class called Reveal Your True Nature - it’s available here.
Inside, we discuss Type, embodiment vs. the mind, conscious vs. unconscious chart elements, and…the difference between our true nature and our conditioning.
What’s conditioning, you ask?
In Human Design terms, conditioning is the {sometimes false, often limiting} things you’ve convinced yourSelf you have to be-and-believe, in order to navigate thru your relationships and the wider world. Conditioning is about safety and approval - and while it’s not always bad, it’s way better when you can be aware of it - instead of being limited by it…