The Happy Highly Sensitive Life Podcast
An Introduction to Human Design for Highly Sensitive People
Podcast Transcript
Episode 10
If you are listening to this podcast, there’s a good chance you found me through my writing at Happy Highly Sensitive Life. If so, you’ve seen me cover living as an HSP from a lot of different angles. Everything from the benefits of healing the gut microbiome, how to get a decent night’s sleep, dating as an HSP; how to build inner strength, and even ideal jobs for HSPs. And then when the podcast debuted, how to cope with your feelings and intense situations, why you may be tired and what to do about it, how to break through analysis paralysis and procrastination, and how to live in alignment with your true self.
As a multi-passionate person, I am always following my intuition to discover and explore from all angles. And, in the new year, Happy Highly Sensitive Life will be evolving to explore living as an HSP through the lens of Human Design.
If you’ve been listening to the podcast on a regular basis, then you know I’ve been sharing a bit about Human Design already.
You may be wondering why Human Design is relevant for HSPs?
I’ll tell you.
I know you come here for ideas, strategies and tips for living a life of greater ease that lights you up.
You’re seeking answers and solutions for your life.
And if you’re feeling stuck and you’re not sure why a strategy works for someone else, but not for you, here’s why.
You are unique and you need solutions that are personalized, not one size fits all.
That’s where Human Design comes in.
Human Design is a personality assessment tool that synthesizes the ancient systems of astrology, the Hindu Chakra System, the Chinese I Ching, and the Kabbalah with genetics, biochemistry, quantum mechanics and astronomy. Your Human Design chart is based on your birth information and creates an image of your unique Personality makeup.
Human Design is especially useful for HSPs. Here’s why.
As HSPs, we often struggle with fatigue. Human Design shows you how you can tap into sustainable energy and how you’re meant to work and rest to create a life that allows you to thrive.
As HSPs, we often question and second-guess ourselves. Human Design shows you how to tap into your inner knowing and wisdom to make decisions that are aligned for you.
As HSPs, we take in the energy of other people. I’m often asked to talk about how to set boundaries and to share strategies for living as an empath or for dealing with difficult relationships.
As I’ll explore in depth in future episodes, Human Design provides personalized insights into how you absorb energy from others, why conflict feels magnified, and how you experience pressure that can lead you to say yes when you want to say no.
Once you know how you take in the energy of others, you can learn to work with the energy in a new and different way.
Seeing yourself through the lens of Human Design is so confirming. And as I’ve studied Human Design, I’ve repeatedly had moments of deeply seeing myself that have allowed me to develop more self-compassion for who I am and for how my life has progressed.
I have come home to myself with a level of self-trust I’ve never known before.
As an HSP, I know first hand that second-guessing yourself can be all-consuming. And that’s why I want all HSPs to have a chance to learn about their Human Design.
The challenge with Human Design is that when you run your free chart, you have no idea what you’re looking at. It’s a complex and multilayered system.
When I first discovered Human Design, it was through my Instagram feed and I immediately knew that it was something I wanted to learn about. I’ve always been a fan of the Myers Briggs and Enneagram and I had a feeling that I would love Human Design too. I started learning about my Human Design by listening to podcasts and searching the internet. I purchased a blueprint or a personalized guide to my Human Design, created by a Human Design practitioner. And then went on to train as a Human Design Practitioner,
And so in today’s episode, I want to begin to demystify your Human Design chart by talking about how to get started with learning about your Human Design.
In this episode, you will discover…
How to run your free Human Design Chart and the basic components of the chart.The 5 Types, their unique purpose, energy configuration, and their corresponding Strategy for navigating life in an aligned way.An overview of personal Authorities, and how to tap into your inner wisdom to make decisions that are aligned. How to get started with living by your design.If your intuition says it’s a fit, pause this now and run your Human Design Chart so you can look at it while you listen.
To run your free chart using your birth date, birth time, and birth city and state, go to Genetic Matrix.com/free-foundation-chart. I will include this link in the show notes. You don’t need to supply your email address to run this chart.
You may find your birth info on your birth certificate, in your baby book, or even get an approximate idea of your birth time from a timestamp on your birth picture. It’s ideal to have the precise time but if this is the best you have, it’s a place to start. If not, you can contact the Division of Vital Records or its equivalent if you live internationally.
