How to Read Human Design Chart? A Personal Guide to Chart Reading

Sunil B
By Sunil B
23 Min Read
how to read human design chart

We all struggle with our identity and our true purpose in this world. Sometimes, the lingering feeling of dissatisfaction and sadness never goes away.

You keep wondering if this is what you really are. Is this what you are born to do? Why do you keep making mistakes?

The human design answers all of these questions. It takes you on a wild ride and gives you a clear picture of your personality, design, and all the elements controlling your emotions, drive, and decision-making skills.

This article is all about helping you learn how to read your bodygraph and live your life in synchronism with your core Human Design. 

What is Human Design?

Human Design is a cool personality analysis system that takes a mix of astrology, Kabbalah, I’Ching, genetics, and the chakra.

Ra Uru Hu introduced this popular technique for personal growth and self-discovery back in 1987. 

You can get your own chart for self-analysis by using details like your name, time, date, and place of birth.

The chart helps you have a deeper insight into your emotions, personality, and behavior.

Specifically, it tells you why you tick the way you do, how you make decisions, and what parts of your personality play a role in your relationship.

ra uru hu

Importance of Understanding One’s Human Design Chart

If you often wonder about your purpose on this earth, the human design chart spills the beans and gives you some major answers about yourself. However, it can be helpful in more ways, as described below. 

Gives You Superpower to Make Better Decisions

Once you know your life purpose, you will learn to make better decisions in every aspect, including career, love, relationship, family, and more.

Knowing yourself at a deeper level further makes you feel more empowered and confident, attributes that are pretty important to achieve your goals. 

Tells Your Design 

The chart tells you how you are wired and how it affects everything around you. When I say design, it means how the universe has designed us to take certain actions. It’s like reading your instruction manual to live your life better. 

Helps You Improve Your Relationships

The human design chart is a blueprint of your unique energy that dictates your emotional needs and the way you communicate with others.

For example, some people prefer to hide their emotions, while some people have intense feelings but are too shy to express those feelings.

You can use the tool to understand the unique energy blueprint of the people you love and improve your relationship.

Highlights Societal Conditioning and Limiting Beliefs

Limiting beliefs is deeply connected with your personality and emotions. The human design chart gives you a clearer view of your unique talents and true nature rather than what you believe. 

I am not saying your beliefs are invalid, but there is a huge chance it revolves around how you are conditioned.

Let’s say you dream of a sports car, but does this desire have anything to do with your inner personality, or because you are conditioned by society that your life is only fulfilled by living a luxurious lifestyle?

Once you understand your human design chart and your not-self theme, you can make a wise choice without any conflict between your heart and mind. 

How to obtain the Human Design Chart

It’s simple. There are hundreds of websites offering free readings. Here is a link for you to get your human design chart.

  • Enter the website URL in browser
  • Enter your full name, date and time of birth, and your email address.
  • Enter “show my results.”

I have attached my personal human design chart as a reference.

human design chart

This is how your results will appear on the screen.

Now follow the key concepts and components mentioned below to know what your chart tells about you.

How to Read Your Human Design Chart?

Let me help you learn how to read your Human Design Chart by understanding the following concepts. 

Channels and Gates

Gates represent a connected network of channels, with each holding a unique energy or behavioral trait.

All red ones are unconscious gates, and they also represent the design. The black ones represent your conscious or min/personality.

A gate that represents both your personality and design is colored in red and black lines.

Then there are defined gates that combine the characteristics of two gates, giving birth to the third energy.

It is also defined as the center of both ends. If you don’t have any defined channel connecting to another channel, you have an undefined center. 

Design and Personality

If you look carefully at the chart, you will see a column of numbers displayed on each side of the bodygraph named design and Personality.

They represent the position of the planets, sun, moon, earth, and south & north nodes of the moon. 

The left column (design) represents our unconscious definition, while the right column (personality) defines our conscious self.

While in astrology, we consider only the natal chart, Human design considers two elements:

  • Your birth date and time for conscious definition
  • 88 days before your birth for unconscious definition

Your personality is what you are consciously aware of. It is what you think you are. Meanwhile, your design is your unconscious definition.

It is something you start to learn about yourself when people point it out to you. Some of your unconscious definitions are passed down to you genetically.

Although you have no control over what you receive from your ancestors, you can certainly work to redesign it.

Energy centers

The human design system identifies nine centers in the bodygraph spreading through our body.

Each of these centers is governed by some specific energies. Together, they influence various functions of our body.

energy centers human design

The colored portion of the energy center in the chart describes Who We Are. 

Meanwhile, if the center is undefined, there is no consistency in possessing its energies.

The open centers are where we receive our deepest conditioning. It could be a source of our resistance or suffering.

