Learn how to read your Human Design chart with this simplified guide.
November 27, 2023
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Human design helps you learn who you are — so you can unlearn who you’ve been taught to be.
Where to Find Your Human Design Chart
You can get your free personalized chart here. This one includes your Chiron and Lilith gates (insight that most other online charts don’t include). If you’re new to the system, I suggest using it to learn how to read your Human Design chart because it will match the image examples below.
Decoding Your Human Design
Human Design is a self-exploration system that combines the Chakra System, Western Astrology, the Tree of Life, and the I Ching with aspects of modern science.
The typical responses to seeing your human design chart for the first time:
- raising your eyebrow
- closing the webpage
- frantically googling
- spending hours fast-forwarding through YouTube videos in search of particular info
In this article, I’ll help you learn how to read your Human Design chart with a simplifed to-the-point explanation of the 8 main areas.
Keep in mind, that like reading tarot cards, each aspect of your chart informs the others. It’s not about the parts, it’s about you as a whole.
And if you really want to dive into your Human Design chart, it’s best to book a 1:1 reading with a certified reader (like me ☺️). We’ve been trained to see the subtle nuances, understand the language, and ultimately uncover the storyline in your chart.
How to Read Your Human Design Chart
To learn how to read your Human Design chart, you’ll need to explore these 8 areas (click to jump to a particular section):
Related Post: Human Design Explained
Human Design Energy Type
Found underneath the bodygraph illustration in my free chart.
The typical starting point when learning how to read your Human Design Chart is your Energy Type.
There are 5 energy types and each has its own aura type, strategy, not-self, and signature.
Learning your energy type will explain a lot — and will help you understand how to flow through the world with more ease and momentum.
Your aura type has to do with the way your energetic field interacts with the external world as well as the universe/quantum field.
Your signature and not-self are emotional themes that signal when you’re in alignment (signature) and when you’re out of alignment (not-self).
And your strategy is a technique to help you align with your authentic self, welcome in the right opportunities, and operate with the most flow and least resistance.
Here are the different types:
Manifestor
Aura Type: Selective (they attract and repel based on what is in and out of alignment for them; focused on making an impact)
Strategy: Inform
Signature: Peace
Misalignment Sign (aka Not-Self): Anger
Approx. Population: 9%
Famous Manifestors: JK Rowling, Adele, Jennifer Anniston
Manifestors are the initiators who are here to create change and make an impact. Their strategy is to inform others of what they’re planning on creating. This is not to get permission, but in order to keep others from standing in their way while they’re in the creative process. Informing also helps them attract others who can assist them with executing their ideas. It’s imperative that manifestors are unapologetically themselves and feel they have the freedom to explore their wild and wonderful ideas.
Generator
Aura Type: Magnetic & enveloping (focused on getting to know themselves & calling in others)
Strategy: Respond
Signature: Satisfaction
Misalignment Sign (aka Not-Self): Frustration
Approx. Population: 37%
Famous Generators: Oprah, Gwyneth Paltrow, Gabby Bernstein
Generators are the builders who manifest the world through taking action. Their strategy is to respond to the things that light them up (a cause, a suggestion, a relationship, an opportunity). They’ll know if it’s right for them by tuning into their gut response. And it will be confirmed by the consistent energy they have to pour into it. When they’re lit up, they light up all around them.
Manifesting Generator
Aura Type: Magnetic & enveloping (focused on getting to know themselves & calling in others)
Strategy: Inform & Respond
Signature: Satisfaction/Peace
Misalignment (aka Not-Self): Frustration/Anger
Approx. Population: 33%
Famous MGs: Jessica Alba, Jennifer Lopez, Malala Yousafzai
Manifesting Generators are a combo of Generators and Manifestors. They’re multi-passionate, quick to master things, and designed to switch directions abruptly when their intuition tells them to. They have the energy needed to focus on the many things that bring them satisfaction. When they’re in creative flow, they move faster than others and can often skip steps to get to where they’re going. Their strategy is to respond with their gut reaction to what lights them up, and inform others about their plans.
More on Manifesting Generator success.
Projector
Aura Type: Penetrating (focused on understanding others’ energy)
Strategy: Wait for the recognition & invitation
Signature: Success
Misalignment (aka Not-self): Bitterness
Approx. Population: 20%
Famous Projector: Marie Kondo, Taylor Swift, Serena Williams
Projectors are natural guides and advisors. They clearly see the potential in people and projects and innately know how to help improve upon things. When in the zone, they can provide immense value and are meant to work in small spurts rather than long work days. Their strategy is to wait to be recognized and invited in before stepping into another’s energy so their advice can be appreciated and accepted.
From an energetic standpoint, projectors work 24/7 to see and hold the higher potential for the planet’s future and consciously or unconsciously tune into the energy of the collective consciousness.
