Human Design
The Science of Differentiation
What it is and how this system can guide you to live a life that feels, well, just more you.
Have you heard of Human Design? If not, you’re probably about to.
Human Design is suddenly popping up all over the place, the internet and Instagram are buzzing with info and chatter about it. Human Design is having a moment… or is it more of a movement than a moment? I’m hoping it’s a movement. It’s a system that can help us all evolve into better versions of ourselves, not by changing us; but by allowing us to become more ourselves, more of who we were born to be.
Human Design is a system that synthesizes ancient and modern sciences to help us understand how we are each meant to interact with life. It’s called the Science of Differentiation. Although Human Design is a relatively new system, it utilizes the wisdom of the ancient systems, including: the hexagrams of the I’Ching (The ancient Chinese Book of Changes), The Tree of Life from the Kabbalah, the Hindu-Brahmin Chakra system, Astrology and quantum physics. All of these systems are woven together to create an energetic blueprint of a person. It’s amazingly accurate and far more reliable than a self administered personality test like Strengthsfinders or Myers-Briggs or gasp, even the Enneagram.
A big empowerment that Human Design offers is that we no longer need to look to forces or authority beyond ourselves for guidance and direction; we need only look inward. Our highly evolved systems are designed to guide us through life decision by decision.
Importantly. it is not a belief system. It is a system to experiment with that has proven to be a valuable tool for understanding oneself and others. Human Design helps you discover what makes you different from everyone else. It offers profound insights into your psychology, along with strategies and techniques for making correct decisions and ultimately leading to a more fulfilling life.
According to Human Design, we are each born with a different energetic blueprint, which means we are meant to engage in the world in different ways and use our energy in different ways. We are individuals and we are meant to be complementary to each other, not the same. Ever feel like the thing that everyone seems to be doing just doesn’t feel good or work for you? Trust that feeling. If you feel that way, it’s most likely because you weren’t designed for that. There is a better way to live your life. That way that works for your sister, parent, friend or partner just isn’t for you. There’s nothing wrong with you and you are not broken. You are a unique individual. Human Design can show you how you’ll best flow in life.
We each have our own energetic type with a strategy and authority to rely on to make decisions that are in alignment with our purpose, our soul and our higher self. The Human Design system is amazingly complex and at the same time, quite simple. The feeling of simplicity comes when we learn things about our design and feel a resonance, like some part of us has known this all along. We have recognition of ourselves on another level. The complexity comes from experimenting with deconditioning the layers upon layers of external influences to uncover who we are.
If we know all of this on some level, why don’t we live that way to begin with? Great question! We don’t because we live in families, societies and communities with rules, and norms of behavior. What happens for all of us on some level is that we become conditioned by external influences that can lead us away from our essence and true nature by striving to do things the “right” way or the way that everyone else in our community or family does it. In this conditioning, we can pick up the thoughts, opinions, identities, emotions, fears, habits and rules that come from our surroundings, some of which are helpful and keep us safe… and some are not and dull our true essence, make life feel hard or make us sick.
Conditioning often comes from well meaning parents and caregivers who don’t understand your design, and are conditioned themselves! Conditioning can come from society, culture, religion, media, advertising, entertainment, etc.… basically anything that is outside of us. Not all conditioning is bad either, some of it is good, healthy and in alignment for us. What can be negative conditioning for one person can be the perfect setup for someone else. Ask any siblings who grew up in the same home with the same parenting and in the same way, they each have different experiences of it. Just because something is right for your parents or siblings does not mean that it is correct for you, and vice versa.
Deconditioning is a process of shedding what isn’t yours and freeing yourself from what society, religion, your family structure, advertising or some other outside influence has told you to be. When we do this, life in those areas can begin to flow without effort and what we need will come to us. My interpretation of this is that we change the vibration of our energetic field and so we are in alignment with the things that feel good to us. Like removing build-up in a clogged artery… more flow, less effort… doesn’t that sound great???
Human Design helps you to know where you are most open to conditioning and how to check in with your strategy and authority to know what is correct for you. Human Design is based on the individual as opposed to the family unit, culture or society you come from.
For me, everything I’ve learned feels amazingly familiar and like I’ve been given permission to be myself on a level deeper than I could have imagined. It is as if I’ve been seen to my core, all of my gifts and challenges make sense now. The complexity goes deep and it is said to take 7 years to fully integrate, the good part is that shifts of perspective can happen immediately, therefore allowing life shifts to begin to happen almost immediately as well.
So much of what is offered through Human Design is about reframing perspectives to see them from a different angle. Challenges become gifts and the gifts we are aware of, are easier to claim as just what they are, gifts. No need for hustle and struggle with everything, some things we are just born with and simply do not need to learn and do not need external validation.
In Human Design there are 5 personality or energy Types; Manifestor, Generator, Manifesting Generator, Projector and Reflector. Each type has its own energetic signature and is meant to engage with the world and other people in a specific way to utilize their energy in the most effective (and healthy!) way. The types are determined by the energy centers that are defined (colored in) or undefined (white) on our chart. These centers show us what kind of energy we have available to us on a consistent basis, energy that we can rely on no matter what the external circumstances are. Once you know your type, the next most important thing is to know your Strategy and Authority – which basically tells us how to most effectively use our energy in the world and how we are designed to make decisions. Not everyone can “trust their gut” because the decision making Authority may be in a different part of your system. One thing that is radically different from how most of us are raised is that no one is designed to make decisions from their mind! Don’t take my (or Human Design’s) word for it, find out your design and experiment for yourself!
Again, it’s an experiment (experiment: ĭk-spĕr′ə-mənt 1. A test under controlled conditions that is made to demonstrate a known truth, examine the validity of a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy of something previously untried. 2. The process of conducting such a test; experimentation. 3. An innovative act or procedure.).
Just because it’s an experiment doesn’t mean it’s not valid. In fact, it only asks you to live it and determine for yourself whether or not it is valid. It’s not meant to be heavy or dogmatic; get a reading and dive into your chart to see if it feels good for you!
To get your chart, you will need to know the exact date, place and time of your birth. Pay close attention to entering the correct date and time format to ensure you receive a proper chart.
It can be extremely supportive to have a reading when you’re first learning about your design, an educated and experienced Analyst will be able to interpret your chart and give you practical strategies to live your most aligned life. Book a single session here or opt for a series to really support yourself.