However, once you start to respect your design mechanism, the open centers become a source of wisdom and knowledge.

The human design system shows nine centers in the bodygraph spreading through our body.

Each of these centers is governed by some specific energies which affect the functions of our body.

A simplified overview of Open Centers

Head Center

Head center rules attributes like inspiration, mental pressure, and critical thinking. An undefined head center can make you think of unnecessary things and end up with a head full of questions. 

Ajna Center

Your Anja center defines how you analyze a situation and process information. An undefined Ajna center could signify that you have little control over your thought processing and analysis.

Throat Center

With this defined center, you thrive in communication and manifestation. If it’s undefined, that means you have no consistency in taking action to achieve your goals but have flexible communication skills.

G CENTER

The G center is located in the middle of your body. It defines your unique identity and persuades you to take a certain direction in life. An undefined G Center is often associated with a weak identity.

Heart center

The heart center, aka the ego center, controls your self-esteem, willpower, and ego. It helps you survive in a materialistic world. An undefined heart center indicates you have low self-esteem and you often undermine yourself.

Sacral Center

A defined sacral center powers your sexuality, vitality, and will to persist. If your sacral center is undefined, it could indicate an inconsistency in vitality.

That means you don’t know when you will stop and relax. You continue to overdo things, including working, eating, and other aspects of your life. 

Root Center

The root center controls your drive and physical pressure. If your root center is undefined, you often do things as fast as you can when under pressure.

Spleen Center

Spleen revolves around your center of instinct, intuition, and survival. An undefined sleep center shows you are easily vulnerable to trauma and fear.

Solar Plexus Center

The solar plexus center rules your emotions and mental state. If it’s undefined, it means you are likely to feel intense emotions, even in small matters. 

Mandala

Mandala is a visual representation of the human design system that helps you read and interpret the chart more easily.

Components of a Mandala

The inner wheel: It is represented by 12 zodiac signs. Unlike traditional astrology, the interpretation of these signs is different. 

The outer wheel: It includes 64 hexagrams of I’Ching, with each hexagram indicating some form of energy. These energies are related to your genetic code and 64 codons of your DNA.

Bodygraph: It is located in the middle of the Mandala. Every person has a uniquely activated hexagram determined by the position of the planet during the time of their birth. It is comprised of 9 centers, 36 channels, and 64 gates.

Types of human design systems

Your chart will describe your Type at the top. There are five human design systems, and knowing your Type is like decoding your personal programming to thrive in this world. 

Five Human Design Energy Types

Generators

Generators are born to build. They love to solve problems or take on a challenge. There is a consistent flow of energy in their sacral chakra. It makes them prone to overwork and risk burnout. Therefore, minding good health is necessary for Generators. 

Generators must save their sacral energy from wasting on commitments beyond their capability. Your ideal strategy is to wait before saying Yes to anything. 

Strategy: To wait to respond

Manifestors

Manifestors are lone wolves, always on a mission to make a big impact and fix things but without all that interference. You love to plan things on your own without seeking advice from others. 

Your secret weapon is the “informing before acting” strategy. That’s how you roll, managing people like a boss. By sharing your plans upfront, you avoid those pesky last-minute hurdles and keep the flow going.

Strategy: To Inform others before taking actions

Manifesting Generators

Manifesting Generators have the characteristics of a Generator and a Manifester. You’re all about what brings you joy and satisfaction.

With your sacral life force, you have got that hardworking Generator spirit, but your Manifestor can speak things into reality. 

You have got this amazing knack for knowing what’s working in your favor. So you don’t end up with too much on your plate. 

Strategy: To Respond, Then Inform

projectors human design

Projectors

If finding your inner desire and skills is a struggle, you might be a Projector. But that doesn’t make you any less than Generators and Manifestors.

In fact, Projectors are highly sought-after skilled individuals and leaders, challenged a bit by their lack of consistency.

As a Projector, waiting for recognition is your key to success. Once you allow the pieces to fall, you will shine as a natural guide, manager, and director. 

Strategy: To wait for the invitation

Reflectors 

Reflectors are rare gems in the human design system. They are oversensitive and feel vulnerable to negative energies. A reflector’s aura picks up energies around it and reflects into the world, hence the name. 

As a Reflector, you’re like an energy sponge, soaking up everything and aligning with it. You may quickly get influenced by others and make hefty decisions only to repent later. That’s why the moon cycle is your best friend. For you, living in alignment is to wait for a full moon cycle before acting on any decision.

Strategy: To wait for a full Lunar Cycle before taking any decision 

Authority 

The human design system has eight inner authority that dictates a person’s decision-making skills.

Solar plexus- emotional

People with emotional authority are masters of their emotions. You are pretty adaptable to your feelings. You can easily accept your feelings and release them at ease, which most people struggle with.

