While our North Node offers us up direction in life with actionable steps to align us with our right trajectory, our Incarnation Cross is essentially our destiny, our true purpose. It is not something we need to force or try to make happen but the path we naturally find as we live authentically, when we live as our differentiated self. When we follow our Strategy + Authority to make the correct decisions, rather than living through the Not Self, we are cosmically + divinely guided toward our purpose. In Human Design our purpose is less about a doing, a particular career path we’re meant to be on and more about a being. I find it interesting that we have come to equate purpose so strongly with what we do for work. While this is sometimes true, it doesn’t have to be. We can feel a lot of pressure in this life to “find our purpose”, a buzzword we hear often in society almost to a toxic degree.

While we each have a unique contribution to make in this life, that purpose is more about what we are here to explore, to offer through our presence, through how we are of service, how we empower others, how we spread love or enthusiasm, etc.. I was listening to the Quitted podcast the other day with Liz Gilbert and loved so much her ladder story. The gist (though I recommend listening to her speak about it) was that after spotting a man at the top of a ladder repainting his sign, she crossed the street to hold the ladder for him until he was finished. As he was coming down she left without him ever knowing she was there, watching out for his safety. Afterwards she had the thought, “what if that was my purpose?” What if despite all the wisdom she’s put out in the world, all the books she’s written, she was really here on this Earth to be there, on a sidewalk in Venice, for that moment, to save this strangers life so that he can go on to fulfill his purpose. A powerful notion. And a good reminder that we have NO IDEA the lives we touch, how a small kindness can change someone else's trajectory in small ways, or completely. Our purpose is less about what we do, it’s about who we are.

This purpose is encapsulated in our Cross through the combination of our Sun + Earth Gates. Our conscious Sun representing our Life’s Work, Conscious Earth our Evolution, Unconscious Sun our Radiance and Unconscious Earth our Soul’s Purpose with an emphasis on our Conscious Sun Gate. Each cross belongs to one of the four quarters: Intiation (beginnings), Civilization (building), Duality (bonding) + Mutation (evolution). We typically pull up our charts as the standard bodygraph with columns but we can also view it as the classic mandala.

You can see that each Gate falls into one of the four quarters and you can find your Conscious Sun Gate in this image (above) to see which quarter yours falls into.

The quarter of initiation

This is purpose fulfilled through the mind, even as it contains so many of the Gates of the Solar Plexus - the budding of relational intelligence + awareness of Spirit. It is the realm of thinking, of learning, of conceptualizing, of witnessing, of educating + sharing. This still does not mean you are meant to use your mind for your own life decisions. ;)

The quarter of civilization

This is purpose fulfilled through Form and has a bit of those Taurus vibes. This is how we build the systems, foundations and material needs that support us. It is also the skills needed to create industry + civilization, how one creates life + ensures that it thrives. In addition, it carries an energy of expression with ample throat energy within.

The quarter of duality

This is purpose fulfilled through Bonding. It is the energy of intimacy and how we bond with others. It carries much of the Spleen survival energy while bringing focus to how we co-create. It reminds us of our need for the other and the ways in which we are all connected.

The quarter of mutation

This is purpose through transformation. Inventory is taken as to what has been learned + accomplished, we bring awareness + evolution through surrender. All is brought to completion as preparations are made for new beginnings.

pieces of the whole

Much like the ways we can view the House system in astrology as a journey through life, we can do the same with the quarters: initiation/conception -> building support systems for life -> bonding + co-creation -> transformation + acceptance of death. You might also take note that each Sphinx gate begins a Quarter (Gates 1, 2, 7 and 13), with one of the Transcendent Love Gates halfway through, and closing out the quarter with one of the Cross of the Four Ways (Gates 24, 33, 44 and 19).

the godheads

Within each quarter, the hexagrams (gates) are further divided again by 4 into Godheads. There are 16 Godheads within the Mandala and if you’ve been following me for long, you know my favorite thing to do within Human Design is to explore what we can learn through the paradigms + archetypes within. Each of the four gates of each Godhead will represent different facets and nuances of that energy. While you have one particular Godhead that is your Godhead, you can also take note of this archetypal influence on any of the other gates you carry in your definition, especially when you have multiple gates defined within that Godhead. We can look to bring awareness to the places where we may be acting out the low vibrations of the energy of that deity, to aid us in seeing the ways in which we may be operating from conditioning + how we can lean into the gifts and strengths of this energy. To identify your Godhead, look to find the gate of your Conscious Sun below.

KALI - Conscious Sun Gates: 13, 49, 30 and 55

MITRA - Conscious Sun Gates: 37, 63, 22 and 36

ARCHANGEL MICHAEL - Conscious Sun Gates: 25, 17, 21 and 51

JANUS - Conscious Sun Gates: 42, 27, 3, and 24

MAIA - Conscious Sun Gates: 2, 23, 8 and 20

LAKSHMI - Conscious Sun Gates: 16, 35, 45 and 12

PARVATI - Conscious Sun Gates: 15, 52, 39 and 53

MA’AT - Conscious Sun Gates: 31, 33, 62 and 56

THOTH - Conscious Sun Gates: 4, 7, 29 and 59

HARMONIA - Conscious Sun Gates: 40, 64, 47 and 6

CHRIST CONSCIOUSNESS FIELD - Conscious Sun Gates: 18, 46, 48 and 57

MINERVA - Conscious Sun Gates: 28, 44, 50, and 32

HADES - Conscious Sun Gates: 1, 43, 14 and 34

PROMETHEUS - Conscious Sun Gates: 5, 9, 11 and 26

VISHNU - Conscious Sun Gates: 10, 38, 54 and 58

THE KEEPERS/GUARDIANS OF THE WHEEL - Conscious Sun Gates: 19, 41, 60, and 61

working with

Do some research on your Godhead.

• What is your Godhead associated with your Conscious Sun Gate?

• How do these themes show up in your life, either in their low or high vibrations? How might this energy be programming you in a way that does not serve you?

• How do you see the world through this lens?

• What are the homogenized ideas about this archetype that do not serve your unique, differentiated self?

• What are the gifts of this energy that you can lean into?

• How might you work with this energy through contemplation, meditation, awareness, mantra, ritual + practices?

• Explore your definition within the other Godheads. When looking at the Godheads that you carry in your definition, especially those that have more dominance… how do these energies compete within you?

+ you will gain access to your complimentary Energy Type workshop in your first Weekly Nourish! <3