Once you run your chart, you will see some writing on the far left side, those are called the Keynotes and summarize the most important aspects of your chart. You’ll also see an image of the human body with an overlay of 9 geometric shapes. That’s The Body Graph and it’s basically a map of your energy configuration.
Today we’re just going to focus on The Body Graph and the Keynotes.
The Body Graph- Centers
In the Body Graph, the 9 geometric shapes are called Centers and they each have an energetic theme. They function like the 7 Chakras. There are white and colored Centers. The white Centers are called Open or Undefined Centers. These are the areas you are here to become wise by taking in and experiencing the energy of other people in an amplified way. The energy in your Open centers can feel more intense and you are empathic and intuitive in those Centers. Your experience of the theme of that Center will vary depending on who you are with.
The Colored Centers are called Closed or Defined Centers. These are the areas that you have consistent access to your own energy and represent more fixed aspects of your personality.
Within the 9 Centers, 4 are motors, The Heart or Will Center, the Solar Plexus, the Root and the Sacral. The motors help to determine the quality of energy you have. In this episode, you’ll hear me mention the Sacral Center several times, it provides the energy for work and life and nurturing and reproduction.
I’m including a Human Design Chart in the show notes with each of the Centers labeled for you to look at.
The Channels and Gates
Centers are connected by Channels that have a theme. There are 32 Channels in the Body Graph. These are bridges between the Centers. At the end of each Channel is what’s called a Gate. Each Gate is represented by a number. There are 64 Gates. If the Gate is colored with a circle, it’s Defined and you have consistent access to the energy of the theme.
The Channels are named with the number of the Gate at either end. For example: Channel 06/59. They are white, red, black or red and black. The Colored Channels are Defined or Closed Channels. As with Centers, when a Channel is Colored or Defined, you have consistent access to that energetic theme. White Channels are Undefined or Open and you experience that energy through other people.
The way your energy Centers are connected in your chart determines how you experience your energy, take in the energy of others, and how you are designed to navigate life.
Today, we’re just going to talk about a few aspects of the chart, and that’s the Type, Strategy and Authority. Look in the Keynotes on the far left hand side for the word Type. Beside the word “Type” The first word or combination of words is your Authority. What follows is your Type. Mine says Emotional Manifesting Generator. That means I have Emotional Authority and my Type is Manifesting Generator.
There are 5 Types: the Manifestor, Generator, Manifesting Generator, Projector, and Reflector.
Your Type begins to show your unique purpose and your unique energy configuration. As an HSP, energy management can be a struggle. Learning about your Type begins to help you understand how your energy is configured.
Your Type also determines the best way for you to tune into your inner voice and inner wisdom to make decisions and manifest and connect with opportunities that are aligned. You do that by following your Type’s corresponding Strategy along with your personal Authority. Every Type has a corresponding Strategy and you have your own personal Authority. On Genetic Matrix, your Strategy is listed 4 lines below your Type.
As an HSP, you know how you can get stuck in a process of overanalyzing, trying to feel ready to make a decision. Human Design shows us that decisions are meant to be made through your body wisdom, not mind knowledge. The mind is full of other people’s opinions about what you should do, making it hard to know what’s truly right for you.
When you learn to tune into and follow your Strategy and Authority, you are empowered to tune into what’s truly right for you. You lay the foundation to be able to bypass making a decision feeling pressured by someone else’s expectations, or from a desire to keep the peace. When you make aligned decisions, you feel greater ease going about your life and you have sustainable energy. Following your Strategy naturally moves you in the direction of fulfilling your life purpose.
Now that you know how the chart is configured, I want to talk about the 5 types, their unique purpose, energy configuration, and Strategy and then we’ll talk abut the Authorities.
The first Type is the Manifestor. Manifestors are one of the rarest types, making up just 9% of the population. You receive Divine sparks of inspiration that lead you to move into action quickly. You are powerful in your ability to receive inspiration from your creative impulses. You are here to be a powerful transformational agent of change, leading others and being the first with an idea. You are here to receive inspiration and then lead other people to create your inspiration into form and take it across the finish line. Your energy is designed to give birth to inspired ideas and begin the creative process.