Reflector
Aura Type: Sampling & reflective (focused on sampling and understanding their environment & reflecting it back to others)
Strategy: Wait a lunar cycle
Signature: Surprise (delight)
Misalignment (aka Not-Self): Disappointment
Approx. Population: 1%
Famous Reflectors: Teal Swan, Sandra Bullock, Margaret Atwood
Reflectors are wise observers. They’re very receptive and sample the energies around them. By doing so, they become a reflection for others, allowing them to gain deeper insight into their own energy. It’s so important that the people they spend time with, and the environment they spend time in, feel aligned and supportive (because they’re constantly taking in that energy). They have a strong connection with the cosmic environment and are highly sensitive to the transits — especially the lunar energy as it moves through the 64 Gates of the Human Design mandala. As they flow with the moon, they experience shifts in their moods and desires, affecting the way they perceive their experience. Because of this, their strategy is to wait for a full lunar cycle to make key decisions.
Get your free Human Design Simplified Gate Guide.
Human Design Authority
Found underneath the bodygraph illustration in my free chart.
Your Authority is your place of deep connection and consistent inner knowing. It helps you realize your unique and authentic truth so you can make beneficial decisions.
When you learn how to work with your Authority and use it as your guide, you stop looking for answers outside of yourself and stop asking your brain to come up with a million scenarios to figure it all out.
Your mind is an amazing processing tool, but it’s not meant to be your decision-maker.
Like a homing pigeon knows where to fly and a flower knows how to bloom, your Authority knows what to do next. You just need to take the pressure off your mind and listen to your Authority.
There are 7 Human Design authorities (here’s the simplified meaning of each):
Emotional
Give yourself time to feel through a decision and finalize it when your emotional wave passes and you’re in a place of neutrality.
Sacral (aka pure generator)
Tune into the feeling in your gut (sacral center/chakra). If it feels lit up, it’s the right decision for you.
Splenic
Notice the instinctual knowing that comes to you in an instant and make your decision in that moment. Note: often the “no” is a louder ping than the “yes.”
Ego
Tune into your heart and decide what feels good and right for you personally. Ensure you make decisions for your own good rather than trying to prove your value externally. (If you have an Ego Manifested Authority, your voice is also a strong tool for decision-making. Allow yourself to talk it out.)
Self/Self-Projected
Talk it out and decide based on the inner wisdom that comes through your voice.
Environment
Decide by sensing within your body if a place, person, or opportunity feels in or out of alignment, and also rely on the inner wisdom that comes through your voice when speaking about it.
Lunar
Give yourself lots of time to feel through the decision (preferably a full lunar cycle since you will experience many changes in your energy during that time) and notice the sensations in your body and mood.
Subscribe and receive a free energy-clearing sleep meditation.
Human Design Profile
Found underneath the bodygraph illustration in my free chart.
Simply put, your profile is your style of existence, your preferences, and your personality. And it’s probably the aspect you’ll most easily relate to when learning how to read your Human Design chart.
12 archetypes represent each profile. And there’s a whole lot of insight that can be gained by understanding your archetype.
For a deeper dive into each number, visit my Profile Line Library or book an Energetic Alignment Session with me.
Here’s a basic understanding of each profile:
1/3 — You’re interested in knowing all aspects and angles of a subject and learning and growing through experimentation and discovery.
1/4 — You love sharing your knowledge with others and developing a network of community.
2/4 — You have a magnetic quality. You require alone time to replenish and further develop your natural talents that you then share with your loyal community.
2/5 — You’re an introverted extrovert who loves to help others but also enjoys retreating to nurture your innate talents.
3/5 — You’re relatable and wise, and grow your world expertise through personal experience.
3/6 — You’re resilient, adaptable, and constantly evolving.
4/6 — You’re naturally the organizer, influencer, and glue for your tribe.
4/1 — You’re fascinated by life, human behaviour, and psychology and have a knack for communication.
5/1 — You’re dependable and a natural problem-solver who loves to research and explore topics in-depth.
5/2 —You love your alone time but are also genuinely interested in helping and supporting others with the depth of your wisdom.
6/2 — You develop deep wisdom, experience, and transformation throughout your lifetime.
6/3 —You love new opportunities, experiences, and people and enjoy sharing your learned experiences with others.
Human Design Centers
The centers relate to the chakra system — but in Human Design, the solar plexus and the heart chakras have been split into two, making a total of 9 centers.
These centers give, receive, transform, or transmute life force energy as it flows through your energetic field and body.
When a center in your chart is defined (coloured in), it means it has consistent energy that you put out into the world. When it’s undefined (white), it means that you naturally sample external energy through that center (and often it can be more susceptible to conditioning).
Undefined centers aren’t problematic. They’re undefined because you’re meant to learn from external energy to gain wisdom and mastery.
Here are the main themes of each center and how they relate to the chakra system:
Head center
inspiration — crown chakra
Ajna center
conceptualization — third eye chakra
Throat center
communication & action — throat chakra
Identity (G-) center
love, identity & direction — heart chakra
Will (heart) center
will-power & self-esteem — heart chakra
Splenic center
instinct & survival — solar plexus chakra
Emotional solar plexus center
emotions — solar plexus chakra
Sacral center
vitality & persistence — sacral chakra
Root center
momentum & ambition — root chakra
Human Design Gates & Channels
There are 64 gates (the little numbers within your centers). These numbers come from the hexagrams of the I’Ching.
