What Is Human Design?

If you walked into a random coffee shop and asked the strangers if they know what Human Design is, some may put their hands up. Everyone else though will probably respond with, "huh?" and go back to sipping their lattes.

Maybe you were one of those people until recently when you heard about an ingenious modality that can literally spit out your one of a kind user manual. Learning what Human Design is and discovering you fall into the "Reflector" type category are a one-two punch that will leave you questioning your entire existence.

Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

If you've ever wanted to know where Human Design came from and what it's all about, read on.

Human Design is a system and a framework for understanding who you are, how you were designed to operate, and what your purpose is during this lifetime. That in and of itself can feel pretty overwhelming and significant! It will also tell you the best way to make decisions, which is an absolute game changer. 

To find your Human Design chart all you need is your birth date and time, which you then plug into any of the free chart generators online.

Human Design Origins

On January 3, 1987 a man named Ra Uru Hu (born as Robert Allan Krakower) received a downloaded message from a voice that asked him if he was ready to work. So for the next 8 days and 8 nights he transcribed all the messages he received into what we now know as the Human Design System. This wasn't a quick voicemail-length message either. The entire system has been put into a book that spans more than 400 pages with a level of detail that reads like a textbook.

Human Design is made up of several modalities that compliment one another and you might recognize some of them just by looking at your chart. There's the western astrology system, the Kabbalah, I-Ching, the chakras, and quantum physics all layered together to create Human Design.

At its core, Human Design is premised on the idea that at the exact moment you were born, the tiny neutrinos (subatomic particles) that came in contact with you left itty bitty bits of matter from all over the universe. This is your imprint. A timestamp that can tell you exactly who your truest self really is.

Each person belongs to one of five Human Design types: Reflector, Manifestor, Projector, Manifesting Generator, or Generator. But the detailed chart you get will show you much more than just your type.

When you look at your chart you'll see 9 shapes, called centres. As a Reflector, yours will be open or undefined. You'll also see numbers within the centres and these are called gates. There are 64 gates in total. For the other types that have some centres defined, the definition comes when two gates are connected into a channel, but we Reflectors don't have any of those.

You'll also notice some planetary signs down the left and right side, with numbers next to them. On the left-hand side are your Design gates and on the right side of the body graph are your Personality gates.

Consider anything on the Design side as being more definitively imprinted into you, whereas the Personality side is more fluid and changing just like our personalities tend to be. To help me remember these distinctions, I usually say that Design is written in permanent marker and Personality is written in pencil, since pencil can be erased and changed but permanent marker really stands the test of time.

Either way, your chart will tell you your most powerful gifts and abilities that you have available to you.

Here's a sample Reflector chart with all the centres kept white, since they are not defined by two connecting gates. Yours might look something like this if you're a Reflector. If you're one of the other Human Design types, you'll have at least two of these centres coloured in. 

Quantum Human Design

Now, if you've done any reading on Human Design you probably noticed that the names and descriptions are a bit hard to understand and can even sound a little negative. That's because Ra Uru Hu was a Manifestor type who created the system in a way that describes the not-self-theme. Meaning that the names of gates, channels, and the other components are usually explained from the view point of not living in alignment. He indicated that he wanted to do an updated version from an aligned perspective, but unfortunately he passed away before getting a chance to do that.

Instead, a wonderful human named Karen Curry Parker created a spin off called Quantum Human Design, which takes a more positive approach. This version can be super helpful if you don't relate to the traditional Human Design descriptions or you just want to see what else is out there.

The Momentum of Human Design

Human Design is gaining popularity these days for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, who doesn't want to know everything there is to know about themselves? It's natural to be curious about who we are as individuals and Human Design does not disappoint. In fact, it's known as the science of differentiation because of how many unique aspects make up each chart. Even if you find two people who have identical charts, their life experience and how they express their gifts is going to be different. How amazing is that!

I also believe that Human Design is getting more attention is because the last few years have been rough.

Nothing like a world-wide pandemic to pull the rug out from under us and cause major questions about what we're here to do with our time on Earth. People all over the world have begun questioning what they do for paid work and are now taking a hard look at how they spend their time. A renewed importance of social connection and being around the people we love has also emerged. And so many of us, myself included, woke up out of a daze, wanting to make our lives count for something.

If "what is my purpose?" has ever been a question you've pondered, then Human Design will show you the answer.

Whether you're discovering Human Design for the first time or coming back to it now because your friend won't stop talking about it, you are in for an exciting journey.

Reflector By Design

If you're here reading this, chances are you're part of the Reflector type or you were referred by a Reflector. This is a space dedicated to helping Human Design Reflectors thrive in a world that was created by the other 99% of the population.

Reflectors operate differently than the other types, and since we make up only 1% of the population there's not a lot out there to support our type. That's why Reflector By Design exists! Here you'll find dozens of blog posts specifically about the qualities, experience, and gifts of Reflectors. Not to mention the more in-depth programs we have, like Reflector Essentials. All created to bring out the truest self of each and every Reflector.

So here we are. If you're that friend who loves sharing Human Design with others and want an easy way to explain it, please share this post far and wide. Because the true Human Design secret is that the more we each live the way we were uniquely designed to, the more incredible and limitless our collective life experience will become.