Sacral

You are likely to have a sacral inner authority if you are among the generators or manifesting generators. With abundant energies in your sacral, you can easily realize what works for you. This gives you an upper hand in your career, relationship, and other aspects of life. 

Splenic

Have you ever had a feeling that something is not right? You may have a splenic inner authority. It is an instinctual authority that keeps you away from emotional harm. You live in the present and are well aware of everything happening.

Ego-Manifested

Ego-manifested individuals make decisions from their hearts, taking their sweet time before speaking up.

However, this inner authority holds them back from expressing emotions and reaching goals.

If your chart shows this Authority, it’s time to let go of your limiting beliefs and extreme self-awareness for a while and speak up without hesitation. 

Ego-projected

This type of authority brings in a strong sense of ego. This trait can mostly be seen in projectors who thrive on the opportunity of the right invitation. If you have an Ego-projected authority, try to pause before you initiate a task; it may uncover a new form of happiness.

Self-Projected

You are the master of your own guidance. You discover your inner authority as you speak and learn from it. So, go ahead and speak your mind and let it guide you in the right decision in life.

None (projectors)

If you are a Projector with no inner authority, that means you lack a flow of communication. This can severely impact your decision-making skills. 

Don’t be sad! 

All you have to do is to embrace communication as your guiding force. Open up to your close ones to channel your inner authority, and your decision-making skills will flow naturally.

None (reflectors)

As I mentioned earlier, the lunar cycle is your guide. Surround yourself with positive influences and try to find stability through the moon.

All it takes is to learn and track the moon’s cycles to make decisions in sync with its position.

Profile (Roles and Incarnations)

The profile is the last key yet most powerful one in the human design cycle. Even if you have the same design as others, the profile number can change the whole game, leading to a whole new interpretation of your design and personality.

Your profile line numbers are written as 1/3, 2/5, 2/3, and so on. The first number represents your conscious personality, and the second number influences your unconscious design.

Line 1: Investigator

It indicates that you are very creative and grounded. You never make a decision only after you gather enough evidence about it.

Line 2: Hermit 

If you are a hermit, it means you thrive in solitude.

Line 3: Martyr 

Martyrs believe in the theory of eternal knowledge. You learn and evolve every day.

LINE 4: Opportunist

Line 4 revolves around networking and relationship building. You are reliable and hold an influential position in your community or career.

Line 5: Heretic 

You have excellent leadership qualities if you are a heretic. You have a strong potential to learn new information and have the personality to speak your mind.

Line 6: Role Model 

The sixth line comes with three distinct phases. You will likely enter a new phase every 30 years, bringing new experiences and opportunities.

That’s it! This much information is enough for you to get started with your personal Chart for self-analysis. 

Conclusion

Once you learn how to read Human Design Chart, it opens up a whole world of self-discovery and personal growth.

Understanding the various aspects of your chart gives you valuable insights into your true nature, strengths, and unique potential.

However, for accurate interpretation, I recommend exploring additional books and resources on Human Design. Or, seek guidance from a Human Design expert to save time. Best of luck on your journey to connect with yourself and the universe! 

FAQs

What do the numbers mean in Human Design?

Numbers on each side of the BodyGraph represent certain elements and characteristics of a person.

The numbers on the left are from your unconscious gates, representing your body or Design. The numbers to the right of the BodyGraph are your conscious gates. They represent your personality or mind. 

What is the rarest Human Design profile?

Reflectors are the rarest in the Human Design System, making up only 1% of the human population.

They are born with an open inactive energy or awareness center. Since they don’t have their unique pattern, they constantly take on the energies and emotions of other people.

But what makes them unique is their electromagnetic aura. The reflector’s aura is ‘resistant,’ which works as a protective mechanism.

That means they sample the aura of people around them by taking a small piece of it and reflecting it all back. 

What is line 6 in Human Design?

Line 6 is called the “Role Model” in Human Design. Role Model sees the bigger picture by learning from their experience. They live their life in three distinct stages. 

The first stage ranges from their birth to around their thirties. In this stage, they try everything and learn what works and doesn’t. 

In the second stage, they slow down a bit to reflect upon all their life experiences. They make big decisions in this stage, such as their job, move, marriage, and business. 

The third stage starts in their fifties. In this stage, they again begin to live their life more, but with a more experienced person. 

What is Gift 2 in Human Design?

Gift 2 or Gate 2 is “the Direction of Self,” located in the G or Identity Center.

A person with activated Gate 2 has a natural ability to follow their intuition and path. They have a strong sense of self-direction and individuality.

These people are highly capable of innovation and creation. They often think outside the box and don’t hesitate to follow their impulses.

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