the guide ::
deconstructing your
chart + bodygraph
ASTRO BASICS
SIGNS (THE HOW)
FIRE SIGNS
Instinctive. Inspired. Passionate. Fun. Enthusiasm. Adventurous. Boldness.
Aries: ruled by Mars, cardinal, “I am”,
Leo: ruled by the Sun, fixed, “I will”,
Sagittarius: ruled by Jupiter, mutable, “I believe”,
AIR SIGNS
Intellectual. Objective. The Mind. Signs + Messages. Breath. Social.
Gemini: ruled by Mercury, mutable, “I think”,
Libra: ruled by Venus, cardinal, “I balance”,
Aquarius: ruled by Saturn, fixed, “I know”
WATER SIGNS
Feminine. Emotional. Intuitive. Creative. In The Feels. Non Linear. Empathy.
Cancer: ruled by the Moon, cardinal, “I feel”
Scorpio: ruled by Mars, fixed, “I alchemize”,
Pisces: ruled by Jupiter, mutable, “I intuit”
EARTH SIGNS
Feminine. Practical Steps. Goal Oriented. Building. Tactile. Dependable.
Taurus: ruled by Venus, fixed, “I have”,
Virgo: ruled by Mercury, mutable, “I analyze”,
Capricorn: ruled by Saturn, cardinal, “I achieve/climb”
Both Earth + Water signs are considered by polarity feminine (or yin, nocturnal, receptive).
Both Fire + Air signs are considered by polarity masculine (or yang, diurnal, active).
THE LUMINARIES + PLANETS (THE WHAT)
SUN: radiance, genius, individuality
MOON: needs + nourishment, inner nature
MERCURY: communication, the mind, the messenger
MARS: courage, drive, assertion
VENUS: love/affection, attraction, what you value
SATURN: contraction, limitations, concretizing on the Earth plane
JUPITER: expansion, blessings, abundance
OUTER PLANETS
URANUS: independence, individuality
NEPTUNE: dissolution, the liminal, spiritual, where you need surrender
PLUTO: power, transformation + regeneration
the angles
ASCENDANT ANGLE or RISING - body, looks, presentation, outermost shell. The ruler of your AS can offer you direction (the planet that rules the sign rules your chart).
IMUM COLEI ANGLE - your roots, home, family, inner world.
DESCENDANT ANGLE - relationships.
MIDHEAVEN ANGLE - your career, goals + ambitions, social standing, who you are in the public eye.
also of note
CHIRON - how you heal.
NORTH NODE - future direction and environment, how you develop in your current life, where you’re going on your journey, your compass. Gonna feel uncomfortable when you first start to look at it. Your destination.
SOUTH NODE - past direction and environment, how you developed in your past life/early life, challenges and gifts you bring in from past lives, where you came from. Typically a comfy cozy default energy.
HOUSES (THE WHERE)
Find many significations for the Houses’s HERE.
The major aspects
A conjunction (a marriage): 2 energies as one, like a new moon.
A trine (Jupiter in nature): 120* apart, blessings and ease.
A sextile (Venus in nature): 60* apart, opportunity with attention and intention.
A square (Mars in nature): 90* apart, inner struggle or tension that becomes a strength with attention and intention. A growth edge.
An opposition (Saturn in nature): 180* apart, tug o’ war energy that often plays out externally in some way. Give both energies their attention to alchemize.
bodygraph BASICS
What does your human design say about you…
Ok…so what is Human Design?
Human Design is the unique energetic blueprint you came through with in this incarnation. It’s a representation of all human possibilities and energy. All of the possible archetypes and potential expressions of humanity are contained within the structure of the body graph.
Your definition, and lack thereof, your energetic type, your strategy, authority, what gates you have in which lines and which planets, your cross, channels, variables, etc.. all combine to reveal a map for how you process energy, why you’re here, who you are at your inner core. It helps us to strip away all the conditioning by stepping more into who we truly are. It also shows you how to operate in the world in the most easeful way….with flow; to be your best, most magnificent, magnetic self from a place of true authenticity.