Here’s why. As a Manifestor, you have what’s called an Undefined or Open Sacral Center. With an Undefined Sacral Center, your energy ebbs and flows and you have variable work and life force energy. It is right for you to delegate or release tasks to other people especially those that feel like a chore. And to work smarter not harder to conserve your energy.
As a Manifestor, your Strategy is called Informing. You have a direct Defined Channel from your Throat Center to one or more Motors in the body. The Throat Center is the Center for Communication and Manifestation. Since it’s connected to a Motor, you can move into action very quickly, without any waiting. To put this in context, all of the other types have to wait in some way. Since you have a direct connection to Divine insight and inspiration, you can move into act immediately. However, because you have such a big penetrating powerful presence, you need to let people know what you’re doing before starting. Human Design calls this Strategy Informing. When the Divine spark comes, take stock of who is impacted by what you're doing and inform them about what’s happening. “I’m just letting you know” is what informing is all about. Leave a note or send a quick text or email to let people know where you’re going and what you’re doing. This isn’t asking permission. This prepares people around you for what’s about to happen, because you create a big energy wave by your presence and absence. Informing reduces the resistance and surprise coming from people around you. It feels very unnatural because once you receive Divine inspiration, you want to stay with it, but Informing changes the dynamic for the relationship and saves energy, time and prevents conflict. Being proactive and Informing is easier than being interrupted by others who are trying to figure out what’s going on with you. That interruption disrupts your creative flow and you may lose the Divine spark of inspiration. Being interrupted feels very jarring leading you to feel angry. Then the inspiration and initiation energy is lost, which impacts you and the world who was going to benefit from your inspired idea.
The second type is the Generator. Generators are 37% of the population.
You are here to produce and build and to bring ideas into form and to become adept at this process. To remain vital and vibrant, Generators need to engage in work that is satisfying, with a purpose beyond a paycheck. Aligned work gives you the persistence and commitment to become masterful at your work.
You have a Defined Sacral Center. With a Defined Sacral Center, you have a powerful source of energy and when you live in alignment, you are designed to be on the go from sun up to sun down. To feel the full potential of your energy, it's essential that you engage in activities that are aligned, and that light you up. Doing activities you’re passionate about actually activates your Sacral energy. Having a Defined Sacral also means you have a clear connection to knowing yourself & what you want by tuning into your gut and listening for a "uh huh" yes or "unh unh" no reaction in response to yes or no questions.
Your Strategy is to Wait to Respond. Let me explain. You have no connection between a Motor and your Throat Center. The Throat Center is the Center for Communication and Manifestation. Without a Defined Channel from a Motor to your Throat Center, you turn on your powerful Sacral motor and generate Sacral energy only in response to opportunities, signs and synchronicities that show up in your environment. When you get an idea that feels good, ask for a sign, cue or signal that will give you a spark of confirmation that now is the time to act on this idea.
Waiting to Respond means waiting to respond with a feeling of “Uh huh”, in your gut to opportunities that show up as signs and synchronicities, and following the ones that feel good and right. If you get an “Un Unh” to an opportunity, that’s a no. Or a lack of a response, means not now. You are meant to pay attention to the clear yes responses. Stay present in the moment to notice signs and opportunities, trust that what's right and aligned for you will emerge at the right time.
Your energy is very compelling and these signs and synchronicities show up very quickly for you. You have so much energy, you’ll feel compelled to try to make things happen. If you try to create out of your head, doing what you "should do" without responding to signs, your Sacral motor stays off and your energy for the commitment won’t be sustainable.
Let’s go on to talk about Manifesting Generators.
Energy Type 3 is the Manifesting Generator. You’re 33% of the population. You’re a hybrid of Manifestor and Generator. You are driven by the energy of creative inspiration, you find new ways of doing things through finding shortcuts. You are a multi-passionate multi-tasker who is here to inspire and show people a new way of living. When you have the freedom to lean into your creative flow, you are a powerful force who discovers a better way to do things and builds through becoming masterful.
Like a Generator, you have a Defined Sacral Center, you have a powerful source of energy and when you live in alignment, and follow your Strategy and Authority you are designed to be on the go from sun up to sun down. You can get a lot done and keep up this pace.
