Human Design Encyclopedia
Learn to read a bodygraph one building block at a time: your Type, your Authority, the nine centers, and every gate, channel and cross. Then read your own chart, and the charts of the people in your life.
453 articles in 11 modules, plus 26 guides
Popular:The five TypesEmotional authorityStrategyFind your Variable
From first look to living it
Eleven modules, each building on the last. Start at the top, or jump straight to your Type, your Authority or any gate.
Module 1Beginner9 articles, 51 min of reading First steps
New to Human Design? Start here. A short crash course through the whole chart: what Human Design is, the Types, the centers, gates and channels, profiles, and how to live it.
Open the crash courseModule 2Beginner5 articles, 26 min of reading Type and Strategy
Five Types, five ways your aura meets the world. Your Type gives you a Strategy, the simple way to engage life without resistance.
Explore the five Types- GeneratorThe life force of the planetStrategyTo respondFeels right: SatisfactionOff track: Frustration4 min read
- Manifesting GeneratorSacral power with a manifesting edgeStrategyTo respondFeels right: SatisfactionOff track: Frustration5 min read
- ProjectorThe guideStrategyTo wait for the invitationFeels right: SuccessOff track: Bitterness6 min read
- ManifestorThe initiatorStrategyTo informFeels right: PeaceOff track: Anger5 min read
- ReflectorThe mirrorStrategyTo wait a lunar cycleFeels right: SurpriseOff track: Disappointment6 min read
Module 3Beginner7 articles, 40 min of reading Authority
Your inner decision-maker: the center in your chart that knows what is right for you, so your mind does not have to.
Explore Authority1EmotionalSolar PlexusThere is no truth in the now — wait for the emotional wave to settle.5 min
2SacralSacralTrust the gut response in the moment — the body's immediate yes and no.6 min
3SplenicSpleenThe quiet, instant knowing — it speaks once, in the present, and moves on.6 min
4EgoHeartDecisions driven by genuine will — what you truly want and can commit to.6 min
5Self-ProjectedG CenterSpeak it aloud — clarity about an invitation lives in your own voice.6 min
6EnvironmentalNo inner authorityClarity emerges by talking decisions through across people and places.5 min
Module 4Beginner9 articles, 31 min of reading The nine centers
The energy hubs of the bodygraph. Which are defined and which are open shapes how you run your energy, and what you take in from others.
Explore the nine centersAn example chart. Point at a center to find it. A center colored in on your chart is defined: energy you carry and can rely on. A white center is open: where you take in and amplify the people around you.
- HeadPressureMental pressure and inspiration3 min
- AjnaAwarenessConceptualizing and interpreting3 min
- ThroatManifestationCommunication and action4 min
- GIdentityLove, identity and direction3 min
- HeartMotorWillpower and the material world3 min
- Solar PlexusMotor and awarenessEmotions, feelings and sensitivity3 min
- SacralMotorLife force and response4 min
- SpleenAwarenessInstinct, intuition and well-being4 min
- RootPressure and motorAdrenal pressure and momentum4 min
Module 5Intermediate18 articles, 1 h 40 min of reading Profiles and lines
The role you play. Six lines, paired up, make the twelve profiles: how you learn, how you meet people and how you find your way.
Explore profiles and linesThe six linesEvery hexagram is built from six lines, read from the bottom up. Each line is a role.
- Line 1InvestigatorBuilds a solid foundation by investigating until it feels secure.4 min
- Line 2HermitCarries natural gifts it cannot see, called out by others.5 min
- Line 3MartyrLearns through trial, error and the bonds made and broken.6 min
- Line 4OpportunistMoves through its network — life comes through relationships.6 min
- Line 5HereticLives in a projection field; delivers practical solutions.7 min
- Line 6Role ModelGrows through three life stages into embodied authority.7 min
Twelve profiles, two lines each
Personality line, the conscious youDesign line, the body
Right Angle
A personal destiny, lived for its own sake
- Investigator / MartyrInvestigates for a solid foundation, then tests it against reality.
- Investigator / OpportunistBuilds researched knowledge and shares it through trusted relationships.
- Hermit / OpportunistNatural gifts drawn out of solitude through the right relationships.