Gates are the astrological activations of specific gifts.
You have all of the gates but only certain ones were activated by a particular planet either 3 months before you were born or at the time of your birth (the ones with a coloured circle around them are consistently activated — aka defined).
Each gate represents a particular gift or theme. And when one gate connects with another, it creates a channel of energy flowing between two centers (it will be either black from your personality/conscious gates or pink from your design/unconscious gates).
Gates and channels represent your natural gifts. And your conditioning (beliefs) can affect how they’re expressed.
You can find more info about each gate and it’s shadow and gift in my free Simplified Gate Guide (options below).
Free Simplified Gate Guide PDF download.
Free Simplified Gate Guide PDF download + your personalized Human Design chart.
Human Design Incarnation Cross
Your incarnation cross is a combo of 4 key Gates in your chart that synergize to create your major life themes (aka mission or purpose). These are the Gates the Sun and Earth were moving through at the moment of your birth and 3 months before your birth.
You’ll find them in the top two positions in each column of my free Human Design Chart.
You have free will and an abundance of choice, but these themes consistently flavour your experience. And learning how to read your Human Design chart and understanding the gifts in these powerful Gates elicits a massive ah-ha moment.
Want to explore your Incarnation Cross? You can use my free Simplified Gate Guide to learn more about your Sun and Earth Gates, or have me interpret it for you with my Human Design Life Mission Audio Reading (powerful mini readings that focus on your Incarnation Cross).
Human Design Planets
The positioning of the planets 3 months before your birth and the moment of your birth activated particular gates in your chart.
You can see which planet activated each gate on either side of your Bodygraph.
Your Personality planets represent your conscious mind and soul purpose, and your Design planets represent your subconscious, your body, and your life purpose.
You’ll see that each gate also has a number following a decimal point (e.g. 46.1). The 1 represents the profile line the gate was in at that time (there’s a lot more to it but I’ll leave it at that considering this is meant to be a simplified explanation of how to read your Human Design chart — for a deeper dive, you can book a 1:1 reading with me ).
Each planet represents a particular archetype and theme and provides the context around each gate.
Human Design Planet Meanings
Sun — Your personal expression & the gift you’re here to give to the world.
Earth — Your means of grounding & balancing (to accomplish your Sun’s theme).
Moon — Your motivating energy and emotions.
North Node — Your life direction following your Uranus Opposition (approx. between the ages of 38-44)
South Node — Your life direction (that you integrate and master by your Uranus Opposition).
Mercury — Your communication style.
Venus — Your values.
Mars — Your immature energy dynamics & opportunity for growth.
Jupiter — Your blessings and rewards.
Saturn — Your discipline & lessons.
Uranus — Your individuality and ancestral energy.
Neptune — Your spiritual work and ancestral energy.
Pluto — Your personal (and often the collective) transformation & ancestral energy.
Chiron — Your inner wounds that once healed, help others.
Lilith (black moon) — Your feminine power and (often) suppressed raw impulses.
Human Design Variables (Arrows)
The four arrows located at the top of the Bodygraph represent four main areas (that can be further divided into many sub-areas to explore but let’s stick to the basics).
When first learning how to read your Human Design chart, the main areas to focus on are Consistency, Discipline, Focus, and Strategy.
Consistency / Digestion (top left)
Left Facing Arrow: You thrive off of routine and consistency. Structure and ritual are your friends. Your active mind processes information with logic and precision and allows you to recall information with ease.
Right Facing Arrow: You’re built to go with the flow. Allow life to lead you and release the pressure to show up consistently within the confines of a strict schedule. Your brain soaks in the wholeness and totality of a topic rather than focusing on small facts and figures. Because of this, you may need more time to absorb and digest information.
Discipline / Environment (bottom left)
Left-facing Arrow: You’re naturally disciplined. You’re also activated by a structured environment.
Right-facing Arrow: You’re designed to be flexible and receptive. Some days you’ll experience more discipline than others. And mixing up your environment and routines feels supportive.
Strategy / perspective (bottom right)
Left-facing Arrow: You have a specific, strategic, and detail-oriented mind when it comes to strategizing.
Right-facing Arrow: You have a broad, peripheral perspective. And you find greater ease when you allow things to flow naturally, without getting too specific with your strategy.
Focus / motivation (top right)
Left-facing Arrow: You have a sharp focus and logical mind.
Right-facing Arrow: You have a receptive awareness and can naturally see the bigger picture and assign meaning to things.
When you learn how to read your Human Design chart, you’ll never look at yourself or anyone else the same again.
Weaving it All Together
When you take the time to really get to know the individual aspects of your unique chart and celebrate all the beautiful pieces, you can then zoom out and see patterns and themes.
Learning how to read your Human Design chart allows you to more deeply connect with the value and purpose of this wild and beautiful lifetime.
Questions about how to read your Human Design chart? Feel free to drop them in the comments.
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