To feel the full potential of your energy, it's essential that you engage in activities that are aligned, and that light you up. Doing activities you’re passionate about activates your Sacral energy. Having a Defined Sacral also means you have a clear connection to knowing yourself & what you want by tuning into your gut and listening for a "uh huh" or "unh unh" response. Like the Generator, You turn on your powerful Sacral motor and generate Sacral energy when you respond to aligned opportunities, signs and synchronicities that show up in your environment.
As a Manifesting Generator, you have a Motor connected to your Throat Center by a Defined Channel, like a Manifestor. Your Strategy is an amalgam of the Generator and Manifestor Strategy. Here’s an overview.
1. Wait to Respond Like the Generator. 2. Imagine yourself doing the thing and Try It Out to see whether saying yes is truly correct for you. 3. Inform and let people know what you’re doing before starting.
Waiting to Respond means waiting for your body to have a "Uh Huh" (yes) physiological response to an opportunity that synchronistically shows up in your environment. You can also tune into your Sacral response by having someone ask you yes or no questions, and then responding with an “Uh Huh” or “Un unh” response. That sound activates your Sacral response.
Know it is correct to only say yes to what lights you up. Trust that the right opportunities will find their way to you. These opportunities will appear very quickly. You have sustained energy and that gives you the impression that you are meant to make things happen. But if you do, it’s not likely to turn out like you planned. Your Sacral motor gets shut off when you act based on what you think you should do and make decisions from your mind, rather than waiting for clues and signs. When this happens, you'll find you're forcing your way forward rather than moving forward with ease.
2. Once your Sacral responds with a “Uh Huh”, IMAGINE yourself doing the thing to see if it’s right for you. Let yourself TRY IT OUT to see whether saying yes is truly correct for you. For example, if a friend asks you to lunch, you have a yes response, you’ll know it’s a true yes if heading out the door you continue to feel excited.
3. Because you have such a big penetrating energetic presence, you need to let people know what you’re doing before starting. Human Design calls this Strategy INFORMING. You’re just letting people know. You’re not asking for their permission.
The 4th type is the Projector. PROJECTORS are 20% of the population. You are meant to be a wise leader and are here to usher in the next evolution of humanity and to guide others with your vision and wisdom. You see potential in others, and read the energy of individuals, group or space.
You know and see so much, your instinct is to share what you know. However, your wisdom and insights are best received when others are ready to hear what you have to say and invite you to share your perspective.
You have an Undefined Sacral Center and that means you have variable work and life force energy. Your energy ebbs and flows and you are not here to be on the go all day long. You are not work-adverse by any means. Your energy is served best when you work smarter, rather than harder. To maximize your energy, its essential that you commit only to the things that are a reflection of your value and embrace cycles of rest. You are at your best when you nurture and care for your mind, body and spirit with great intention.
Your Strategy is to wait to be invited. As a Projector, you have no Defined Channel from a Motor to your Throat and you are meant to provide your wisdom and guidance when others seek you out and invite your wisdom. Otherwise, you will experience push back.
This means you must wait to be invited into friendships, romantic relationships, career and work opportunities.
Think of a wise sage sitting, conserving your energy, balanced and observing, who is approached by others for companionship, and to share your skills, knowledge and your wisdom.
You are here to be immensely curious about others, using your intuition and “knowing” to read their energy, and when asked, guide them to the fulfillment of their full potential.
It is tempting to share your wisdom spontaneously, but if you offer before being asked, you will experience resistance and feel bitterness. You’ll think, “why can’t they see how good this is for them?” Your voice and your energy can be forceful and may lead people to draw back from you. When your wisdom is acknowledged and you’re invited to share, you feel seen and successful.
Waiting is not doing nothing, but waiting in your own state of readiness for others to become ready. Your insights become truly inspired when delivered at the right time, by invitation.
The 5th energy Type is the Reflector. REFLECTORS are 1% of the population. You’re a karmic mirror. Reflecting the state of well-being in the community you’re in. You are a wise observer. You magnify and reflect all around you back. If you are happy where you’re living and with the people around you, that’s a sign the place and people are healthy. You read the energy of a space and feel its potential. You’re very idealistic. You know what’s possible and can see when people are meeting their potential or falling short of it. Witnessing unfulfilled potential leads you to feel disappointed.