- Hermit / HereticWants to be left in peace, yet others project a saviour onto it.
- Martyr / HereticTurns lived experience into practical guidance others need.
- Martyr / Role ModelTrial and error distilled, over three stages, into embodied authority.
- Opportunist / Role ModelBuilds everything through relationships toward becoming a model.
Juxtaposition
A fixed fate, between the personal and the transpersonal
Left Angle
A transpersonal destiny, lived through others
- Heretic / InvestigatorBuilds a foundation, then emerges to offer what it makes possible.
- Heretic / HermitMagnetically mysterious — solitude is structural, not preference.
- Role Model / HermitObservation and natural talent maturing into demonstrated authority.
- Role Model / MartyrAspires to a standard while trial and error keeps testing it.
Module 6Intermediate36 articles, 3 h 3 min of reading The 36 channels
A channel joins two gates and two centers. When both of its gates are activated it is defined: a steady gift, drive and rhythm that is always yours.
Explore all 36 channelsIndividual Circuit GroupEmpowerment
Mutation and empowerment: the new that comes through one person
- InspirationA Design of a Creative Role Model
- The BeatA Design of being a Keeper of Keys
- OpennessA Design of a Social Being
- ExplorationA Design of Following One’s Convictions
- StruggleA Design of Stubbornness
- EmotingA Design of Moodiness
- StructuringA Design of Individuality (from Genius to Freak)
- InitiationA Design of Needing to be First
- The BrainwaveA Design of Penetrating Awareness
- MutationA Design of Energy which Initiates and Fluctuates
- AwarenessA Design of a Thinker
Collective Circuit GroupSharing
Sharing: logic and experience, carried for everyone
- RhythmA Design of Being in the Flow
- The AlphaA Design of Leadership for ‘Good or Bad’
- CuriosityA Design of a Searcher
- The ProdigalA Design of a Witness
- AcceptanceA Design of an Organizational Being
- DiscoveryA Design of Succeeding where Others Fail
- TransitorinessA Design of a ‘Jack of all Trades’
- RecognitionA Design of Focused Energy (Feelings)
- The WavelengthA Design of Talent
- ConcentrationA Design of Determination
- MaturationA Design of Balanced Development
- JudgmentA Design of Insatiability
- LogicA Design of Mental Ease mixed with Doubt
- AbstractionA Design of Mental Activity mixed with Clarity
Tribal Circuit GroupSupport
Support: the bargains of family, community and work
Integration ChannelsSelf-Empowerment
Self-empowerment: survival through being yourself
Module 7Intermediate67 articles, 6 h 30 min of reading The 64 gates
The 64 hexagrams of the I Ching, each a specific energy sitting in one of the nine centers. The gates the planets stood in at your birth are colored in on your chart.
Explore all 64 gates- Head3 gatesGate 61MysteryGate 63DoubtGate 64Confusion
- Ajna6 gatesGate 4FormulizationGate 11IdeasGate 17OpinionGate 24RationalizationGate 43InsightGate 47Realization
- Throat11 gatesGate 8ContributionGate 12CautionGate 16SkillsGate 20The NowGate 23AssimilationGate 31LeadingGate 33PrivacyGate 35ChangeGate 45The GathererGate 56StimulationGate 62Details
- G8 gatesGate 1Self-ExpressionGate 2The Direction of the SelfGate 7The Role of the Self in InteractionGate 10The Behavior of the SelfGate 13The ListenerGate 15ExtremesGate 25The Spirit of the SelfGate 46The Determination of the Self
- Heart4 gatesGate 21The Hunter/HuntressGate 26The EgoistGate 40AlonenessGate 51Shock
- Solar Plexus7 gatesGate 6FrictionGate 22OpennessGate 30FeelingsGate 36CrisisGate 37FriendshipGate 49PrinciplesGate 55Spirit
- Sacral9 gatesGate 3OrderingGate 5Fixed PatternsGate 9Energy for DetailGate 14Power SkillsGate 27CaringGate 29PerseveranceGate 34PowerGate 42GrowthGate 59Sexuality
- Spleen7 gatesGate 18CorrectionGate 28The Game PlayerGate 32ContinuityGate 44AlertnessGate 48DepthGate 50ValuesGate 57Intuitive Clarity
- Root9 gatesGate 19WantingGate 38The FighterGate 39ProvocationGate 41ContractionGate 52StillnessGate 53BeginningsGate 54DriveGate 58VitalityGate 60Acceptance
Module 8Intermediate5 articles, 15 min of reading Definition
How your defined centers connect: all in one piece, or in separate areas that look for a bridge.
