Your Life's Purpose- The Incarnation Cross

Human Design is called the science of differentiation for a good reason.

 
There are many layers to your design, beginning with your type (Reflector), strategy (waiting a lunar cycle), your profile (the two numbers, like 6/2), the gates in your chart, and so much more.

But one of the coolest elements hiding in your chart is your Incarnation Cross (IC), which is your life's purpose.

 
Seriously, your LIFE'S PURPOSE!

I've been itching to go deep into Incarnation Crosses so maybe this will be part one, because there's so much to cover you'd be reading a novel otherwise.

Here's what we'll cover for now:
 

1. What is an Incarnation Cross?
2. How your IC is experienced as a Reflector
3. When and How the IC Comes Out

Ok, so what is an Incarnation Cross?
 

Simply put, the IC is your true purpose. It is one of the most unique qualities in your individual Human Design chart and it answers the question, "What am I here to do?".

When you look at your chart you'll see the name of your Incarnation Cross with some numbers next to it. The first two are your personality Sun and Earth gates, and the second set are your design Sun and Earth gates. Combined they identify which IC you have.

I've heard a lot of different analogies to explain Human Design but here's one that really stuck with me:

Think of life as a play or movie. In it, your type is your character, your profile number is how you play that role, and your Incarnation Cross is your storyline.

But there's a catch. It's not written in permanent ink like a movie script and plot line would be. Nope, your Incarnation Cross is drafted in pencil because you get to decide how it unfolds.

Now here's where things get even more interesting. With types, there are only 5 options: Reflector, Projector, Manifestor, Manifesting Generator, and Generator. But there are 198 basic Incarnation Crosses, or 768 if you count all the variations. So, there could be 198 Reflectors in a room and each of them would have a different life purpose.

Are you starting to see the layers of uniqueness you have?

How your IC is experienced as a Reflector

Now that you know that your IC is more of a choose your own adventure type storyline, we can look at how it shows up.

Most people speak about their life's purpose as though it's what you'll do for paid work, like being a doctor or social worker. And that can be true, but it only scratches the surface of how you get to play around with your IC.

 
The Universe doesn't have compartments for your life's purpose so instead of just living it as your job, you're meant to experience it in every area of your life.

I don't know about you but this feels so much more expansive than putting your life's purpose in a box and saying you must find a job doing it.

Someone with the Left Angle Cross of Education is meant to educate others through lecturing. They might want to become a professor but they're likely also a powerful community advocate and a parent on the PTA committee. All of which would be expressions of their IC.

With Reflectors, the expression of an IC gets even more layered because you'll be showing up as a different person every day, although this has less to do with the "what" of your purpose and more to do with the "how". No different than how you might be a social butterfly at work one day but totally content at your desk working quietly the next. So try not to get hung up on how differently your Incarnation Cross will be experienced.

One thing I suggest trying is to look for clues around how you can live out your IC in different situations.

For example, my IC is the Left Angle Cross of Incarnation, which means I'm meant to see lifecycle patterns of past, present, and future and give direction based on how I see things happening. The other day I was doing some DIY renovations and had a burst of déjà vu from another similar project. It became clear to me that what I did in the other project made things go on much longer than necessary, so if I went down that same path with this reno, I'd be looking at a similar result. Stopping to consider the past pattern allowed me to do a small course correction to ultimately improve the future outcome. The key here was staying present and aware of the situation in front of me so my IC could show up.

Which brings me to…

When and How the IC Comes Out
When I first dove into Human Design I was so intrigued and delighted by the idea of having a defined life's purpose. It was music to my Reflector ears to finally have some certainty around what I should do with this precious life of mine. So I did what most people would do. I tried to actively work towards my purpose. And boy did I try hard. Lots of forcing, pushing through, and efforting. So how come my purpose wasn't coming to fruition?

Because it doesn't work that way with Human Design.

For your IC to truly come out you first have to have a really good grasp on how to be in alignment with your type and strategy. Reflectors, that means living with a lot of uncertainty and inconsistency AND being ok with it. Seeing where the day takes you instead of trying to control how it plays out. It also means embracing your strategy of waiting 28 days before making a decision. The more aligned you get with these layers of your design, the more you'll start to see your IC peeking through.

It's almost as if you get rewarded for living in alignment, and the prize is your Incarnation Cross.
There's a lot of Human Design info to consider when looking at your chart, and it can feel intimidating to add more things "to do" into your life. You might be surprised then to learn that letting go (or deconditioning) is probably even more critical to living your design than adding in new things.

Reflectors are consistently inconsistent yet at the same time it's so enticing to try to establish certainty and create a fixed identity. When you start to let go of the conditioning you've picked up throughout your life, it makes space for the true you to emerge in the most unique and surprising ways, like through your Incarnation Cross.

If your cup is already full of fixed beliefs and conditioning, there really isn't room for anything else. Pouring out the things that no longer serve you, like believing you should have one single career path, gives your mind and soul a chance to experience things in ways you never thought possible.

The idea of knowing and living your true purpose is too juicy to ignore. Because let's be honest, who doesn't want to feel joy, fulfillment, and have a sense that their life is meaningful?

Having the willingness to tune into your Reflector energy type and live using your strategy are the first steps to revealing your Incarnation Cross. If you're unsure how to do this or you're getting feelings of being stuck when you try to get started, I invite you to join me inside Reflector Roadmap. This transformational 28 day program will give you the framework to move forward with clarity and ease.