You are a Reflector because you have an Undefined Sacral Center and all of your other Centers are Open (Undefined). With an Undefined Sacral Center you have variable work and life force energy. Your energy ebbs and flows and you are not here to be on the go all day long. You benefit from building cycles of rest into your day and life since your energy waxes and wanes. You are here to read the energy of the people you are around and the environments you are in. Give yourself space and time by yourself to process all the energy you feel deeply.
The Reflector Strategy is very unique. It’s to Wait 28 days, the length of a Lunar Cycle, and to make your decision over time. The moon will impact your chart in a predictable cycle month after month as the moon moves through all 64 gates in the Body Graph in 28 days. As the moon moves through the 64 gates, it brings Definition to your Chart and gives you access to that particular energy for yourself (rather than experiencing it through someone else).You may need to wait 1 or 2 cycles to find clarity. You need time and to make decisions and transitions slowly.
Now that I’ve covered the 5 Types and their Strategies, it’s important to say that we are unconsciously conditioned to manage energy the way we see people around us managing energy.
70% of the population has a Defined Sacral as a Manifesting Generator (33%) or Generator (37%). 30% of the population has an Undefined Sacral where you thrive building rest into your days. Projectors 20%, Manifestors, 9% and Reflectors 1%.
If your parents or siblings or friends areGenerator types with a Defined Sacral, and you’re a non-Sacral type, that creates immense pressure for you to try and live your life with the same energy. And potentially creates painful labels about energy level. Learning about your Type can give you the permission to create a life that honors your energy level and works for you.
Ok, there’s one last thing we need to discuss in this introduction to Human Design and that’s the Authorities. To make aligned decisions you first follow the Strategy for your Type and then use your Authority to make aligned decisions. Your Authority influences your Strategy but doesn’t change it.
To see what your Authority is, on your chart look at the first word or combination of words listed before your Type. Manifestors, Generators, Manifesting Generators and Projectors all have an Authority. Reflectors technically have no Authority and will follow your Strategy. I’ll talk more about this in a moment.
For the Types with Authorities, you will first follow your Strategy to connect to aligned opportunities, that means Waiting to Respond to what feels good as a Generator or Manfesting Generator, Waiting for an Invitation as a Projector, and as a Manifestor, you’ll Inform and then use your Authority to determine when it’s time to act.
If you’re a Pure Generator or have Sacral Authority, that means you have a Defined Sacral Center and have the ability to know yourself and clearly discern what you want by listening to your gut. You will discover what's aligned by following good feelings about what you want or desire, rather than what you feel you should do. You have a very specific Sacral sound that is "Uh Huh" and "Unh Unh". If you're confused about what you want, you can turn on your Sacral sound by having someone ask you a series of yes and no questions and then responding with "Uh Huh" and "Unh Unh". Your Sacral sound is the strongest way for you to know what you want and what’s right for you to do.
If you have Emotional Authority, that means you have a Defined Emotional Solar Plexus. The Solar Plexus is the triangle on the lower right hand side and is the Center for Emotion. It’s a motor and it’s energy pulses in waves that creates a change in mood and emotional energy. With Emotional Authority, you always want to wait to make a decision to have clarity over time through the course of your emotional wave. I have Emotional Authority and have often struggled with feeling ambivalent and waffling about what to do. One moment it’s a yes, the next minute it’s a no, depending on my mood. What Emotional Authority teaches you is that if you feel ambivalent, the answer is no or not now. You must have an answer that remains a solid yes throughout your emotional wave. If your initial answer is no, it should remain a no when you sleep on it a night or two. If you enter into a commitment feeling ambivalent, you will feel ambivalent throughout the entire commitment. Avoid making a commitment under pressure. You are meant to make decisions by observing your emotional response over time. Make sure to sleep on it a night or two to make sure your decision stays consistent.
If you have Splenic Authority, that means you have a Defined Spleen. The Spleen is the triangle on the bottom far left. It’s the Center for survival, intuition, immunity and time. Since it’s focused on survival, it gives you pulses of information in the moment. If you’re a Manifesting Generator or Generator, you also have a Defined Sacral, which is so powerful, your Sacral response will always be louder than your Splenic response. Your Sacral and Spleen will always be in harmony with each other. Tune into and follow your Sacral response and you won’t go wrong.