Explore definition- Single~41% of peopleAll defined centers connect in one continuous circuit — self-contained.3 min read
- Split~46% of peopleTwo separate defined areas — the aura seeks what bridges the gap.3 min read
- Triple Split~11% of peopleThree defined areas — clarity comes from many inputs and takes time.3 min read
- Quadruple Split~1% of peopleFour defined areas — slow, deep integration that carries weight.3 min read
- No Definition~1% of peopleNo fixed definition — a Reflector's wholly open, sampling design.3 min read
Module 9Advanced192 articles, 18 h 34 min of reading Incarnation Crosses
Your life theme, drawn from the gates of the Sun and Earth on both sides of your chart.
Browse all 192 crosses- Right AngleProfiles 1/3 to 4/664crossesA personal destiny. Life is lived for its own sake, and others learn by watching.ConsciousnessMayaServiceThe Sleeping Phoenix
- JuxtapositionProfiles 4/1 only64crossesA fixed fate. One narrow, specific path, the bridge between the personal and the transpersonal.AlertnessCrisisInfluenceProvocation
- Left AngleProfiles 5/1 to 6/364crossesA transpersonal destiny. Purpose is met through other people and what happens between you.AlignmentDualityInformingSeparation
Module 10Advanced73 articles, 4 h 25 min of reading Variables
The four arrows beside the head: how your brain is fed, where your body thrives, how you see and what moves your mind.
Start with the VariableStart hereFour arrows beside the head, each pointing left or right.Your Variable is written as a code of six letters. Learn where the arrows sit, which way yours point, and how the code reads.PPersonalityLSun arrowRNodes arrow/DDesignRSun arrowLNodes arrowHow to Find Your Variable4 minHow to Read Variables3 minThe four arrows, six Colors each
Laid out as they sit on your chart: Design on the left, Personality on the right, the Sun's arrows above the Nodes'. Each arrow points left or right and carries one of six Colors.
- Design, Design Sun, ColorDetermination12 articlesHow your body is designed to take in food, and with it how your brain is fedLeft: ActiveRight: Passive
- 1AppetiteThe oldest digestive system
- 2TasteA set menu, day after day
- 3ThirstThe regimen of temperature
- 4TouchThe first Circumstance regimen
- 5SoundThe sound around a meal
- 6LightThe most sensitive regimen
CognitionDesign Sun, Tone: the sense your body takes the world in with - Personality, Personality Sun, ColorMotivation12 articlesWhy your mind does what it does, and the motive that was never yoursLeft: StrategicRight: Receptive
- 1FearDigs in to find out what is real
- 2HopeTrusts life to unfold
- 3DesireDriven to engage
- 4NeedMoved by what is essential now
- 5GuiltMoved to fix what is broken
- 6InnocenceNo inherent agenda
Personality SensePersonality Sun, Tone: the frame your mind organizes everything in - Design, Design Nodes, ColorEnvironment6 articlesThe place where your body heals, settles and meets the right peopleLeft: ObservedRight: Observer
- Personality, Personality Nodes, ColorPerspective6 articlesWhat your mind is designed to see when it looks at the worldLeft: FocusedRight: Peripheral
Eight quadrants, two arrows on one level
8 articles
DependentThe top arrows: brain and mind
IndependentThe bottom arrows: environment and view
Four story linesYour environment with your view: the life you are dropped into.
- Design, Design Sun, ColorDetermination12 articlesHow your body is designed to take in food, and with it how your brain is fedLeft: ActiveRight: Passive
Module 11Advanced32 articles, 2 h 32 min of reading The 32 Nodal Environments
The North and South Nodes set the stage of your life: the environment, the people in the background and the world you are attuned to, in which your purpose is fulfilled.
