What is Human Design?
You may have heard about this term “Human Design” here on my website or through the spirituality grapevine. Let’s dive in and explain the answer to this question as simply as possible - What is Human Design?
Human Design is a modality that merges modern and ancient sciences, combining astrology, I-Ching, Kabbalah, and the chakra system. It is mainly concerned with a person’s energetic blueprint - how an individual is meant to use their energy and make decisions.
Human Design was discovered in 1987 by Alan Robert Krakower, who was then known as Ra Uru Hu. He published the first book on the subject in 1992, titled The Human Design System.
Using one’s exact birth information, a body graph chart is generated. This chart depicts nine different energy centres, or places in the body, according to Human Design. You can look up your own Human Design body graph via MyHumanDesign or Jovian Archive.
Below is David Lynch’s body graph chart. He’s a 4/6 Generator.
I’ve added numbers to the chart to label the nine energy centres.
Human Design Energy Centres
Head / Crown - inspiration
Ajna - certainty, ideas
Throat - communication
G Center / Identity - self, love, life direction
Ego / Will - will power & value, motivation
Solar Plexus - emotional clarity
Spleen - instinct, intuition, survival, immune system, time
Sacral - desires, work force, life force
Root - pressure, adrenaline system
The energy centres are depicted as 9 different shapes on a body graph chart. They are connected to each other (or not) via channels, and can be either open/undefined (white) or defined (coloured in). The numbers in each energy centre are called gates, and when they are highlighted, that means we possess a certain trait related to that energy centre.
The connection of certain energy centres to others and whether or not certain energy centres are defined will determine one’s Human Design energy type.
There are 5 energy types in Human Design - Generator, Manifesting Generator, Manifestor, Projector, and Reflector.
Human Design Energy types
Generator Energy Type
Generators make up approximately 35% of the population. Generators in Human Design always have a defined sacral center, and they are primarily driven by this sacral, life force energy. Generators have a great capacity for action and making things happen, as long as they are excited by what they’re doing.
A Generator’s purpose is to spread and share energy with others. As their strategy (way they’re meant to make decisions) is to respond, the most important thing for Generators is to focus on what lights them up as much as possible, and say no to the things that don’t. If it’s not a “hell yes” it’s a no! When they’re in their zone doing something they love, they have unlimited energy for it and can easily lose track of time.
Famous Generators include Lana Del Rey, Oprah, and Beyoncé.
Manifesting Generator Energy Type
Manifesting Generators are a combination of the Generator and Manifestor energy type, making up approximately 35% of the population. Manifesting Generators have a defined sacral and a direct connection from the throat centre to a motor centre (either the ego, root or sacral). They are extremely energetic, and can and should do many things at once. They are capable of skipping steps, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Like a Manifestor, they have big creative ideas they can inform people about, but they also must wait to respond; wait to make sure they’re truly lit up by the idea, and then continue. Because MGs have so much energy, it’s easy for them to want to follow through on every project or idea, but they need to make sure they’re connecting to that sacral, gut feeling of being excited by their choices.
Famous Manifesting Generators include Mother Teresa, Stephen King, Miley Cyrus and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr..
Manifestor Energy Type
Manifestors make up approximately 10% of the population. They always have a defined throat, with a direct and defined channel from the throat to one or more of the motor centres (ego, root, or sacral) . They’re here to create energy, to inform people and to get things started. Unlike other energy types, they don’t have to wait for anything. Many of the Manifestors I have had the pleasure to work with are great ideas people - they have fantastic insight when it comes to starting something new, whether it’s a business or new way of doing things.
Because they do not have a defined sacral like a Generator or a Manifesting Generator, they don’t necessarily have all the sustainable energy to execute their vision. One of my Manifestor friends/clients is the Editor-in-Chief of a publication which is an ideal role for her - she comes up with ideas for new series and always has a great sense of the next big thing, but she is not the one that actually goes out and does the nitty-gritty work. Manifestors are not here to be told what to do, they are here to share their visions with those that are willing to support them and bring them to life.
Famous Manifestors include Frida Kahlo, Jerry Seinfeld, and Maya Angelou.
Projector Energy Type
Projectors, approximately 20% of the population, are the guides of the Human Design family. If the Generators and Manifesting Generators are like lions and tigers hunting and running around, Projectors are like birds observing them up in a tree, noticing how they could better direct and use their energy. Like Manifestors and Reflectors, they do not have a defined sacral, so are not wired with sustained life force energy. Therefore, they require a lot of rest, can be especially prone to burnout, and are very sensitive to other peoples’ energy.
In terms of strategy, Projectors are meant to “wait for the invitation,” meaning it is correct for them to wait for others to enlist them for their guidance or to recognise them. They are very insightful and intuitive, and loved to be asked questions to have the opportunity to share their unique insight with others. While Projectors are waiting for these invitations, or waiting for others to respond to the invitations they have created themselves (for example, making themselves and their area of expertise known, creating a website, generally offering a service), it is best for them to follow their passions. Through following what they love, they are able to study and gather information relating to it so that they can share their insight with others when the time is right.
Famous Projectors include Princess Diana, Pablo Picasso, and Barack Obama.
Reflector Energy Type
Reflectors are the rarest energy type in Human Design, making up less than 1% of the total population. Reflectors have no defined energy centres, meaning there are no energy centres on their body graph chart that are coloured in. As their name suggests, they are direct reflections of their environment, a clear mirror for the health of their community. With all those open energy centres, they are naturally the most sensitive energy type with a deep sense of the pain and suffering on the planet. Due to their sensitivity, they are often proponents for peace and prosperity.
They are designed to be deeply conditioned by their environment and are susceptible to picking up other people’s identities, as they’ll be automatically reflecting the energy of those around them. It’s important for them to feel good where they are as that’s when the correct opportunities will fall into place. Out of all the Human Design types, they need the most time to make big life decisions - a lunar cycle. Like other non-sacral types such as Projectors, they also require a lot of alone time to discharge others’ energy, but it is important for them to strike the right balance between being alone and being with other people.
Famous Reflectors include Michael Jackson, Sandra Bullock, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
Other aspects of Human Design
Authority - The correct way for one to make decisions according to Human Design. It’s a way for one to check in with oneself as to whether or not a decision is right for them. There are 7 types of authority in Human Design, some of which are directly related to certain energy centres, some of which are not - sacral, splenic, emotional, ego, self-projected, mental, and lunar cycle.
Profile - a combination of two numbers from 1 to 6 that can tell us about our main personality and life journey themes. In the example above, David Lynch is a 4/6, known as the “Opportunist Role Model.”
Gates - the numbers you see on the sides of the body graph and within each individual energy center, telling us about certain traits we possess. As Karen Curry puts it in her book Understanding Human Design, gates indicate “specific energetic themes that give you further insight into your personality, what drives you, your life purpose, themes in your relationships, what fulfills you creatively, and even how your intuition works and how you connect to Source.”
There are 64 gates in the Human Design system, corresponding to the 64 hexagrams in I Ching.
Channels - when two opposite gates from two different energy centers connect together, bridging them and creating a unified energy, often bridging two polarities together.
What’s your Human Design type? Did it surprise you when you found out? Let me know in the comments below!