For non-Sacral Types, Manifestors and Projectors, your Splenic Authority gives you a gut-level pulse about daily decisions. It acts as an extra inner compass in the moment. We’ve been conditioned to override these intuitions and just “be logical” but if you learn to tune into these messages, they can provide great insight in moment to moment decisions. You will know instinctively, in the moment, when something is right for you or it is not. Splenic Authority only exists in the now and when you get the intuition, if you wait to act on it, the timing may have passed and the intuition may no longer correct. The Spleen only gives you the intuition once. To learn about the messages coming from you Spleen requires some experimentation. You’ll learn about those message in hindsight.
If you have Mental or Self-Projected Authority, you’re a Projector. For Mental Authority, you have a Defined Ajna that’s connected to the Throat Center. The Ajna is the Center for mental certainty. For Self-Projected Authority, your Identity Center is connected to the Throat through a Defined Channel. The Identity Center is the Center for love, purpose and direction. For both types of Authority, after you wait to be invited, you make your most aligned decision when you talk through and verbally process the situation with someone else. You are so good at seeing others, you get clarity about what to do when you see yourself and your options reflected through another person. Hearing and exploring the options with a trusted friend gives you clarity about what’s correct for you and how you should proceed.
If you have Heart Ego or Ego Manifested Authority, you’re a Manifestor who has a Defined Ego (aka Will or Heart) Center that’s connected to the Throat Center by a Defined Channel. The Ego (Will Center) is heart centered and carries the the voice of “I want”. You get an inner signal in the moment to take action. The Will Center is a motor and the energy waxes and wanes and has cycles of work and rest. To get the signal to act, your Will Center has to be replenished. You need consistent cycles of rest to have resources in the bank and to be able to respond to your Authority. To preserve your health and well-being, it’s important to take action when your energy is restored. Because of willpower, it’s possible to power ahead and act when the energy isn’t there, but over time that can compromise your health and well-being and create burnout.
Let’s talk about Reflectors. For Reflectors, because all of your Centers are Open, you have no Authority. For bigger decisions about relationships and where to work and live, you will follow your Strategy of waiting a Lunar Cycle- for the moon to bring definition to your chart. You are always taking in the energy of your environment, community, workplace, home, and all the people in those spaces, being in the right place and with the right people is vital to making a decision that is aligned for you. To make good short-term decisions, be in the right place and talk with people you trust to bounce ideas off of them. You have to feel good and like you are at home and in the the right place and with the right people to have positive outcomes. You benefit from having a close, reliable sounding board of people who have healthy energy, who you can count on. Their role is to listen but not to give advice. You need to see your thought process and decisions reflected or mirrored through others for you to get clarity and discover the answer that feels right to you.
There you have it, that wraps up my introduction to the Human Design Types, Strategy and Authority.
We are at a time, more than ever before where we have to know and understand ourselves to be able to discern how to make the right decision for ourselves and our families. Our world is demanding that we pivot continually. Human Design gives you a deeper way to know and understand what you need. In the midst of so much pressure and so many mixed messages, Human Design cuts through that noise by showing you how to tune into yourself.
We are each here to dance our own dance. When you know who you are and understand what you need, you can tap into your physical energy in an aligned and sustainable way to thrive.
The most important relationship you’ll ever have is the one you have with yourself. Every aspect of your life and being able to create true inner peace to thrive depends on you knowing what you need and the relationship you have with yourself.
If your intuition is nudging you, begin to experiment with using your Strategy and Authority to make correct decisions for you. As you become more tuned into your body's signals, use your Strategy and Authority to make aligned decisions in every area of your life.
While Human Design is multilayered and has so many insights to share, I’ve just scratched the surface here, but you can begin to make significant changes to your life and to live your life purpose simply by following your Strategy and Authority.
If your intuition is nudging you to learn about your unique Human Design, I’ve created a free guide to getting started with Human Design for HSPs. Grab it now by visiting humandesignforhsps.com. I’ll link it in the show notes.
I’m so so grateful we’ve spent this time together. I hope you’ll join me for the next evolution of Happy Highly Sensitive Life, it’s exploration of Human Design for HSPs and the podcast.
If you have a question for me about something you heard on this podcast or want to suggest a topic for a future episode, email me at [email protected].
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Bye now.