Explore the NodesTwo directions the life reads differently from each South Node Channel the two gates form one channel
- 13 7The Fellowship of Man · The ArmyTwo directions
- 49 4Revolution · Youthful FollyTwo directions
- 30 29The Clinging Fire · The AbysmalTwo directions
- 55 59Abundance · DispersionTwo directions
- 37 40The Family · DeliveranceTwo directionsChannel of Community
- 63 64After Completion · Before CompletionTwo directions
- 22 47Grace · OppressionTwo directions
- 36 6The Darkening of the Light · Conflict
- 25 46Innocence · Pushing Upward
- 17 18Following · Work on What Has Been Spoilt
- 21 48Biting Through · The Well
- 51 57The Arousing · The Gentle
- 42 32Increase · Duration
- 3 50Difficulty at the Beginning · The CauldronTwo directions
- 27 28Nourishment · Preponderance of the GreatTwo directions
- 24 44Returning · Coming to Meet
- 2 1The Receptive · The Creative
- 23 43Splitting Apart · BreakthroughChannel of Structuring
- 8 14Holding Together · Possession in Great Measure
- 20 34Contemplation · The Power of the GreatChannel of Charisma
- 16 9Enthusiasm · The Taming Power of the Small
- 35 5Progress · Waiting
- 45 26Gathering Together · The Taming Power of the Great
- 12 11Standstill · Peace
- 15 10Modesty · Treading
- 52 58Keeping Still · The Joyous
- 39 38Obstruction · Opposition
- 53 54Development · The Marrying Maiden
- 62 61Preponderance of the Small · Inner Truth
- 56 60The Wanderer · LimitationTwo directions
- 31 41Influence · Decrease
- 33 19Retreat · Approach
Human Design by theme
Human Design is an experiment you run in daily life. 26 guides take it into love, work, money, family and growth.
4 guides26 min of reading
Reading your chart
Find your way around the bodygraph, learn your Strategy, and begin the experiment.
2 guides12 min of reading
Love and relationships
How two designs meet, what each brings to the other, and what happens in between.
2 guides11 min of reading
Career and purpose
Work that fits the way your energy is built, and a business run with heart.
1 guide5 min of reading
Money and abundance
Finances and abundance through the lens of your design.
2 guides12 min of reading
Family and home
Raising children as who they are, and living with the animals you love.
5 guides30 min of reading
Growth and authenticity
Becoming yourself: differentiation, choice, and the long road of the experiment.
5 guides25 min of reading
Mind and awareness
Thinking, perspective and presence, without the mind in charge of your life.
3 guides19 min of reading
Body and everyday life
Health, habits and style, the experiment in daily life.
2 guides11 min of reading
Human Design and Gene Keys
How the two systems relate, side by side.
What you will find in the articles
Each article takes one piece of the chart and shows how it works in a real life, yours or someone close to you. The foundations, from your Type to the 192 crosses, are free for everyone. The Variable lessons open for free and continue with the pass.
Free for everyone
- The heart of itWhat it is and what it means for you, in plain words, before any detail.
- Where it sits on your bodygraphA diagram of the gate, channel or center, so you can spot it in your own chart.
- How it shows up in a chartDefined or open, conscious or unconscious, and what changes when it is activated.
- The high and the low expressionThe gift when it is lived correctly, and the not-self when it is not.
- Working with it in daily lifeSmall, practical ways to run the experiment for yourself.
With the pass: the Variable lessons
- Every Color and ToneThe six Colors of each arrow, and the six Tones of Cognition and Personality Sense, each in full.
- Quadrants and story linesHow two arrows work together: brain and mind, environment and view.
- The sixteen VariablesYour whole four-arrow code read as one.
- TransferenceThe partner Color the mind pulls you towards, and how to notice it.
- The deeper mechanicsColor, Tone and Base, the magic square and the nine-centered order.
- The Variables glossaryEvery term of the Variable in one place.
Learn with your own chart open
Every article makes more sense next to your own bodygraph. Create your chart for free, then come back and read it, piece by piece.
Free, and ready in under a minute.