“The Human Design System synthesizes aspects of two types of science: The ancient observational systems of Astrology, the Chinese I’Ching, the Hindu-Brahmin Chakras and The Tree of Life from the Kabbalist tradition; and the contemporary disciplines of Quantum Mechanics, Astronomy, Genetics and Biochemistry. As a logical, empirical and practical system, Human Design does not ask that you believe anything. It merely offers you the opportunity to explore and experiment with the mechanics of your nature, and your evolving consciousness, in order to find out for yourself exactly what works for you.”
For the purpose of clarity; I’m going to show you where to find these details based on the Genetic Matrix software. You can download your free chart here.
birth time
There are three birth times in the keynotes of your chart. The keynotes live to the left of your body graph. The first is the local time of your actual birth - what is referred to in Human Design as your Conscious birthdate, the second is the same in Universal time and the third is your Unconscious birthday. It is calculated approximately 80 astrological degrees from the moment of your birth (about 3 months prior).
columns of numbers
The column of black with numbers along the right side of your chart are gates (number before the decimal point) associated with your Conscious birthday and are considered traits and aspects of your personality that you are more consciously aware of and that to a degree you have more control over.
The column of red with numbers along the left side of your chart are the gates (number before the decimal point) associated with your Unconscious birthday and the design of your Unconscious Personality. These aspects and traits may not be conscious. You probably don’t have a lot of control over these aspects and may not even recognize them though those closest to you probably will. We do often become more aware of them as we age.
The planet glyphs represent the astrological position of the energies in your chart at the moment of your birth.
The numbers after the decimal point represent lines. And they illustrate a further expression of your uniqueness in how that energy is flavored.
The Gates come from the ancient I Ching. There are 64 hexagrams in the I Ching and 6 lines per hexagram. There are also 64 DNA codons and 6 groups of amino acids per codon. These energies represent the spectrum of archetypes available to us. And the ones you have defined are the gifts you can lean into in this life, they are the consistent truth of who you are. The more we bring them into our awareness and understand them, the easier it is to operate at their gift frequency.
centers
The triangles and squares within your body graph are your centers. These nine centers evolved from the 7 centered Hindu Brahmin Chakra System. They manage the energetic frequencies associated with specific themes in our lives. Beginning at the top and then working clockwise:
Crown/Head - inspiration, a pressure center
Mind/Ajna - POV, opinions, ideas
Throat - communication, expression
G Center/Self - love, direction
Will/Heart - willpower + commitment, a motor center (members only link access)
Solar Plexus - emotions, awareness through the wave, a motor center (members only link access)
Root - stress, a pressure and motor center, balance between fear + trust
Spleen - survival, time, intuition
Sacral- energy, power, sexual energy, a motor center
If a center is colored in (color doesn’t matter) then it is considered defined. If it is white then it is open or undefined. A defined center means that quality is a fixed trait that you carry and radiate out into the world. It may operate on waves or cycles but the energy and theme are still consistent + fixed.
If a center is open then this is where you take in energy and information from the world around you. We take in energy in our open centers and we amplify it. So we actually often experience this energy more acutely than the person we’re with who’s center is defined. We want to be a sieve instead of a sponge here; playing and experimenting in the energy but not taking it on or miss-identifying with it. These open centers can cause us pain and confusion when we absorb the energy but there is also the potential for great sacred wisdom here.
channels
Channel are those lines that connect the centers (the big shapes above). A Channel is what turns the Centers on. There are 32 in total. When you have a colored line (either black, red or a combination of the two) that fully connects two defined centers it creates its own energy. It has the energy of both of the gate and the energy they create together. Just like with the Gates, your gifts live here. However, every energy exists at a high and low vibration and it’s our job to transmute it if needed. With definition you have consistent access to this energy. If the channel is colored in black then this is part of your Conscious design, if red then it is part of your Unconscious. When red and black run side by side then it’s part of both and these are typically stronger themes in your life (both Conscious + Unconscious).
