THE HUMAN DESIGN SYSTEM
GENETIC BLUEPRINTS, AURA TYPES, AND EMBODIED DECISION-MAKING
What Is Human Design?
The Human Design System is a modern synthesis of ancient wisdom and contemporary science, offering a detailed map of your unique energetic blueprint. It combines elements of astrology, the I Ching, the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, the Hindu-Brahmin chakra system, and quantum physics to form a comprehensive system of self-understanding, decision-making, and spiritual embodiment.
Created by Ra Uru Hu (born Robert Alan Krakower) in 1987 during a mystical experience he called “The Voice,” Human Design presents itself as a “science of differentiation”—a tool for discovering how we are each designed to operate in the world with authenticity, clarity, and alignment.
This deep dive explores the core concepts, types, authorities, profiles, centers, and practical applications of the Human Design System. Whether approached spiritually, psychologically, or pragmatically, Human Design invites a shift from conditioning to embodiment.
Foundational Synthesis: What Is Human Design Made Of?
Western Astrology – Provides the time and place of birth to determine planetary positions
I Ching – 64 hexagrams correspond to 64 gates in the bodygraph, representing archetypal energies
Kabbalah Tree of Life – Influences the flow and structure of channels and centers
Hindu Chakra System – Forms the basis for the nine energy centers (a reconfiguration of the traditional seven)
Genetics and Quantum Physics – Uses binary code, neutrino theory, and epigenetic transmission
The BodyGraph: Your Energetic Blueprint
At the heart of Human Design is the BodyGraph, a symbolic diagram showing:
Nine Centers (akin to chakras)
64 Gates (based on the I Ching)
36 Channels (connections between gates)
Defined/Undefined Areas (fixed vs. flexible energy)
Your unique BodyGraph is calculated using your birth time and a second time approximately 88 days prior—representing conscious and unconscious aspects (personality and design).
The Five Aura Types
Every person has a Type, determined by which centers are defined. Type describes how your aura interacts with the world and how you're designed to use energy.
Manifestor (~9%)
Initiators, catalysts, trailblazers
Strategy: Inform before you act
Not-self theme: Anger
Role: To bring new things into motion
Generator (~70%)
Builders, sustainers, energy beings
Strategy: Wait to respond
Not-self theme: Frustration
Role: To master life through work that excites them
Manifesting Generator: A hybrid type—fast, multi-tasking, adaptable
Projector (~20%)
Guides, seers, systems-oriented
Strategy: Wait for the invitation
Not-self theme: Bitterness
Role: To manage and direct others' energy
Reflector (~1%)
Mirrors, environmental barometers
Strategy: Wait a lunar cycle (28 days)
Not-self theme: Disappointment
Role: To reflect the health of the collective
Inner Authority: How You Make Aligned Decisions
Human Design teaches that the mind is not the decision-maker. Instead, each person has an Inner Authority, a bodily intelligence that guides right action.
Types of Inner Authority include:
Sacral (for Generators): Gut response of “yes” or “no”
Emotional: Clarity comes through emotional waves over time
Splenic: Intuitive, in-the-moment knowing
Ego/Heart: Desire and willpower
Self-Projected: Direction from one’s identity center
Environmental (Mental Projectors): Clarity through talking and space
Lunar (Reflectors): Full lunar cycle needed for integration
The Nine Centers
Each center governs specific energies. Centers are either Defined (consistent expression) or Undefined/Open (amplifying external energy).
Head – Inspiration, pressure to think
Ajna – Concepts, mental awareness
Throat – Communication and manifestation
G Center – Identity, love, direction
Heart (Ego) – Will, desire, material world
Sacral – Life force energy, response, fertility
Solar Plexus – Emotions, emotional clarity, relationships
Spleen – Survival, intuition, immune system
Root – Drive, pressure, stress processing
Undefined centers are where we are most prone to conditioning—absorbing others' energy and mistaking it for our own.
Profiles: Your Role in the World
Profile is a combination of two numbers (from 1 to 6), derived from your conscious and unconscious sun and earth placements. It reveals your life theme and how you interact with others.
Examples:
1/3: Investigator-Martyr (learning through trial and error)
2/4: Hermit-Opportunist (natural talent + social network)
5/1: Heretic-Investigator (practical problem-solver)
6/2: Role Model-Hermit (three-part life process, retreat and wisdom)
The twelve profiles blend inner personality with external purpose.
Definition: How Energy Flows
Definition describes how centers and channels are connected:
Single Definition: Self-contained
Split Definition: Needs others to bridge gaps
Triple/Quadruple Split: Complex systems requiring multiple interactions
No Definition (Reflectors): Entirely open and reflective
The Incarnation Cross: Life Theme
Your Incarnation Cross is derived from the placement of the Sun and Earth gates in both personality and design. It reveals your life purpose, often activated as you live in alignment with your strategy and authority.
Examples:
Cross of Service
Cross of the Vessel of Love
Cross of Contagion
Each cross represents a particular archetypal contribution to the world.
Human Design and Conditioning
The system teaches that we are conditioned by family, school, media, and culture to live against our design. The journey is one of deconditioning—releasing false beliefs and aligning with the body’s inner truth.
Practices include:
Tracking not-self themes (anger, frustration, bitterness, disappointment)
Observing where you feel pressure or lack
Reframing open centers as areas of wisdom, not weakness
Practical Applications
Relationships: Understanding compatibility, communication, energy flow
Parenting: Honoring your child’s type and authority
Business: Team dynamics, role alignment, decision-making strategies
Health: Respecting energetic boundaries and stress patterns
Spiritual growth: Deep trust in body intelligence and surrender to design
Human Design vs. Other Systems
Astrology: Human Design incorporates astrology but adds mechanics and aura interaction
MBTI: MBTI focuses on preferences; Human Design focuses on energetic mechanics
Enneagram: Enneagram reveals ego structures; Human Design reveals life strategy
Gene Keys: A spiritual complement to Human Design, focusing on contemplative transformation of the gates
Criticism and Cautions
The system can feel overly complex or deterministic
Requires accurate birth time
Some resist its mystical origin story or question its empirical basis
However, many find that living their design brings relief, clarity, and alignment—even without intellectual belief.
Conclusion: Embodying Your Unique Frequency
Human Design invites you into a radical experiment: to live not from the mind’s shoulds, but from the body’s knowing. It offers no promise of perfection—only the potential for authenticity, clarity, and ease.
Rather than becoming someone new, Human Design is about remembering who you were before the world told you who to be. It’s about recognizing your unique frequency—and learning to live it, love it, and trust it.
Whether you are a Generator lighting the world through your joy, a Projector guiding energy with clarity, or a Reflector echoing the cosmos, your design is not a limitation—it is a liberation.