Each Human Design Type has a not-self theme, which is an indicator of when you're out of alignment. For example:

• Manifestors experience anger when they are not acting in alignment.
• Generators and Manifesting Generators experience frustration.
• Projectors feel bitterness.
• Reflectors feel disappointment.

Not-self themes act as warning signs, helping you recognize when you’re off track so you can course-correct.

Each Human Design Type has a specific strategy to follow that optimizes how you use your energy. Understanding and applying your strategy allows you to move through life with more ease. For example:

• Manifestors are designed to inform others before taking action.
• Generators and Manifesting Generators are designed to respond to what comes toward them in life rather than initiate.
• Projectors are designed to wait for invitations from others to share their insights.
• Reflectors are designed to wait a full lunar cycle before making major decisions and to follow what brings them joy with smaller decisions.

By following your strategy, you can align with your natural energy and reduce frustration.

In addition to your type and strategy, you will have an authority. Your authority is the way that you are designed to make decisions and helps you make choices that are right for you. There are several authorities, including:

• Emotional Authority (waiting for emotional clarity)
• Sacral Authority (gut instinct)
• Splenic Authority (intuitive hits in the moment)
• Ego Authority (making decisions based on willpower and heart)
• Self-Projected Authority (using your identity and self-expression to guide decisions)
• Mental Authority (distinguished by its reliance on mental processes and environmental feedback)
• Lunar Authority (Reflectors only and tied to the moon cycle)

Understanding your authority helps you make decisions that are aligned with your authentic self. For a deeper dive into your Human Design Authority, click HERE.

Your profile is a combination of two numbers (such as 1/3, 2/4, 5/1) that represent how you are meant to experience life. It’s like the role you are meant to play in the world. The first number relates to your personal process, and the second number is how others perceive you. The numbers range from 1 to 6, each representing a unique energy:

• 1: The Investigator – Driven to gain security through knowledge and research.
• 2: The Hermit – Naturally talented, needing time for solitude to recharge.
• 3: The Martyr – Learns through trial and error, embracing life’s ups and downs.
• 4: The Opportunist – Builds influence and success through connections and networks.
• 5: The Heretic – Known for providing practical solutions to collective problems.
• 6: The Role Model – Lives in stages, eventually becoming a guide for others through lived experience.

Each profile has unique strengths and challenges. Some are here to investigate and experiment (such as the 1/3 profile), while others are meant to network and connect (such as the 2/4 profile). For a deeper dive into understanding your Profile, click HERE.

All Human Design charts include nine energy centers, which are similar to the chakras. These centers can be either defined (colored in) or undefined (white). Defined centers show the areas where you will have consistent energy, while your undefined centers reflect where you will have a tendency to take on more societal conditioning and be more influenced by others. The centers represent different aspects of life:

• Head (inspiration, thinking)
• Ajna (ideas, opinions)
• Throat (communication)
• G Center (identity, direction)
• Ego (willpower, ego)
• Sacral (life force, creativity)
• Solar Plexus (emotions)
• Spleen (intuition, health)
• Root (stress, drive)

Knowing which centers are defined and undefined in your Human Design chart can help you understand where you have more consistent energy and where you may be influenced more by external forces.

Channels are the lines that connect two centers in your chart. If you have a defined channel, it means you have energy between those two centers that flows continuously. Channels reveal key themes in your life, like your talents or challenges. For example, someone with the 34-20 channel might feel a constant urge to take quick action, while someone with the 35-36 channel might experience cycles of emotional adventure.

Each center contains gates, and these gates can either be active (colored in) or dormant (white). Active (or colored in) gates in your Human Design chart show where you may have specific traits and tendencies. For instance, Gate 22 is associated with grace and emotional depth, while Gate 57 is tied to intuitive awareness. The gates bring a deeper understanding of your unique characteristics, allowing you to tap into your natural abilities more effectively.

Your Incarnation Cross is like your life’s theme or purpose. It combines four of your most important gates and represents the energies that shape your life path. While it may not be immediately clear when you're just starting out with learning about Human Design, learning about your Incarnation Cross over time helps you see patterns in your experiences and understand the broader purpose of your life journey. Because many newcomers to Human Design find understanding the theme of their Incarnation Cross confusing, it may be helpful to start diving into the meanings behind the four gates that make up your Incarnation Cross first.

Finally, it’s important to remember that learning about Human Design is meant to be a lifelong journey. It’s not about mastering everything at once. As you experiment with your strategy, authority, and other aspects of your chart, you’ll start noticing shifts in how you relate to the world. So, it’s important to give yourself time to integrate what you learn. The beauty of Human Design is that it encourages you to honor your unique path and grow at your own pace.

Human Design can offer deep insights about your unique energy, decision-making style, and life purpose. As a beginner, it’s important to focus on understanding your type, strategy, and authority first. These core elements provide a strong foundation for further exploration. Over time, as you dive deeper into your chart’s gates, channels, and centers, you’ll uncover new layers of self-awareness that help you live with greater alignment and fulfillment.