GATEs
When only half of the channel is defined this is called a gate or ‘hanging gate’. There are (surprise, surprise) 64 Gates in Human Design. Each defined gate adds another flavor to your personality.
Where this is white in the channels you will still have access to that energy inconsistently through the transits, your environment and the auras you encounter. We are drawn to people who have the gate on the opposite of our definition. This accounts for chemistry.
You can also identify your gates through the two columns. Each number moving down the two columns (preceding the decimal point) is a gate you have defined in your chart, either hanging or as part of a channel. You can have one Gate in multiple planetary energies as well.
Type + strategy
Continuing along the right side through the Keynotes is your Energy Type. You can find bounteous workshops on each energy type from the bottom of each week’s Weekly Nourish. Members can access within the Elements portal.
There are five types in Human Design each with their own Strategy. This tells you how your energy best operates in the world and how you best make decisions. Hint: it’s not from your mind.
Following your strategy leads you to what is correct for you. It also helps you more naturally align with your purpose.
Manifestor - Initiator, Innovator (about 8% of the population)
Strategy: To Inform
Generator- Mastery, To Build (about 35% of the population)
Strategy: To Respond
Manifesting Generator - Shortcuts To Mastery, Envision, Build, Have Fun (about 35% of the population)
Strategy: To Respond, Visualize, Inform, Then Act
Projector- Guide, Manage (about 24% of the population)
Strategy: To Prepare For The Invitation
Reflector - Be a mirror for the community. (about 1% of the population)
Strategy: Wait one full Lunar Cycle (29 days)
This is one place where looking at the whole chart is key. You may be a Generator but have a lot of Projected Channels meaning you would benefit in a lot of ways or in a few areas by waiting for the invitation.
Generators + Manifesting Generators are the energetic beings who make the energy of the world.
emotional themes
Each energy type has a Not Self theme. This is our default when we’re out of alignment, not living true to ourself. When living our Design, we lessen our experience with this feeling. Our Signature is the opposite; it’s what we experience when in our Authenticity.
definition
Our definition refers to the connections between our centers and uniquely affects our chart. A Single Definition means that all of your defined centers are connected continuously. When they are not these are called Splits. We are often drawn to people who bridge our Splits.
Authority
Our Authority is our decision making strategy. It is typically somewhere inside our bodies and has to do with sensation and feeling over figuring it out with our minds. Some rare folks have outer authorities but they still tap into how it makes them feel. It flavors how we use our Strategy and is determined by our centers, type and definition.
You can read a bit about Sacral + Emotional Authorities here.
profile
There are twelve different personality types in Human Design based on the lines of the Gates in your Conscious and Unconscious Sun (first glyph in both columns) read right to left. These lines are different archetypes or styles of behavior within a particular gate.
For a Profile, the first number is Conscious and the second Unconscious. They tell you about major life themes you will encounter, the kind of costume you wear in the world, how your personality interacts with those around you.
The Investigator. The Foundation.
The Hermit. The Muse.
The Martyr. The Experiential Leader.
The Opportunist. The Networker.
The Heretic. The Teacher/Messenger.
The Role Model. Embodiment.
incarnation cross
The summary of the energies that make up your Conscious and Unconscious Sun + Earth energies. These make up about 70% of the expression of your personality. Your Incarnation Cross is much like your personal Archetype. It tell you who you are, what you’re here to do, where you may falter along the way; ultimately it’s an explanation of your path. We break this down in The Meeting Ground inside The Collective.
Variables - Arrows
This is a much more nuanced piece of our Bodygraph. You can unpack it all as a member.
You can begin with your Environment here + find many additional supports on the Journal.
What now?
Each piece of the chart plays a part in the synthesis of your story. Looking at it as a whole gives you a roadmap.
Want to know the specifics of your unique design? Schedule a reading here or explore your design through The Collective and/or Sacred Success Codes.
It all begins with pulling a thread.