What is Human Design?
Many of us strive to get to know ourselves better. Among other things, we would like to know what makes us special, how we can overcome challenges in our lives, how to accept and love ourselves. Loving oneself is not a vanity or egocentrism. It is a need. Sadly, when we are born, we learn how to respond to someone else’s expectations and opinions. We often follow rules which are not in accordance with our true nature. We are deemed to be like everyone else and we neglect our individual value. Gradually with age, we begin to forget who we are and what our personal purpose is. I do not mean to sound rebellious, just realistic.
Human Design offers an alternative way of developing self-knowledge and living a life in harmony with one’s true self. It is fundamentally different from anything else. The knowledge of Human Design helps us reach our potential to live and love ourselves and follow our unique path in life. What makes Human Design so unique is that it is a synthesis of the traditional with nontraditional; scientific with mystical; old with new. It combines knowledge from Genetics, Hindu-Brahmanism, Kabbalah, Chinese I ‘Ching, Quantum Physics, and Astrology. It provides practical means and information which help us live in line with our unique personalities and inner wisdom. Human Design is not a belief system, but a practical, logical system.
The Four Main Human Design Types
The system of Human Design generally splits people into four types - Generators (70% Pop.), Projectors (20% Pop.), Manifestors (8% Pop.), and Reflectors (1% Pop.). Each type has different mechanisms of functioning. Even their names sound as if they have been taken from out of a mechanics manual. Generators generate life force; Projectors illuminate the path for others and guide; Reflectors reflect, mirror those around; Manifestors, manifest.
The Generator’s aura is open and embracing, in order to allow opportunities to approach and either accept them or not. A Generator’s strategy is to respond or not. When a Generator follows their strategy, they feel satisfied and they spread that satisfaction to those around, instead of feeling stuck and frustrated. A Projector’s aura is penetrating and is directed to others. Projectors are interested in others and their gift is to guide by recognising the potential and energy in others. Their question is: Who is the other? To be able to achieve this, the Projector needs to be recognised and invited in order to be successful and to avoid bitterness. The Projector strategy is to wait for an invitation. A Manifestor’s aura is closed and repelling, provoking suspicion in others. It is closed in order to protect its uniqueness from outer influences. Let’s say a Generator comes into contact with a Manifestor. The Generators open and embracing aura will shrink. This happens mechanically, not intentionally. The natural interaction of both auras leads to an unconscious resistance in the Generator. Generators can’t sense what the Manifestor will do, thus prefer to withdraw. This results in the Manifestor’s dilemma – Manifestors need to integrate, however, the world not only resists them but also tries to control them. Tension builds up and can provoke anger in the Manifestor. And here comes the Manifestors strategy, to inform, to inform before taking an action. This allows the Manifestors to evaluate what is the right thing for them is, and how it will impact others. In this way, they will be able to enjoy peace. A Reflector’s aura is testing and reflecting. It works pretty much like a sieve. It samples in order to evaluate and thus Reflectors have a central role in each community. They act like barometers for the physical, emotional, spiritual, mental health and wealth of a community. Generators, Projectors, and Manifestors are Solar types, while Reflectors are Lunar types. Their strategy is to wait the duration of a moon cycle (around 28 days) before making an important decision. When it comes to making mundane decisions, it is enough for them to do what makes them feel well at the moment. When Reflectors follow their strategy they experience surprises and avoid disappointments. 
The Human Design Body Chart
The Human Design chart, also called a Bodygraph is a kind of map. It includes 9 centres which are connected to specific qualities and areas of life. The most important ones are:
The Root centre (the first one at the bottom) is related to life fuels, drive, pressure, physical restlessness, stress etc.The Sacral centre (the one above the root) generates life itself. It is a life force centre.The Spleen (the triangle on your left) is connected to instinct based on cellular memory accumulated in us and inherited from mammals; intuition and fears. It related to our physical wellbeing right here and now.The Solar Plexus (the triangle on your right) generates emotions. It shows ways in which we relate to our own emotions and thus connect to those of others. It relates to social-emotional wellbeing.The Ego/Heart centre (the triangle above the Solar Plexus) relates to will power, ego; muscular tension, strength or weakness; abundance or lack of abundance.The G centre (the square in the middle of the body graph) relates to our direction in life, love, identity.The Throat centre (the third centre from the top) relates to manifestation through words and/or deeds; communication.The Ajna centre (the second triangle from the top) is connected to conceptualisation, rationalisation, sensing; the different form of mental activity.The Head centre (the first at the top) is linked to mental activities driven by doubt, suspicion, confusion and search of inner truth; mental uneasiness and pressure to know, understand, make sense of things.
Depending on individual activations in the chart, centres can be connected by channels. Channels represent a specific quality that one may constantly rely on if activated in the chart. The channels connect two centres and activate, define them. You will see them coloured in your chart. Every channel comprises of two gates. (Channel AB comprises of gate A and gate B) Thus, the frequency of the quality of the channel is a kind of “mixture”, quantum of the frequencies of the gates. If you have a single gate activated in your chart in a defined centre, it is a “hanging” capacity that looks to meet the correct “hanging “potential from the other side of the channel, in order to live its special quality. It is like two hands that would like to shake. If a centre is not defined, appears white in your chart, it means that it is not connected to any other centre by a channel. It is open. If there are gates activated in an open centre, these gates are dormant. They have a “sleeping” capacity which waits for the right interaction from the opposing gate, in order to live out its potential. It is waiting to be integrated. The hanging and dormant gates are the reason we look for something we feel we need or lack. Very often people around us who carry the exact gate/ “hand” we would like to connect with and shake. This is the so-called electromagnetics. We are interconnected. This is just a basic overview of the Human Design chart. It aims to provide you with a taste of the abundance of details and notions. The Bodygraph provides exhaustive information. Each little thing adds to another and “reading” the chart is a complex task which requires knowledge, special focus and qualifications.